The Colin McEnroe Show

There's lots to talk about in the news right now -- including the presidential election that just keeps giving. Giving stress, giving insults, giving the non-stop news cycle a lot to talk about. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Comedy Central's "The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore" came to its hasty conclusion last night, still more than two months before the election. Gawker will shut down next week. And as of next Tuesday, NPR's website will no longer have comments sections.Brian Williams, on the other hand, is getting a new show on MSNBC. And Jonah Lehrer's got a new book out.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Clive James considered Dick Cavett one of the great intellectuals who shaped the 20th century. He did it primarily as the host of The Dick Cavett Show, combining playfulness and serious discussion for ninety-minutes each night with a roster of cultural icons that spanned the worlds of art, culture, literature, music, and politics.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Petula Clark has been singing since 1942, when as a nine-year-old child, she answered a request from a BBC producer to sing to a British theater audience unnerved by an air raid that delayed the BBC broadcast they came to hear.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the men of Apollo 11 returned home to ticker tape parades, the women who made their journey possible worked quietly behind the scenes. Since its founding in 1958, NASA has been heavily reliant on the skills of such women, many of whom have gone unrecognized for their bravery and hard work.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ten-part Netflix documentary "Making a Murderer" covers the 2007 conviction in Manitowoc County, Wisc., of Steven Avery for the murder of Teresa Halbach. A secondary story in the film is the interrogation, confession, and later conviction of Avery's nephew, Brendan Dassey, as an accessory to the crime.In a turn of events that forces to mind Adnan Syed and "Serial," a federal judge on Friday overturned Dassey's conviction on the grounds that his confession was coerced and unconstitutionally obtained. (Read the decision here.)Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Start with four parts "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial." That's your base. Then you'll need two parts "The Goonies," two parts "Poltergeist," and two parts "Alien." Mix in one part each of "It," "Stand by Me," "Firestarter," "Explorers," "Carrie," and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." Add a Winona Ryder-shaped dollop of "Beetlejuice," and top off with a dash of the covers of classic '70s and '80s horror novels.That's the recipe for the newish Netflix series "Stranger Things."Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What makes a great audiobook? What makes a great audiobook narrator? (And, for that matter, what makes a not-so-great audiobook and audiobook narrator?)Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What can you say about the sun? It sits not only at the center of our solar system but has, over time, been at the center of religions, scriptures, songs, art and countless other aspects of our culture.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You might think all is going well at the Olympics if you enjoyed the glossy opening ceremony or heard the inspirational stories of athletes, many of whom have made it to the games against all odds. We should be inspired by these athletes. And, we do want to believe in the Olympics.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Drew Magary is an interesting guy.You might have one impression if you know him from his irreverent and wildly popular commentary in Deadspin, where he defends things like cargo pants and writes columns called "Why Your Team Sucks" and "Why Your Children's Television Program Sucks." Or, if you follow him in GQ, where he recently shared his wry observations on the Republican National Convention and strident views on Donald Trump. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Colin's out today. He got vocal nodes while moonlighting as Mariah Carey’s backup singer, and he's seeing his otolaryngologist. Or he sprained an ankle during a performance with The Rockettes, and now he's in traction.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During Connecticut's 2014 gubernatorial election, Republican candidate Tom Foley chose a failing paper mill in Sprague as the "stage" upon which he'd blame the Malloy administration's economic policies on the mill's demise. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From Brazil's political unrest to its water pollution to the viral pandemic plaguing its streets, this year's Olympics in Rio De Janeiro are off to a rough start -- and they haven't even begun yet!Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Originally, we planned on doing a show about Joss Whedon -- without Joss Whedon. We invited a scholar of his work to talk about his television and film resume, and a close friend, professor and mentor to speak on his directorial style. However, Joss was interested enough in what we're planning to join the show! So now, it's a show about Joss Whedon -- with Joss Whedon. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we were preparing for our show on underdogs a few months ago, I kept saying that we shouldn't overlook the fact that, often, to be an underdog in the first place, you have to be really bad at the thing you're an underdog about.The more we talked about it, the more I found myself making the case that losers and losing are fascinating.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

HBO's new limited series "The Night Of" is, we're pretty sure, the first psoriasis noir masterpiece.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's the final day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia -  and the ride has been almost as wild as last week's Republican National Convention in Cleveland.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No one likes a cloudy sky. A cloud on the horizon is seen as a harbinger of doom. We feel like clouds need to have silver linings.But here's our thesis: Clouds are unfairly maligned.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we did our show on Romeo and Juliet a few months ago, Tina Packer invited us to come up to Shakespeare & Co. in Lenox, Mass., to see her new production of The Merchant of Venice this summer. Colin said we'd love to; we'll come up there and do a show!It seemed like the sort of niceties that people often toss off on the radio.But it turns out they meant it. And so, so did we! So we went up and taped a show in the Berkshires with Tina and her Shylock, Jonathan Epstein.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ralph Nader is not happy with either the Republican or Democratic candidates for president. He says Republicans tolerating Donald Trump will look back and be ashamed and that Democrats chose a "deeply-rooted corporatist" and "militarist." In fact, he thinks the "two party tyranny" reduces the "voices and choices" of the people and we should all consider a third-party.  Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In January 2015, when it was announced that a planned new Ghostbusters movie would feature four female leads, internet fanbros went crazy. And then, this March, when the first Ghostbusters trailer came out, the internet fanbros went crazy all over again.And now the movie is finally out. (And guess what the internet fanbros did.)Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Republican National Convention in Cleveland wraps up today following a speech by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sepsis is always an emergency. But I bet many of you reading this don't know what it is. The CDC says there are over one million cases of sepsis in America annually -- many more globally -- and about 258,000 of those people die from it. It's the ninth leading cause of disease-related deaths and more people are hospitalized for sepsis every year than for heart disease and stroke combined. It's a major driver behind higher health costs.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Author Ben Winter's latest work of alternative History, Underground Airlines, has been getting lots of attention in the short time since its release. Taking on themes such as institutional racism, social responsibility and personal redemption, the novel's relevance to today's top issues can't be denied.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Republican National Convention kicks off in Cleveland today after several days of pre-convention fireworks, including efforts by anti-Trump delegates to change the rules, Trump's agonizing indecision on his VP, and a changing list of speakers that will include more Trump family members than seasoned politicians. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As you may have heard, Pokemon is back (are back?) with the release last week of a new game. Pokemon Go is an augmented reality app that, through the magic of GPS on your phone, adds Pokemon to your surroundings, or, at least, to your surroundings as represented on your phone's screen, so that you can catch them.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last fall, Colin saw The Bloodstained Men and Their Friends demonstrating in New Haven.They wear white coveralls with red stains on the crotches.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are few genres of entertainment more American than the Western. But for a genre so steeped in the iconography of our past, its accuracy in portraying historical event leaves much to be desired. Many argue that the Western is more myth than reality, and that this myth is akin to revisionist history.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We once did a show about beer jingles, which is a great example of how a product becomes a culture. Cereal as a culture, is off the charts. There's the box, there's the prize, there's the character, there's the jingles, there's the commercials. Most of us can probably sing some jingles and discuss favorite cereal personae from our childhoods, which makes it kind of weird when marketing experts tell us that cereal consumption is in decline.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump wants to advance his business interests in Russia - and Vladimir Putin couldn't be happier. Putin's geopolitical interests rely on weakening the West. To that end, he has supported right-wing populists in Europe for more than a decade.  Donald Trump may be the perfect tool to help Putin destroy the West. He supports many of the goals of Putin and has openly admired him. He's cultivated ties to Russia for a long time, including with a Russian gangster once jailed for slashing a man's face with a broken margarita glass. To make it worse, Trump has surrounded himself with advisors with shady ties to Russia.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a new entry in the long, long canon of Tarzan stories and adaptations and shows and movies and musicals and Happy Meals toys or whatever. This time around, True Blood's Alexander Skarsgård stars as the bare-chested, animal-whispering titular character. The Nose went to see "The Legend of Tarzan," and we can't help but recognize its troubles of race and unending violence in this week's news.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No one likes a cloudy sky. A cloud on the horizon is seen as a harbinger of doom. We feel like clouds need to have silver linings.But here's our thesis: Clouds are unfairly maligned.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many Americans feel their vote no longer carries much clout in determining the decisions that most affect their lives -- whether it's about immigration, health care, gay rights, or gun control. The list goes on. The elected representatives they send to Congress as their voice are unable or unwilling to speak.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

