The Dinner Party Download

This week: Oscar-winning actor Colin Firth explores masks and the mind… We grill star chef Bobby Flay on etiquette… Food writer Michael Pollan says we are because we cook…Molly Ringwald sets a new standard for musical standards… Jane Fonda’s headbands & home videos inspire a health-crazed cocktail… And Mike Wolfe of “American Pickers” strikes it […]

This week: Jonathan Lethem goes to New Jersey … Alt-J are kind of over triangles at this point … The Beatles’ secretary gives a peek into music history … Restaurant trends, from bars to bathrooms … Astronaut agriculture … Miss Manners is not telling you to lie, boast, and start rumbles … A tempest in […]

This week: Britrock superstars Arctic Monkeys provide a party playlist (and a dessert recipe)… Van Jones plays with Crossfire… fashion maven Simon Doonan says the best outfit is the one your friend is already wearing … Northern Irish poet Nick Laird explains “Epithalamium”… VHS cassettes inspire eighties nostalgia … Bavarians build a giant rake for […]

This week: “Short Term 12″ star Brie Larson fears oranges & lobsters… Baz Luhrmann talks movie music from Bee Gees to Gatsby… author Juan Gabriel Vásquez shares a story of narco-trafficking and lost hippos… A Jimmy Buffet song brings indie band Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr to tears… We learn about the real-life divas who inspired […]

This week: One of our favorite episodes! Eva Mendes decodes “The Place Beyond the Pines” (which just came out on DVD) and hieroglyphics… Writer and “SNL” vet Julia Sweeney answers your etiquette questions from the fetal position… New Orleans indie rockers Generationals spin a sweet-and-sour soundtrack… Science writer Mary Roach takes us on a field […]

This week: Actor David Oyelowo becomes sort of a scholar … Bluegrass musician Ricky Skaggs on sushi and superfreaks … Piper Kerman reveals the reality behind bars … Kurt Braunohler finds odd comedy in everyday things … MTV veejay Kennedy remembers the nineties and Nine Inch Nails … Shooting a cannon of puffery … Novel […]

This week: Lisa Kudrow takes a stab at radio therapy … Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos plants an orchard … Anna Gunn of “Breaking Bad” breaks out a list of broken couples… We take an inside look at President Nixon, via home movies … Crickets invade a snack near you … Rob Sheffield is a karaoke cowboy […]

This week: Liev Schrieber on canine engineering and bad answers… Choire Sicha, founder of The Awl, offers etiquette quips… Breakout Chicago band Wild Belle bring us the world, on a platter of sound… A tale of cheese and blood feuds in the Spanish countryside… Novelist David Gilbert shares a story of absent fathers, from his […]

This week: We nominate an episode from earlier this year for your repeat consideration. “Enlightened” actress Laura Dern (who just picked up an Emmy nom) on brains and Baio … Folk-rocker Billy Bragg wins hearts and minds in our etiquette segment … They Might Be Giants list tiny gems … We toast the first man(nequin!) […]

This week: pioneering indie filmmaker Andrew Bujalski plays “Computer Chess” and speaks up about mumblecore… SCTV alum and Tony-winner Andrea Martin gets car-jacked, politely… Debut novelist Gabriel Roth debuts a list of debuts… “Blackfish” director Gabriela Cowperthwaite plunges into controversy… and NYC’s Russ & Daughters celebrate herring season by teaching Brendan to eat like a marine […]

This week: Writer Chuck Klosterman grapples with villains… Music legend Herb Alpert grapples with your etiquette questions… Comedian Tig Notaro learns a lesson after losing her wisdom teeth… Filmmaker Drew DiNicola tells us why cult rockers Big Star never quite lived up to their name… Documentary filmmaker Lucy Walker does call it a comeback… The Frenchman behind the bikini […]

This week: Superstar comedian Kevin Hart grows an inch … Comic, writer, TV host and — now– etiquette expert Aisha Tyler steers listeners clear of video game hogs and sunshine nazis… UK scholar Terry Eagleton tells us what Brits really think of Americans… Memoirist Ashley Cardiff is haunted by Prince… The Spinto Band present a […]

This week: Natalie Cole sings en Espanol … Activist Ralph Nader gives etiquette advice and restaurant recommendations … Bestselling novelist Curtis Sittenfeld goes from preppy to psychic … Rogue Wave’s playlist washes over us … How National Lampoon became the center of the comedy universe … The history of the typewriter … The most excruciating […]

