
The Colin McEnroe Show
3,179 episodes — Page 22 of 64

The road to sainthood: Who’s on it and how did they get there?
This hour, a look at the path to sainthood and how it’s changed over time. Plus: the local example of the Rev. Michael McGivney. GUESTS: Teresa Berger: Professor of Liturgical Studies and Catholic Theology at Yale Divinity School Joseph Laycock: Author of The Seer of Bayside: Veronica Lueken and the Struggle to Define Catholicism Rachel McCleary: Lecturer in the Economics Department at Harvard University and a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute James Sullivan: Rector of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Waterbury 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, Sara Gasparotto, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is arguing good for us? We’re still arguing about it
We tend to associate arguing with destructive actions like quarreling or fighting. Argument is a different animal. It may be fueled by the passion that drives fights and quarrels, but effective arguing requires factual evidence and logic to support why one idea might work better than another idea. At its finest, argument opens our world to ideas and solutions we hadn’t considered, whereas the passion and clashing egos of a fight often send us sulking to our respective corners. This hour, we argue that arguing can be good for us, but one could argue that we’re wrong. GUESTS: Lee Siegel: A cultural critic and the author of seven books; his latest is Why Argument Matters Agnes Callard: An associate professor of philosophy at the University of Chicago and the author of Aspiration: The Agency of Becoming David Edelstein: America’s Greatest Living Film Critic 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.

Looking at our world through glass
Glass is all around us: from windows and mirrors, to phone screens and fiber optic cables. This hour, we learn how glass helped shape our world, efforts to create different types of glasses, and what it's like to make art out of glass. GUESTS: John Garrison: Professor at Grinnell College, and author of the book Glass. Alexis Clare: Professor of Glass Science at Alfred University. Eric Meek: Senior Manager of Hot Glass Programs at the Corning Museum of Glass. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired September 22, 2021.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emergency First Responder Nose: Oscars smackdown
Note: This episode contains strong language. You may have seen that Sunday night, on the Academy Awards stage, Chris Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith went up on stage and whacked Rock in the face, and then a few minutes later, Will Smith won the Best Actor award. A more Noseish confluence of events we may never have seen been before. And so we assembled an emergency, podcast-only, shortish Nose to deal with it. GUESTS: Jacques Lamarre: A playwright and the director of client services at Buzz Engine Shawn Murray: A stand-up comedian, writer, and the host of the Nobody Asked Shawn podcast Vivian Nabeta: Director of marketing and public relations for Capital Community College and the cohost of the So Pretentious podcast 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 Lily Tyson contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We take your calls. Ask (or tell) us anything
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.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Nose’s guide to the 94th Academy Awards
Over the last eight months, The Nose has covered 11 of this year’s Academy Award-nominated movies, encompassing 54 nominations. So on this special edition of The Nose, we look back at our discussions of nominated movies, and we look ahead to Sunday’s Oscars ceremony with film and television star (and Oscars voter) Illeana Douglas. Some of the movies covered include: Being the Ricardos, Coda, Drive My Car, Dune, House of Gucci, King Richard, Last Night in Soho, Licorice Pizza, Nightmare Alley, No Time To Die, The Power of the Dog,Spencer, West Side Story, The Worst Person in the World, and more. Note: This special two-part Oscars season finale edition of The Nose, airing over two days on the radio, is presented here as one double-length (or so) episode. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Stephen Wilhite, creator of the GIF, has died It’s pronounced ‘jif’ [Ed. note: It’s really not.] World No. 1 Ash Barty, 25, announces retirement from tennis: ‘I’m so happy and I’m so ready’ It Looks Like Rachel Zegler Is Going To The Oscars … As A Presenter Brutally Honest Oscar Ballot #1: ‘Don’t Look Up’ Is a “One-Joke Movie,” ‘CODA’ Is “Excellent in Every Way” A member of the Academy’s producers branch, granted anonymity to speak freely, shares which films earned his precious vote (and why). What’s going on with Ye — and why does it matter? Rent-a-stranger: This Japanese man makes a living showing up and doing nothing A Manifesto Against Sex Positivity GUESTS: Rebecca Castellani: Co-founder of Quiet Corner Communications and a freelance writer Theresa Cramer: A freelance writer and editor and the co-founder of Quiet Corner Communications Illeana Douglas: A movie and television star and an Academy Awards voter Taneisha Duggan: A director, producer, and arts consultant Bill Griffith: Created the syndicated daily comic strip Zippy, and he’s the author of Nobody’s Fool: The Life and Times of Schlitzie the Pinhead 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 Steve Metcalf: Founder and director of the Garmany concert series at the university of Hartford’s Hartt School Helder Mira: Multimedia producer at Trinity College and co-host of the So Pretentious podcast Irene Papoulis: Teaches writing 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, Eugene Amatruda, Cat Pastor, Dylan Reyes, and Lily Tyson contributed to this show, parts of which have aired previously in different form.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The best laid schemes of mice and men: human and wildlife conflict
“Animals, which were in the service of man, could be arrested, tried, convicted and executed,” according to Edmund P. Evans in his book The Criminal Prosecution and Capital Punishment of Animals, published in 1906. They could also be excommunicated from the church.Our relationship to our pets and wildlife has mellowed over the centuries, but we still can’t figure out how to share space and food with the wildlife that lives among us without conflict, especially when resources get tight.We can’t translocate, trap, tase, laser, bomb, and euthanize our way toward a good solution. And aren’t we part of the problem? So, how do we coexist when humans make all the rules? GUESTS: Mary Roach: The author, most recently, of Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law Ben Kilham: Founder of the Kilham Bear Center in New Hampshire and the author of two books, Among the Bears: Raising Orphan Cubs in the Wild and In the Company of Bears Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired September 20, 2021.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Not Necessarily The Nose: The movies, mysteries, and marvels of Christopher Nolan