FBI Director James Comey recommended no criminal charges against Hillary Clinton for her use of a personal email server while she was Secretary of State. His judgment came on the heels of the FBI's more than three hour interview with Hillary Clinton on Saturday. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Thighmaster, the Chop-O-Matic, the George Foreman Grill and the Clapper: Products which are all part of American consumer culture and which were all introduced through infomercials. But as online shopping increases and traditional television watching decreases, are we beginning to see the end of these high-energy, late-night shows?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From scientists to fiction writers, conspiracy theorists to theologians, aliens have captured the imagination of us all. But as we ponder the possibilities let us pause to ask ourselves why.Why do these yet to be found creatures from space occupy such a central role in the musings of so many? And should their existence be confirmed, what will it mean for us on Earth?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since its discovery in 1900, adrenaline and pop-culture have gone hand-in-hand. From extreme sports, to the latest energy drinks, to pulse pounding Hollywood blockbusters, the rush of this hormone is portrayed in countless ways.But these portrayals seldom tell the whole story. So what exactly is adrenaline, and why does our society seem so keen on celebrating it?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Before Stephen Colbert and John Oliver, before Jon Stewart and Conan O’Brien, before "The Simpsons," before David Letterman, before "Saturday Night Live," before The National Lampoon… before all the great subversive American satirists that we’ve all grown… used to — before all that, there was MAD magazine.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My Batman story begins with a crime. I was in third grade. I went to the barber shop in West Hartford Center where there were comic books to read while you waited.I had never seen any superhero comic before and I started reading a Batman story. It was great but I didn't have enough time to finish it. So, when my haircut was done, I took it home with me. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The British voted to leave the European Union yesterday. Let that sink in for a minute. This decision will likely cause geopolitical and economic turmoil and uncertainty for years to come as the world negotiates how to separate Britain from our global economy.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most of us know Cinderella as the poor servant girl who stuck it to her mean stepmother and stepsisters by proving she was good enough to marry the rich and handsome prince. She had a little help from a fairy godmother, a pumpkin coach, and a foot small enough to fit into the glass slipper.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's easy to think of borders as fixed, almost sacrosanct lines, so rooted in the natural order of things that it often doesn't occur to us to question them. But borders were not always thought of this way. In fact, the notion of well understood, and agreed upon boundaries between nations is somewhat new.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Earlier this year at the Golden Globes, the top TV honor, Best Television Series -- Drama, went to USA's hacker technothriller series "Mr. Robot." Last year, the trophy went to Showtime's "The Affair."Between those two new shows, there are three point-of-view characters, three narrators. And you can’t really trust, you can't fully believe a one of them.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump has had a really bad few weeks. His poll numbers are dropping to the lowest point for any general election candidate in the last three years. He's coming under fire for his response to last week's shootings in Orlando, and for saying U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel -- who is the judge overseeing the fraud case against Trump University -- may be biased against him because of his Mexican heritage.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you "pull a Benedict Arnold," you sell out your side to join the stronger side of a situation out of fear, not honor.  Needless to say, that's not a compliment.More than 230 years after America secured independence from Britain, this skilled warrior and confidante of George Washington is remembered as a traitor and coward for defecting to the British side.But it's not that easy.  Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I swear we almost never pick the Nose panelists based on the topics we plan to discuss. (We barely ever even plan in the first place, to be honest.) I asked Mr. Dankosky -- former Vice President of News for WNPR, current Executive Editor of the New England News Collaborative -- weeks ago to make his Nose debut this Friday.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Animal rights have come a long way over the last century, providing, of course, we're not talking about fish. While other vertebrates have slowly been recognized as social, feeling, even sentient beings, fish remain good for three things: owning, catching and eating.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

America's Greatest Living Film Critic David Edelstein has called "Weiner," the new documentary about former Congressman Anthony Weiner's ill-fated 2013 run for mayor of New York City, "one of the most provocative [docs] of its kind" that he's seen.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Orlando, Florida was the scene of a mass shooting Sunday that left 50 people dead and dozens more injured. We've heard the story before: a shooter walks into a crowded room with multiple weapons to kill large numbers of people in an astonishingly small amount of time.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.