The 21st Show

Crazy Rich Asians; 2001: A Space Odyssey, 50 Years Later; Illinois Politics Update

By Niala Boodhoo, Libby Foster and Alan Montecillo
 

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On The 21st: We talk about the new movie, Crazy Rich Asians. And, it's been 50 years since 2001: A Space Odyssey hit screens in 1968. We examine it's impact and legacy. But first, we give you your weekly Illinois politics update. 

 

If you tuned in last Thursday, you heard us live from the state fair - talking to everyone from the head of the department of ag, to a hypnotist, to a veteran who helps connect therapy dogs with veterans who need them.

Politics are also a big part of the state fair - or least, campaigning is. Every year, there’s a Republican Day and a Democrat Day - and with the midterm elections less than three months away, candidates stopped by to shake hands and try to show some party unity.

NPR Illinois reporter Daisy Contreras and Shia Kapos from Politicos Illinois Playbook joined us to give us our weekly Illinois politics update.

 

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Crazy Rich Asians is finally out in theaters. It was based on the bestselling book by Kevin Kwan of the same name, and the movie has made $34 million in its first five days.

Its all-Asian cast is rare in the American film business, especially big-budget Hollywood movies. It’s basically been 25 years since the Joy Luck Club.

It also stands out as a romantic comedy. You heard a little bit about the Prince Harry of Asia in this movie - Nicholas Young. And the way he and other male lead actors are portrayed is pretty different from how we usually see Asians - and especially Asian men - in movies and TV.

We were joined by Cary Chow, he’s a writer for The Undefeated. You may also have seen him on SportsCenter, where he was ESPN’s first Chinese-American broadcaster for that show. Jeff Yang also joined us on the line, he’s a contributor for CNN and a columnist for the South China Morning Post. His son is also Hudson Yang, one of the stars of ABC’s Fresh Off The Boat.

And- 

 

2001: A Space Odyssey is considered an all time great, garnering praise from the likes of Roger Ebert, Christopher Nolan, and George Lucas.

Audiences around the state are taking this week to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the sci-fi film’s release. In Champaign, the Virginia Theatre will be showing the film in 70mm today through Saturday. We’ll have the details up on our website if you’re interested.

But, joining us to to talk more about the lasting impact of 2001, we had The Virginia Theater’s Mitch Marlow in the studio with me.  

Also joining me on the line was Brand Fortner. Brand is a University of Illinois alum who is still an advisor to the National Center for Supercomputing Applications who also teaches physics at North Carolina State University.

Story source: WILL