The Colin McEnroe Show

Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood is Quentin Tarantino's ninth movie as writer and director. It had the biggest opening of his career last weekend, and its been called "his best movie in a decade" and "his most transgressive film." We'll discuss it.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On September 3rd of 2019, Random House will release what is likely the very last Dr. Seuss book there'll ever be: Dr. Seuss's Horse Museum. The work, initially just a manuscript and pile of incomplete sketches, was found buried in a box in the late author's California home in 2013. Since then, artists intimately familiar with Seuss's style of drawing have managed to fill in the gaps and finish the book. In advance of the book's release we'll look back at the life and career of the bestselling children's author and take a deep dive into some of his most memorable stories to reveal profound messages you may may have missed as a kid. We'll speak with a New York Times bestselling biographer whose new book shows sides of Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss) few new existed, a longtime artistic collaborator and friend of the children's author, and a university professor who reveals how Seuss's stories often reflect the thinking of some of history's greatest philosophers.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Women in America die more frequently from complications of childbirth than in any other industrialized nation in the world. In addition, women of color are three to four times more likely to die than white women. And over the last 25 years that the maternal mortality was rising in America, other countries were decreasing their rate.  There are lots of reasons why maternal mortality and morbidity is rising, including  lack of access, the high rate of caesarian sections, racial bias, bias against women's health issues, and a medical model that medicalizes a normal process.   While no one action can explain why maternal mortality rates are lower in European countries, we do know that they utilize one resource that we don't: midwives and doulas. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hartford native Sol LeWitt was one of the giants of conceptualist and minimalist art. As an artist, he abandoned the long histories of painting and drawing and sculpture in favor of his Wall Drawings and Structures. And as an art figure, he abandoned the conventions of celebrity and resisted ever even having his picture taken. This hour, a look at Connecticut's own Sol LeWitt.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Election systems in all 50 states were targeted by Russia in 2016. Those were the conclusions of a bipartisan Senate Intelligence report released on Thursday. This comes one day after Special Counsel Robert Mueller III warned that Russian efforts to interfere in the upcoming election are happening right now. How safe are Connecticut's voting systems?  Also this hour: Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank nudged the Overton Window with this opening line from his Friday op-ed:  "Mitch McConnell is a Russian asset." His post went viral on social media in response to the Senate Majority Leader's refusal to bring up for a vote multiple bipartisan bills intended to ensure the integrity of our elections.  Lastly, can bowling win over the 'Lebowski' generation?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last weekend, Marvel unveiled its plans for Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (along with a few hints and winks and nods about Phase Five -- which is mostly notable 'cause it means they're planning a Phase Five). And we're currently in the middle of a year when, when it's all said and done, the top eight highest-grossing movies may well have all come from Disney or Marvel or both. The top eight. That's not a typo. Here, look: Aladdin (2019) (Disney) Avengers: Endgame (Marvel/Disney) Captain Marvel (Marvel/Disney) Frozen II (Disney) The Lion King (2019) (Disney) Spider-Man: Far from Home (Marvel/Sony) Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Lucasfilm/Disney) Toy Story 4 (Pixar/Disney) And so the question is: Is the future of movies Marvel and Disney? And then The Nose takes a look at the present of movies from the opposite end of the box office spectrum with three indie films: The Art of Self-Defense, Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love, and Wild Rose.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Summer is the time we look forward to reading -- or rereading -- our favorite books.   How do you choose from the stack of next-to-read books that pile up beside your bed? Do you relish the adventure of what a new book might bring or do you reread an old favorite that changed your life in some way, that one book that resembles a child's much beloved stuffed animal -- dog-eared and stained with food, sweat, and tears.  Today, writers explore the transformative nature of reading, writing, and a great novel.   GUESTS:   Steve Almond - writer and author of ten books of fiction and non-fiction, including Against Football and Candyfreak. His latest book is William Stoner and the Battle For the Inner Life. Julia Pistell - freelance writer, comedian, Managing Director at Sea Tea Improv, creator of Syllable Series, host of Literary Disco, a podcast about books and writing. Joseph Luzzi - writer and author of the memoir, In a Dark Wood: What Dante Taught Me About Grief, Healing, and the Mysteries of Love. He’s the author of two other books, most recently, My Two Italies. He’s a professor of Comparative Literature at Bard. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been called a "glorified game of toss" and "World of Warcraft for extroverts." But has Ultimate Frisbee quietly become a real sport? It is, apparently, a likely Olympic sport. Which would, apparently, maybe be bad for Ultimate. This hour: The world of the Frisbee disc, including Connecticut's integral part in its history. This episode originally aired on August 31, 2017.