The Colin McEnroe Show

Jeopardy! has been part of the fabric of American TV, in a couple different forms and across a couple different breaks, since 1964. It is the longest-running nationally-televised game show in U.S. television history. At the 2015 Emmys, John Oliver quipped, "The sun could burn out, humanity could flee to another galaxy, time as we know it could cease to exist, but Alex Trebek will still be there scolding librarians from Ames, Iowa, to answer in the form of a question." Except, of course, Alex Trebek died last year. And before that, Jeopardy!'s long-time executive producer and its long-time contestant coordinator both left at the end of last season. So what's in store for this quiz show institution? The Nose is off, but that doesn't mean some other stuff didn't happen this week, give or take: 'Phantom Tollbooth' Author Norton Juster Dies At 91 The Best Movie Performances of the Century So Far 'Nomadland,' 'Rocks' Lead 2021 BAFTA Awards Nominations Steven Spielberg to Direct a Movie About His Own Childhood; Michelle Williams to Star People are Using Dating Apps to Find Doctors, Drugs, and ProtestersAs the world gets weirder, dating apps are expanding from attracting horny singles to even being a marketplace for everything but love. The Internet Is Making Lots Of Jokes At The News That Instagram Is Launching A "Lite" Version Of Its App"Does Instagram Lite have less calories than the other competitors?" GUESTS: Sherri Cohen - