Across the U.S., states are constantly in the midst of teacher shortages. California's teaching prep and residency programs are supposed to be part of the solution. But many hopeful teachers struggle to balance their passion with the risk of debt and high cost of living. Imperfect Paradise guest host and K-12 Senior Reporter Mariana Dale and LAist’s Higher Education Reporter Julia Barajas bring us the tale of two teachers in L.A. County , who are both facing difficult financial and professional ...
Aug 20, 2025•40 min
Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department deputies severely beat Joseph Perez in 2020, then arrested him. His mom Vanessa alleges that she had previously told law enforcement that Perez has a serious mental illness and would need to be placed in a psychiatric facility. Mother and son believe the deputies used unnecessary force on Perez and are the center of an ongoing legal battle, attempting to hold the sheriff’s department accountable for its actions. LAist Mental Health and Wellbeing Reporter Robert G...
Aug 13, 2025•25 min
West Altadena residents Anthony Mitchell Sr. and his son Justin Mitchell were stuck at home when the Eaton Fire erupted Jan. 7. Both had disabilities, and to evacuate, they needed help. Mitchell Sr. and family members called 911 multiple times as the fire spread. But first responders didn't make it in time to evacuate the father and son. Seven months after the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires, guest host Jill Replogle looks back with LAist climate and environment reporter Erin Stone. They d...
Aug 06, 2025•30 min
Diapers, concrete and construction debris. The open secret about trash in Southern California is that some of the waste people assume is being properly handled is actually being disposed of on remote sites in the California high desert. The state agency in charge of waste, CalRecycle, has said the scale of illegal dumping has become an emergency. LAist science reporter Jacob Margolis investigated several illicit sites in the Antelope Valley. His investigation raises questions about illegal dumpi...
Jul 30, 2025•29 min
Struggling with addiction and reentry after multiple stints in prison, Cesar Quijano discovers ultrarunning, a hobby that turns into his addiction and salvation. Through Cesar’s story to complete a 100-mile race, Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido and producer Lucy Copp explore urgent questions around what support people need to successfully transition out of prison and into society. Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOP...
Jul 16, 2025•50 min
As Democrats confront declining Latino support across three consecutive presidential elections, a fierce debate is unfolding within the party: Are Latino advocacy groups and polling firms helping or hurting the Democratic cause? Critics argue that a flawed messaging strategy — and a complacent advocacy infrastructure — have led to Latino voters drifting right, even toward Donald Trump. But advocates push back, warning that the narrative of a dramatic rightward shift is exaggerated and politicall...
Jul 13, 2025•53 min
For decades, there’s been a persistent story about Mexican immigrants crossing the border for a better life in the United States. But there’s a new trend emerging: Mexicans and Mexican Americans, disillusioned with American politics, moving to Mexico for a more fulfilling life. In the second episode of a three-part collaboration with Latino USA , Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido and Latino USA’s Maria Hinojosa sit down with a Mexican American creative who moved to Mexico, as well as a M...
Jul 06, 2025•27 min
From “The Graduate” to “Clueless,” this LIVE episode is all about movies with iconic soundtracks. Guests: Writer/director Paul Feig (“Another Simple Favor,” “Bridesmaids”), actor/writer Edi Patterson (“The Righteous Gemstones,” “Knives Out”), writer/producer Lauren LeFranc (“The Penguin,” “Impulse”). NOBODY KNOWS ANYTHING is a production of The Black List, LAist Studios, and The Ankler. New episodes premiere Tuesdays and you can listen to the show on the radio at LAist 89.3 Saturdays at 7 p.m. a...
Jul 01, 2025•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 18
During a flurry of election-related anxiety, Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido re-downloaded TikTok and fell down a very specific rabbit hole: Latina trad wife content. Videos of women waking up at three in the morning, making “lonche” for their husbands and espousing traditional lifestyles – have become popular and gone viral on social media. In the first episode of a three-part collaboration with Latino USA , Imperfect Paradise goes behind the scenes with one particular so-called trad ...
Jun 29, 2025•28 min
We’re taking cover and bracing for impact in an episode about our favorite disaster movies! Guests: Writer/comedian Jen Statsky (“Hacks,” “The Good Place,” “Parks and Recreation”), actor/writer Nik Dodani (“Twisters,” “Atypical,” “Dear Evan Hansen”), and actor/writer/director Katie Aselton (“Magic Hour,” “The League,” “Legion”) NOBODY KNOWS ANYTHING is a production of The Black List, LAist Studios, and The Ankler. New episodes premiere Tuesdays and you can listen to the show on the radio at LAis...
