THE BIGGER PICTURE with Timothy Spangler

RICHARD AZURDIA, featured actor on the critically-acclaimed Hulu TV show "East Los High," is our special guest this Sunday night! A true Angeleno, born and raised in L.A., RICHARD has gained widespread notice for his role as Ramon on the drama, "East Los High." He has also appeared on other popular TV shows such as "Gracie and Frankie," "Southland" and "Weeds," in addition to well received Spanish film "Ladron Que Roba A Ladron," released by Lionsgate. An accomplished stage actor, RICHARD has appeared in a variety of productions across the country, including "Just Like Us" (Denver Center Theatre Co. - Broadway World Awards Nominee for Supporting Actor), "American Night: The Ballad of Juan Jose" (Denver Center Theatre Co.- Henry Award Nominee for Supporting Actor), "Living Out" (Mark Taper Forum), "La Posada Magica" (Odyssey Theater) and "Stranger" (Bootleg Theater-5 LA Weekly Awards Noms/3 LADCC Awards Noms). He's a recipient of the Andrew W. Mellon Artistic Leaders Fellowship and was named one of L.A. Weekly's "People Issue" of 2015. RICHARD is now back in Los Angeles for the premiere of "My Mañana Comes" at the Fountain Theatre. Just beyond the elegant dining room of an Upper East Side restaurant, service workers angle for shifts, pray for tips and cling to dreams of life beyond their daily back-of-house grind. The minimum wage crisis and rights for undocumented workers lie at the center of this funny and powerful new play. Hear our live interview with RICHARD AZURDIA this Sunday evening on KRLA 870AM.

Venezuela may be facing the near-complete collapse of its economy, but this week President Nicolas Maduro single-handedly escorted his country into a brighter future. Breaking with a decision made almost a decade ago by his charismatic predecessor Hugo Chavez, Maduro has decided to move every clock in Venezuela forward 30 minutes. The purposes of this DIY time travel is to add a little more daylight in the evening when energy consumption is at its peak. So stop worrying about the frequent water and electricity cuts, the world's highest inflation and a deep recession. At least now you can look enjoy a little more sunlight on your walk home in the evening from a job that doesn't pay you enough to buy anything at the stores that often don't have anything left on their shelves! Meanwhile, the world continued to lurch from one ridiculous story to another: * An octopus at a New Zealand aquarium took advantage of a narrow opportunity to escape from his tank into the Pacific Ocean. * Customs agents at a Vietnamese airport said a man was hiding 18 live songbirds in his pant legs and checked bags in an attempt to smuggle them to Taiwan. * A couple in the UK are in negotiations wth several buyers after finding a valuable lump of whale vomit, or ambergris, on a local beach. * Teenager Alexei Romanov plays the piano despite what would seem to be a debilitating disability for a musician: He has been handless since birth. * A hotel in New Zealand implemented a new dress code that prohibits customers from wearing Lycra bicycle shorts. Call us this Sunday night between 10pm and midnight during the live broadcast of THE BIGGER PICTURE on 866-870-5752 (or 866-870-KRLA). Let us know what you're thinking about the state of the world we live in today!

DIANE CAREY, best-known for her starring role in the cult TV series, "V," is our Featured Guest this Sunday night. DIANE has guest starred on dozens of television series and pilots, including "Alien Nation," "Alf," "Voyagers," "Fame," "Quail Lake," "LA Law," "Tales from the Crypt," "The Young and the Restless," "Cold Case," "The Starter Wife," "Defying Gravity" and "Ugly Betty." She was a series regular on both the pilot and mini-series of "V," as well as on the NBC cult series "Misfits of Science." She has appeared in several feature films, including the Academy Award- nominated "El Norte," "Heart Condition," "Strawberry Road," "Haraka" and "American Fango." Most recently, DIANE starred as "Rebecca" in the thriller feature film "Kantemir." An accomplished theatre actress, DIANE is starring in the world-premiere of the pitch-black comedy, "Dinner at Home between Deaths," opening this month at the Odyssey Theatre here in Los Angeles. Inspired by the Bernie Madoff scandal and other Ponzi schemes before and since, the comic thriller examines the American dream and American identity in the face of eroding ethics. Hear our live interview with DIANE CAREY this Sunday evening on KRLA 870AM!

Madonna is at it again! The 57 year old pop star and scandal magnate is currently on tour in Australia, and local legal experts now claim she could be facing charges of sexual harassment. Her troubles stem from a concert this week in Brisbane, Queensland, where she pulled down the top of a teenage fan who had been brought on stage, thereby exposing the young girl's left breast to the audience. With typical Madonna-bravura, she said the attractive 17 year-old was "the kind of girl you just want to slap on the" = ahem, bottom - "and pull." Then she quickly pulled down the girl's top to give the crowd a brief - but unobstructed - view of her half-rack. Consent for this sexually-motived contact was neither asked for nor given ahead of time. Afterwards, fortunately, the teenager said she had no intention of pursuing criminal charges against the aging singer. Lucky for Madonna! It not clear how well she would do in prison, although she could liven up the next series of "Orange is the New Black" - if she isn't shanked first for having wandering hands... Meanwhile, the world continued to lurch from one ridiculous story to another: * The Israel Antiquities Authority announced a woman hiking in Galilee stumbled upon a nearly 2,000-year-old gold coin from the Roman Empire. * A racehorse modeled the first Harris Tweed suit designed specifically for a horse before England's Cheltenham Festival. * A woman in China who sealed her eyes shut when she mistook super glue for eye drops avoided damage to her eyes thanks to her contact lenses, doctors said. * A baby in China might be headed for a bright future of Iditarod competition after the child's father rigged up a stroller to be pulled by several small dogs. * A Western Australia family found a garage-invading snake had already been captured by one of nature's perfect traps -- a redback spider's web. Call us this Sunday night between 10pm and midnight during the live broadcast of THE BIGGER PICTURE on 866-870-5752 (or 866-870-KRLA). Let us know what you're thinking about the state of the world we live in today!

BARBARA TARBUCK, from hit FX TV show, "American Horror Story," is our special guest this Sunday night! BARBARA has made literally hundreds of TV appearances over the years, including most recently as Mother Superior Claudia on "American Horror Story - Asylum," as well as "Mad Men," "Cold Case" and "ER," but she is best known as Australian Jane Jax on "General Hospital." She's been seen in feature films such as "Walking Tall," "Curley Sue" and Peter Greenaway's "Tulse Luper Suitcases." Trained on a Fulbright Grant to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, BARBARA's New York theater work includes the American premiere of Harold Pinter's "Landscape and Silence;" David Mamet's "The Water Engine" at the Public Theater; the Broadway production of Neil Simon's "Brighton Beach Memoirs" and the national tour of his "Broadway Bound;" and the Signature Theatre production of María Irene Fornés' "Enter the Night." This month, BARBARA brings her funny, touching solo show, "Stopping By" to the Atwater Village Theatre here in Los Angeles. The play tells the story of an older woman's encounter with the vast open space, violent dust storms, glowing night skies and uninhibited joy of thousands at the Burning Man festival. Hear our live interview with BARBARA TARBUCK this Sunday evening on KRLA 870AM!

Russia's Defense Ministry is looking to acquire five bottle-nosed dolphins for its "killer dolphin" unit in Crimea, according to a formal tender posted this week on an official government site. The requirements are exacting - between three and five years old, and between 2.3 and 2.7 meters long - but a tidy sum of over $5,000 per dolphin is available for those that fit the bill. Russia has operated a "killer dolphin" unit since the Cold War. With the fall of the Soviet Union, the Crimea-based program was inherited by Ukraine, but it fell on hard times during those years. Fortunately, when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, Moscow regained control of the dolphin program and is committed to expanding it in the years to come. Only one other country currently train military dolphins - not North Korea, Iran nor China, but.... the United States! Meanwhile, the world continued to lurch from one ridiculous story to another: * One of the world's most popular skiing competitions - Sweden's Vasaloppet - is adding a twist to its formula by giving participants the option to complete the race at night. * Motorists on a busy stretch of highway in the capital of Qatar were shocked to discover an unusual traveler in traffic -- a tiger. * A pair of fraternal twins born in Vietnam have been found to have different fathers according to local scientists. * A family in Australia were excited to see the end of a drought in the area, but got more than they bargained for when fish began falling from the sky. * A Norwegian daredevil set out to break an unusual world record when he took his snowmobile for a 131-mile trip on the surface of a river. Call us this Sunday night between 10pm and midnight during the live broadcast of THE BIGGER PICTURE on 866-870-5752 (or 866-870-KRLA). Let us know what you're thinking about the state of the world we live in today!

BILL BROCHTRUP, from TNT's hit show, "Major Crimes," and ABC's Emmy Award-winning police drama, "NYPD Blue," is our special guest this Sunday night. BILL is a stage, film, and television actor, best known for playing "John Irvin," the cheerful administrative aide on the iconic police drama, "NYPD Blue." He is currently appearing as child psychologist "Dr. Joe" on TNT's "Major Crimes," following recurring roles on Jon Avnet's web-series "Kendra" and Showtime's "Shameless." His film work includes "Life As We Know It," "He's Just Not That Into You," "Duck," "Ravenous," "Space Marines," and the upcoming "Mind Puppets." BILL is also the Co-Artistic Director of The Antaeus Company, Los Angeles' acclaimed Classical Theatre ensemble. This month, he will be starring there in the play "Cloud 9," a modern classic, fractures the conventional comedy in a wickedly funny, take-no-prisoners carnal romp. In the wilds of 19th century Africa, the colonizers are restless in more ways than one. Friends and family flirt and fumble with power, gender and sexuality, hilariously pushing against the boundaries of Victorian imperialism. Fast forward 100 years to the concrete jungle of London, where the Victorian legacy finally explodes in a blast of sexual awakening, self-acceptance and delectable humor. Hear our live interview with BILL BROCHTRUP this Sunday evening on KRLA 870AM!

Putin seems to be a firm believer in the "my house, my God" school of theology. This week, a Russian man was charged with insulting the feelings of religious believers, and now faces up to one year in jail, for posting on the Internet that "there is no God". This 2013 law was introduced after punk art group Pussy Riot was jailed for a lewd performance in Moscow's leading Orthodox church. Viktor Krasnov's remark offended another online poster so much that they filed a complaint against him accusing him of "offending the sentiments of Orthodox believers". Putin clearly doesn't play when it comes to trash talking about Comrade Numero Uno in the Big Dacha in the Sky! Meanwhile, the world continued to lurch from one ridiculous story to another: * A 4-year-old Australian boy learned a valuable lesson from his first experience with a vending machine when his arm became stuck for nearly six hours. * A farmer in China said one of his chickens escaped being slaughtered when he discovered the bird was born with an extra set of legs and feet. * A Swedish musician created a machine that makes music by having 2,000 marbles traveling along its tracks. * A pair of Canadian plumbers literally struck gold after finding a $50,000 gold brick while renovating a client's bathroom. * The Swedish arm of fast food chain McDonald's is testing out a specially designed Happy Meal box that folds into a virtual reality viewer. Call us this Sunday night between 10pm and midnight during the live broadcast of THE BIGGER PICTURE on 866-870-5752 (or 866-870-KRLA). Let us know what you're thinking about the state of the world we live in today!

ROBERT ALLAN ACKERMAN, award winning Broadway director who has worked with Al Pacino, Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon and Meryl Streep, is our special guest this Sunday night. ROBERT's New York directing credits include the Tony-nominated Broadway production of Martin Sherman's "Bent" starring Richard Gere and David Dukes; "Slab Boys" starring Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon and Val Kilmer; Oscar Wilde's "Salome" starring Al Pacino; "Legs Diamond" starring Peter Allen; and William Mastrosimone's "Extremities" starring Susan Sarandon, for which he received the Outer Critics Circle Award. As a resident director of Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival, he directed Thomas Babe's "A Prayer for My Daughter" (Obie Award for direction); "Taken in Marriage" starring Meryl Streep and Colleen Dewhurst; "Fathers and Sons" starring Richard Chamberlin and Dixie Carter; "Salt Lake City Skyline" starring John Lithgow and Fred Gwynne; "O'Neill and Carlotta" starring Jason Robards, Colleen Dewhurst and Madeline Kahn; and David Henry Hwang's "Family Devotions." London credits include West End productions of "Strangers On A Train;" "Extremities" starring Helen Mirren; "Torch Song Trilogy" starring Sir Antony Sher; "A Madhouse in Goa" starring Vanessa Redgrave; "Burn This" starring John Malkovich and Juliet Stevenson; "Our Town" starring Alan Alda and Robert Sean Leonard; "When She Danced" starring Vanessa Redgrave; and the world premiere of Manuel Puig's "Mystery of the Rose Bouquet" starring Gemma Jones at the Donmar Warehouse. In Los Angeles, ROBERT directed "Holiday" starring Kevin Kline, Sally Kellerman and Maurice Evans (Ahmanson Theatre); "Mystery of the Rose Bouquet" starring Anne Bancroft and Jane Alexander and "Scenes from and Execution" starring Frank Langella and Juliet Stevenson (Mark Taper Forum); and Noel Coward's "The Vortex" starring Rupert Everett (Doolittle Theatre). This month, he in in Los Angeles directing "Blood," a world premier political thriller about the Japanese tainted blood scandal, at the Complex on Hollywood's Theatre Row. Hear our live interview with ROBERT ALLAN ACKERMAN this Sunday evening on KRLA 870AM!

Soccer fans around the world rejoiced this week when FIFA, the governing body of the beautiful game, selected its new grand poobah. Swiss-Italian Gianni Infantino won in the second-round of voting, which took place in Zurich. He managed to purchase - ah, I mean, earn! - 115 of the 207 eligible votes, leaving his opponent Sheikh Salman of Bahrain in the dust. FIFA's reputation has been badly tarnished since allegations of corruption emerged involving the former leader, Sepp Blatter. Those wishing to congratulate Infantino may want to do so in the traditional FIFA manner - which would of course be small brown paper bags full of cash (preferably high-denomination bills)! Meanwhile, the world continued to lurch from one ridiculous story to another: * A village in India imposed a ban on unmarried women and minor girls from owning cell phones. * An elephant at a Thailand sanctuary showed off her art skills by using her trunk to pick up a brush and paint a self-portrait. * An Australian man set the world record for the loudest burp by producing a belch that reached over 110 decibels. * A French village celebrated its annual Bear Festival in a traditional-yet-unusual way -- with a man dressed as a bear mock-battling pretend hunters. * A University of London researcher shared video of penguins walking on treadmills to test their ability to balance while walking after putting on weight. * Members of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, otherwise known as Pastafarians, registered their first official marriage celebrant in New Zealand. Call us this Sunday night between 10pm and midnight during the live broadcast of THE BIGGER PICTURE on 866-870-5752 (or 866-870-KRLA). Let us know what you're thinking about the state of the world we live in today!

JACK STEHLIN, actor from the Showtime fan-favorite TV show, "Weeds," is our special guest this Sunday night! JACK is an award-winning actor/director and founding artistic director of the New American Theatre, but is probably best known for his television role as DEA captain Roy Till on the Showtime series "Weeds" (SAG Award nomination). His many guest-starring roles on countless hit TV shows, include "NCIS Los Angeles," "Without a Trace," "Monk," "The Practice," "Crossing Jordan," "ER," "NYPD Blue" and the Fox pilot "Hieroglyph." JACK can be seen on the big screen in "Wilde Salome" with Al Pacino. An accomplished stage actor, his New York stage credits include "Salome" (with Al Pacino), numerous productions at New York's Public Theater including "Richard II" (with Steven Berkoff), "Henry V" (with Kevin Kline), "Casanova (with Ethan Hawke), "Henry IV" (with Mandy Patinkin) and "Julius Caesar" (with Al Pacino and Martin Sheen). He is currently starring as Prospero in an imaginative retelling of Shakespeare's "The Tempest" at the Odyssey Theatre. Hear our live interview with JACK STEHLIN this Sunday evening on KRLA 870AM!

An anti-smoking poster in Moscow featuring a picture of US President Barack Obama went viral this week. The ad shows Obama with a cigarette in his mouth. The caption of the poster made the case against smoking very clearly - "Smoking kills more people than Obama, although he kills a lot of people. Don't smoke - don't be like Obama." Ouch! Obama, previously a regular smoker, has significantly limited his tobacco use since moving to the White House, although he admits he has occasionally "fallen off the wagon." No official confirmation yet as to whether the President has developed a preference for "vape-ing" or if he is simply an old-school stand-outside-in-the rain cigarette man. Meanwhile, the world continued to lurch from one ridiculous story to another: * People traveling home at the end of China's Spring Festival holiday led to a traffic jam in Beijing stretching six and a half miles with thousands of vehicles. * A British man discovered a strange road hazard while driving home from work one night - a 25-foot model triceratops. * A zoo in China marked Valentine's Day by holding a wedding ceremony for a pair of orangutans. * The island of Cape Breton in Canada is encouraging Americans to relocate if Donald Trump is elected president. * The head of the Russian Orthodox church took time to walk with penguins during a visit to the only permanent church in Antarctica. * After Renato Bialetti, 93, died last week his children decided to honor his life's work by placing his ashes in a container that symbolized his family's legacy - a replica of the Moka coffee pot, which his father, Alfonso, invented. Call us this Sunday night between 10pm and midnight during the live broadcast of THE BIGGER PICTURE on 866-870-5752 (or 866-870-KRLA). Let us know what you're thinking about the state of the world we live in today!