This week: We ride the rerun ship back in time, for an episode that turns out to be pretty prescient … Francis Ha star Greta Gerwig on naturalism vs. quirk … The Roots’ Questlove on food … Author Carl Hiaasen gives us a reality check … Kathy Griffin, queen of misbehavior, offers etiquette advice… The […]

This week: Filmmaker Sofia Coppola talks about “The Bling Ring” and growing up in an Apocalypse … Humorist and “Wiretap” host Jonathan Goldstein takes his dad for a beer of rebellion … It’s the time of the season for a party playlist from The Zombies … Lidia Bastianich dishes out food etiquette and makes a […]

This week: Actress Ellen Page (The East) on saving the planet and playing with dolls… National Book Award winner Colum McCann takes us on a Transatlantic trip…Laura Osnes – Tony-nominated Cinderella on Broadway – shares her favorite rags-to-riches stories… Rico stuffs himself with stuffies… Etiquette advice to make air travel a tiny bit more comfortable… […]

This week: Sex writer Dan Savage on cheating and snowboarding… Actress Jessica Walter of Arrested Development plays nice for etiquette… Doo-wop legend Kenny Vance on closing for the Rolling Stones… The director of indie gem The Kings of Summer warms us up for the season… Learn the history of Pac-Man, then gobble up a pizza-themed […]

This week: Andrea Riesborough lets us in on a mystery… Fitz and the Tantrums spins a retro party playlist… Novelist Joanna Hershon starts off the summer in a 1960s yacht club… Italian pork is washing up on American shores – but it’s not the only kind of treasure from Lo Stivale… Etiquette from the Posts… […]

This week: We look back to one of our favorite episodes, in which actor/polymath James Franco rebels against beds… Preeminent travel writer Paul Theroux offers etiquette advice to globetrotters (and public radio hosts)… Nashville raconteur Todd Snider tells of his brush with NASCAR fame… The NY Public Library celebrates Noel Coward… and Hollywood’s top auctioneer […]

To celebrate the release of our 200th podcast, here’s our bicentennial All-Icebreaker show. Dozens of jokes culled from the last two years’ worth of DPDs, as told by such luminaries as James Franco, Bryan Cranston, Alison Pill, the band Fun., and many more. Some are funny, most are not. But there are definitely a lot […]

This week: Filmmaker Noah Baumbach on the new New York… David Alan Grier answers (most of) your etiquette questions… Autism pioneer Temple Grandin diagnoses Mr. Spock… Travel writer Matt Gross goes to the edge… “Love & rockets” co-creator Gilbert Hernandez on ’60s comics that were super, sans superheroes… Why guilt is good (for groceries)… and […]

This week: Actor Michael Shannon (“The Iceman”) revisits his Wobegon days… Hugh Dancy of TV’s “Hannibal” lists a few good baddies… Acclaimed travel writer Paul Theroux on a place he won’t be heading back to… “Daily Show” co-creator Lizz Winstead grins and bares it … San Fran rocker Mikal Cronin serves up soundtrack… Biscuits on […]

This week: Oscar-winning actor Colin Firth explores masks and the mind… We grill star chef Bobby Flay on etiquette… Food writer Michael Pollan says we are because we cook…Molly Ringwald sets a new standard for musical standards… Jane Fonda’s headbands & home videos inspire a health-crazed cocktail… And Mike Wolfe of “American Pickers” strikes it […]

This week: Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx plays Django and table tennis… JEOPARDY! champ Ken Jennings answers our *etiquette* questions (minus the buzzer)… “Thrift Shop” rap stars Macklemore & Ryan Lewis spin a playful party playlist… “The Splendid Table’s” Lynne Rosetto-Kasper is haunted by the ghost of Christmas-party past… “The Hobbit” FX mastermind Joe Letteri traces Gollum’s family tree back to Sherlock Holmes… And speaking of which, Rico learns to think like Sherlock Holmes. Plus: Brazilian food rising, monkeys with no rhythm, and zen dogs.

This week: Actress Eva Mendes decodes her new film – and hieroglyphics… Writer and “SNL” vet Julia Sweeney answers your etiquette questions from the fetal position… New Orleans indie rockers Generationals spin a sweet-and-sour soundtrack… Science writer Mary Roach (“Stiff,” the new “Gulp”) takes us on a field trip down the alimentary canal… Twitter queen Kelly Oxford tiptoes into David Copperfield’s private lair… And Wrigley’s Gum inspires a cocktail that WON’T lose its flavor. Plus, salt mines in the sky, self-hating jokes, and a new Rogue Wave.

This week: TV personality Andy Cohen – the man who launched 1,000 “Real Housewives” – tells us how to behave… Rising literary star Taiye Selasi on making novels and dresses… British prog-rock phenoms Alt-J throw a party in the woods… Satirist Sam Lipsyte on the joys of fatherhood… We tiptoe into “Room 237,” a film about “The Shining”‘s fanatical following… And Rico tastes the secret of panuchos. Plus, a drink born from cold fusion, new music from Mikal Cronin, and a monstrous joke.

This week: Filmmaker Harmony Korine on Cassevetes and mime contests… Chris O’Dowd, star of “Bridesmaids” and now “The Sapphires,” on sudden successes… Marisa Silver develops an iconic photo into a novel… Noodling around with Ramen and Ravioli…The history of the Stanley Cup inspires a drink (with no ice!)…The Posts address door jams and outer-underwear…Your Spring fashion preview, featuring trendy Hamburglars…Plus, a new tune from “Vampire Weekend,” KFC’s poetry campaign, and a nuclear-powered joke.

This Week: Oscar-nominated actress Anna Kendrick sings of adorkability… “Weeds”/SNL alum Kevin Nealon blesses us with etiquette advice…”The Perks of Being a Wallflower” creator Stephen Chbosky talks of time and place… Okkervil River runs through a party soundtrack… here comes the (terrorist) bride… And the Primanti Sandwich goes national. Plus: We witness the birth of a clean machine, shine a light on art, and learn the history of comedy.

This week: “Enlightened” actress Laura Dern on brains and Baio… Folk-rocker Billy Bragg wins hearts and minds in our etiquette segment… They Might Be Giants list tiny gems… We toast the first man(nequin!) in space… The story behind SXSW, as told by the festival’s co-founder… Indie musician Tracey Thorn finds her voice… Plus, build-your-own hotels, cocktails by the barrel-ful, Side of the Road music, and lots more.

This Week: “Stoker” star Matthew Goode on being a creepy Uncle and devoted Dad… Talk show legend Dick Cavett tells us how to ‘Hitchcock’… Essayist Michelle Orange undergoes a cinematic identity crisis… Ryan Quincy, creator of TV’s “Out There,” comes of age… Indie darlings Adam Green and Binki Shapiro turn scraps and metal into a dinner party soundtrack… How to run away with the circus… And Rico pays his last respects to a Tiki landmark… Plus, fly jokes, upside-downers, and woolly drinks.

This week: Oscar-nominated filmmaker David France on plagues and platforms… Pulitzer-finalist Karen Russell sinks her teeth into a new story collection… Bestseller queen Jackie Collins tells you how to (mis)behave… Alex Karpovsky (“Girls”) goes meta… We dip into chip history… Why religion matters to atheists… Plus Graveyard humor, cheating via satellite, and “Entertainment” provided by Phoenix.

This week: R&B sensation (and multiple Grammy-nominee) Miguel spells “wah!”… SNL alum Rachel Dratch lists her favorite lovahhs… “Thomas Jefferson” makes his second inaugural etiquette address… Blues legend Charlie Musselwhite tells a high-flying tale about Muddy Waters… Author Betsy Prioleau defends ladies’ men… Brendan learns not to confuse ‘soulful’ with ‘healthful’… And Aussie psych-band Pond rocks a Giant Tortoise. Plus: a bomb of a cocktail from the Georgia coast, fun with trigonometry, and a library of misfit books.

This week: Oscar-nominated actress Jessica Chastain, of “Zero Dark Thirty” on Pitt and pigs … Insane advice from humorist Dave Barry…Joy Division’s Peter Hook tells the bright side of a dark band…A Super Bowl Menu, minus meat?!…We excavate the story of a crown jewel, then drink a sparkling cocktail…Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff plays dinnertime DJ… Plus, flying goats, contagious laughter, and the spider of the year.