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller made crystal clear that he would not comment on the long-awaited Mueller Report beyond the carefully chosen words we could all find in his 448-page, plus appendices, report.  Now, I hope and expect this to be the only time that I will speak to you in this manner. I am making that decision myself. No one has told me whether I can or should testify or speak further about this matter. There has been discussion about an appearance before Congress. Any testimony from this office would not go beyond our report. It contains our findings and analysis and the reasons for the decisions we made. We chose those words carefully, and the work speaks for itself. And the report is my testimony. I would not provide information beyond that which is already public in any appearance before Congress. Yet, here we are. Robert Mueller has agreed to testify before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee for three hours this Wednesday, July 24, followed by two (or so) hours before the U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.  What does Congress hope to gain? That may depend on which side of the aisle you represent.  Colin, a political analyst, and a comedian will take your calls. We finish with a DC pub owner gearing up for a Mueller testimony party, of sorts.  Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's kind of a lot going on this week: There's rumored to be a new 007. The Emmy nominations are out. There's a new dating trend called 'Caspering.' Farhad Manjoo thinks we should all use the singular 'they.' 1.7 million people want to raid Area 51. Anthony Fantano (or an animated version of Anthony Fantano, really) is in the new "Old Town Road" video. During the New York City blackout, Star Wars fans helped direct traffic... with their lightsabers. And: The Cats trailer is out, and it's maybe kind of, uh, horrifying? Oh, and Episode 4 of Years and Years aired on HBO. The show "combines the grand sweep of a near-future dystopia with the warm intimacy of a family drama." Its vision of our next decade or so is "terrifyingly plausible."Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We live in an Everything Should Take Twenty Minutes world. Movies are too long. SundanceTV has a show that airs in ten-minute episodes. Tierra Whack has a fifteen-minute album made of fifteen sixty-second songs. Todd Rundgren's memoir has 183 one-page, three-paragraph chapters. So today, we turn our hour over to five short, little shows about short, little things. Here's a Spotify playlist of the albums reviewed on today's short, little episode of The Sam Hadelman Show: Sam Hadelman's short albums. GUESTS: Carmen Baskauf - Produces Where We Live on WNPR Taneisha Duggan - Producing associate at TheaterWorks Sam Hadelman - Host of The Sam Hadelman Show on WNHH and a journalist for the New Haven Independent Brandy Jensen - An advice columnist and editor at The Outline Jacques Lamarre - A playwright, and director of client services at Buzz Engine Vince Mancini - Senior film and culture writer for Uproxx Chion Wolf - Our announcer and technical producer Bill Yousman is professor of Media Studies at Sacred Heart University Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Eugene Amatruda, and Matt Farley contributed to today's show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ocean Vuong emigrated to Hartford from Vietnam when he was two years old. His family brought with them the trauma of an American-led war that ravaged their people and their culture. How do they retain their culture and assimilate into one that doesn't want them? His family struggled in a Hartford very different from the city that many of us experience. It's a place that still exists in the shadows. Ocean’s family is a snapshot into a bigger and more pervasive picture of the problems in America that many choose to hide -- the toll of low-wage work, poverty, drugs, violence, and the erasure of histories and ways of living life that don't fit neatly into the American myth. Ocean's first novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, is an American story, albeit one about the failure of America. This is an excerpt. GUEST: Ocean Vuong - A poet and the author of the novel On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sand is the most abundant material on Earth. And, other than water and air, sand is the natural resource we consume more than any other -- more, even, than oil. The pyramids are made of sand. Our roads and driveways and sidewalks are made of sand. Concrete buildings and their concrete foundations are made of sand. From computer chips to computer screens, window panes to light bulbs, breast implants to the Hubble telescope, sand is basically the essential building block of civilization. Humans are estimated to consume almost 50 billion tons of sand and gravel every year. Oh, and, by the way: We're running out of it.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Staffing unrest at the Connecticut Lottery Corp. has been a longtanding source of intrigue. But an employee's whistleblower case before the state Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities sheds new light on the level of infighting that unfolded at the quasi-public agency under previous its leadership. It's a tale that includes secret recordings and the FBI. More encouraging is the degree of calm and cooperation exhibited by New Yorkers during Saturday's five-hour blackout in Manhattan. What changes have come in the 42 years since the city descended into darken chaos back in 1977? Finally, we can no longer ignore a sport that more and more Americans are choosing to tune out: Major League Baseball. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spider-Man: Far From Home is the 23rd feature film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the final entry in its Infinity Saga. It is the 11th and final film in the MCU's Phase Three, even though everybody thought it'd probably be the first part of Phase Four, and now nobody really knows what Phase Four will start with. I haven't entirely understood anything I've written so far, but I do get this bit: There won't be another Marvel movie for ten whole months -- all the way until next May. Far From Home is the eighth Spider-Man movie across four different series, and it's at least the third one the Nose has covered (following Homecoming and Into the Spider-Verse).Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, John Belushi, John Candy, Rick Moranis. Animal House, The Blues Brothers, Beverly Hills Cop, Caddyshack, Ghost Busters, ¡Three Amigos!, Funny Farm, Spaceballs, Stripes. We maybe didn't properly appreciate it at the time, but the 1980s were one of the most fertile periods ever for screen comedies and screen comedians. This hour, a look at the mavericks who shaped a whole comedy aesthetic... and at some of the most popular movie comedies ever made. GUESTS: Nick de Semlyen - Features editor for Empire magazine and the author of Wild and Crazy Guys: How the Comedy Mavericks of the '80s Changed Hollywood Forever Daniel Kalwhite - A standup comedian based in New Haven Carolyn Paine - A standup comedian, an actress, and a dancer Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Scottsboro Boys were arrested as freight train hoboes in Alabama in 1931 and quickly convicted by an all-white jury of raping two white women. After several retrials and appeals, the case led to two landmark Supreme Court rulings on the right to adequate counsel and prohibiting the exclusion of black people from juries. Yet, the problems in 1931 -- wrongful conviction, juvenile sentencing, police brutality, tampering with juries and evidence, and adequate counsel -- are still a problem in 2019.  Shows like Ava DuVernay's Netflix series "When They See Us," and the podcast, "In the Dark," are reigniting the injustice of the past within the context of current injustice and Black Lives Matter. Playhouse on Park is currently staging The Scottsboro Boys, a Kander and Ebb musical satire that stages the play within the frame of minstrelsy, a potent symbol of Jim Crow injustice. Does their use of minstrelsy expose the absurdity of racism or is it simply offensive? We continue the debate. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Searching for sunken treasure? The Long Island Sound is hardly the place to look. But what can be found in its murky waters are ample remains of Connecticut's once prominent shipping industry, and perhaps evidence of early Native American villages from around 20,000 years ago when the Sound was a glacial lake. Today, we survey shipwrecks and other bits of history resting off Connecticut's coast, as well as at the bottom of some lakes and rivers. From dugout canoes and mastodon molars to the more than two dozen ships set ablaze in Essex harbor during the War of 1812, it's an underwater adventure not to be missed.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The two biggest earthquakes to hit California since 1994 rocked an area about 120 miles northeast of Los Angeles on Thursday and Friday. Seismologists say a big earthquake happens every 100 years in California and the last big one hit 160 years ago. Is California prepared? If not, what does that mean for them and the rest of us? They are the fifth biggest economy in the world. Also this hour: Some worry that President Trump's foreign policy will leave lingering damage to America's reputation and role in the world long after this administration leaves the White House. If the leaked cables from the British ambassador to Washington or the global reception of the U.S. Women's National Team are an indication, we've got a lot of work to do to repair relations around the world. Lastly, the U.S. Women's National Team won their fourth World Cup, dominating their competitors and having a lot of confidence and spirit. Does America deserve this team?  Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No one is surprised to hear that Disney is planning a live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. Some people were surprised, though, at the announcement that Halle Bailey, who is African American, has been cast as the titular Ariel. And probably the least surprising part of the whole thing is that part of the internet (the racist part) is mad about it. And: Rapper Lil Nas X came out on the last day of Pride month. Is this news? And then: We're just about halfway through the second season of HBO's Big Little Lies. Meryl Streep has joined the cast. And this week's Nose brings together all three cohosts of The Big Little Podcast. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Mad Magazine to Effectively Shutter After 67 Years Cow Cuddling Is The New Wellness Trend Now And It Costs $300 For A 90-Minute Session THE WALKING DEAD to End With This Week's #193 John Sterling's amazing Yankees streak ending on Thursday Auto industry icon Lee Iacocca dies at 94. He helped launch the Ford Mustang and saved Chrysler from bankruptcy. Billy Drago, Actor in 'The Untouchables,' Dies at 73 'Avengers: Endgame' failed to beat 'Avatar' for the worldwide box-office record after being rereleased to theaters Megan Rapinoe Makes Resistance Look Effortless Arte Johnson, 'Laugh-In' Star, Dies at 90 Diarrhea Cases Caused By 'Poop Water' In CT Pools: Report George Lucas Approved Rare Pre-Special Edition Star Wars Screening Chuck Woolery's new game show is "Guess how many vasectomies I've had," and it sucks Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato, Sia, Halsey & More Weigh in On the Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun Situation GUESTS: Rebecca Castellani - Director of venue operations and tour marketing for We Save Music and cohost of The Big Little Podcast Theresa Cramer - A writer and the editor of E Content Magazine and cohost of The Big Little Podcast Carolyn Paine - An actress, comedian, and dancer; founder, director, and choreographer of CONNetic Dance; and cohost of The Big Little Podcast Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fear of sharks spiked last summer after a great white fatally bit a 26-year-old surfer off the coast of Cape Cod. The fever still runs high as reports of great white sightings coincide with people heading to the beach this 4th of July.  