The Colin McEnroe Show

This week’s Nose is one bubble floating in the cosmic foam of existence. Everything Everywhere All at Once is the second feature film written and directed by Daniels (the filmmaking duo Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert). New York Times film critic A.O. Scott called it a “swirl of genre anarchy.” It has recently become indie auteur studio A24’s highest-grossing release to date. Here’s their synopsis: “Everything Everywhere All at Once is a hilarious and big-hearted sci-fi action adventure about an exhausted Chinese American woman who can’t seem to finish her taxes.” And: It’s Pride Month. Which means, among other things, that corporations and other institutions will hamfistedly shoehorn rainbows and other tokens of “inclusion” into their logos and advertising, a phenomenon known as “rainbow capitalism.” Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Kate Bush, “Running Up That Hill,” and the End of Music Charts As We Knew Them Thanks to ‘Stranger Things,’ one of art pop’s most reclusive figures has almost inadvertently found herself with a top-10 charting hit. Is it a fluke or a sign of the times? Popeye is getting a makeover at age 93 Paramount Pictures faces copyright lawsuit over ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ ‘Die Hard’ On a Pedestal: Why John McTiernan’s Action Classic Is Such an Ode to Joy ‘Creem’ Once Made Journalism a ‘Contact Sport.’ Three Decades Later, the Rock Mag Is Back The legendary rag returns, unveiling a free online archive and brand new content David Cronenberg’s Dreams and Nightmares “People will say, ‘Oh, he’s back to body horror,’ ” the director of the new film “Crimes of the Future” says. “But it’s never changed for me.” ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ to End Broadway Run ‘White Noise’: Details Surface About Noah Baumbach’s Catastrophic 9-Month, $140 Million Shoot The Transformations of Pinocchio How Carlo Collodi’s puppet took on a life of his own. We Don’t Know Neptune at All You know, the planet? Matthew McConaughey Gives Emotional White House Speech, Accused of ‘Grandstanding’ by Newsmax Reporter His wife Camila Alves held the green Converse sneakers that were the only way to identify a 10-year-old victim. Madonna Biopic Will (Probably) Star Julia Garner The Short-Lived Reign of MTV’s Best Kiss Award In a time before gratuitous red-carpet makeouts, one category at the MTV Movie Awards became ground zero for celebrity spontaneity and PDA What’s Up With Lil Nas X and BET? Disney fires Peter Rice, its top TV content executive. Some in the entertainment business had seen him as a possible candidate to succeed Bob Chapek as Disney’s chief executive. GUESTS: Rebecca Castellani: Co-founder of Quiet Corner Communications and a freelance writer James Hanley: Co-founder of Cinestudio at Trinity College Mercy Quaye: Founder and principal consultant for The Narrative Project The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Catie Talarski contributed to this show. Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today by visiting ctpublic.org/donate.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour, our new favorite way to communicate: emoji. We look at how emoji are created and how they change meaning and talk to the creator of Emojiland: The Musical. GUESTS: Keith Broni: Editor-in-chief of Emojipedia Keith Harrison Dworkin: Composer and creator of Emojiland: The Musical Alex King: Associate professor of philosophy at Simon Fraser University and editor-in-chief of Aesthetics for Birds The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show. Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve done this show every year (except 2012) since 2011. (We maybe even did it in 2010. We probably did.) It’s a bit of a tradition. It’s a tradition that… makes some people angry, we realize. And that has a lot to do with how we define the term ‘song of the summer.’ We use the Amanda Dobbins definition: Let’s be clear about how this works: There is no such thing as a ‘personal’ song of summer. We do not anoint multiple songs of summer. There can only be one; the Song of Summer, by its very definition, is a consensus choice. It is the song that wrecks wedding dance floors. It is the song that you and your mother begrudgingly agree on (even though your mom has no idea what rhymes with ‘hug me’ and won’t stop yelling it in public). It does not necessarily have to hit No. 1 on the charts, but it should probably be on the charts because it must be widely played. It must bring people together. It must be a shared enthusiasm. And so, our job here is to try to predict a thing that you and your mom will agree on like three months from now. Try not to get too annoyed by the whole thing. GUESTS: Sam Hadelman: Works in music public relations and hosts The Sam Hadelman Show at Radio Free Brooklyn Brendan Jay Sullivan: A writer, producer, and DJ best known for his work with Lady Gaga Cassie Willson: A New York-based comedian and musician Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today by visiting ctpublic.org/donate.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You know Michael Schur from the shows he’s created, like The Good Place, Parks and Recreation and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. This hour we talk with Schur about his latest project, his book, How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question. Through the conversation we discuss moral philosophy, and big moral questions like “should you return your shopping cart to the cart corral?” GUEST: Michael Schur: TV writer and producer and the author of How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired February 3, 2022. Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today by visiting ctpublic.org/donate.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve been doing these shows a lot of weeks where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. We don’t even, anymore, start with the suggestion of a topic that your calls might, potentially, be about. We’ve had fun with these shows, and you seem to like them too. So we’re doing that again. In other words: Give us a call during the 1 p.m. EDT hour about anything at all. 888-720-9677.‌ Or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show. Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today by visiting ctpublic.org/donate.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week’s Nose thinks the less it says, the less it gives away. But, really, it’s the opposite. Obi-Wan Kenobi is a six-part Disney+ limited series. It’s mostly set 10 years after the events of Revenge of the Sith, with the Empire in power and Kenobi in exile on Tatooine. Three episodes are available so far. And: A recent Reddit thread on the ways different cultures handle feeding their houseguests has spilled out onto the wider internet and caused a bit of a discussion. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: LARPing Goes to Disney World Amber Heard Defamed Johnny Depp, Jury Decides The jury decided Amber Heard’s statement in her Washington Post op-ed was false and defamatory, and that Heard intended to defame Depp. Behind Netflix’s Leaner Movie Mandate: Bigger, Fewer and Better The Scott Stuber-run division is adjusting to a new set of realities as it readies a $200 million-plus ‘The Gray Man’ from the ‘Avengers: Endgame’ helmers and a pricey set of ‘Knives Out’ sequels. Donald Trump’s Media Company Plans “Non-Woke Alternative” To Netflix And Disney+; Streaming Slate To Feature “Cancelled Shows” Does a Comedian Really Need an Audience? Filmed during lockdown, a new Netflix special from Norm Macdonald and outtakes from Bo Burnham’s “Inside” suggest that crowd laughter can be limiting. We Must Defend Thanos’s Constitutional Right To Snap His Fingers and Make Half of the Universe Disappear The BuzzFeed App Is Now 100% Kardashian-Free (If You Want It To Be) One click to mute them all. DeLorean is back (to the future) with an electric car, and some caveats New Haven, Conn.: More Than Just Academics and Mozzarella After decades of crime, the city is ‘coming up’ — with the cuisine and culture of a major metropolis, but the laid-back vibe of a smaller place. “It Really Wasn’t What They Said It Was”: LeVar Burton Opens Up About ‘Jeopardy!’ and Hosting the National Spelling Bee What really happened with Burton’s ‘Jeopardy!’ host audition? What’s the latest with his Trivial Pursuit show? And is spelling a sport? The ‘Roots,’ ‘Star Trek,’ and ‘Reading Rainbow’ legend has the answers. With Cameras on Every Phone, Will Broadway’s Nude Scenes Survive? Audiences are increasingly asked to lock their phones in pouches at comedy shows, concerts and some plays. But what happens onstage doesn’t always stay onstage. The Mona Lisa was attacked again … this time with a slice of cake A man, who’s since been arrested, created an elaborate disguise in order to get close enough to the masterpiece How Love Island Became a TV Reality of Sex, Fame, and Sometimes Tragedy Starring swimsuit-clad cast members plucked from obscurity, the reboot of Britain’s Love Island promised to be the dating show for our self-made, self-aware era. After a series of high-profile suicides, including that of former host Caroline Flack, a darker reality set in. Ahead of the new season, here’s a look inside the highly produced machine. Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary team up for The Video Archives Podcast The two friends, filmmakers, and former co-workers will watch and discuss movies from the VHS archives The Woes of Being Addicted to Streaming After a decade under the influence of music algorithms, a look at what streaming services afford the most engaged fans and what lingers below the surface. GUESTS: Jacques Lamarre: A playwright and the director of client services at Buzz Engine Pedro Soto: President and CEO of Hygrade Precision Technologies Tracy Wu Fastenberg: Development officer at Connecticut Children’s Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Humans have long been interested in the possibility of extraterrestrial life. This hour, a look at why that interest has persisted. Plus, we talk to a scientist who is looking for extraterrestrial life and a linguist who is preparing in case we ever receive communications from extraterrestrials. GUESTS: Kate Dorsch: Historian, philosopher of science, and the associate director of the philosophy, politics, and economics program at the University of Pennsylvania Amanda Rees: Historian of science based at the University of York Seth Shostak: Senior astronomer at the SETI Institute and host of the radio show and podcast Big Picture Science Sheri Wells-Jensen: Associate professor of English and linguistics at Bowling Green State University who is on the board of directors of METI International Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When was the last time you had fun? I mean the kind of fun where you lost track of time, you didn’t care what others were thinking of you, and you felt connected to the people you were having fun with. We all know what fun feels like, so why don’t we make time for it? We tend to think of fun as a side dish, something to eat if you’re not too full. That’s wrong. Fun should be the main course. Fun nourishes our mind and body as much as healthy food and productive work. This hour, we talk about fun, including why we’re not having it, why we need more of it, and how to have it. GUESTS: Liliana DeLeo: A certified laughter yoga master trainer and the founder of Living Laughter Julia Pistell: Founding member of Sea Tea Improv Catherine Price: A science journalist and the author of The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired December 21, 2021.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Touch, grip, read, dance, gesture — what can't they do? Our fingers are so vital to our everyday life, sometimes it seems they have minds of their own. In this hour, we talk about the hidden language of finger gestures, the future of Braille, and the joys and challenges of animating fingers for DreamWorks. GUESTS: Kensy Cooperrider: Cognitive scientist, writer, and host of the podcast Many Minds Jonathan McNicol: Producer of The Colin McEnroe Show Sile O'Modhrain: Professor at the University of Michigan studying sound and touch and the ways in which they interact Carlos Fernandez Puertolas: Animator with DreamWorks Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Colin McEnroe, Cat Pastor, and Lily Tyson contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week’s Nose is the first one to say it’s a great country, but it’s a strange culture. George Carlin’s American Dream is a new, two-part, nearly-four-hour HBO documentary directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio. At 225 minutes, it actually runs 45 minutes shorter than Apatow’s previous HBO doc, The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling. And: Brigsby Bear is a 2017 comedy-drama written by Kevin Costello and Kyle Mooney from a story by Mooney and directed by Dave McCary. Mooney is one of four major departures from the cast of Saturday Night Live last weekend. Brigsby Bear stars Mooney, Claire Danes, Mark Hamill, Greg Kinnear, Andy Samberg, and Matt Walsh. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: ‘Goodfellas’ Star Ray Liotta Dies at 67 Colin Cantwell, The Concept Artist Who Designed The Death Star, Dies At 90 Andy “Fletch” Fletcher Dies: Depeche Mode Keyboard Player, Founding Member Was 60 Ricky Gervais’ Netflix Special Draws Criticism for Graphic Jokes Mocking Trans People I Watched the New Ricky Gervais Stand-up Special So You Don’t Have To John Mulaney Draws Criticism for Having Dave Chappelle Open, Tell ‘Transphobic Jokes’ at Ohio Show The Kids in the Hall Have Gotten Old. Their Comedy Hasn’t. A new documentary explains the undersung Canadian troupe’s brilliance, and a new season of its sketch show confirms it. The 100 Greatest Stools in Stand-up Special History A ‘Jaws’ actor is named police chief in the town where the iconic movie was filmed Broadcast TV’s reduced role made clear in fall presentations How Wordle brought us back together Spelling Bee, too, and Words With Friends. Who knew online word games would get us talking to each other again? Why the Depp-Heard trial is so much worse than you realize Amber Heard is just the first target of a new extremist playbook. As Frank Langella Defies His Firing, More Details About Inappropriate Behavior Claims On Set Of Netflix Series Emerge Rita Moreno to Play Vin Diesel’s Grandmother in ‘Fast X’ Conan O’Brien’s Podcast Company Sells to SiriusXM in Deal Valued Around $150 Million The sale of Team Coco comes as audio companies make deals with podcasters with large followings How Reality TV Stars Conquered Your Bookshelves Has Time Passed ‘Stranger Things’ By? In 2016, the Netflix hit became a zeitgeist-driving sensation. But in a streaming landscape that’s much more competitive, the supersized and long-awaited Season 4 may have a harder time standing out. ‘50% sweet, 50% salty’: Oreo, Ritz team up to make limited edition cookie-cracker snack A Brief History of the Cheez-It America’s iconic orange cracker turns 100 this year How Top Gun Became A Gay Classic Inside the Ambient Music Streaming Boom As more people turn to ambient playlists for sleeping, meditating, and growing houseplants, what does it mean for the artists behind the serene soundscapes? LARPing Goes to Disney World On a “Star Wars” spaceship, the company has taken live-action role-play to a lavish extreme. Guests spend days eating, scheming, and assembling lightsabres in character. ‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey’ Director Teases Slasher Film Plot: ‘Pooh and Piglet Go on a Rampage’ GUEST: Shawn Murray: A stand-up comedian, writer, and the host of the Nobody Asked Shawn podcast Carolyn Paine: An actress, comedian, and dancer, and the founder, director, and choreographer of CONNetic Dance Bill Yousman: Professor of Media Studies at Sacred Heart University Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You probably know when you’re feeling happy, sad, or angry. But our range of emotions stretch beyond the language we have for them. This hour, we learn what emotions are and give names to ones you’ve probably felt without ever having had a word for them. GUESTS: Edgar Gerrard Hughes: The editor of How Do You Feel? A Spectacular Compendium of Ideas, Interactive Games, Provocations, Tests, and Tricks that Explore the World of What You Feel and Why and a researcher at the University of London’s Queen Mary Centre for the History of the Emotions John Koenig: Author of The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired January 10, 2022.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s something almost romantic about airships. The image of a giant, floating aircraft feels both nostalgic and futuristic. In the early 20th century, airships were on the leading edge of aviation; today, they mostly live on in the domain of steampunk art and speculative fiction. But a number of companies are betting they can bring airships out of the history books and into modern real-world applications like cargo transport and military uses. This hour, the past and future of airships, both real and imagined. GUESTS: Nick Allman: Chief operating officer of Hybrid Air Vehicles Jeanne Marie Laskas: A journalist and the author of eight books; in 2016 she published “Helium Dreams” in The New Yorker Ken Liu: A futurist and author of speculative fiction, including The Dandelion Dynasty, an epic fantasy series featuring airships The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired November 1, 2021.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour, we’re joined by Kelefa Sanneh, author of Major Labels: A History of Popular Music in Seven Genres. We talk about music genres and look back at the history of music. GUESTS: Kelefa Sanneh: Staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of Major Labels: A History of Popular Music in Seven Genres The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired October 25, 2021.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the one hand, calling something “medieval” carries with it negative connotations of outdated times. But lately there has almost been a nostalgia for life in the Middle Ages. This hour, we look at what life was really like in that time period and why we remember it the way we do. Plus, a look at the medieval origin of environmental anxiety and student debt. GUESTS: Jenny Adams: Associate professor of English at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Courtney Barajas: Author of Old English Ecotheology: The Exeter Book Martha Bayless: Director of folklore and public culture at the University of Oregon; her books include Sin and Filth in Medieval Culture: The Devil in the Latrine and A Cultural History of Comedy in the Middle Ages Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your strength breaks men’s bones. This week’s Nose has the cunning to break their minds. We Own This City is a six-part HBO miniseries developed by David Simon and George Pelecanos and based on the book by Baltimore Sun reporter Justin Fenton. It chronicles the Baltimore Police Department’s Gun Trace Task Force and corruption within and around it. Simon told NPR’s Eric Deggans that “this is the closest thing you’re going to get to a sequel” to The Wire. And: The Northman is director Robert Eggers’s third feature and his first big-budget film. It is based on the Viking legend of Amleth, a prince who tries to avenge the murder of his father. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: John Aylward Dies: ‘ER’ & ‘The West Wing’ Actor Was 75 Hannah Gadsby Stays Sunny by Any Means Necessary George Carlin narrator edits make Thomas The Tank Engine even more blue Genius editor combines Carlin’s Thomas & Friends narration with foul-mouthed clips from his audiobook readings Hollywood Has No Idea What to Do With the Erotic Thriller Streamers are struggling to reboot a genre that died too young. The Untold Story of the White House’s Weirdly Hip Record Collection Jimmy Carter’s grandson is unlocking its mysteries Attack of the Clones is underrated — and it’s crucial to the current state of Star Wars George Lucas’ maligned prequel chapter deserves reconsideration as it sets up the Obi-Wan series [Ed. note: Links ≠ endorsement.] The Believer, a Beloved Literary Magazine, Goes Home After a Risqué Detour The magazine, bought by a marketing company, briefly hosted clickbait content. Scandal ensued. After a flurry of negotiation, it is now back with its first publisher, McSweeney’s. Can You Remember the Plot of Avatar? We asked a semi-random assortment of smart and funny people who were alive in 2009—from Broti Gupta to Brandon Wardell to Marianne Williamson—if they could recall the plot of the highest-grossing movie ever. The Puzzle That Will Outlast the World One move down, 1,298,074,214,633,706,907,132,624,082,305,022 to go. Star Wars: The Rebellion Will Be Televised An exclusive look at the master plan for Obi-Wan Kenobi with Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen, Andor with Diego Luna, Ahsoka with Rosario Dawson—and a fleet of new shows. Squid Game Season 2 Likely Won’t Release Until End Of 2023 Or 2024 Taylor Swift’s NYU Commencement Speech Was About Cats, Cringe, And Getting Canceled The star’s NYU commencement speech was completely apolitical. Marvel Studios is licensing Stan Lee’s likeness from the company he sued before his death Lee sued POW! Entertainment in 2018 Tom Cruise Is Being Boring at Cannes ‘Doctor Who’ has its first Black lead. Will the show contend with race? GUESTS: Taneisha Duggan: A director, producer, and arts consultant Sam Hadelman: Works in music public relations and hosts The Sam Hadelman Show at Radio Free Brooklyn Irene Papoulis: teaches writing at Trinity College Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the long timeline of long-distance communication technology that starts with the telegraph and leads all the way to the iPhone and beyond, there’s a particular, once-ubiquitous device that seems to have left an indelible mark on the culture while also disappearing nearly completely from it. This hour, the history and present? (and future??) of the fax machine. GUESTS: Jonathan Coopersmith: Professor of history at Texas A & M University and the author of Faxed: The Rise and Fall of the Fax Machine Troy Kreiner: Design director at Use All Five, the firm that organized Artifax Kay Savetz: A tech historian; they co-host Antic: The Atari 8-Bit Podcast and run a number of websites, including Fax Toy and FaxZero Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Francisco Goldman made a big choice as a young man. He chose to spend a year in Guatemala living with his uncle instead of pursuing the master’s degree he could have had from a prestigious school offering him a full scholarship. It turned out to be one of the most consequential decisions of his early life. This hour, Colin talks with Goldman about his novel Monkey Boy, a story about the legacy of violence on a family and much more, including how his decision to go to Guatemala has shaped his life. GUEST: Francisco Goldman: Author of seven books; his most recent, the novel Monkey Boy, is now out in paperback The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired May 27, 2021.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The humble tambourine is the underrated, understated, unsung hero of contemporary music. This hour we shake our assumptions about this surprisingly enduring and ubiquitous instrument. GUESTS: Erin Elstner: Percussionist and Professor of Percussion at Webster University Ira Elliot: Percussionist best known as the drummer for the band Nada Surf Tim Kubart: Musician, songwriter, and performer known world-wide as “The Tambourine Guy” for his performances with Postmodern Jukebox Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour we investigate the ways in which words change when they enter our discourse and how they acquire new meanings, or sometimes even lose their meanings. We look at specific examples, discuss how the internet is influencing language, and learn about how dictionaries interact with the evolving nature of words. GUESTS: Sylvia Sierra: A linguist and the author of Millennials Talking Media: Creating Intertextual Identities in Everyday Conversation Peter Sokolowski: Editor-at-large at Merriam-Webster and co-host of the Word Matters podcast Kory Stamper: A lexicographer and the author of Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s the end of an era. Apple announced this week that it has ended production of the last iPod-only device it was still making, the iPod Touch. Apple debuted the original iPod in October, 2001, and has sold an estimated 450 million iPods since. Existing stock of the iPod Touch is available while supplies last. And: The Staircase is an HBO Max miniseries based on the 2004 French docuseries of the same name and the true story it tells. Colin Firth plays Michael Peterson, a man accused of murdering his wife. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: George Pérez, Who Gave New Life to Wonder Woman, Dies at 67 Working for both Marvel and DC, he created comic book series that brought superheroes together, and was co-creator of The New Teen Titans. Ric Parnell, Real Drummer in a Famous Fake Band, Dies at 70 The central characters in the mockumentary “This Is Spinal Tap” were comic actors, but Mr. Parnell was an actual professional musician. In Conversation: John C. Reilly The actor thinks audiences just want to be surprised. He’d do (almost) anything to oblige. Fred Savage is fired from ‘The Wonder Years’ over allegations of misconduct ‘Sex Education’ actor Ncuti Gatwa will be the first Black lead in ‘Doctor Who’ ‘A Strange Loop’ earns a leading 11 Tony Award nominations Warhol’s ‘Marilyn,’ at $195 Million, Shatters Auction Record for an American Artist At Christie’s sale for charity, the glamorous silk-screen beat out Basquiat’s skull painting that had set a record in 2017. Elizabeth Olsen: ‘Throwing Marvel under the bus takes away from the talented crew’ The reluctant star is returning as the witchy Wanda in ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’. She talks to Jacob Stolworthy about superhero film flak, her famous sisters’ advice, and why she rarely watches herself on screen Marty Friedman on why streaming listeners are skipping guitar solos: “Solos often have an obligatory existence – they must be there for a deeper reason” The former Megadeth man says guitar solos are often included to meet a quota, rather than because the song actually requires one FIFA and EA Sports End Decades-Long Video Game Partnership The demise of a relationship that produced one of the most popular games of all time will mean risks for soccer’s governing body but few changes for consumers. “Succession” actor James Cromwell super-glued himself to a Starbucks counter as part of PETA’s vegan milk protest The PG-13 Rating Has Become Meaningless Marcelo dropped from Lyon first team for “farting and laughing” in dressing room - sources I Toot, Therefore I Am A new philosophy paper attempts to answer a crucial question: What makes a fart a fart? Bad Special Effects Are A Choice Percy Jackson creator Rick Riordan rips complaints about casting the TV series The Strange Afterlife of George Carlin Nearly 14 years after his death, his provocative humor has been embraced by people across the political spectrum. What happens when comedy outlasts the era it was made for? New York Times Changes Today’s Wordle #324 Answer Amid Abortion Controversy What might reverse late-night TV’s decline? “If someone’s already watching something on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, why would they set their DVRs for 1:30 a.m.?” Traipsing Through the Vaster Wasteland On Netflix, HBO Max, and thirst in the desert. Christopher Walken To Play The Emperor In Dune 2 Disney Copyrights Targeted in Bill Proposed by Sen. Josh Hawley The company would lose its copyright to the original design of Mickey Mouse if the law is passed. This Is Spinal Tap sequel confirmed for 2024 with original cast Double ’Tap! Nigel Tufnel, David St. Hubbins and Derek Smalls are set to return to cinema screens for one final show GUESTS: Raquel Benedict: Claims to be the most dangerous woman in speculative fiction, and she’s the host of the Rite Gud podcast Carolyn Paine: An actress, comedian, and dancer, and she is founder, director, and choreographer of CONNetic Dance Bill Yousman: Professor of Media Studies at Sacred Heart University The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Phone ringtones went from uniform, to a million dollar industry, to the unconscious soundtrack of our lives. They’re pieces of music that are designed to get you to react. They’re sounds that often carry emotions and memories with them. But we don’t often give them much thought. This hour, the art of the ringtone. We look back at their history, investigate their rise and fall, discuss the appeal of a well-composed one, and talk to someone who designed his own. Warning: This show contains the default iPhone alarm tone. GUESTS: Sumanth Gopinath: Associate professor of music theory at the University of Minnesota and the author of The Ringtone Dialectic: Economy and Cultural Form Sam Hadelman: Works in music public relations and hosts The Sam Hadelman Show at Radio Free Brooklyn Paula Matthusen: Composer and a professor of music at Wesleyan University Steve Metcalf: Founder and director of the Garmany Concert Series at the University of Hartford’s Hartt School Ernie Smith: Editor of Tedium and a contributor to Vice’s Motherboard Brian Slattery: Arts editor for the New Haven Independent and a producer at WNHH radio Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Colin McEnroe, Gene Amatruda, Cat Pastor, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Occam’s razor states that “entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity.” This hour is all about Occam’s razor: where the principle came from, how it impacts science, its role in medicine, and how it shapes our daily lives. GUESTS: Kurt Andersen: Co-founder of Spy magazine, the host and co-creator of Studio 360, and the author of Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire — A 500-Year History Johnjoe McFadden: Author of Life Is Simple: How Occam’s Razor Set Science Free and Shapes the Universe Lisa Sanders: Clinician educator in the Primary Care Internal Medicine Residency Program at the Yale School of Medicine and the author of the Diagnosis column for The New York Times Magazine The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired November 17, 2021.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour we look back at the history of the Supreme Court and the rules surrounding it. Plus, we discuss how the Supreme Court shares information with the public, and we talk about ideas for reforming the Court. GUESTS: Akhil Reed Amar: Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University, and author of The Words That Made Us: America’s Constitutional Conversation, 1760-1840, among other books. David Folkenflik: NPR’s media correspondent. Emily Bazelon: Lecturer in Law, Senior Research Scholar in Law, and a Truman Capote Fellow at Yale Law School, a staff writer at the New York Times Magazine, and a co-host of the Slate Political Gabfest.  Tara Leigh Grove: Professor at the University of Alabama School of Law, who was a member of the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve been doing these shows a lot of weeks where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. We don’t even, anymore, start with the suggestion of a topic that your calls might, potentially, be about. We’ve had fun with these shows, and you seem to like them too. So we’re doing that again. In other words: Give us a call during the 1 p.m. EDT hour about anything at all. 888-720-9677.‌ Or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week’s Nose is short. $6,950. But it is not, it’s not a problem. Our original plan for this week was to look at the final seasons of Better Call Saul and Ozark. But it turns out that, among our full stable of nostrils — this is a group of more than 20 people who are, by definition, dialed into the mass market popular culture, mind you — there’s not a single person who watches both shows. In discovering that, we got to thinking about how it just isn’t possible to keep up with all the TV there is anymore. How, in fact, it just isn’t possible to keep up with all of anything anymore. And how, even with the things that you specifically try to keep up with, by the time the new bits come out, you’ve forgotten all the details about the old bits. So The Nose gets into some or all of that. And then we do look at the final season, the final part of the final season, “Season Four, Part Two” of Ozark. This bit almost certainly, almost necessarily gets spoilery. If you’re worried about that sort of thing, you might want to duck out at the first break. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Neal Adams, Comic Book Artist Who Revitalized Batman and Fought for Creators’ Rights, Dies at 80 He influenced multiple generations with his style and co-created such characters as Ra’s al Ghul, the Man-Bat and one of DC’s first Black superheroes, Green Lantern John Stewart. Naomi Judd, country music matriarch of The Judds, is dead at 76 Ron Galella, Celebrity-Hounding Photographer, Dies at 91 He personified the paparazzi — brazen and relentless in chasing the famous, particularly Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. But his pictures also came to be admired. Dave Chappelle was physically attacked in the middle of his performance in LA Dave Chappelle Issues Statement On Attack, Refuses “To Allow Last Night’s Incident To Overshadow The Magic” Of The Moment Sneakers, elastic pants: People alter office wear amid COVID The Office Beckons. Time for Your Sharpest ‘Power Casual.’ Work wear reflects how people feel about their jobs and the economy as a whole. So it makes sense that dressing for the office is all over the place. A24’s ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ Hits Impressive Box Office Milestone Fast 10 Reportedly Costs Over $300 Million, With The Largest Chunk Spent On Actor Salaries The Controversy Brewing on Elon Musk’s Wikipedia Page Amber Heard accuses Johnny Depp of physical abuse on her first day of testimony The Assassination of Amber Heard SPACE NUDES: NASA to launch naked pictures of humans to space in hope of ‘attracting aliens’ A New Wave of Shows Cares About a Group of Women the Rest of TV Has Ignored Sure, their characters are privileged, but they’re also dealing with unsteady marriages, ambition, and family. Golden-Con Threw a Party, Invited Every ‘Golden Girls’ Fan It Knew Thousands gathered in Chicago to celebrate the beloved sitcom, whose fan base has only expanded since its original run and made the Girls into L.G.B.T.Q. icons. The Pandemic Reminded Us That Most Women Still Don’t Have a Room of Their Own The past two years have shown us that we need to open our eyes to the biases built into our homes. A former Gap employee embarks on a quest to collect every in-store playlist It’s time for a non-white host of ‘The Late Late Show’. Here’s our critic’s shortlist The Biggest Challenge for ‘Jeopardy!’ Super Champions? Talking About Themselves. Mattea Roach is the latest ‘Jeopardy!’ champ to rattle off a long and impressive winning streak. But her success has an unintended side effect: She’s running out of personal fun facts to share after the first commercial break. Attention Girls, Gays, And Theys: Taylor Swift Is Dropping “This Love (Taylor’s Version)” Tonight!!!!! I guess 1989 is coming?!?!?!??! ‘Quantum Leap’ Reboot Picked Up To Series By NBC GUESTS: Rebecca Castellani: Co-founder of Quiet Corner Communications and a freelance writer Jacques Lamarre: A playwright and the director of client services at Buzz Engine Brian Slattery: Arts editor for the New Haven Independent and a producer at WNHH radio Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has hired an advisor to review the agency. This comes as the CDC faces scrutiny for its pandemic response and communications. This hour, we ask what the CDC should, and could, look like into the future. GUESTS: Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo: The inaugural Director of the Pandemic Center at the Brown School of Public Health, and a Professor of Epidemiology. Dr. Saad Omer: Professor of Medicine and the Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases at Yale University, where he is also Director of the Yale Institute for Global Health. Dr. Jennifer Bacani McKenney: A family physician, based in Kansas, who is also the Wilson County and Fredonia City Health Officer.  Lori Freeman: Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of County and City Health Officials. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Note: This episode contains strong language and a number of things intended to be in bad taste. This hour, we shoot the, er, breeze with John Waters, the filmmaker, author, and artist whose œuvre of campy, raunchy films ranges from the cult classics Pink Flamingos and Polyester to the musicals Hairspray and Cry-Baby. On the occasion of his first novel, the “feel-bad romance” Liarmouth, we talk to Waters about everything from testicle tanning and teabagging to Baltimore and becoming a legend. Be there or be square. Note also: This show is about as spoilery as we get. We use audio of the very last lines of Waters’ Pink Flamingos. And the ending of Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood is just utterly revealed. (Colin will warn you when that one’s coming.) Now, neither of these movies is terribly recent — I mean, one of them is 50 years old — but it seems like we should mention it anyway. Please don’t send us angry emails. About the spoilers, at least. GUEST: John Waters: Writer, director, and actor; his first novel is Liarmouth … A Feel-Bad Romance The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Cat Pastor, Dylan Reyes, and Lily Tyson contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the century since Russia’s “Mad Monk” was poisoned, we've come to believe a lot of things: he was mystical, he was evil, he was the world’s greatest lover. This hour: Rasputin — the all-too-human peasant who found his way to friendship with the Romanovs, and the comical, absurd version that just won’t die. GUESTS: Douglas Smith: Historian and author of Rasputin: Faith, Power, and the Twilight of the Romanovs Chris Roberson: Co-writer of the Hellboy comic Rasputin: Voice of the Dragon Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Colin McEnroe, Lily Tyson, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour, we’re joined by novelist Ruth Ozeki. Her latest novel is The Book of Form and Emptiness. We talk about animism, hearing voices, and how Zen Buddhism informs her writing. GUESTS: Ruth Ozeki: Novelist, filmmaker, and professor of English language and literature at Smith College The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired September 29, 2021.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week’s Nose would come straight to your home and do it on the weekends too. This week was week three of John C. Depp II v. Amber Laura Heard, Johnny Depp’s $50 million defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard (in which she’s countersued for $100 million). It is nothing if not a sordid tale where no one looks particularly innocent. But it certainly seems like the entire internet is Team Johnny Depp. And: Slow Horses is a darkly funny espionage thriller series based on the novel by Mark Herron and starring Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden, and Kristin Scott Thomas. Its first season finale hit Apple TV+ today. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: ‘Cinema Paradiso’ actor Jacques Perrin dies at 80 HBO reminds Jerry West that Winning Time is “not a documentary” Last week, the Lakers legend sent out a letter demanding a legal retraction by the company Why There’s So Much Unsexy Sex on TV How to Use (or Not Use) a Hyphen Plus: a brief digression into why The New Yorker hyphenates “teen-ager.” Jon Stewart says the ‘fragility of leaders’ is the real threat to humor The Avengers have been with us for 10 years. Have they made movies better or worse? Production on Bill Murray film ‘Being Mortal’ is halted after a behavior complaint It Is Still a Bad Idea to Antagonize Mike Tyson Yet people keep on trying ‘The Northman’ Was #4 Over the Weekend, Then #1 on Monday: Why the Uptick? This could be one of the most encouraging grosses of late — and a sign of great word of mouth. A rattlesnake bit Cary Elwes. Here’s what to do if it happens to you Megan Fox Appeared To Confirm That She And Machine Gun Kelly Are In A Consensual BDSM Relationship After Facing Intense Backlash Over Her Engagement Ring That He Designed To Cause Pain “I feel sexual power in that way, by experiencing it that way… I was being celebrated as being a feminist until I had the nerve to call my boyfriend, ‘Daddy.’” “Guardians Of The Galaxy” Director James Gunn Defended Chris Pratt On Twitter And Said He Will “Never” Be Replaced “I know the church he currently goes to. Do you?” The Return of Coachella and a Glimpse Into Our New Abnormal The most famous music festival in America returned this past weekend, providing a preview of the strange, not-so-distant future Billboard’s Newest No. 1 Hits Reiterate One Important Rule More pop stars have an oddball, ultimately forgotten big single than you might think. Disney announces Avatar 2 title, premieres teaser trailer At CinemaCon, Avatar producer Jon Landau discussed the “separate, but cohesive” strategy of the franchise Gene Kelly’s widow looks back on 70 years of Singin’ In The Rain Kelly’s widow Patricia offers some insights about the classic musical, Gene’s best moments, and the modern filmmaker she thinks he would have worked well with The Coastal Grandmother Aesthetic Is a Lifestyle, Not Just a TikTok Trend Coastal grandmother heralds a new kind of hot girl summer—with fresh produce, strong cocktails, and light linens. Mission: Impossible 7 Is Now Called Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part One Humans Can’t Quit a Basic Myth About Dog Breeds Breed doesn’t have that big an effect on a dog’s personality. How Elisabeth Moss Became the Dark Lady of the Small Screen The actor—who is also a director, a rom-com fan, and a Scientologist—likes to swim in the weird. Viola Davis says critics ‘serve no purpose’ but we do – and it’s not to sell tickets The actor’s response to criticism of The First Lady is astonishingly thin-skinned and misses our role in building dialogue and serving readers James Corden Says He’ll Leave His CBS Show Next Year The British-born host, who was a successful actor and comedian before joining the network’s late-night lineup, has been signaling for some time that he was considering leaving. GUESTS: David Edelstein: America’s Greatest Living Film Critic Helder Mira: Multimedia producer at Trinity College and co-host of the So Pretentious podcast Carolyn Paine: An actress, comedian, and dancer, and the founder, director, and choreographer of CONNetic Dance The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Cat Pastor, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour, as National Poetry Month comes to a close, we celebrate the form with three contemporary poets. GUESTS: Matthew Zapruder: Professor, poet, whose most recent collection is Father’s Day, and author of the book Why Poetry. Margaret Gibson: Poet laureate of Connecticut, whose most recent collection is The Glass Globe.  Yanyi: Poet, whose most recent collection is Dream of the Divided Field, and writer of the advice column “The Reading,” for creative writers.   Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Henry David Thoreau is a bit of a polarizing figure. He has been both celebrated and criticized for his writing. He’s considered an inspirational figure for retreating to the woods, but mocked for his reliance on his mother during that same period. This hour, we look at the life and legacy of Henry David Thoreau, and ask what his example can teach us about who is remembered and celebrated. GUESTS: Laura Dassow Walls: Professor emeritus of English at the University of Notre Dame and the author of Henry David Thoreau: A Life Alex Beam: Author, journalist, and contributor to The Boston Globe Tracy Fullerton: Director of the Game Innovation Lab at the University of Southern California and the designer and director of Walden, A Game Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mimes have been gesticulating their way into our hearts (or nightmares) nearly for forever. It may be that the legendary Marcel Marceau popularized the mime, but people have been communicating through movement since the very beginning. Today, characters in big-budget Hollywood movies and television shows routinely rely on pantomime techniques to create the on-screen characters we love. This hour, the past, present, and future of mimes. GUESTS: Doug Jones: A trained mime, contortionist, and award-winning actor known for his roles in The Shape of Water, Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, Hocus Pocus, Star Trek: Discovery, and more Richard Knight: Author of Mime the Gap: Techniques in Mime and Movement Shawn Wen: Author of A Twenty Minute Silence Followed by Applause The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Jonathan McNicol contributed to this show, which originally aired August 30, 2018.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve been doing these shows a lot of weeks where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. We don’t even, anymore, start with the suggestion of a topic that your calls might, potentially, be about. We’ve had fun with these shows, and you seem to like them too. So we’re doing that again. In other words: Give us a call during the 1 p.m. EDT hour about anything at all. 888-720-9677.‌ Or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Colin McEnroe, Cat Pastor, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When this week’s Nose hits the sky, it’s not just a call. It’s a warning. Matt Reeves’ The Batman is the highest-grossing film of 2022 so far by a fairly wide margin. It stars Robert Pattinson in the title role, and it’s the first entry in a new Batman shared universe. Two sequels are expected and two HBO Max television series are planned. Pattinson’s Batman exists alongside the DC Extended Universe, in which Ben Affleck plays Batman, and, it turns out, alongside a universe where Michael Keaton is still Batman. It’s a shared multiverse that I’m talking about, I guess. Pattinson is Batman in what is apparently called ‘Earth-2.’ I am not making any of this up. I could not make any of this up. Anyway, The Batman premieres on HBO on April 23. It is available to stream on HBO Max and for digital rental and purchase now. Oh, and it’s still in theaters, too. And: Netflix announced this week that it lost 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter of the year and that it expects to lose another 2 million this quarter. And its animation department is kind of falling apart. And it’s now going to crack down on password sharing. And then its market value dropped more than $50 billion over night. Yikes. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Robert Morse, Impish Tony-Winning Comedy Star, Is Dead at 90 He dazzled as a charming corporate schemer in “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” His later triumphs included a memorable role on “Mad Men.” Liz Sheridan, ‘Seinfeld’ actress, dead at 93 Radu Lupu, celebrated Romanian pianist, dies at age 76 In Cleveland, Some Fans Are Guardians Only of the Past Cleveland’s baseball team adopted a new nickname, and their home opener was the first in years without Native American protests. That doesn’t mean everyone was happy. The Artful, Subdued Translations of Modern Pop Young artists like Latto, Vince Staples, and Doechii are subtly persuading listeners to rethink the way music genres can be interpreted. Rachel Zegler Is Finding Her Voice Cast in starring roles in West Side Story and Snow White, a high schooler became an overnight celebrity. What comes next? Johnny Depp in court says he has never struck any woman in his life Taylor Swift was the inspiration for the name of a new millipede species Gen X Was Right About Everything. Here’s Proof Album anniversary tours are just our generation’s cultural victory lap A 4-year-old can run errands alone … and not just on reality TV What Happened to Jon Stewart? He is comedy royalty. But the world has changed since he was at the height of his powers. Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid It’s not just a phase. Elon Musk says he has secured the money to buy Twitter Florida legislature passes bill repealing Disney special tax status Martin McDonagh Isn’t Done Talking After a two-year delay that spanned a pandemic and his 50th birthday, McDonagh is back on Broadway with his new play, Hangmen—no longer the enfant terrible of the theater world, but still turning heads. Crap music isn’t as good as it used to be What is 2022’s equivalent to The Ketchup Song? Where are the tunes that teach us how to “Cha cha real smooth”? GUESTS: Sam Hadelman: Works in music public relations and hosts The Sam Hadelman Show at Radio Free Brooklyn James Hanley: Co-founder of Cinestudio at Trinity College Tracy Wu Fastenberg: Development officer at Connecticut Children’s The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Cat Pastor, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show. Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today by visiting ctpublic.org/donate.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Humans have always been interested in the sky, and astrology has been used as a tool for people in power for a long time. During times of stress, interest in astrology increases. But why are we so interested in something that is not considered a science? This hour, a look at the history of astrology, its relationship with astronomy, and the reasons why people love it so much. GUESTS: Julie Beck: Senior editor at The Atlantic, where she wrote “The New Age of Astrology” Darin Hayton: Associate professor of the history of science at Haverford College and the author of The Crown and the Cosmos: Astrology and the Politics of Maximilian I Emily Levesque: Professor in the University of Washington’s Astronomy Department and the author of The Last Stargazers: The Enduring Story of Astronomy’s Vanishing Explorers The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. This episode was produced by Sara Gasparatto. Colin McEnroe, Cat Pastor, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show. Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The term “brainwashing” has been used throughout history by scientists, politicians, and journalists, as well as in movies and literature. This hour: a look at the history and science of brainwashing. GUESTS: Joel Dimsdale: Distinguished professor emeritus in the department of psychiatry at University of California San Diego and the author of Dark Persuasion: A History of Brainwashing from Pavlov to Social Media Timothy Melley: Professor of English at Miami University The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today by visiting ctpublic.org/donate. Colin McEnroe, Cat Pastor, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

André Gregory has directed and acted in the theater for more than 50 years. He has appeared in a number of movies, including Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ, Woody Allen’s Celebrity, Brian De Palma’s The Bonfire of the Vanities, Peter Weir’s The Mosquito Coast, and many more. He has starred in three movies about the theater with the playwright, actor, and comedian Wallace Shawn: A Master Builder, Vanya on 42nd Street, and the iconic My Dinner with Andre. Gregory’s memoir is This Is Not My Memoir. He joins us for the hour. Note: I apologize for the flagrant hackiness of the “joke” of the headline here. I feel your scorn and must suffer through my shame. There are times when a work is so iconic one doesn’t have a choice but to make reference to it. And so here we are. GUEST: André Gregory: An actor, writer, director, teacher, and painter; he is the author, with Todd London, of This Is Not My Memoir The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today by visiting ctpublic.org/donate.  Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired January 27, 2021. Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today by visiting ctpublic.org/donate.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In her new book, Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy and the Battle for Truth, Elizabeth Williamson investigates the conspiracy theories that arose following the shooting on December 14, 2012, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. GUEST: Elizabeth Williamson: Author of Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy And The Battle For Truth The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show. Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today by visiting ctpublic.org/donate.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week’s Nose will be able to tell this story at a conference wearing flip-flops. The Dropout is an eight-part Hulu Original limited series that tells the story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos. It’s based on the ABC News podcast and stars Amanda Seyfried. And Inventing Anna is a nine-part Netflix Original limited series created by Shonda Rhimes that tells the story of Anna Sorokin. It’s inspired by Jessica Pressler’s New York magazine story “Maybe She Had So Much Money She Just Lost Track of It,” and it stars Anna Chlumsky and Julia Garner. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Gilbert Gottfried Dies: Beloved Comedian and Voice Icon Was 67 The passing of the actor best known for his voice talents and stand-up comic gifts was announced Tuesday by his family. A secret plan, a bombshell lawsuit, and a soccer match: Inside Tom Brady’s un-retirement Women are now TAPING their foreheads for a ‘wrinkle-free’ complexion in a bizarre new TikTok trend — so does it actually work? How swearing became a weapon of resistance for Ukrainians Their enthusiastic use of bad language contrasts with Putin’s linguistic prissiness — and shows that Russia doesn’t own Russian The “Pity Me!” Personal Essay A recent trend in writing brings us a whole lot of dramatics and zero perspective The Kids In The Hall Trailer: The Sketch Comedy Revival Arrives In May Sure Elon Musk Might Buy Twitter Oh why not. Will Elon Musk Go Full Future-of-Civilization on Twitter? Of all the things Musk says are good for humanity, this one is not like the others. GUESTS: Taneisha Duggan: Associate producer at Octopus Theatricals Mercy Quaye: Founder and principal consultant for The Narrative Project Bill Yousman: Professor of Media Studies at Sacred Heart University The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show. Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today by visiting ctpublic.org/donate.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We use zippers all the time: whether on clothes, shoes, bags, tents… the list goes on. Zippers keep our belongings secure, they keep us warm, they help keep out the elements, and they make it easier to get dressed. This hour is all about the zipper. We’ll learn about its history and significance, plus the role of zippers in fashion, and why so many zippers say “YKK.” GUESTS: Robert Friedel: Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Maryland and author of Zipper: An Exploration in Novelty, among other books.  Emma McClendon: Fashion historian, curator, and author.  Jim Reed: President of YKK Corporation of America.  Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today by visiting ctpublic.org/donate. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Perfectionism is on the rise among young people. This hour, we look at the impact of perfectionism on mental health, and how to deal with perfectionist tendencies. Plus, what the self-help industry can tell us about our interest in perfection. GUESTS: Thomas Curran: Assistant professor of psychological and behavioral science at the London School of Economics and Political Science Tamar Gendler: Professor of philosophy, psychology and cognitive science at Yale University Kristen Meinzer: Host of the By the Book podcast Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today by visiting ctpublic.org/donate. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For decades, we didn’t take television seriously. We saw it as ephemeral, as “chewing gum for the eyes,” as, literally, furniture. And then, around the turn of the century, things started to change. There was The Sopranos. The Wire. And, at the same time, shows like Big Brother and The Amazing Race. For Emily Nussbaum, it was Buffy the Vampire Slayer that forever changed her take on television. This hour: A serious appraisal of television with The New Yorker’s television critic. GUEST: Emily Nussbaum: Television critic for The New Yorker and the author of I Like To Watch: Arguing My Way Through the TV Revolution The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired July 15, 2020. Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today by visiting ctpublic.org/donate. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve been doing these shows a lot of weeks where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. We don’t even, anymore, start with the suggestion of a topic that your calls might, potentially, be about. We’ve had fun with these shows, and you seem to like them too. So we’re doing that again. In other words: Give us a call during the 1 p.m. EDT hour about anything at all. 888-720-9677.