This week: This week: “Shameless” star William H. Macy has fun with despicable… Beloved singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith spins a party playlist… NYTimes cocktail columnist Rosie Schaap teaches proper bar behavior… Rico uncovers a sriracha scam… Gonzo filmmaker Jay Bulger (“Beware of Mr. Baker”) dives into the messy life of drummer Ginger Baker… And food phenom Eddie Huang (“Fresh Off the Boat”) tells us about his first ‘All-American’ dinner… Plus, non-smoking women, Tim Burton on clubbing, and asteroids full of riches.

This week: Filmmaker Michael Apted (“7 Up”) talks about renewing his landmark documentary series… Writer Manuel Gonzales tells us how NOT to bury a body…Etiquette all-stars Lizzie and Dan Post on the protocol of the communal newspaper bin… Sundance Fest director John Cooper shares some behind-the-screens stories… Britain’s latest food fad is (wait for it) American food?!… Josh Bearman – whose article inspired the film “Argo” – tells three other film-worthy tales… Plus, Drew’s brews, Cold War Kids, and the birth of the roller coaster.

This week: Director David O. Russell (“Silver Linings Playbook,” “The Fighter”) steals the show…The Velvet Underground’s John Cale experiments with a list… Writer George Saunders weighs man purses and messenger bags…Comedian Nick Kroll (“Kroll Show”) tries to mix Oktoberfest and Yom Kippur – then has to flee Germany…We learn about the birth of Texas Oil Boom, and drink a slick cocktail…And there’s a new French dessert to swoon over…Plus, brilliant hatchet jobs, a viola-nt joke, and a trippy track from Foxygen.

This week, a look back at our best moments of 2012: Jon Hamm dives into dark matter… Ed Asner answers your etiquette questions (and his cellphone)… We toast a historic Niagara fall… Folk rock icon Rodriguez rises from the dead… Alison Pill (“The Newsroom”) lists her favorite behind-the-scenes stories… Ramblin’ man Todd Snider recalls his brush with Nascar celebrity… And country singer Iris DeMent takes us home with a dinner party soundtrack…Plus “pretzel dumplings,” lucky underwear, and an OCD joke from James Franco.

This week: Punk icon Patti Smith dreams of little black dresses… “Breaking Bad’s” Bryan Cranston builds green houses, not meth labs… Zosia Mamet (Girls, Mad Men) picks other ‘against-type’ actors… we inhale the tale of the original “smoke-filled room”… and novelist Nathaniel Rich finds a rhino with all the answers. Plus: drinkable shrubs, a new track from Odd Future’s Frank Ocean, and the fastest road in the USA.

This Week: Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx plays Django and table tennis… JEOPARDY! champ Ken Jennings answers our *etiquette* questions (minus the buzzer)… “Thrift Shop” rap stars Macklemore & Ryan Lewis spin a playful party playlist… “The Splendid Table’s” Lynne Rosetto-Kasper is haunted by the ghost of Christmas-party past… “The Hobbit” FX mastermind Joe Letteri traces Gollum’s family tree back to Sherlock Holmes… And speaking of which, Rico learns to think like Sherlock Holmes. Plus: Brazilian food rising, monkeys with no rhythm, and zen dogs.

This week: Pop star Beck Hansen’s new album looks great on paper… Actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson of “Modern Family” offers etiquette advice… Darlene Love, singer of Xmas soul classic “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” lists non-awful yuletide tunes… We sing the praises of Leonard’s Cohen’s “Hallelujah”… Top chefs debate if food should come with footnotes… and we learn how “Gone With The Wind” brought Jimmy Carter and MLK together. Plus: paper beats air, a nutty joke, and Destiny’s *other* child.

This week, “Portlandia’s” Fred Armisen cops to working blue… legendary satirist/musician/Governor-to-be Kinky Friedman serves up Texas-sized etiquette tips… rockstar classical organist Cameron Carpenter thinks outside the Bach box… We toast an infamous Alabama pest… Fish fraud!… And “Kumare” documentarian Vikram Gandhi teaches you how to become a guru. Plus, a ‘Fun.’ joke, Da Vinci Code: Rhode Island, and your letters… all the way from Kyrgyzstan.