Yet, we have a higher risk of getting hit by lightning than killed by a great white shark. The myth of the great white, exacerbated by the 1975 megahit Jaws, is false. Great whites are not the aggressive creatures still perpetuated in popular media. We're more likely to survive a shark bite simply because sharks don't like the way we taste. They spit us out if they accidentally mistake us for a seal.   The convergence of globally warming waters off our east coast and the repopulation of seals and great whites after a previous panic nearly wiped them out, means we'll have to learn to share the ocean.  Instead of pursuing shark repellents like sonar buoys, electric shark shields, and seal contraception, should we consider how we can co-exist with the creatures of the sea? Besides, whose ocean is it anyway?  The fish were there first. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Women scientists and inventors have been making ground-breaking discoveries since Agnodike pretended to be a man in order to become the first female anatomist in ancient Greece. Yet, women's scientific contributions have historically been hidden in the footnotes of the work men claimed as their own. It's 2019. Things are better, right?  Not really. Men still hold the majority of patents, and systemic biases still lead to lower pay, less authorship for scientific papers, and overt and subtle forms of harassment. Women scientists of color and those in the LGBTQ community feel it the most. Yet, women scientists are banding together to call out bias and give credit where it's due -- one Wikipedia page at a time.  Today, we talk to four of them.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reality TV shows like the Discovery Channel's Doomsday Bunkers and National Geographic Channel's Doomsday Preppers perpetuate a stereotype of "preppers" that omits the wide swath of people who engage in preparedness in a less extreme and more varied way. Talk of nuclear war, climate apocalypse, pandemic, economic instability, and the decline of democracy has led more people to think about how to survive a catastrophic -- if not apocalyptic -- event.  Do you buy organic food? Will you drink only bottled water? Do you avoid antibiotics? You may not have an underground bunker but you might have a generator, short wave radio, extra batteries and a supply of canned foods. Today, we dive into the real world of "preppers." Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The concept of the early 20th century sideshow evokes images of bearded ladies, sword swallowers and exotic "others" exhibited as "freaks" before audiences both lured and repelled by what they saw. Crowds flocked to Coney Island sideshows where, for 10 cents, they could find solace that someone was worse off than they were during times of low life expectancy, high infant mortality, world war, and financial instability. Few had the luxury of seeing the humanity behind the act. Cartoonist Bill Griffith based his legendary character Zippy the Pinhead on Schlitzie, a real life sideshow "pinhead" who appeared in the movie Freaks. Early audiences were appalled by director Tod Browning's use of real sideshow actors who banded together to seek revenge on those who treated them with cruelty. Griffith's new graphic novel is his way to dig a little deeper into who Schlitzie was and the sideshow family who cared for and loved him. Also this hour: we learn about a man who saved thousands of premature infants over almost 40 years by exhibiting them in incubators in a Coney Island sideshow. Behind the acts, sideshow performers were often people of great compassion, courage, and humanity. GUESTS: Bill Griffith - Creator of the syndicated daily comic strip Zippy and author of two graphic memoirs, Invisible Ink: My Mother's Secret Love Affair With a Cartoonist and Nobody's Fool: The Life and Times of Schlitzie the Pinhead Wolf Krakowski - Yiddish singer whose CDs are on Tzadik Records; Wolf has videotaped testimonies of Holocaust survivors for the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation Claire Prentice - Award-winning freelance journalist, editor, and writer; she's the author of two non-fiction books, The Lost Tribe of Coney Island: Headhunters, Luna Park, and the Man Who Pulled Off the Spectacle of the Century and Miracle at Coney Island: How a Sideshow Doctor Saved Thousands of Babies and Transformed American Medicine Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Jonathan McNicol contributed to this show, which originally aired May 2, 2019.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's SUMMER! And every year around this time, we gather up a few music mavens who help us analyze and celebrate the kind of music that gets us dancing and singing as soon as it comes on the radio. But how do you define "Song of the Summer"? Amanda Dobbins breaks it down:  "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."Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A photo of people inching their way up a snaking line to the peak of Mount Everest last month has drawn attention to a number of problems, one of which was the jostling at the top of the mountain to take social media-ready selfies and photos.  That got us wondering if other people were risking their lives for that perfect photo. It turns out that more than 250 people worldwide have died while taking selfies in just over the last decade, according to a study published in the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care. Drowning, transport, and falls are the top reasons for death. Today, we talk about how a social media-driven visual culture is shaping how we work, play, and experience life. Are we willing to die for that perfect photo? Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