JOHN POSEY, star of hit TV shows, "How to Get Away with Murder" and "Teen Wolf," is our special guest this Sunday night! JOHN first came to the attention of network casting executives who discovered him on stage with the Atlanta-based comedy group, "Comedia," a group Posey co-founded in the 1980s, and brought him to Los Angeles. Since then, JOHN has compiled a long list of credits that includes recurring roles on "How to Get Away with Murder" and "Teen Wolf" and guest starring appearances on "Criminal Minds," "24," "Boston Legal," "NCIS," "Scorpion," "ER," "Seinfeld," "Manhunter," "From the Earth to the Moon" and "Newsradio" among others. He wrote, produced and starred in "Legendary," a coming-of-age drama with Patricia Clarkson and Danny Glover that was released in 2010. His original script, "Gorgeous George," has been set up at WWE Film Studios. JOHN wrote for the TV series "Doc" from 2001-2004 and created the syndicated radio series "A Lighter Look at Sports" for CNN radio. This month, JOHN returns to L.A. with an all-new revival of his critically acclaimed comedy about a former small-town football star who attempts to live vicariously through his son. Welcome to Tupelo County, Georgia, where even the local Easter egg hunt takes on legendary, Super Bowl proportions. In "Father, Son & Holy Coach," Friday night football is the motif that illuminates a father/son journey gone hilariously off the rails. Over the course of 85 minutes, JOHN, who confesses he was shaped by a complex and conflicted relationship with his own father, seamlessly portrays over two dozen different characters - the entire town of Tupelo. "Father, Son & Holy Coach" opens at the Odyssey Theatre on February 13. Hear our live interview with JOHN POSEY this Sunday evening on KRLA 870AM!

Money. As Pink Floyd once sung "Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash." EU finance ministers, however, are now having second thoughts about their decision over a decade ago to issue €500 notes, one of the highest value denomination in general circulation. It seems there is growing concern that these notes are making life easier for terrorists, money launderers and drug barons. Steps have already been taken in France, the site of two bloody terrorist attacks last year, to limit the ability of extremists to use cash to fund their operations. Since September, French citizens can only make cash payments of €1,000. If in any given month someone either withdraws or deposits more than €10,000, they are automatically checked by money-laundering authorities. Only the Swiss have a higher value note in circulation - the Swiss 1,000 franc note (worth $975 or £707). But then that shouldn't be too surprising. They are Swiss after all! Meanwhile, the world continued to lurch from one ridiculous story to another: * Education officials in Japan have announced that new guidelines regarding human pyramids in schools will be drafted by the end of March. * Guinness World Records confirmed a British resort broke a world record with a 3-foot, 4-inch tall stack of pancakes. * A town in Slovenia announced it is moving forward with plans to build a nearly $400,000 fountain that dispenses drinkable local beers. * A tourist visiting the Great Wall of China took a speed run down the attraction's alpine slide and crashed when he reached the end of the track. * A seal dubbed Sammy by residents of an Irish town was recorded engaging in his daily ritual: crossing a road to beg for fish from a seafood restaurant. Call us this Sunday night between 10pm and midnight during the live broadcast of THE BIGGER PICTURE on 866-870-5752 (or 866-870-KRLA). Let us know what you're thinking about the state of the world we live in today!

ROGER GUENVEUR SMITH, star of critically acclaimed films "Chi-Raq," "Dope," and "Birth of a Nation," is our special guest this Sunday night. ROGER has essayed memorable roles in "Do the Right Thing," "Malcolm X," "He Got Game," "Get on the Bus," "Summer of Sam," Deep Cover" and "King of New York." He also adapted his Obie Award-winning solo performance of "A Huey P. Newton Story" into a Peabody Award-winning telefilm. His "Rodney King," developed locally at Bootleg Theater, has toured internationally, and was recently distinguished with the Bessie and OC Weekly Awards. He studied at Yale University and Occidental College, and has taught at both institutions. He directs his Performing History Workshop at CalArts. ROGER is currently directing "The Mountaintop" (an imagining of events on Dr. Martin Luther King's final night before his assassination) at the Matrix Theatre. Hear our live interview with ROGER GUENVEUR SMITH this Sunday evening on KRLA 870AM!