In the 21 years since Christopher Nolan’s Memento hit theaters, his movies have grossed more than $5 billion, earned 36 Academy Award nominations, and won 11 Oscars. His Dark Knight films helped spark the comic book movie renaissance we’re still experiencing, and his seventh feature, Inception, is the highest-grossing totally standalone live action movie ever made. This hour, a look at the filmmaker behind Batman Begins, Dunkirk, Interstellar, Tenet, and more: Christopher Nolan. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Emilio Delgado, ‘Luis’ for 44 years on ‘Sesame Street,’ dies at 81 Jane Campion apologizes for comments made about Venus and Serena Williams Pete Davidson headed to space on Blue Origin craft Senate Unanimously Passes Bill to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent The draft law still needs to pass the House. Netflix Will Prompt Subscribers to Pay for Users Outside Their Households in New Test to Address Unauthorized Password Sharing Why bad driving habits from the pandemic might be here to stay Kanye West Suspended From Instagram For Violating Harassment, Bullying Policy The rapper has targeted his ex Kim Kardashian, her new boyfriend Pete Davidson and comedian Trevor Noah in recent posts. An Educator Read ‘I Need a New Butt!’ to Children. Then He Was Fired. Toby Price, an assistant principal at an elementary school in Mississippi, read the book to a class of second graders over Zoom. “I am a firm believer that reluctant readers need the silly, funny books to hook them in,” he said. The Age of Everything Culture Is Here When anything on social media can become A Thing, trends take on an unnerving shape and velocity. It’s Time To Rebuild the Fourth Wall Characters in film and television must stop speaking directly to us. ‘John Carter’ Changed Hollywood, but Not in the Way Disney Hoped Ten years ago, the property that inspired ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Avatar’ bombed — and now both those franchises are in the Disney family. The Things I’m Afraid to Write About Fear of professional exile has kept me from taking on certain topics. What gets lost when a writer mutes herself? GUESTS: Kayleigh Donaldson: A pop culture writer and critic James Hanley: Co-founder of Cinestudio at Trinity College Tom Shone: Author of The Nolan Variations: The Movies, Mysteries, and Marvels of Christopher Nolan 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 September 2, 2021.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our 12th* (almost) annual March Madness show
The NCAA’s March Madness is back! And so the only logical thing to do is to get improv comedian Julia Pistell and the actual Bill Curry together to talk basketball for an hour on the radio. That may not be the only logical thing to do. It may be that that’s not actually a logical thing to do at all. But we’re doing it anyway. *It’s our 12th one of these unless it isn’t. Our thinking is that we’ve done this show every year from 2010 on, but for 2020. Though, in 2012, we used our brackets to pick a new Connecticut state bird. But we’re counting it. GUESTS: Eugene J. Cornacchia: President of Saint Peter’s University in Jersey City, New Jersey Bill Curry: Playing the part of Bill Curry Frankie Graziano: A reporter for Connecticut Public Julia Pistell: A founding member of Sea Tea Improv, among a number of other things Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Honk if you’re listening to this show about bumper stickers
Bumper stickers are everywhere. And they range from funny to informative to political to provocative. This hour is all about bumper stickers. We talk about the philosophy of bumper stickers, the evolution of political bumper stickers, and so much more. GUESTS: Henry Hoke: Writer and the author of the memoir Sticker, among other books Jack Bowen: A philosophy teacher and author of If You Can Read This: The Philosophy of Bumper Stickers, among other books. Claire Jerry: Curator of political history for the Smithsonian National Museum of American History 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, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What chess, Scrabble, and Monopoly can teach us about life
Author Oliver Roeder says that games are a “slice of life.” This hour we look at three games: chess, Scrabble, and Monopoly. We investigate why these games have endured in popularity through history, and we discuss what each one of them can teach us about life. GUESTS: Oliver Roeder: journalist and author of Seven Games: A Human History Jenny Adams: Associate Professor of English at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the author of Power Play: The Literature and Politics of Chess in the Late Middle Ages, among other books Lindsay Shin: A competitive Scrabble player who’s been playing competitively for around 20 years; she organizes an annual Scrabble tournament in New Orleans Mary Pilon: A journalist, screenwriter, and the author of The Monopolists: Obsession, Fury, and the Scandal Behind the World's Favorite Board Game, among other books 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, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We take your calls. Ask (or tell) us anything
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.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Nose looks at Best Picture nominees ‘Licorice Pizza’ and ‘Drive My Car’
This week’s Nose doesn’t need you to tell it whether it’s cool or not, old lady. Licorice Pizza is the ninth feature film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. The movie and Anderson are nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. It is a coming-of-age story set in the San Fernando Valley in the 1970s and starring Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman in their film debuts. Its ensemble supporting cast includes Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Bradley Cooper, Benny Safdie, Maya Rudolph, and John C. Reilly. And Drive My Car is an adaptation of the Haruki Murakami short story written by Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe and directed by Hamaguchi. It is the first Japanese film ever nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards and just the sixth movie ever to win Best Picture from all three major U.S. critics’ groups after Goodfellas, Schindler’s List, L. A. Confidential, The Hurt Locker, and The Social Network. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Mitchell Ryan, Lethal Weapon And Grosse Pointe Blank Actor, Dies At 88 If the Lockout Makes Baseball Better, It Will Have Been Worth It After tense negotiations, Major League Baseball and the players’ union both made gains in their desired areas. But more important, they avoided losses — of games and, potentially, their standing. Netflix Suspends Service in Russia Amid Invasion of Ukraine Moonfall Has Bombed Its Way Into The Record Books, And That’s Concerning ‘Black Panther’ Director Ryan Coogler Mistaken for Bank Robber “We deeply regret that this incident occurred. It never should have happened and we have apologized to Mr. Coogler,” Bank of America told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement about the January incident in Atlanta. Disney Censors ‘Overtly Gay Affection’ In Movies, According To Pixar Employees Denzel Washington tackles Shakespeare and life’s fourth quarter with grace ‘We can’t afford to lose them’: the fight to bring missing movies back Films such as The Heartbreak Kid and I Shot Andy Warhol remain unavailable on any platform but a new initiative is aiming to change that Why Isn’t Brittney Griner the Biggest Sports Story in the Country? GUESTS: Taneisha Duggan: A director, producer, and arts consultant 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 and Eugene Amatruda contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An hour with Harvey Fierstein
Harvey Fierstein has won four Tony Awards, for writing and acting in Torch Song Trilogy, for writing La Cage aux Folles, and for acting in Hairspray. He has appeared in Mrs. Doubtfire, Bullets Over Broadway, Independence Day, Death to Smoochy, and more. He has sung to Muppets, he has voiced Disney characters, and he’s been in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Armistead Maupin has called Fierstein “a true American original who has blazed his own trail through popular culture for half a century.” Harvey Fierstein joins us for the hour. GUEST: Harvey Fierstein: An actor on stage and screen, a playwright, and a screenwriter; he is the author of I Was Better Last Night: A 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! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Cat Pastor, and Michayla Savitt contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Building utopia
Over 500 years ago, Sir Thomas More wrote about utopia. Since then, countless communities around the world have worked to create their own versions of a perfect world. This hour, we look at examples of utopian communities from around the world. GUESTS: Avery Trufelman: Host of the podcast Nice Try! Akash Kapur: Author of Better to Have Gone: Love, Death, and the Quest for Utopia in Auroville Samir Patel: Editor-in-chief of Atlas Obscura 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, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired August 18, 2021.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scientists confirm existence of woo-woo. Woo-woo declares results inconclusive
Between all we know to be true and all we know to be false lies a world of woo. “Woo-woo,” to use the full term, refers to ideas considered irrational or based on extremely flimsy evidence or that appeal to mysterious occult forces or powers. But who decides what’s woo-woo, and what gets accepted into the hallowed halls of scientific truth? The easy answer is that scientists decide. But the answer becomes harder when we remember that it was scientists who once deemed the world to be flat, light to be transmitted through “aether,” and a mysterious element called “phlogiston” to be responsible for combustion. On any given day in history, one person’s science is another person’s woo-woo. This hour, we bring together both skeptics and believers in an attempt to pin down exactly what constitutes “woo-woo.” GUESTS: Stuart Hameroff: Anesthesiologist and professor at the University of Arizona known for theories on quantum consciousness Michael Shermer: Founder of The Skeptics Society and the author of The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies — How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths and The Moral Arc: How Science Makes Us Better People Jess Tomlinson: Creator of Radiant & Rise 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, Greg Hill, Jonathan McNicol, and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired September 22, 2015.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s no shame in schadenfreude
“Schadenfreude,” the German word for taking pleasure in others’ misfortune, seems like an ugly human emotion. But psychologists and philosophers argue that schadenfreude is baked into the human condition and actually is kind of good for us. This hour, we explore why it’s okay to laugh when someone slips on a banana peel. GUESTS: Scott Dikkers: Founding editor of The Onion and the author of How to Write Funny Lauren Ober: Hosted the Spectacular Failures podcast John Portmann: Professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia and the author of When Bad Things Happen to Other People 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, Eugene Amatruda, Jonathan McNicol, Cat Pastor, and Lily Tyson contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Nose looks at Kim/Kanye/Pete, Steven Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story,’ and more
This week’s NoseMay come cannonballing down through the sky,Gleam in its eye,Bright as a rose!Who knows? As of Wednesday, Kim Kardashian is legally single and officially no longer named West. Meanwhile, Kanye West (who is also officially no longer named West, nor Kanye — he legally changed his named to just Ye last year) dropped a new video — also on Wednesday — in which he buries Pete Davidson alive. Davidson and Kardashian have reportedly been dating since November. On Monday, it took three Wheel of Fortune contestants 10 guesses to solve a phrase in which 19 of the 23 letters had been revealed: ANOTHER FEATHER _N YO_R _AP. It has since been called the “worst two minutes in Wheel of Fortune history.” And finally: Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story is nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. It is the second film adaptation of the 1957 stage musical and one of two movie adaptations of Shakespeare (along with The Tragedy of Macbeth) nominated for Oscars this year. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Alan Ladd Jr., ‘Star Wars’ Savior and Oscar Winner for ‘Braveheart,’ Dies at 84 A longtime studio exec and son of a movie icon, he also had a hand in such films as ‘Blade Runner,’ ‘The Turning Point,’ ‘Alien’ and ‘Thelma & Louise.’ Oscars: Academy Infighting Mounting Over Categories Controversy The Hollywood Reporter’s awards columnist Scott Feinberg provides an update on the firestorm over the decision to present eight awards prior to the live Oscars telecast. The Lords of Baseball Think You’re Stupid The MLB lockout displays a breathtaking level of cynicism. AMC Theatres is charging more for The Batman tickets as a little experiment Tickets will be “slightly higher” for the Robert Pattinson-led superhero film says AMC CEO Designing Gotham Batman and his city are inextricably linked, and in developing their Dark Knight movies, filmmakers from Tim Burton to Matt Reeves have always paid special attention to how that city looks Warner Bros. Pulls ‘The Batman’ Russia Release Sony quickly followed suit in pausing the release of Jared Leto’s ‘Morbius.’ EA Sports Dumps Russian Squads from FIFA 22 Amazon to shut its bookstores and other shops as its grocery chain expands People Online Are Saying We’re In The Midst Of The “Lohanaissance,” And Hallelujah, What A Time To Be Alive! I’ve been waiting for years. Epic Games buys Bandcamp proving, once again, we can’t have nice things Too much is never enough as the multi-billion dollar gaming behemoth buys the only good music streaming and purchasing service Evan Rachel Wood Cast As Madonna (in Weird Al Biopic) GUESTS: Rebecca Castellani: The co-founder of Quiet Corner Communications and a freelance writer Sam Hadelman: Works in music public relations and hosts The Sam Hadelman Show at Radio Free Brooklyn Steve Metcalf: Founder and director of the Garmany concert series at the university of Hartford’s Hartt School 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.

An hour with ‘The Gist’ podcast host Mike Pesca
Mike Pesca’s The Gist — with more than 1,700 episodes dating back to 2014 — is said to be the longest-running daily news podcast. After a controversial split from Slate, Pesca relaunched The Gist as an independent podcast this January. Mike Pesca joins Colin for the hour. GUEST: Mike Pesca: Host of The Gist 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 Eugene Amatruda contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How indexes help organize our world
Chances are you’ve probably used an index at the back of the book at some point in your life. But how much thought have you given to their creation, their function, and their history? Our guest this hour has written a whole book on the topic. Dennis Duncan, author of Index, A History of the: A Bookish Adventure from Medieval Manuscripts to the Digital Age, joins us, along with a professional indexer, to tell you more than you ever thought to wonder about the role of indexes in our world. Plus, we get mixed up in the world of cookbook indexes. GUESTS: Dennis Duncan: Author of Index, A History of the: A Bookish Adventure from Medieval Manuscripts to the Digital Age and a lecturer in English at University College London Paula Clarke Bain: Professional indexer Elizabeth Parson: Professional indexer 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, Eugene Amatruda, and Jonathan McNicol contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hunting for treasure
Treasure hunts are prolific across literature, film, and history. This hour we talk about treasure hunts, including what happens when you drop one in the present day. GUESTS: Dan Barbarisi - Author of Chasing The Thrill: Obsession, Death and Glory In America’s Most Extraordinary Treasure Hunt Marcellus Cadd - Writes the blog Geocaching While Black Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired August 4, 2021.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We take your calls. Ask (or tell) us anything
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. EST hour about anything at all. 888-720-9677.‌ Or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Catie Talarski contributed to this show. 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.

The Nose Looks at ‘Nightmare Alley’ and ‘The Trojan Horse Affair’
This week’s Nose wants to be found out, same as everybody else. Guillermo del Toro’s sideshow noir, Nightmare Alley, is nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It stars Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, and Richard Jenkins, among others. It’s based on the 1946 novel, of which it’s the second film adaptation, after Edmund Goulding’s 1947 version starring Tyrone Power and Joan Blondell. And The Trojan Horse Affair is the fifth podcast from Serial Productions. It’s hosted by Brian Reed (host of S·Town) and newcomer Hamza Syed, and it’s billed as “a mystery in eight parts.” Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: A Prominent Regional Theater Will Exit Its Stage to Explore Its City Long Wharf Theater, a regional nonprofit on New Haven’s waterfront, is ending a long, bumpy chapter there, hoping to expand access and reduce costs. Hiatus brain: When your favorite show returns, but you can’t remember a thing Famous, but wanting to be forgotten The Problem With the Pandemic Plot Literary novelists are struggling with whether, and how, to incorporate Covid into their fiction. Idris Elba on Plumbing the “Dark Side of Human Beings” and Making Room for Music With a far-reaching slate of movies ahead, including a big-screen adaptation of Luther, the actor is riding high—and ready to take risks. Academy Won’t Air All Categories Live for 94th Oscars Telecast Jerry Lewis’s Costars Speak Out: “He Grabbed Me. He Began to Fondle Me. I Was Dumbstruck”Women first interviewed by the directors behind Allen v. Farrow say the comedy icon sexually harassed—and in at least one case, sexually assaulted—them with impunity. A special collaboration, including a mini doc, between V.F. and the filmmakers. Hugh Jackman’s The Music Man Removes the Classic Show’s Racist Subtext. What’s Left? Harold Hill was a Trumpian figure—but not anymore. Self-loathing Will Kill the Oscars Have We Forgotten How to Forgive? The internet preserves our worst moments so they can’t be forgotten. Social media’s insatiable appetite for punishment ensures that they can never be forgiven. Is this really what anyone wants? Colin Farrell’s Penguin Banned From Smoking in ‘The Batman’: ‘I Fought Valiantly for a Cigar’ Still Tickets Left For The Louis CK Show In Kyiv [Tonight] Some may call stand-up comedy the biggest security risk of all… GUESTS: Theresa Cramer: A freelance writer and editor and the co-founder of Quiet Corner Communications Bill Griffith: Created the syndicated daily comic strip Zippy, and he’s the author of Nobody’s Fool: The Life and Times of Schlitzie the Pinhead 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 Eugene Amatruda contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Warning: If you have a heart, it will likely get broken (in more ways than one)
Nobody ever died of a broken heart, right? Not true. A condition known as broken heart syndrome can be brought on by a sudden shock, such as grief from the death of a loved one or a divorce. You may not die of a broken heart but it can alter your biology in ways that can increase your risk for disease. The good news is that it can be reversed if you can begin to mend your heart. Also this hour: We talk about how our language changes in the months leading up to a breakup — before either partner consciously realizes what’s happening — and why we’re so drawn to sad songs, particularly torch songs, when our hearts are breaking. GUESTS: Florence Williams: A science writer and the author of three books, most recently Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey Kate Blackburn: A data analyst at TikTok Sarah Seraj: Chief Technology Officer at A Better Force Noah Baerman: A jazz pianist, composer, and educator; his most recent album is Love Right 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.

