The Dinner Party Download

This week, “Looper” director Rian Johnson rolls the bones… “Project Runway’s” Tim Gunn dresses down America for dressing down… Salman Rushdie talks fatwas and fake hair… famed author Sherman Alexie makes a Protest… A “Simpsons” writer’s favorite odd adaptations… And NYTimes photographer Todd Selby turns his camera on cooks. Plus: How corn helped thaw the cold war, and the official “best word ever.”

This week, literary luminary Martin Amis lets the dogs out… Top Chef Susan Feniger celebrates the New Year… satirist Simon Rich lists divine comedies… San Fran band The Fresh and Onlys serve up a sweet soundtrack… The Posts return to explain the art of good goodbyes… and fashion editor Diana Vreeland gets her close-up. Plus, skimming stones, rolling cows, and the most naive narrator in the world.

This week: We revisit one of our favorite episodes….Actress Anjelica Huston reveals her secret good-luck charm … Writer-provocateur Caitlin Flanagan blends etiquette, therapy, and cake… “The Artist’s” James Cromwell talks quiet… Chickens with four wings… Greeks invade Britain… We toast the end of the world… A poem from imprisoned dissident Liu Xiaobo… Plus, nurture-over-nature, and a Major find from the Asteroids Galaxy Tour.

This week, Pulitzer-winning author Junot Diaz bares the soul of a cheater… Actress Emily Blunt explains dolphin romance… Music video director Natasha Pincus picks some one-shot wonders… We toast the peaceful fallout from the only wartime aerial bombing of mainland USA… Financial etiquette from Marketplace’s Paddy Hirsch… Orange vintages add color to wine stores… And the unsung heroes of Fall TV. Plus: a new Grizzly Bear track, laffs from artist Wayne White, and lap dances in the high courts.

This Week: “Persepolis” author/filmmaker Marjane Satrapi laughs in the face of death… satirist Fran Lebowitz plays Nanny to America… author Emma Straub narrates a Hollywood fable… multi-Oscar-winner Ve Neill makes up a Makeup list… and Brendan inhales info about air. Plus, a visit to Philly’s Pizza Museum, the high-cost of Tsarist-era beards, how to lose *yourself*, and indierockers Nude Beach expose their dinner party playlist.

This Week: Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt gets physical and speaks French… Molly Ringwald offers etiquette advice for misfits and moms…The birth of swing music… Novelist Jonathan Evison updates Facebook’s profiles… David Wax Museum shares a list that cuts to the bone… We hear from a young reporter who was on the cutting edge of the Takis craze… and Rico drinks bees. Plus: The latest in sleep science, and a dreamy new track from rocker Ariel Pink.

This week: We revisit one of our favorite episodes, from December 2011…Gary Oldman reflects on his Oscar-nominated role as iconic spy George Smiley… Top Chef’s Gail Simmons spills some sweet and saucy etiquette tips… Artist/Musician Terry Allen uncovers 3 lost gems… We toast the instant replay (twice)… Brendan seeks gluten-free-free food… and author Lou Beach tells 6 stories with 420 characters. Plus, a crash course in video games, a joke from Brit-com phenom Stephen Merchant, and a tune from Chairlift.

This week: Classical music superstar Gustavo Dudamel conducts an interview… “Children’s Hospital” creator/star Rob Corddry prescribes etiquette advice… “Schott’s Miscellany” author Ben Schott on food service slang… author John Brandon perks up his wolf ears… “Darth Vader and Son” cartoonist Jeffrey Brown lists some soulful sci-fi… and rocker King Tuff suggests a party playlist. Plus: Debbie Millman on design, Madeleine Brand gets dreamy, and the uplifting history of the escalator.

This Week: Actress Rashida Jones plays matchmaker… “Reading Rainbow”‘s LeVar Burton wields a knife – with discernment… Comic Paul Scheer’s parody picks… Les Savy Fav bassist Syd Butler talks hockey, Joy division and secret identities… We speak — and drink — Esperanto… author Ariel S. Winter channels 3 crime-lit legends… and Rico eats the best Pop Tart ever. Plus: the death of chivalry and a pop lullaby from The Babies.

