The Colin McEnroe Show

Seventeen AFC East championships. Nine Super Bowl appearances. Six Lombardi trophies. Twenty seasons pairing maybe the greatest head coach in the history of the NFL with maybe the greatest quarterback in the history of the NFL. At the same time, there are words like “spygate.” “Deflategate.” And even “solicitation in Florida.” This hour, a look at one of the all-time great (and all-time most divisive) sports dynasties: the Tom Brady/Bill Belichick/Robert Kraft New England Patriots. GUEST: Jeff Benedict - Special features writer for Sports Illustrated and the author of 16 books; his latest is The Dynasty Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired December 9, 2020.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Only Murders in the Building is a half-hour-ish (!) mystery-comedy series on Hulu. It stars Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez, and Amy Ryan. Five first-season episodes have dropped so far, and it was renewed for a second season this week. And: Small Engine Repair is a film adaption written by, directed by, and starring John Pollono and based on his black comedy drama (black dramedy?) stage play of the same name. It is the first movie showing exclusively in theaters that the Nose has covered since January, 2020. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Norm Macdonald Dies: Influential Comedian & Former ‘SNL’ Weekend Update Anchor Was 61 Rolling Stone: The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time For the first time in 17 years, we’ve completely remade our list of the best songs ever. More than 250 artists, writers, and industry figures helped us choose a brand-new list full of historic favorites, world-changing anthems, and new classics Empire: The 50 Best Animated Movies John Mulaney was performing a role all along Parasocial relationships aren’t to blame for the John Mulaney/Olivia Munn pregnancy discourse. Twitter Has a Parasocial Relationship with the Word Parasocial Epic v. Apple judge rules Fortnite’s Peely can appear naked in court Peely’s ‘just a banana man,’ after all Porno Hustlers Of The Atari Age The newly unearthed history behind one of the most offensive video games ever made Owen Wilson Is Doing Great, Thanks The veteran actor has a cold, but that’s nothing a few avocado pancakes, some hydration therapy, a bike ride, hot tea, half a slice of Key-lime pie, and the magic of life can’t fix. Three days with the star of Loki, The French Dispatch, and all those movies you know by heart. Drake And Kanye Owe Us More Than This The collision of Certified Lover Boy and Donda should have been a thrilling moment. Instead, it’s petty, frustrating, and lacking in high stakes. Welcome to Dunkin’ World With streetwear-style drops and a shrewd embrace of social media, New England’s favorite purveyor of extremely normal coffee has turned itself into a lifestyle brand. Why “Jeopardy!” Might Not Survive The Mike Richards Debacle “Many people saw it basically as kind of like Dick Cheney conducting a search for the vice president…and then deciding that he would be the best vice president.” Christopher Nolan Exits Warner Bros. After Nearly Two Decades, New Film Set Up at Universal Nolan’s follow-up to “Tenet” will reportedly begin production in the first quarter of 2022. ‘Necessary Roughness’ Made Texas Football Into a Joke. But It Also Moved the Chains. Kick off the football season with this underappreciated, Denton-filmed comedy, which captured some truths about Texas football that later, more-serious movies would expand on. Emmys 2021: Who Will Win, Who Should Win Ahead of Sunday night’s ceremony, we place our bets on likely winners and shout out those shows and stars poised to get robbed Nicki Minaj isn’t anti-vax, exactly. That’s why her vaccine resistance is so concerning. Minaj, under the guise of urging vaccine caution, is helping mainstream a dangerous form of anti-science. Dune Director Denis Villeneuve Is Not A Fan Of Marvel Movies, Sorry The once-sedate astronomy world is quarreling over whether ’Oumuamua was an alien craft Alien probe or a “chunk of Pluto”? The scientific debate over ’Oumuamua continues Diarrhea incident continues to spell problems for Ultimate Slip ’N Slide The Bobby Moynihan/Ron Funches-hosted reality series finds itself stuck without an ending, and pulled from its plum post-Olympics timeslot GUESTS: Theresa Cramer - A freelance writer and editor and the co-founder of Quiet Corner Communications Bill Yousman - Professor of Media Studies at Sacred Heart University Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gossiping is considered a bad habit. But, when done well, it can actually have social benefits. This hour on the Colin McEnroe Show, we’ll discuss what gossip is, its benefits and drawbacks, and why we’re interested in celebrity gossip. GUESTS: Frank McAndrew - Psychology professor at Knox College Shayla Love - Senior staff writer of features at Vice  Amanda Kehrberg - Adjunct media studies faculty at Arizona State University Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour, a smorgasbord of disparate topics: mandates, mammoths, and merch. First, a look at the state of America’s patchwork of COVID vaccine requirements. And then: New England’s own Dunkin' has started doing limited-edition merchandise drops. Can normie coffee make itself into a lifestyle brand? Finally: Scientists are trying to genetically resurrect the woolly mammoth. “Life, uh, finds a way,” and all that. GUESTS: Debbie Kaminer - Professor of law at the CUNY Baruch College Lora Kelley - A contributor to GQ Carl Zimmer - The science columnist for The New York Times Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fire imagery abounds in music, literature, art, and scripture. It thrives at the center of ceremony and ritual around the world. We associate fire with sentiments of passion, anger, transformation, purity, and even evil itself. Some say our fascination with fire is owed to the fact that, of all creatures, we alone possess the ability to create and control it. They say at its center, fire burns hottest. So stand back and listen close, for this hour, we journey straight to its core. It’s one heck of a hot topic, and we’re guessing it’ll spark your interest. GUESTS: Steve Pyne - Author of Moved by Fire: History’s Promethean Moment and Fire: A Brief History Eric Rabkin - Professor emeritus of English language and literature and of art & design at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Gary Snyder - Poet Christian Tryon - Assistant professor of anthropology at Harvard Charles Wright - The 50th Poet Laureate of the United States Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Greg Hill, Jonathan McNicol, and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired January 14, 2015.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve been doing these weekly shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. A few times, we haven’t even started with the suggestion of a topic that your calls might, potentially, be about. And those shows have been fun. So we’re doing it again this week. In other words: Give us a call during the 1 p.m. EDT hour about anything at all. 888-720-9677. Or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mimes have been gesticulating their way into our hearts (or nightmares) nearly for forever. It may be that the legendary Marcel Marceau popularized the mime, but people have been communicating through movement since the very beginning. Today, characters in big-budget Hollywood movies and television shows routinely rely on pantomime techniques to create the on-screen characters we love. This hour, the past, present, and future of mimes. GUESTS: Doug Jones - A trained mime, contortionist, and award-winning actor known for his roles in The Shape of Water, Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, Hocus Pocus, Star Trek: Discovery, and more Richard Knight - Author of Mime the Gap: Techniques in Mime and Movement Shawn Wen - Author of A Twenty Minute Silence Followed by Applause Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Jonathan McNicol contributed to this show, which originally aired August 30, 2018.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

B. F. Skinner thought pigeons were so smart they could be used to guide missiles during World War II. He proposed a system in which pigeons would essentially pilot a missile. Skinner said pigeons could be trained to peck at a screen to adjust the trajectory of the missile toward its target. Project Pigeon was funded but never used. In 2013, New York conceptual artist Duke Reilly trained half his flock of pigeons to carry contraband cigars from Cuba to Florida and the other half to carry tiny video cameras documenting the smuggling flight of their comrades. Another group of researchers trained pigeons to reliably distinguish between the paintings of Picasso and Monet, even if they had never seen a particular painting before. This hour, everything you ever wanted to know about pigeons but were afraid to ask. GUESTS: Yoni Applebaum - A social and cultural historian Andrew Blechman - Author of Pigeons: The Fascinating Saga of the World’s Most Revered and Reviled Bird Wanda Corn - The Robert and Ruth Halperin Professor Emerita in the department of art and art history at Stanford University Patrick Skahill - Senior reporter at Connecticut Public Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired November 12, 2013.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 8, 1966, NBC aired the premiere of a new series called Star Trek. The episode was “The Man Trap.” The star date was 1513.1, in case you’re interested in that kind of thing. I am not interested in that kind of thing. The Star Trek canon encompasses 10 television shows — 811 episodes, so far — and 13 movies. I’ve just never been into it. I tried to get into it for this show, but it didn’t work. But here’s the thing: It doesn’t matter. “Beam me up.” “Live long and prosper.” “Redshirt.” “Vulcan.” “Klingon.” The English language’s best known split infinitive. Regardless of whether or not you’re a fan of Star Trek, Star Trek is a big damn deal, with nearly boundless influence. “Star Trek is more than pop culture; it’s 20th century mythology,” according to The AV Club’s Caroline Siede. This hour, a look at some of the more than 36,000 minutes — more than 25 days — of television and movies that is Star Trek. GUESTS: Sam Hatch - Co-host of The Culture Dogs on WWUH Timothy Sandefur - Author of The Permission Society: How the Ruling Class Turns Our Freedoms Into Privileges and What We Can Do About It; he wrote an essay on the politics of Star Trek Caroline Siede - Freelance writer Linda Wetzel - Associate professor of philosophy at Georgetown University Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Rebecca Castellani, Greg Hill, Chion Wolf, and Alan Yu contributed to this show, which originally aired September 8, 2016.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.