‌ Or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Colin McEnroe, Cat Pastor, Dylan Reyes, and Lily Tyson contributed to this show. Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today by visiting ctpublic.org/donate. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week’s Nose is all gettin’ flushed. Rothaniel is Jerrod Carmichael’s third HBO comedy special. The previous two, 2014’s Love at the Storeand 2017’s 8, were directed by Spike Lee and Bo Burnham, respectively. Rothaniel was taped in February at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City, and it, too, is directed by Burnham. This is the fourthdirecting project in a row of Burnham’s that The Nose has covered. And: The Outlaws is a BBC One series created by Stephen Merchant. It’s now available Stateside on Amazon Prime, and Amazon’s synopsis calls it “a comedy thriller about a disparate group of lawbreakers thrown together to complete a community service sentence.” It stars Merchant, Christopher Walken, and an ensemble cast. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Estelle Harris Dies: ‘Seinfeld’s Estelle Costanza, ‘Toy Story’ Franchise’s Mrs. Potato Head Was 93 Los Lobos founding member Francisco González has died at 68 Louis C.K.’s Grammy, After ‘Global Amounts of Trouble,’ Draws Backlash Some comedians are questioning how the Recording Academy saw fit to bestow an award to someone who had admitted to sexual misconduct. Why We Can’t Quit the Guitar Solo Elon Musk becomes Twitter’s largest shareholder. The Tesla chief executive, who has been critical of Twitter’s content moderation policies, has bought 9.2 percent of the social media company. Film Of Prince At Age 11 Discovered In Archival Footage Of 1970 Mpls. Teachers Strike Mad Magazine’s Most Significant Cultural Moments 2022 marks MAD magazine’s 70th Anniversary. We celebrate a publication that’s been dumbing down America for decades. How Everyone Got So Lonely The recent decline in rates of sexual activity has been attributed variously to sexism, neoliberalism, and women’s increased economic independence. How fair are those claims—and will we be saved by the advent of the sex robot? Inside the BBC Staff Exodus: Women of Color Are ‘Exhausted’ From Fighting a Broken System Japan’s Monkey Queen Made It Through Mating Season With Her Reign Intact Yakei, the 9-year-old macaque who seized power at a preserve, played the field and mated with at least one male, all while managing to maintain her status as her troop’s alpha. Newly Measured Particle Seems Heavy Enough to Break Known Physics A new analysis of W bosons suggests these particles are significantly heavier than predicted by the Standard Model of particle physics. If you want original movies to survive, get to a theater this April It’s Time To Revive the Nuclear Disaster Film With the U.S. and Russia Each Edging Towards Possible Atomkrieg, We’re Overdue for a Cinematic Reminder of the Horrors of Nuclear War GUESTS: Sam Hadelman: Works in music public relations and hosts The Sam Hadelman Show at Radio Free Brooklyn Rich Hollant: Principal at CO:LAB, founder of Free Center, and commissioner on cultural affairs for the city of Hartford Irene Papoulis: Teaches writing at Trinity College The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Azar Nafisi is the author of Reading Lolita in Tehran, which spent 117 weeks on the New York Times Best Sellers list. Her new book, Read Dangerously, argues that reading literature, reading challenging, dangerousliterature is foundational and fundamental to continued democracy. Imagination, itself, she says, is a threat to autocracy and totalitarianism. Imagination is inherently, by definition, “free and wayward.” “It should be clear by now that when I talk about books,” Nafisi writes, “I am not talking about literature of resistance but literature as resistance.” Azar Nafisi joins us for the hour. GUEST: Azar Nafisi: The author of six books; her newest is Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the past two years, we've all turned into preppers. Whether dealing with a pandemic, supply chain disruptions, or natural disasters, we've learned the value of being prepared to be self-sufficient for a few days, weeks, or even months. This hour, we look at prepping, and talk about how it has become a part of our everyday lives.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gossiping is considered a bad habit. But, when done well, it can actually have social benefits. This hour, what gossip is, its benefits and drawbacks, and why we’re interested in celebrity gossip. GUESTS: Amanda Kehrberg: Adjunct media studies faculty at Arizona State University Shayla Love: Senior staff writer of features at Vice Frank McAndrew: Psychology professor at Knox College The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired September 16, 2021.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are thought to be about 17 million living flies for every human alive on Earth. They’re predators and parasites and pests, but they’re pollinators too. They help us solve crimes, heal wounds, and understand genetics and evolution. And they literally help at least one artist paint his paintings. Also this hour: A look at David Cronenberg’s 1986 remake of, you guessed it: The Fly. GUESTS: Jonathan Balcombe: Author of Super Fly: The Unexpected Lives of the World’s Most Successful Insects John Knuth: An artist Gale Ridge: Associate scientist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Jacob Trussell: Author of The Binge Watcher’s Guide to The Twilight Zone; he published the piece “Only Jeff Goldblum Could Make Us Fall in Love with ‘The Fly.’” at Film School Rejects The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired August 19, 2021.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week’s Nose is always moving, it’s rhythmic, it’s up close and personal, there’s no pads or helmets for protection. On Wednesday, Demi Moore announced on Instagram that Bruce Willis is “stepping away” from his career after being diagnosed with aphasia. Willis turned 67 last month. And: Last Friday, before last weekend’s Academy Awards ceremonies, Ross Douthat published an opinion piece in The New York Times: “We Aren’t Just Watching the Decline of the Oscars. We’re Watching the End of the Movies.” And finally: Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty is an HBO series chronicling the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers and starring John C. Reilly, Quincy Isaiah, and an ensemble cast. It is created by Max Borenstein and executive produced by Adam McKay. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Taylor Hawkins, Foo Fighters’ Drummer, Dies at 50 Hard-hitting and charismatic, he was direct about his hopes for the group’s future, even after two decades. “I want to be the biggest band in the world,” he said. Paul Herman, The Sopranos Actor, Dies At 76 Nicolas Cage Can Explain It All He is one of our great actors. Also one of our most inscrutable, most eccentric, and most misunderstood. But as Cage makes his case here, every extraordinary thing about his wild work and life actually makes perfect ordinary sense. The Real Mission Impossible: Saying “No” to Tom Cruise How the franchise superstar lawyered-up and out-gunned Paramount execs over costs, COVID and a last-minute submarine. Ryan Reynolds Is a Great Brand but an Increasingly Boring Actor Are You the Most Boring Person Alive? A recent study details the dull jobs, hobbies and personality traits that make someone a boring person Does Every Geek TV Series Need To Require Hours Of Homework? Even Before Will Smith, It Was a Strange and Awkward Oscars 2022 V.F.’s chief critic reviews the 94th Academy Awards ceremony. Both teams assured of a possession in playoff overtime with rules change approved by NFL owners GUESTS: Shawn Murray: A stand-up comedian, writer, and the host of the Nobody Asked Shawn podcast Carolyn Paine: An actress, comedian, and dancer, and the founder, director, and choreographer of CONNetic Dance Bill Yousman: Professor of Media Studies at Sacred Heart University The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.