This week: Actor/writer Zoe Kazan makes a psychic connection… Passion Pit’s Michael Angelakos provides the soundtrack for a party for two… Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson shares the gold medal’s shocking secret… Author Charles Yu feels your pain… Brendan catches the fish sandwich wave… and we travel back in time with bestselling essayist Sloane Crosley. Plus: Snoop Lion, the birth of Bugs Bunny, and dudes! — the Posts are back with etiquette tips.

This week: British comedy wunderkind Simon Amstell sings America’s praises…Musician and archivist Michael Feinstein adds to the Great American Songbook… Folk-rock legend Rodriguez rises from the dead… Jimmie “DY-NO-MITE” Walker blows up etiquette… and Rico samples ceviche from “the new Tuscany” (it’s in Mexico). Plus: mammoth cheeses, shifting to manual transmission, and a globe-hopping soundtrack from The Antlers.

This week, star chef Marcus Samuelsson dishes on his tough-but-tender training… WILD author Cheryl Strayed (aka “Dear Sugar”) offers free therapy… Anna Gunn of “Breaking Bad” lists her favorite fictional dysfunctionals… Author Chris Cleave spins gold from Olympic competition… We toast Warhol with a pop-art cocktail… and Woody Guthrie turns 100. Plus: vacationing with Hemingway, author Karen Thompson Walker’s slow fiction, and new music from the Dirty Projectors.

This week: An encore broadcast of one of our favorite shows! Director Wim Wenders speaks body language… Star Trek’s George Takei takes etiquette to warp factor five…A list about Liszt, from world-renowned pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet…Kathleen Turner’s fiery new role…Third Wave Coffee… Existential humor… And finally, we learn how to play dead from a corpse – and then how to come back to life from Guided By Voices.

This week, it’s our first ever ALL-MOVIE EPISODE – a blockbuster hour of our favorite film-centric interviews, starring John C. Reilly, Miranda July, Terry Gilliam and more: Val Kilmer plays Mark Twain playing an etiquette expert… Jackie Collins invites us to a Hollywood party… author Jonathan Lethem casts Drew Barrymore in his surreal fiction… One of cinema’s greatest sound designers lists some of cinema’s greatest sounds… and Michel Hazanavicius, Oscar-winning director of “The Artist,” *doesn’t* enjoy the silence. Plus: rockers Howlin’ Rain suggest the most unlikely dinner party soundtrack ever, and Molly Ringwald barks like a dog.

This week: Filmmaker Benh Zeitlin (“Beasts of the Southern Wild”) paints with an axe… Michael Ian Black and Meghan McCain swear they can answer your etiquette questions peacefully… Actress Alison Pill, of Aaron Sorkin’s new show “The Newsroom,” takes us behind-the-scenes… New Yorker receptionist Janet Groth reflects on (almost) being Mrs. John Berryman… Lunching at the ‘Automat’…Plus, doubled data, a summer fashion preview, and a soundtrack from playful pop band Micachu and the Shapes.

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: We revisit one of our favorite episodes…”The Office” co-creator Stephen Merchant spars with Brendan… fashion guru Simon Doonan advocates mullets… humorists Dave Barry & Alan Zweibel (attempt to) read their epic epilogue… The soundtrack of The War on Drugs… Artist Chris Burden’s slot-cars on steroids… And Rico digs into Frito Pie. Plus: silent senators, illin’ crosswords, and far-out jokes.

This week: Director Michael Apted on “56 Up” — the new installment of one of the greatest film series ever… Sportswriting legend Frank Deford tackles your etiquette questions… Guitar master Buddy Guy revisits his Louisiana roots… author Leigh Bardugo lists her favorite fictional worlds… A filmmaking duo plug in to the world of indie video games… and a sweet roll gets a savory twist on Manhattan’s High Line. Plus: We fear the food world’s revolutionary new robot, and spin a Bad Thing from Vermont rocker King Tuff.