Jun 24, 2025•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 17
On February 18th, 2025, the LA Unified School District, the second largest public school district in the country, implemented an all-day cell phone ban for its students. Now that it’s the end of the school year, we head to Venice High School to see how the ban actually went. Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Visit www.preppi.com/LAist to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and b...
Jun 18, 2025•46 min
Call up your bestie and pour a glass of wine, because this episode is all about one of the most underappreciated movie genres: chick flicks! Guests: Writer/director Susanna Fogel, writer/comedian Alex Edelman, and writing/directing team Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (“Freaky Tales,” “Captain Marvel”). NOBODY KNOWS ANYTHING is a production of The Black List, LAist Studios, and The Ankler. New episodes premiere Tuesdays and you can listen to the show on the radio at LAist 89.3 Saturdays at 7 p.m. and ...
Jun 17, 2025•59 min•Ep. 16
ICE raids began last Friday across Southern California. People have been detained and there have been confrontations between protesters and law enforcement. What exactly went down and where does Los Angeles go from here? We hear from family members of people detained by ICE and talk with LAist Civics and Democracy Correspondent Frank Stoltze about the unprecedented week that Angelenos just experienced. Also we take a look at the history of this moment -- and why it's significant that it's all ha...
Jun 13, 2025•39 min
In this episode, we’re grabbing our stethoscopes and throwing around the term “stat!” for an episode about medical dramas. Test your knowledge alongside our guests, actor and rapper Utkarsh Ambudkar and writer Tracey Wigfield. Guests: Actor and rapper Utkarsh Ambudkar (“Ghosts,” “My Dead Friend Zoe,” “The Mindy Project”), and comedy writer Tracey Wigfield (“Four Seasons,” “30 Rock,” “Good News”) NOBODY KNOWS ANYTHING is a production of The Black List, LAist Studios, and The Ankler. New episodes ...
Jun 10, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 15
In 2009, Gloria Arellano de la Rosa was banned from re-entering the U.S. for ten years, finding herself separated from her four children and husband. But unlike Daniel Zamora, she didn’t remake her life in Mexico. Every day she waited to go home to the U.S. Fernanda Echavarri tells the story of what happens when Gloria finally returns to the States and reunites with her family. Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/parad...
Jun 03, 2025•40 min
Scrub down your cauldrons and polish your wands — this week on NOBODY KNOWS ANYTHING we are delving into the world of magic! Or, at least, the world of movies and TV shows about magic. Guests: Writer Justin Halpern (“Abbott Elementary,” “$#*! My Dad Says”), actor/writer Mary Holland (“Ghosts,” “Nightbitch”), and writer Kim Rosenstock (“Dying for Sex,” “New Girl”). NOBODY KNOWS ANYTHING is a production of The Black List, LAist Studios, and The Ankler. New episodes premiere Tuesdays. We will be ba...
Jun 03, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 14
On NOBODY KNOWS ANYTHING, we love case-of-the-week shows with acronyms for names, from “NCIS” to “Chicago PD” to “Law and Order: SVU.” On this week’s show, we get in on the procedural fun with actors Taran Killam, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, and Anna Konkle. Listen as our guests pitch their own procedurals, and try to solve the crime of bad movies and TV. Guests: Actors Taran Killam (“Saturday Night Live,” “High Potential,” “The Residence,”) Mary Elizabeth Ellis (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “...
May 27, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 13
We’re giving into nostalgia and going full 90s mode with an episode about the many great (and some not so great) TV sitcoms of the decade. Guests: Actors Tichina Arnold (“The Neighborhood,” “Martin”), Vella Lovell (“Animal Control,” “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”) and Timothy Simons (“Nobody Wants This,” “Veep”). NOBODY KNOWS ANYTHING is a production of The Black List, LAist Studios, and The Ankler. New episodes premiere Tuesdays and you can listen to the show on the radio at LAist 89.3 Saturdays at 7 p....
May 20, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 12
Martinis shaken, not stirred. Fast cars and shiny shoes. Villain monologues and absurd gadgets. From shagadelic parodies to suave 007 and serialized stories, we’re taking aim at spy movies. Guests: Actress Rose McIver (“Ghosts,” “iZombie”); writer/showrunner Raamla Mohamed (“Little Fires Everywhere,” “Reasonable Doubt,”); and writer/director Mark Anthony Green (“Opus”). NOBODY KNOWS ANYTHING is a production of The Black List, LAist Studios, and The Ankler. New episodes premiere Tuesdays and you ...
May 13, 2025•57 min•Ep. 11
In the days after LA’s early-January wildfires, tenant advocate Chelsea Kirk noticed a trend: rent gouging. Rents were shooting up past their legal limit. In the wake of the fires, as natural disaster collided with LA’s severe housing shortage, we trace how a collective of volunteers organized themselves to bring rent gouging to light in LA County. What did they find? And where do we stand on rent gouged listings and charges, four months later? Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. ...