A celebration of all things tacky and why "tackiness is joyfulness"
What makes something tacky? This hour is a celebration of all things "tacky" with Rax King, author of the new book, "Tacky: Love Letters to the Worst Culture We Have to Offer." Plus, we look at why reality tv is sometimes tacky, and discuss the tackiest home décor. GUESTS: Rax King - Author of “Tacky: Love Letters to the Worst Culture We Have to Offer,” and co-host of the podcast “Low Culture Boil.” Brian Moylan - A writer, reality tv show recapper, and author of “The Housewives: The Real Story Behind the Real Housewives.” Peter York - A journalist and author of “Dictator Style: Lifestyles of the World’s Most Colorful Despots,” among other books. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Nose looks at ‘We Need To Talk About Cosby’ and Woody Allen’s ‘Rifkin’s Festival’
This week’s Nose is concerned with problematic male comedians born in the mid-1930s. Showtime describes We Need To Talk About Cosby as “writer/director W. Kamau Bell’s exploration of Bill Cosby’s descent from ‘America’s Dad’ to alleged sexual predator. Comedians, journalists and Cosby survivors have a candid, first of its kind conversation about the man, his career and his crimes.” The fourth part of the four-part docuseries airs Sunday. And Rifkin’s Festival is the 49th feature film written and directed by Woody Allen. It was released internationally in 2020 and domestically in theaters and for rental on January 28. It stars Wallace Shawn in the Allen-proxy role along with Gina Gershon, Elena Anaya, Christoph Waltz, Richard King, Steven Guttenberg, and more. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Ivan Reitman, producer, ‘Ghostbusters’ director, dies at 75 P.J. O’Rourke, Conservative Political Satirist, Dies at 74 In articles, in best sellers and as a talk show regular he was a voice from the right skewering whatever in government or culture he thought needed it. Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer and Regina Hall will host this year’s Oscars The Oscars will require tests for all and vaccines for most. Vaccine mandates and P.C.R. tests for the event, set for March 27 in Los Angeles. A Vibe Shift Is Coming Will any of us survive it? Is It Funny for the Jews? For a cultural critic, a sense of humor is integral to his Jewish identity. But these dark times raise existential questions about comedy and its uses. Network sitcoms are actually good again The Sex Scene Is Dead. Long Live the Sex Scene Four critics discuss erotic thrillers, prosthetic penises, “Euphoria,” and the state of desire onscreen. Yes, Some Musicals Are Unwoke. That’s Not a Writ to Rewrite Them. The Semiotics of a 1999 Toyota Corolla The YouTube channel Regular Car Reviews delights in cultural critiques of boring automobiles. Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, World of Women Partner to Adapt NFTs Into Movies, TV Shows Francis Ford Coppola’s $100 Million Bet Fifty years after he gave us The Godfather, the iconic director is chasing his grandest project yet—and putting up over $100 million of his own money to prove his best work is still ahead of him. GUESTS: Jacques Lamarre - A playwright and the director of client services at Buzz Engine Mercy Quaye - Founder and principal consultant for The Narrative Project Bill Yousman - Professor of Media Studies at Sacred Heart University 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.

From geckos to gum: we explore the science of stickiness
Stickiness: we know it when we see it-- or when we feel it under our feet at the movie theater. But what is stickiness, scientifically speaking? How do geckos climb? Why don't post-it notes ruin our books? On today's show we'll ask scientist Laurie Winkless about her new book, "Sticky," and figure out what holds it all together. GUESTS: Laurie Winkless - A science writer, physicist, and author of the new book, “Sticky: the Secret Science of Stickiness” Dr. Alyssa Stark - A professor at Villanova University. She runs a lab that studies biological adhesion. Will Coldwell - A freelance writer and regular contributor to the Guardian, Economist and Financial Times. He is the writer of the Economist article “Bursting the Bubble: How Gum Lost Its Cool.” Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why is our culture so interested in dieting?
Why is dieting such an enduring idea when it has such mixed results? This hour we investigate that question by looking back at diets through history, talking about the latest science, and discussing portrayals of dieting through pop culture. GUESTS: Virginia Sole-Smith - Author of “The Eating Instinct” and a journalist who covers diet culture and weight stigma, and who writes the “Burnt Toast” newsletter, and hosts the “Burnt Toast” podcast. Louise Foxcroft - A historian and author of “Calories and Corsets: A History of Dieting Over 2000 Years,” among other books. Evan Forman - Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, and Director of the Center for Weight, Eating and Lifestyle Science at Drexel University. Constance Grady - A senior reporter for Vox, and author of the recent article “Looking back at the ’90s has meant reexamining the decade’s toxic diet culture.” Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Zillow surfing: the surprising appeal of online real estate listings
Scrolling through online real estate listings, a practice known as “Zillow surfing,” has become a popular pastime. And it’s not just for people who are actually looking to buy houses… It’s also for snooping on the value of other people’s homes, imagining different lives for yourself, or just finding unusual houses to make fun of and share with friends. This hour, a look at the appeal of Zillow surfing. GUESTS: Ariel Norling - Author of the I Know a Spot Newsletter Dana Bull - Realtor with Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty, based in Massachusetts Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired July 1, 2021.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

First dates and lockdown love stories: a look at romance during COVID
This hour, we look at how the pandemic shaped dating, long-term relationships, and love over the past two years. GUESTS: Laura Kipnis: Author of Love in the Time of Contagion: A Diagnosis, among other books Hiwote Getaneh: A producer on the This Is Dating podcast Philippa Found: An artist and writer and the creator of Lockdownlovestories 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.

The Nose has a good cry, watches Super Bowl ads, and discusses ‘Somebody Somewhere’
This week’s Nose discusses “The Power of a Good Cry,” watches Super Bowl ads, and talks about HBO’s new comedy Somebody Somewhere. 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 Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After high-profile hosts exit NPR, we explore what's going on at the mothership.