This week: 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 remembers Noel Coward… and Hollywood’s top auctioneer remembers memorabilia. Plus: We learn the history of blue jeans, hear a new Twin shadow tune, and listen to some (Guinness) rock records.

This week: Acclaimed filmmaker Richard Linklater takes us behind “the Pine Curtain”… Satirist Christopher Buckley on international (etiquette) relations… Actor Rich Sommer goes Mad about board games… Brooklyn band Violens cues up a dinner party soundtrack… Brendan sips indie spirits… We toast Spider-Dan’s [sic] epic climb… Three hysterical histories… Plus, sexy literary hoaxes, humor from troubadour Todd Snider, and a listener letter – from a dolphin.

This week: musician Santigold pines for a day job…Time’s gonzo humorist Joel Stein offers some manly etiquette tips…Three ancient art treasures we HAVEN’T found…Rico visits crawfish country…Shakespearean theater worth fighting for…Writer Gideon Lewis-Kraus walks us through pilgrimages…Plus, humor from Violens, Sendak remembered, and the canine brain.

This week: It’s our first ever All-Music Episode! Willie Nelson gets lost in the haze of memory…Patton Oswalt on public radio’s music problem…The Shins’ James Mercer tells a Cold War secret…America’s #1 hit writer Lamont Dozier on a miss…And we get back – to the Beatles final rooftop concert. Plus, sound and silliness from Billy Bragg, Wanda Jackson, and Cass McCombs.

This week: The Beastie Boys’ Mike D injects life (and caffeine) into museum-going… Lizz Winstead, comedienne and co-creator of the Daily Show, exposes herself… Gene Ween plays Rod McKuen… The descendants of Emily Post on cupcake etiquette… Ballet Lessons from a dancer-director… And a little piece of Heaven, courtesy of The Walkmen. Plus, genius delinquents, Eiffel Towers of booze, and a joke about burning ambition.

This week: Actress Emily Blunt explains dolphin break-ups… Rocker Andrew W.K. teaches us how to party properly… New Coke gets remixed… We graze at the Grilled Cheese Invitational… Bestselling science writer Leonard Mladinow decodes subliminal messages… A never-ending note from Jenny Lawson, a.k.a. “The Bloggess”… And Of Montreal’s schizophrenic party soundtrack. Plus, TV for dogs, the art of vinyl, and a folk-joke from duo Mike and Ruthy.

This week: “Actor of her generation” Greta Gerwig on naturalism vs. quirk… The Roots’ ?uestlove on food… Author Carl Hiaasen gives us a reality check… Kathy Griffin, queen of misbehavior, offers etiquette advice… The forgotten Astaire… We learn a striking history, with cocktail to match… and the Imagination Movers give entertaining tips on keeping kids entertained. Plus, a Spurlockian joke, a soprano drought, and your new favorite song from the Alabama Shakes.

This week, a walk down memory lane! (Ahem – a rerun.) Yes, for our Spring Break, we’re re-airing one of our favorite episodes from 2011. Front and center is the impossibly charming Michelle Williams, whose portrayal of Marilyn Monroe later earned her a Globes win and an Oscar nomination. Plus: a science lesson from Wu-Tang’s GZA, juicy gossip about Fidel Castro, and Rico literally inhales America’s best vodka. Tune in next week for an all-new, all-excellent show featuring Questlove, Greta Gerwig, and Carl Hiaasen.

This week: Filmmaking brothers Mark and Jay Duplass, who nap in trailers… Val Kilmer resurrects Mark Twain… Grandmaster of flash (fiction), Etgar Keret… Oysters take over the mainland… Poker stud Chris Moneymaker on turning friends into debtors… Guillotin’s “enlightened” machine… Plus, the sounds of Howlin Rain, a pizza panic-button, and a seeing-eye joke.

This week: Author Rick Moody dives into his gene pool… Jonah Lehrer showers us with inspiration… Escargot Eggs… Comedian Moshe Kasher’s train-wreck mem’ries… And etiquette tips from world-class concierge Michael Fazio. Plus, a little night music from jazz star Esperanza Spalding, a super joke from Of Montreal, and vibrating tattoos.