May 07, 2025•39 min
Today we’re talking about the only truly noble pursuit there is — making movies! To honor the greatest industry in the world, this live episode of NOBODY KNOWS ANYTHING is all about movies… about movies. Guests: Writer/actor Ashley Nicole Black (“A Black Lady Sketch Show,” “Shrinking”); writer/actor Paul Scheer (“Black Monday,” “The League”); and writer April Prosser (“Look Both Ways”) NOBODY KNOWS ANYTHING is a production of The Black List, LAist Studios, and The Ankler. Visit www.preppi.com/LA...
May 06, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 10
When Portland, Oregon-based reporter Leah Sottile began covering extremism in the American West a decade ago, she was interviewing ranchers, fundamentalist Mormons and “sovereign citizens” who did not believe the federal government should own land. During the pandemic, she began noticing that New Age wellness leaders were talking about many of the same ideas. “I just couldn't quite reconcile the aesthetic difference. Like these weren't people in camouflage, they were like in yoga pants talking a...
Apr 30, 2025•26 min
Legend has it that women have been a pivotal part of the film industry since its conception, even though some corners of the internet get really angry if you say that. But this week on NOBODY KNOWS ANYTHING, our guests Lauren Lapkus, Jackie Tohn, and Michael Urie get to the bottom of the mystery that is women in film (in an episode written and produced by women, as all of our episodes are)! Guests: Actor Michael Urie (“Shrinking,” “Younger,” “Ugly Betty,”); actress and comedian Lauren Lapkus (“C...
Apr 29, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 9
Journalist Alexis Madrigal is obsessed with the port of Oakland. He even has a tattoo of a shipping container! In his new book, The Pacific Circuit, he makes the case that Oakland is where the real-world impacts of globalization are felt, and serves as a warning for other port communities. He documents the impact that the tech/logistics industry has had on his hometown, and profiles a Black environmental justice activist fighting back against economic forces that want to erase her and her commun...
Apr 23, 2025•35 min
Some people think space is the final frontier, but those people are wrong. It's actually time travel! Space, we've been there. But time travel has only happened in fiction. Still, just the thought of the possibility of rewriting the past is one we can't seem to shake, as evidenced by the movies that Hollywood continues to make about time travel — over and over and over again. Guests: Actor/comedian/writer Fortune Feimster ("FUBAR," "The Mindy Project"); writer Dana Fox ("Wicked," "Cruella"); and...
Apr 22, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 8
Amid the devastating Palisades and Eaton Fires that killed more than two dozen people, a political conflict came sharply into focus surrounding the funding of the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD). Finger-pointing as to who was to blame included former LA Fire Chief Kristin Crowley and LA Mayor Karen Bass. The two women would be lambasted for their handling of one of the most destructive natural disasters in Southern California history. But instead of coming together to fend off attacks and man...
Apr 16, 2025•36 min
Hollywood is getting ready for luncheons and deleting old tweets, which is why this episode is all about the Oscars. When you give an awards speech in your bathroom mirror, we know what statue you’re pretending to hold. So this week on NOBODY KNOWS ANYTHING, Oscar nominees Peter Straughan, Kris Bowers, and actress Caitlin Reilly duke it out for the ultimate award -- winning a game show where the points are made up by our host, Franklin Leonard. Guests: Screenwriter Peter Straughan (“Conclave”), ...
Apr 15, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 7
The biggest question hanging over most people in Los Angeles who lost homes in the Palisades and Eaton Fires is whether to rebuild or leave -- a question that's especially fraught for Altadena's Black community, who faced a long history of redlining. Charel Bailey’s parents have lived in Altadena since 1977, and she desperately wants them to rebuild after the fire. Her dad has been on the fence. We follow the Baileys as they grapple with this question and ultimately, come to a decision. Grow you...
Apr 09, 2025•40 min
Los Angeles has been through a lot this year. It’s hard to find a single person in Los Angeles who hasn’t been affected in some way by the recent wildfires. There’s so much to be sad and even scared about right now, but since we can’t fix all of that, we’re here to do what we know best — in the words of the great Donald O’Connor: “Make ‘em laugh.” In this episode, we honor all of our friends, neighbors, and nemeses that call Los Angeles home, and put on a show that’s all about the movies that ma...
Apr 08, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 6
Renée DiResta joined the Stanford Internet Observatory to analyze how propaganda spreads online. But in 2023, she went from studying the online disinformation machine to becoming its target. We dive into what happened when a right-wing conspiracy made Renée its villain, as well as how disinformation has changed over the last three presidential elections and where Renée is finding hope for a better future online. Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-mont...
Apr 02, 2025•40 min