October of 2018 was an unremarkable month. That is, to everyone who wasn't working for Youmail. During that month, the California-based company which provides voicemail and call blocking technology, noticed something special:  On average, 164 million robocalls were being placed every single day around America. That's nearly 7 million per hour, and nearly 2,000 per second, for a grand monthly total of over 5.1 billion. It was a new national record! Unfortunately for Americans, the previous month's record of just over four billion robocalls was not one anyone wished to see broken. But broken it was and with this new record came a wave of unprecedented pressure on Congress and the FCC to act. On March 23, 2019 they did. The TRACED Act; tough new legislation against illegal robocallers sailed through the Senate 99 to 1. Simultaneously, powerful, technological tools known as STIR / SHAKEN began rolling out allowing telecom companies to authenticate incoming calls from questionable numbers more effectively. Had the problem finally been solved? All eyes turned once again to the Youmail robocall index for an answer. During March of 2019, the very same month that the TRACED Act passed, Youmail reported that 5.2 billion robocalls had been made. A brand new national record! This hour we speak with technology and telecom industry experts about the national epidemic of robocalls. Can anything be done to finally stop (or even manage) the menace? Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang wants to give everyone a Universal Basic Income to offset the effects of automation. The plan resonates across a broad spectrum of voters from his "Yang Gang" to the alt-right and it has catapulted him to a spot in this week's Democratic primary debate alongside frontrunners Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Kamala Harris. Who is this guy?  Also this hour: Last month, we told you about Curtis Flowers, the Mississippi man convicted over 20 years ago of killing four people by a prosecutor with a history of racial bias and witness tampering. You may recognize the story from the APM podcast, "In the Dark." Last week, the Supreme Court ruled to overturn his latest conviction in a 7-2 decision. What's next?  Lastly, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says the Trump Administration is running "concentration camps" at our Southern border. We talk about that. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang wants to give everyone a Universal Basic Income to offset the effects of automation. The plan resonates across a broad spectrum of voters from his "Yang Gang" to the alt-right and it has catapulted him to a spot in this week's Democratic primary debate alongside frontrunners Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Kamala Harris. Who is this guy?  Also this hour: Last month, we told you about Curtis Flowers, the Mississippi man convicted over 20 years ago of killing four people by a prosecutor with a history of racial bias and witness tampering. You may recognize the story from the APM podcast, "In the Dark." Last week, the Supreme Court ruled to overturn his latest conviction in a 7-2 decision. What's next?  Lastly, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says the Trump Administration is running "concentration camps" at our Southern border. We talk about that. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Nose doesn't much miss a chance to cover Taylor Swift. And it turns out, Taytay's got a new song and video... for Pride Month... and it's been received, let's say, kind of skeptically. (Relatedly, here's a listicle: All 126 Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked From Worst to Best.) And then: Last year, the Obamas signed a big deal to make TV programs for Netflix. And now, the former first couple's production company is coming to an earbud near you through a podcast-making deal with Spotify. (Relatedly, here's a listicle: The best podcasts of 2019 so far.) And finally: Jim Jarmusch's new movie is... a zombie comedy? The Dead Don't Die stars Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Chloë Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, RZA, Tilda Swinton, Danny Glover, Carol Kane, and more. (Relatedly, here's a listicle: 8 Great Zombie Comedies (That Aren't The Dead Don't Die).) Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Gloria Vanderbilt, socialite and designer-jeans marketer who was the subject of a sensational custody trial in the 1930s, dies at 95 An Oral History of Vincent D'Onofrio's Perfect Men in Black'Sugar Water' Scene What Really Happened to Malaysia's Missing Airplane Bill Cosby's post as 'America's Dad' on Father's Day sparks anger online John Cusack deletes tweet after being accused of anti-Semitism Today in heavy-handed metaphors: The tree that inspired Dr. Seuss' The Loraxhas fallen Today we're reminded that the singing Quiznos rats were real and not a collective fever dream Ex-MLB star Lenny Dykstra spent 9 hours dumpster diving outside a Jersey Mike's. Here's why. Summertime Sadness at the Box OfficeA stretch of June flops has once again put a magnifying glass on the health of the movie industry, as every studio not named Disney struggles to make an impact(Relatedly, here's a listicle: The 15 Best Films of 2019 (So Far).) GUESTS: Lucy Gellman - Editor of The Arts Paper and host of WNHH radio's Kitchen Sync Sam Hadelman - Host of The Sam Hadelman Show on WNHH and a journalist for the New Haven Independent Nicholas Quah - The editor and publisher of Hot Pod, a newsletter about podcasts Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's much more to vending machines than those tasty, preservative-laden treats temptingly lined up on display behind the glass casing. Today we take a magical voyage to find out what these snack dispensers tell us about how we live, what we value, our stresses, and our restraints. Along the way, we check in with a local author and Hartford Courant columnist who devoured one of each snack in her workplace vending machine one afternoon without being rushed to the hospital. We discuss their role in the nation's obesity epidemic, and why they rarely offer healthy eating choices. We discover the fascinatingly strange (warm corn chowder, camouflage watches), sometimes disgusting (used women's underpants) products they pump out in Japan. And we look at what they are legally not able to offer here in Connecticut. As Yale students found out, that includes emergency contraceptives. Could self-pouring beer machines be in the state's near future? What about machine serving delicious, ready-to-eat bacon?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's hard to believe, but The Matrix is 20 years old this year. And its influence is all over the culture with bullet time and red pills and the "woah" meme and so much more. We take the question of whether we're living in a simulation much more seriously than we did 20 years ago. We're much more attuned to the allegory for the trans experience that The Matrix might well have been. And with John Wick 3 in theaters, Toy Story 4 out next week, Cyberpunk 2077out next year, and Bill & Ted 3 just beginning production, the Keanussance is upon us. GUESTS: River Donaghey - An associate editor at Vice, where he published the piece "Give Keanu Reeves Some Space, Everybody" David Sims - A staff writer at The Atlantic and the cohost of the podcast Blank Check with Griffin and David Emily VanDerWerff - The critic at large for Vox, where she published "How The Matrix universalized a trans experience -- and helped me accept my own" Rizwan Virk - Executive director of Play Labs at M.I.T.; his new book is The Simulation Hypothesis: An MIT Computer Scientist Shows Why AI, Quantum Physics, and Eastern Mystics All Agree We Are in a Video Game Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Connecticut remains riveted by the unfolding saga of Jennifer Dulos, the wealthy, white New Canaan woman last seen almost four weeks ago. It's a tragic and familiar story. Yet, few cases receive the notoriety of this particular case.  Today, we examine several issues raised by Jennifer's disappearance, including how domestic violence in wealthy families can play out in ways not experienced by those with less money. The night of Jennifer's disappearance, video surveillance cameras in Hartford spotted Jennifer's husband Fotis Dulos, dumping garbage bags with bloody clothing in trash bins throughout the north end of Hartford. We talk to a resident of the north end about how he feels about that.  Lastly, we talk about the current state of police surveillance technology, including in Hartford, and how it might be used in the future. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The president suggests he can take information from a foreign adversary without reporting it to the FBI. Kellyanne Conway can violate the Hatch Act without repercussion. American allies aren't sure if they can believe Trump Administration claims about Iran aggression. The president now suggests his supporters may demand that he serve more than two terms.  Amy Siskind has been documenting the erosion of democratic norms under President Trump almost since his inauguration. We spend some time with her.  The state Supreme Court released a unanimous decision Friday ordering new trials for two men convicted of a 1989 murder in New Milford. The call for new trials stems from misleading testimony by the state police forensic laboratory, under the purview of forensic scientist Henry Lee. Lee spoke this morning. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joni Mitchell is a singer-songwriter from Alberta, Canada. In 1968, her debut album, Song to a Seagull, was released and since then, Mitchell has become one of the most influential, and greatest recording artists. Mitchell has won nine Grammys, including a Lifetime Achievement Award, countless musical awards, and her albums are considered as among the best ever made. We’re big fans. It turns out we’re not alone. Today, we talk to a few friends of the show to discuss Mitchell’s influence on them while listening to their favorite Joni songs. Plus, we chat with Mitchell biographer David Yaffe who recently wrote Reckless Daughter: A Portrait of Joni Mitchell.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are a group of Connecticut parents who feel they must relinquish custody of  their “high needs” children in order to get them into residential treatment programs when in-home services are inadequate to meet their needs.  Many years ago, the Connecticut Department of Children and Families chose to move children out of residential treatment centers and back to their families or foster care. Most agree it was a good move; residential care is expensive and many kids do better at home. Some wonder if we've gone too far. The combined effect of the closing of residential centers, budget restrictions, and lack of available community resources to fill the void have led to a perfect storm.  