Several high-profile NPR hosts recently left the station to work in other media organizations. Why? Some think NPR has become less innovative and unaware of the competitive opportunities that are now available for talented journalists and producers. Others dislike NPR’s recent hyperfocus on race and gender or blame its “woke ideology” as too inhospitable to its employees of color. But it’s not just people of color who are leaving. NPR may or may not have a race problem, but it’s just the tip of an iceberg that’s hiding a wider danger beneath the surface. Today, we take a deep dive into what’s going on at NPR. GUESTS: Matt Taibbi investigative reporter, the co-host of the podcast “Useful Idiots” and the publisher of the TK newsletter on Substack. He’s the author of several books, most recently, Hate Inc. Nikki Usher is an associate professor of journalism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her third book is News for the Rich, White, and Blue: How Place and Power Distort American Journalism. Jenna Weiss-Berman is the co-founder of Pineapple Street Studios, which has produced podcasts like “Missing Richard Simmons” and "Still Processing." Before starting Pineapple Street, Jenna worked in public radio for a decade and started the podcast department at BuzzFeed. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More than half a century after they first came walking down the street, we’re still bananas for The Monkees
More than half a century after they first came walking down the street, we’re still bananas for The Monkees. This hour, Colin and his guests help us figure out why. GUESTS: Mark Rozzo - Contributing editor at Vanity Fair and author of the August 2021 Vanity Fair story “The Most Influential Pop-Rock Band Ever? The Monkees!” Brian Williams - Former MSNBC anchor, lifelong Monkees fan Dr. Rosanne Welch - Executive director of the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting and author of the book “Why The Monkees Matter: Teenagers, Television and American Pop Culture” Andrew Sandoval - Manager of The Monkees from 2011 to 2021 and host of the 60s-music podcast “Come to the Sunshine” Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Considering Kubrick
EThis hour, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of A Clockwork Orange — the 50th anniversary of its wide release in the U.S., that is, on February 2, 1972 — our first full, show-length look at the work of filmmaker Stanley Kubrick. Our original go at this, about six months into the pandemic, was my worst experience producing live radio remotely, with Colin hosting from home and Zoom guests and all the rest. Because of various technical issues, we spent many minutes during that live hour trying to make it so that Colin and the guests could, um, hear each other. That doesn’t usually make for very good radio, and it left us with a much shorter conversation about Kubrick than we’d planned. I’m still scarred by it. But by some strange miracle, we’d also planned to record an extra, intentionally shorter conversation — also about Kubrick, also with those same guests — after that day’s show for a future day’s show. And somewhere in all that, there was the material for a whole show. So finally, we present this full-length careful consideration of the filmmaker behind 2001, Dr. Strangelove, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, Spartacus, Eyes Wide Shut, A Clockwork Orange… the filmmaker Steven Spielberg called “the best in history”: Stanley Kubrick. GUESTS: James Hanley - Co-founder of Cinestudio at Trinity College David Mikics - Author of Stanley Kubrick: American Filmmaker Lila Shapiro - Senior reporter at New York magazine and Vulture, where she published “What I Learned After Watching Eyes Wide Shut 100 Times” Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, parts of which originally aired September 2 and October 28, 2020.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

COVID-19 nasal vaccines may be replacing shots, and the Winter Olympics opening days recap
This hour, an assortment of topics. First up: why future COVID-19 boosters may be administered through the nose. Next, we learn all about masks. Finally: we get up to speed on the Winter Olympics. GUESTS: Dr. Akiko Iwasaki - The Waldemar Von Zedtwitz Professor of Immunobiology at Yale University, and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Dr. Iwasaki is on a team studying nasal COVID-19 boosters. Aaron Collins - A mechanical engineer with a background in aerosol science, who tests and evaluates masks on his YouTube channel, and publishes all the data in a Google doc. Ben Waterworth - An Australian journalist, radio host, and host of many podcasts, including “Off The Podium,” a podcast about the Olympics. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Nose talks about ‘Bruno’ (and ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ and Build-a-Bear After Dark)
This week’s Nose believes that everything happens for a reason. Call it luck. Call it fate. Call it karma. On the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated February 5, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s song score for Encanto, becomes the No. 1 song in the country. It’s the second song ever from a Disney animated movie to get to No. 1, after “A Whole New World” from Aladdin, 30 years ago. The Encanto Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is also No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It’s the first Disney animated movie ever to top both charts at once. On a slightly different note: The Build-a-Bear Workshop, this week, launched a new ‘After Dark’ line of, uh, adult-themed bears. I don’t know what to say about that. I just report the news here, folks. And finally: Ghostbusters: Afterlife is the first Ghostbusters sequel in more than 30 years and the fourth movie in the franchise. It’s directed by Jason Reitman, whose father, Ivan Reitman, directed the original movies in the 1980s. It stars Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, and Paul Rudd, with appearances by many of the old favorites from the Ghostbusters universe. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: The Washington Commanders name is perfectly designed to be instantly forgotten SFGATE columnist Drew Magary on the NFL franchise that’s clumsily begging for anonymity The New York Times Buys Wordle The word game, released in October, has millions of daily users. ABC suspends Whoopi Goldberg over Holocaust race remarks Aziz Ansari’s Nostalgic New Comedy Special In “Nightclub Comedian,” Ansari fixates on how the Internet shapes our lives and longs for the pre-digital past. Why Do I Always Tweet and Delete? Psychologists and tweet-deleters help explain my favorite pastime (that weirdly makes me feel a little guilty). The Name of This Interviewee Is David Byrne In advance of a show of his drawings at New York’s Pace Gallery, the polymathic performer answered T’s Artist’s Questionnaire. The 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees include Dolly Parton and A Tribe Called Quest Our Solar System in True Color Is Really Something Else Venus is white. So is the sun. They’re beautiful anyway. GUESTS: Jim Chapdelaine - An Emmy-winning musician and a patient advocate for people with rare cancers Carolyn Paine - An actress, comedian, and dancer; she is founder, director, and choreographer of CONNetic Dance Tracy Wu Fastenberg - Development officer at Connecticut Children’s 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.