This week: Actor Ewan McGregor, in three dimensions… “Happy Endings” star Casey Wilson’s (semi) happy endings… Youth Lagoon’s dinner party soundtrack… A ‘psychic’ reading from Heidi Julavits… The best sushi chef in the world… Pretzel dumplings… How “Uranus” got its name… And next-gen Posts teach us about table fairies. Plus: drinkable pancakes, Irish jokes, a w-h-i-z-k-i-d, and much more.

This week: Actor Jon Hamm takes us way beyond the Mad Men universe… Comic Michael Ian Black says you’re not doing it right… atheist author Alain de Botton teaches religion… writer Amelia Gray sees ghosts… Jon Glaser’s high concepts… the sobering history of “Axis Sally”… and Rico tastes a bit o’ the boxty. Plus, a new tune from Beach House, and a joke in the key of “corny.”

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: Celebrated UK writer Geoff Dyer takes us into the “Zona”… Top Chef’s Gail Simmons survives internship hell and gets her Angel wings… Damn Good Advice from legendary ad man George Lois… Bees you can drink… A big empire built on small change… Winning an election… And nomophobia on the rise. Plus: picture books for grownups, Islands with Hallways, and a Fun joke.

This week: “The Artist” director Michel Hazanavicius breaks the silence… Brendan witnesses the arrival of a fruit sensation… Titanic sound achievements, selected by a 7-time Oscar-winning sound designer… Sharon Van Etten’s moody party soundtrack… the real “Bonfire of the Vanities”… and Comedian Sarah Colonna breaks up with eHarmony. Plus, travel trends, a reality-check for gamers, and a joke from Miranda July.

This week: The Shins’ James Mercer blows the lid off a government cover-up… author Krys Lee’s inspired immigrant tales… An Oscar-nominated Undefeated team… Emily Post’s offspring get aggressive-aggressive… a tourist’s guide to a city you can’t visit… and Victorian puddings on the rise (plus a recipe). Plus: The weirdest bands of the year, a kiddie joke from Youth Lagoon, and a prescription for dull dinner parties from Dr. Dog.

This week: Actress Anjelica Huston reveals her secret good-luck charm … Writer-provocateur Caitlin Flanagan blends etiquette, therapy, and cake… “The Artist’s” James Cromwell talks quiet… Chickens with four wings… Greeks invade Britain… We toast the end of the world… A poem from imprisoned dissident Liu Xiaobo… Plus, nurture-over-nature, and a Major find from the Asteroids Galaxy Tour.

This week: Musical duo Chairlift offers us a martini (and some music)…Megadeth politely shreds our etiquette questions…Author-du-jour Ben Marcus says words CAN break your bones…Antonio Banderas plays kitty and creepy…A soldier lost and found – 28 years later…Plus, the latest in men’s fashion, epic Sundance flops, and a joke from crime writer Robert Crais.

This week: Sketch duo Tim & Eric tell us the secret to comedy… Lucinda Williams on etiquette and (non) barbecuing… Chuck Klosterman tackles football… Shalom Auslander’s words about last words… CNN’s Kat Kinsman talks about not talking about “bone luging”… And the science of “disgusting.” Plus, a running joke, your letters, and new Shins.

This week: “The Office” co-creator Stephen Merchant spars with Brendan… fashion guru Simon Doonan advocates mullets… humorists Dave Barry & Alan Zweibel (attempt to) read their epic epilogue… The soundtrack of The War on Drugs… Artist Chris Burden’s slot-cars on steroids… And Rico digs into Frito Pie. Plus: silent senators, illin’ crosswords, and far-out jokes.

This week: Director Wim Wenders speaks body language… Star Trek’s George Takei takes etiquette to warp factor five… A list about Liszt, from world-renowned pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet… Kathleen Turner’s fiery new role… Third Wave Coffee… Existential humor… And finally, we learn how to play dead from a corpse – and then how to come back to life from Guided By Voices.