Connecticut is not the only state to use the 'custody-for-care' loophole. It still happens in 44 states, even though 26 of those states have statutes or policies to prevent it. Connecticut has significantly decreased its use over the last decade, but not enough. No one is a bad actor in this story. Parents do the best they can under difficult and stressful circumstances. DCF does the best they can within the reality of political and budgetary pressures. And there are systemic problems with the way insurance, hospitals, and schools are set-up to deal with the expensive and complex needs of some children.   Today, we take a look. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode is really going to be the cat’s pajamas. Or is it pyjamas? Do cats even wear pajamas? Why would they? Why do we? Should any of us wear pajamas at all? And if we do don a pair, are they only for bed? Or should pajamas have their day in the sun? If our PJs are making a fashion statement just what exactly are they saying? We’re talking today about what we wear to bed, but who knows? Does not wearing pajamas to bed have health and other benefits once we settle in under the covers? Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jessica Harper has starred in movies like Suspiria, Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise, Woody Allen's Stardust Memories, and Steven Spielberg's Minority Report. And now she's publishing a memoir as a podcast. Winnetka tells the story of growing up in a big family -- six kids, including two sets of twins -- in the 1950s and '60s in the midwest -- in Winnetka, Ill., you see -- and later in Connecticut. Plus: An update on the podcast industry more generally. The "Netflix of podcasts" is here. A big new study on podcasting has just come out. And... is "podcaster burnout" becoming a thing?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you one of the millions inspired by Marie Kondo and her KonMari Method to get rid of your clutter? Kondo's books, such as The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and Netflix series, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, have sparked an intense and prolonged fervor where other self-help gurus have failed.  What is it about this phenom who advocates tidying as the path to the self-actualization? Is it her respect for our stuff as animated and alive? Is it because she doesn't shame us for our consumption, even as she encourages us to consider why we consume? Do our things 'spark joy' or hold us back? Yet, she's not without her critics. The backlash has been fierce, and occasionally misconstrued  Kondo's words. What's so threatening about questioning what we value? Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rocketman is the sort of movie where (tiny spoiler ahead here, I suppose) "Elton John," at one point, becomes an actual "rocket man"... and blasts off into the sky... with fire shooting out of his feet. I mean, what else do you need to know really, right? It's directed by Dexter Fletcher, whose previous film -- another little music biopic you might've heard of called Bohemian Rhapsody -- is the second-highest-grossing drama ever made. And it stars Taron Egerton, who does all his own singing, in the, uh, title role. And: Ava DuVernay is the director of Selma (which was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars), A Wrinkle in Time, and the Netflix documentary 13th (for which DuVernay was nominated for the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature), among other things. Her newest project is When They See Us, a Netflix miniseries about the Central Park Five.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In early 2017, The New York Times uncovered a program at the Defense Department which investigated unidentified flying objects. Then, at the end of May, the reporters published another article, getting navy pilots to talk on the record about their encounters with unidentified flying objects.  In November 2018, the chair of Harvard's Astronomy Department, Avi Loeb, co-wrote a paper about an interestellar object, 'Oumuamua, writing, "Alternatively, a more exotic scenario is that 'Oumuamua may be a fully operational probe sent intentionally to Earth vicinity by an alien civilization." What does this all mean? And does it matter that these aknowledgements are coming from a paper like The New York Times, or a scientist from Harvard?  This hour, we'll talk to Leslie Kean and Avi Loeb about their research, and we'll hear from people who have believed in extraterrestrial life all along about what it's like to see this news. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if you just don't really enjoy food very much? What if you're totally fine eating the same thing every single day? What if you think food is an inefficient way to get what you need to survive? What if, rather than eating "food," you just mixed a white powder (that is definitely not made of people because it's made of soy protein isolate instead) with water and drank that in food's place? This hour: a look at what you might call the non-foodie movement and the "powdered food" meal replacement product that is Soylent.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Darko Tresnjak has been artistic director at Hartford Stage Company since 2011. During his tenure here, he's won a Tony. He's had multiple productions make the leap to Broadway. His Anastasia has multiple tours touring internationally. And this season is his last season in Hartford. This hour: our exit interview with Darko Tresnjak.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The question of whether to allow a contested question about citizenship on the 2020 census is before the Supreme Court. How they decide may be altered by new and formerly secret files that show a long-standing relationship between the Republican Party and gerrymandering -- that includes an idea to add a citizenship question to the census to boost the voting power of "Republicans and non-Hispanic whites."  Also this hour: This weekend, over 100 artists staged a 24-hour public reading of the Mueller report in Queens. They're helping us do exactly what Robert Mueller implored us all to do. Read it in its entirety. Here's the story.  