‘The Good Place’ creator Michael Schur explains how to be a good person
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 new 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, producer, and creator of Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and The Good Place; his new book is How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A history of men mistaken for gods with ‘Accidental Gods’ author Anna Della Subin
History is filled with men who were mistaken for gods around the world. This hour, we talk with the author of a new book on that topic: Anna Della Subin, author of Accidental Gods: On Men Unwittingly Turned Divine. She takes us through some notable examples of men mistaken for gods, and discusses why people look for gods on earth. GUESTS: Anna Della Subin - Author of Accidental Gods: On Men Unwittingly Turned Divine Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The history of Black cowboys on the Western frontier
Nat Love was born a slave but died a free cowboy and a legend of the Old West. After the Civil War freed Love from slavery, he walked to Dodge City, Kansas, and got a job breaking horses — after he could prove that he could rope a bucking horse, climb on its back without a saddle, and ride him without falling off. Thus began Nat’s life as a cowboy. We don’t typically include Black cowboys as part of the American story of the West, even though 1 in 4 American cowboys is Black. Black cowboys are as American as baseball. GUESTS: Zaron Burnett III - Host and creator of the podcast Black Cowboys Patricia Kelly - An African-American cowgirl and the founder of Ebony Horsewomen; she was inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in 2015 Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired June 7, 2021.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We take your calls. Ask (or tell) us anything
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. EST hour about anything at all. 888-720-9677.‌ Or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Nose looks at ‘Un-Becoming Your Parents,’ Neil Young v. Spotify, and ‘The Book of Boba Fett’
This week’s Nose isn’t going to point out our houses, landmarks, or major highways during takeoff. It’s not every ad campaign that can boast its own group of devoted fans, but Progressive’s Un-Becoming Your Parents television commercials seem to have staked out their own space in the popular culture. And: Neil Young gave Spotify an ultimatum — you “can have [Joe] Rogan or Young. Not both.” Spotify chose Rogan. And finally: The Book of Boba Fett is a Disney+ limited series created by Jon Favreau. It is a spinoff from Favreau’s The Mandalorian, a direct sequel to Return of the Jedi, and a direct prequel and sequel to The Mandalorian. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: ‘Hannibal’ actor Gaspard Ulliel has died in a ski accident at age 37 Peter Robbins, who voiced Charlie Brown in the 1960s, has died “Bambi” Is Even Bleaker Than You Thought The original book is far more grisly than the beloved Disney classic—and has an unsettling message about humanity. The Tao of Wee Man His world was radically altered by “Jackass.” But now, Jason Acuña has harnessed his fame to live the life of his dreams. Is Old Music Killing New Music? Old songs now represent 70 percent of the U.S. music market. Even worse: The new-music market is actually shrinking. Cult Classic ‘Fight Club’ Gets a Very Different Ending in China Someone tried very hard to please Chinese movie censors. The people deciding to ditch their smartphones The rise of the post-credits scene, explained Marvel turned its post-credits scenes into a pop culture phenomenon. A ‘The Batman’ Controversy Unsettles a Portion of Fandom A vocal minority of fans took issue with comments from star Robert Pattinson, who confirmed his Dark Knight does not kill, yet such a rule has existed for decades in the comics. My Bologna Has a Face Mask Oscar Mayer’s latest gimmick is just that Mcminn County Bans “Maus,” Pulitzer Prize-Winning Holocaust Book Amy Schneider’s ‘Jeopardy!’ run has come to an end after 40 games The Internet Is Eating Wordle Alive Nothing should be easier to ignore than the game and its fans. And yet, here we are. Twitter boots a bot that revealed Wordle’s upcoming words to the game’s players 2022 DGA And WGA Award Nominations For Feature Films Include Dune, Licorice Pizza & More GUESTS: Pedro Soto - President and CEO of Hygrade Precision Technologies Bill Yousman - Professor of Media Studies at Sacred Heart University 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.

From the mouths of Boomers, X-ers, Millennials, and Zoomers, why we keep categorizing one another by generation
We’ve all heard the generational stereotypes, and rolled our eyes at them. This hour: we investigate generational groupings to discover why we’re interested in separating people into generations, when it is useful, and when it is not. GUESTS: Bobby Duffy - Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Policy Institute at King’s College London, and author of The Generation Myth: Why When You’re Born Matters Less Than You Think Justin Charity - Senior Staff Writer for The Ringer, who wrote the recent article “It’s Time to Accept That Millennials and Gen Z Are the Same Generation” Ziad Ahmed - The CEO/Co-Founder of JUV Consulting Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Gene Amatruda contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who’s inventing new instruments?
Think about it. When’s the last time you saw a brand-new instrument in a marching band? New instruments don’t come around too often — but it’s not for lack of trying. Getting a new sound off the ground involves design, production, music expertise, composition, and fans. It’s no easy task to invent the next best thing, but this hour we talk to inventors, composers, teachers, and the Guthman Musical Instrument Competition to learn about the future of sound. GUESTS: Jason Freeman - Professor of Music at Georgia Tech and Chair of the School of Music who leads the Guthman Musical Instrument Competition Kyle Grimm - Composer who specializes in both acoustic and electronic mediums and a Professor of Music at the University of Hartford Keith Groover - The inventor of The Glide as well as a musician and music educator. Bosko Kante - Grammy-winning producer and inventor of The ElectroSpit Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, Catie Talarski, and Lily Tyson contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The unicorn show
When we think of unicorns, many of us picture idyllic white horses with a single horn, surrounded by rainbows. But that’s not how unicorns have always been depicted. This hour, a look at the history of unicorns and their enduring popularity. GUESTS: Martha Bayless - The Director of Folklore and Public Culture and a professor of English at the University of Oregon Adam Gidwitz - Author of The Unicorn Rescue Society series, among other books, and the creator of the podcast Grimm, Grimmer and Grimmest Sarah Laskow - Author of The Very Short, Entirely True History of Unicorns and senior editor for science at The Atlantic Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, Cat Pastor, and Catie Talarski contributed to this show, which originally aired July 15, 2021.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The latest on COVID-19, how literature can be used in therapy, and the controversy surrounding a football coin toss
This hour, we discuss the latest on COVID-19, learn about how books can be used in therapy, and hear about a controversial football rule surrounding a coin toss. GUESTS: Vincent Racaniello - Professor of Microbiology & Immunology at Columbia University, host of the podcast “This Week in Virology” Katrya Bolger - A journalist who works for Future of Good, and author of the recent article “Textual Healing: The Novel World of Bibliotherapy” for The Walrus Josh Levin - Slate’s national editor, co-host of the sports podcast “Hang Up and Listen,” and host of the podcast “One Year: 1995” Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Nose looks at Wordle, ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth,’ and more