This week: We celebrate the year’s end with an all-list show. Film critic A.O. Scott explains the art (and anxiety) behind list-making… The Colbert Report’s Opus Moreschi curates the year in comedy… sleeper hit films… Lists with identity crises… And the Onion lists the year’s top news stories that never happened. Plus, a glimpse of the future feat. jetpacks, platefuls of bark, and your favorite artists of *next* year (like Jhene Aiko and the XX).

This week: We celebrate the best of 2011 Hear Guest of Honor interviews with Spike Lee, Carrie Brownstein, and Randy Newman… groove to disco godfather Nile Rodgers’ tale of the birth of “Le Freak”… feast on a heart-stopping sandwich and a 100-year-old egg… toast Sweden’s turn to the right… ponder a bigger Small Talk… then set your New Year’s playlists with Song Of The Year picks from listeners like you.

This week: Patton Oswalt rocks our public radio world… A travel list from essayist Sloane Crosley… A shot-less heist inspires a shot-full cocktail… The “Rules of Regifting,” according to etiquette royalty… Author Jay Kirk tells the tale of Barnum versus Britannia… a dinner party soundtrack from Kathryn Calder of the band The New Pornographers… and Rico gets a brief history of breakfast.

This week: Actor Gary Oldman turns our world upside-down… Top Chef’s Gail Simmons spills some sweet and saucy etiquette tips… Artist/Musician Terry Allen uncovers 3 lost gems… We toast the instant replay (twice)… and author Lou Beach tells 6 stories with 420 characters. Plus, a crash course in video games, a joke from Brit-com phenom Stephen Merchant, and a tune from Chairlift.

This week: Actress Michelle Williams channels Marilyn… GZA of the Wu-Tang Clan proves his Genius… New Yorker critic Alex Ross shares the best of his “Best Of”… child star Barry Livingston picks his favorite characters… Gossip and Etiquette collide… Rico inhales some world-class vodka… and 7 ways to read a sandwich.

This week: David Cronenberg plays with our minds…We toast the phonograph with a drink that sounds like it…PennySaver 101 from Miranda July…Odd Future goes Pop…We’re thankful for Elaine Stritch…Sarcasm in the Smithsonian?…And we check in on Real Estate in Paris.

This week: Essayist John Jeremiah Sullivan takes a hard left turn…Talk show giant Dick Cavett spits out etiquette tips… We learn the meaning of “peplum”… Mega-producer Nile Rodgers gets revenge on Studio 54… The Edsel flops right into a cocktail glass… And Caldecott Award-winner Brian Selznick (Hugo) shares unforgettable picture books – for adults. Plus a playlist from indierock supergroup Wild Flag.

This week, Sir Richard Branson drops the ‘sir’ for us… writer Jonathan Lethem squeezes Gertrude Stein, Jack Kerouac, and Drew Barrymore into a hot tub…. why we wanted our MTV… the (non-Portland) trailblazer of b-ball backboard-breaking… “Extreme Makeover: Urban Food Store Edition”… and iconic singer-songwriter Judy Collins muses on being a muse.

This Week: Cyndi Lauper reveals that her true colors are the blues… Comedian Jenny Slate hears voices and tells us her faves… a seasonal organic, free-range serving of New Yorker Mag’s Adam Gopnik… Henry Rollins punks your etiquette questions… and why Thanksgiving won’t let you eat cake.

This Week: Author Chuck Klosterman tosses aside salad… Rap diva Big Freedia on booty etiquette… And the Zagats guide Brendan through the history of the Zagat guide. Plus, the Beatles’ rooftop concert in first-person, John Hawkes on playing a monster, and a soundtrack from a Little Dragon.

This Week: The Dinner Party Download fattens up to become *The Dinner Party* – a cool hour of culture. Actor Antonio Banderas talks about learning to talk… jazz phenom Esperanza Spalding cues up her party soundtrack… and Rico tastes Turkish Delight. Plus, killer beer, documentaries for the doc-averse…and etiquette from Jackie Collins.