Here's the full report. Here's the audiobook. Lastly, is America still capable of doing large-scale politically-honorable deeds, such as impeaching a president? Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Graduation season is upon us. Your niece is finishing high school. Your neighbor's son is graduating from Tulane. Your boss just got her second Master's. How did it get to be that the obvious gift for all of these people is... a Dr. Seuss book? And then: Vulture, this week, published a click-bait listicle ranking all the HBO shows ever. The Nose took the bait and clicked. And... Six Feet Under didn't make the top ten? Girls isn't in the top 25? John from Cincinnati made the top 30? Did anybody even understand that show? And speaking of shows, George Clooney and Grant Heslov's new Hulu miniseries is a four-and-a-half-hour, six-episode adaption of Joseph Heller's Catch-22. Is that what the world needed right now?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Laszlo Ratesic is a nineteen-year veteran of the Speculative Service. He lives in the Golden State, the only place left in what was once America. Laszlo's job is to bring the worst criminals to justice, those who tell lies. In his new novel, Ben Winters creates a world which might sound Eden-esque in our era of misinformation.  It's getting more difficult to distinguish real from fake news, AI-assisted technology allows a bad actor to splice celebrity heads onto the faces of actors in a pornographic video, and major news organizations need to keep track of how often America's president lies.  Yet, we should be careful what we wish for. Philosophers like Derrida have long questioned the nature of truth; can there be one truth? If so, whose truth is it? While few of us want to return to the pre-internet days when everyone got their news from Walter Cronkite, we need to understand how to recognize when information is false and how it is spread. It's too easy to blame ignorance or a willful repudiation of the truth for the spread of misinformation. It's a lot more about who we trust.  For those who fear a Golden State could be our future, there's hope on the horizon if we're willing to pay attention. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From his rapid-fire stand-up comedy riffs to his breakout role in Mork & Mindy and his Academy Award-winning performance in Good Will Hunting, Robin Williams was a singularly innovative and beloved entertainer. Dave Itzkoff's new biography is Robin. And 10 years after his death, a look back at the work of George Carlin.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No Country for Old Men. Fargo. The Big Lebowski. Raising Arizona. O Brother, Where Art Thou? Miller's Crossing. Over the past 35 years, Joel and Ethan Coen have reliably been among the most recognizable voices in moviemaking. Their latest, the anthology western The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, hit Netflix last fall. This hour: a Noseish look at the work of the Coen brothers. GUESTS: Tom Breen - Film critic and the host of WNHH radio's Deep Focus Skip Lievsay - Sound editor, mixer, and designer for film and television; he won the Academy Award for Best Achievement in Sound Mixing for Gravity, and he's done the sound on every Coen brothers picture Adam Nayman - The author of The Coen Brothers: This Book Really Ties the Films Together Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Eugene Amatruda, and Betsy Kaplan contributed to this show, which originally aired November 21, 2018.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seriously: a show about towels. There's the history of towels, towels in Christianity, Terrible Towels, Towel Day. Oh, and there are actual towels too. Because when has a bad idea ever stopped us before? GUESTS: Marcel Danesi - The author of Of Cigarettes, High Heels, and Other Interesting Things: An Introduction to Semiotics John Dankosky - Executive editor of the New England News Collaborative; host of The Wheelhouse and NEXT on WNPR Mike Pesca - Host of the daily Slate podcast The Gist Jackie Reeve - Bed and bath writer for Wirecutter; her blog about quilting and crafting and cooking and traveling and things is The Orange Room Jem Roberts - Comedy historian and the author of The Frood: The Authorised and Very Official History of Douglas Adams and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Carlos Mejia, and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired, in a different form, on December 6, 2018.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The American criminal justice system has become less 'just' over recent decades and prosecutors bear much of the responsibility. The tough-on-crime culture of the 1980's and 90's shifted power away from judges and juries and toward prosecutors who embraced their new power to wield mandatory sentencing laws to rack up the convictions demanded by the constituents who elected them.  The problem is they never let go of that power or the culture that rewards it, even as crime rates have plummeted to historic lows that are almost 50% below their peak in the 1990's. They continue use sentencing to extract plea bargains from almost 95% of the people who come before them, even without evidence of guilt. Some impose draconian bail and probation conditions monitored by for-profit companies that extract a premium.  Others run modern day debtors' prisons, jailing people for misdemeanor crimes like shoplifting because they can't afford bail.   Yet, there's cause for hope. A new breed of DA's are using prison as a last resort, focusing instead on "diversion" programs that offer a second chance instead of long prison sentences that research shows make worse criminals.   Is it time to rethink who belongs in prison? Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.