This week: Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk does some extreme couchsurfing… “Beasts of the Southern Wild” director Benh Zeitlin on axe-painting… Controversy-courting essayist Katie Roiphe offers advice… author Susanna Moore dines in wartime Berlin… Brendan learns the difference between jerks and Ethels… and SF band Thao & The Get Down Stay Down give us a tune that gets you up, keep you up. Plus the history of a New-Wave Band Aid, the science of Xmas music, and sherry wine: it’s not just for Grandmas anymore.

This week: It’s an ALL-FOOD episode stuffed with tasty goodness. Gail Simmons of TV’s “Top Chef” survives internship hell and gets her ‘Angel’ wings…We reheat the history of the microwave, then get zapped with a custom cocktail…Fran Lebowitz and other notables share unforgettable mealtime memories…A free-range serving of The New Yorker’s Adam Gopnik… Just in time for Turkey Day, Rico heads to Istanbul to taste some delights… Chef/Memoirist Gabrielle Hamilton on sweetbreads and sweet success…And the War on Drugs supply a soundtrack for your next feast. Plus, History’s forgotten utensil (NOT the spork!), Ireland’s trendiest import, and a meaty joke from actress Alison Pill.

This week: “The Daily Show”‘s Wyatt Cenac gives us some ‘facts’ to chew on… “Life of Pi” author Yann Martel takes us on his favorite literary journeys…’Classic dining’ makes a comeback…A soundtrack from Tilly and the Wall to set the mood… How NOT to feign interest in arthouse cinema… We pay tribute to dunker-in-chief Daryl Dawkins a.k.a. Chocolate Thunder… Stanley Kubrick gets a close-up…Plus, Turkey Day etiquette, flying cellos, and silly headlines.

This Week: Eric Idle of “Monty Python” and “Spamalot” leads us in a singalong… Writer Jon Ronson plays sidekick to a real-life superhero…Folk icon Iris DeMent shares a homey dinner party soundtrack…Adam Pally of TV’s “Happy Endings” revisits his rocky beginnings…And kale invades Thanksgiving…. Plus, the birth of the leotard, the “King” of new music, and video games NOT named “Halo.”

This week: It’s our first ever ALL-BOOK episode – a whole hour of fun with literary luminaries. MacArthur ‘Genius’ Junot Diaz probes the mind of a young cheater…LeVar Burton – beloved host of “Reading Rainbow” – offers life advice for book borrowers… British heavyweight Martin Amis lets his dogs out… And indie queen Miranda July tells us about a print relic… Plus, fun footnotes from T.C. Boyle, YA phenom Leigh Bardugo, and a guy named Shakespeare.

This week: Stephin Merritt’s attraction to love… Actress Amy Brenneman adjudicates listener etiquette… A vengeful lunch with Joel Stein… an Alkaholic drink… Neil deGrasse Tyson defends space… Bill Plympton’s favorite animation… and a 3-song prescription from Dr. Dog. Plus: Aggie yells, a Dinner Party Timeout, and a cross-word joke from singer Cate le Bon.

This week: Ben Gibbard, of the band Death Cab For Cutie, goes solo… Political comedian W. Kamau Bell lists his favorite fake presidents… Swedish rocker Jens Lekman tells of his fake almost-marriage… Advice for debate-watchers and couch-crashers from the Emily Post Institute kids… Top chef Michale Cimarusti makes a big deal about little fishes… and John Paul Getty III’s ear-ie kidnapping. Plus: a new track from Kanye West, the science of disgusting, and trampolines ‘cross the Seine.

This week: Playwright & “Seven Psychopaths” filmmaker Martin McDonagh laughs in the face of death… TV legend Ed Asner calls us out… Mary Elizabeth Winstead lists some sobering cinema… ’5 under 35′ honoree Justin Torres reads from his celebrated novella… New Yorker critic David Denby divines film’s future… and Brendan seeks the *real* American cheese. Plus, a historic Niagara fall, a crushed dinosaur dream, and a wild new track from Tame Impala.

This Week: Oscar-nominated actress Anna Kendrick sings of adorkability… “Weeds”/SNL alum Kevin Nealon blesses us with etiquette advice…”The Perks of Being a Wallflower” creator Stephen Chbosky talks of time and place… Okkervil River runs through a party soundtrack… here comes the (terrorist) bride… And the Primanti Sandwich goes national. Plus: We witness the birth of a clean machine, shine a light on art, and learn the history of comedy.