This week’s Nose is a five-letter word. Wordle is the newish online word game that, either, you’re already addicted to or you’re already sick of everybody else posting about. It’s browser-based, free and ad-free, deceptively simple, and exceedingly popular. And: The Tragedy of Macbeth is a new movie adaptation of the Shakespeare play written, directed, produced, and co-edited by Joel Coen. It’s the Coen brother’s (that’s a little apostrophe humor there) solo writing and directing debut after making 18 features and parts of two anthology films with Ethan Coen. It stars Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Meat Loaf, ‘Bat Out of Hell’ rock superstar, dies at 74 Louie Anderson, Emmy-winning comedian, dies at 68 Fred Parris, co-founder of the Five Satins, dies at 85 after brief illness, band announces Friday Andre Leon Talley Dead at 73 Howard Alexander Dumble, legendary designer of Dumble Amps, has died Dumble created some of the most iconic amps of all time, and personally built amps for John Mayer, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robben Ford, Carlos Santana, Eric Johnson and Kenny Wayne Shepherd The Undoing of Joss Whedon The Buffy creator, once an icon of Hollywood feminism, is now an outcast accused of misogyny. How did he get here? The Dumbledore of Clowning The French master teacher Philippe Gaulier has worked with stars like Sacha Baron Cohen. But at 78, are his methods, which include insults, outdated? The Best Book Covers of 2021 Microsoft set to acquire the gaming company Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion A Creative Disagreement Saved A Major Star Wars Planet From Destruction ‘King of the Hill’ to Return in Series From Original Creators’ New Animation Company It’s time to go back to Arlen Kathy Griffin Is Trying to Get Back on the D-List Ever since her Trump joke went wrong in 2017, Griffin has been seeking a professional rebirth, and wondering who among the canceled gets a second chance. Now You Can Pay Money to Use Instagram Popular Instagrammers will be able to charge you to subscriptions to exclusive Stories. M&Ms characters to become more inclusive ‘The Batman’ Runtime Revealed: 2 Hours and 47 Minutes, Without Credits GUESTS: Tom Breen - Managing editor of The New Haven Independent 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 Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You couldn't have predicted we'd do this show about predicting the future
Humans have been trying for, well, forever to predict the future. But how helpful is predicting the future, really? And what factors determine whether someone is successful at doing it, or not? This hour, we try to predict whether predicting the future is useful, and understand why we’re so interested in doing so. GUESTS: Amanda Rees - A historian of science based at the University of York who works on the history of the future, and author of the book “Human.” Warren Hatch - A superforecaster, and CEO of the Good Judgment Project. Allan Lichtman - A distinguished professor of history at American University, his most recent book is “Thirteen Cracks: Repairing American Democracy After Trump.” He is known for accurately predicting the outcome of presidential elections since 1984. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We take your calls. Ask (or tell) us anything
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 did that again. From my post screening the calls, it’s kind of hard to know what’s going on on the actual show a lot of the time, but here’s some stuff that I’m fairly confident comes up during this hour: a new flavor of Girl Scout Cookies the end of French dressing regulation the (subliminal) arrow in the FedEx logo the (not-at-all-subliminal-as-far-as-I-can-tell) eagle in the U.S. Postal Service logo not just rebranding our show, but renaming it too Colin interviewing Terry Gross (not a thing that’s happening, as far as we know) a future show on the Knights of Columbus (not a thing we’re working on, as far as we know) veterinarians as first responders UFOs and UAPs converting our system to a direct democracy the correct pronunciation of “Tonga” We also got a call complaining about “a grown man calling them the ‘damn Girl Scouts.’” I’m assuming the grown man in question is Colin, though I didn’t hear him say that, and that caller wouldn’t go on the air.But be forewarned about all the potential profanity, I guess? 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.

Alcohol is bad for us. So why have humans been drinking it for thousands of years?
Drinking alcohol has a number of negative impacts. But humans have been doing it for thousands of years and show no signs of stopping. This hour, a look at why we drink, why more people are moving towards sobriety through the “sober curious” movement, and the rise of nonalcoholic cocktails. GUESTS: Elva Ramirez - A journalist and media consultant and the author of Zero Proof Cocktails: 90 Non-Alcoholic Recipes for Mindful Drinking Hilary Sheinbaum - A journalist and the author of The Dry Challenge: How to Lose the Booze for Dry January, Sober October, and Any Other Alcohol-Free Month Edward Slingerland - Author of Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilizationand a professor of philosophy at the University of British Columbia Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired October 18, 2021.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Nose looks at Maggie Gyllenhaal’s ‘The Lost Daughter’ and HBO Max’s ‘Station Eleven’
This week’s Nose is a crushing responsibility. The Lost Daughter is Maggie Gyllenhaal’s debut as a writer and director, and it’s made her a Golden Globe-nominated director and a Golden Osella-winning screenwriter so far. It’s an adaptation of the Elena Ferrante’s 2006 novel, and it’s available to stream on Netflix. The Lost Daughter stars Olivia Colman (in a Globe-nominated performance), Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson, Ed Harris, and Peter Sarsgaard. And: Station Eleven is an HBO Max limited series adaptation of Emily St. John Mandel’s 2014 novel. It tells the story of a world during and after a devastating, flu-like pandemic (sound familiar?). Station Eleven stars Mackenzie Davi, Himesh Patel, Lori Petty, Gael García Bernal, Caitlin FitzGerald, David Cross, and others. Its 10th and final episode hit HBOMax yesterday. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Ronnie Spector, ’60s icon who sang ‘Be My Baby,’ dies at 78 Bob Saget Dead at 65 Marilyn Bergman, Oscar-winning composer, dies at age 93 Ultima Online: The Assassination of Lord British Remains Gaming’s MOST Infamous Event The events of Ultima Online have become legendary in the gaming community, in ways no one could have ever imagined. Time for a history lesson. Box Office Report: No Flops in This Multiverse How the Potato Chip Took Over America A fussy magnate, a miffed chef and the curious roots of the comfort food we hate to love SAG Nominations: ‘House of Gucci’ and ‘Power of the Dog’ Score Big; ‘Succession’ and ‘Ted Lasso’ Lead TV WNBA Star Sue Bird at Center of New Doc From Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions Into the Belly of the Whale With Sjón The Icelandic novelist, poet and Bjork collaborator is a surrealist for our time. FX Reviving ‘Justified’ Starring Timothy Olyphant for New Limited Series The actor is set to return as U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens in ‘Justified: City Primeval’ miniseries. GUESTS: Rebecca Castellani - Co-founder of Quiet Corner Communications and a freelance writer Taneisha Duggan - A director, producer, and arts consultant Irene Papoulis - Teaches writing at Trinity College 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.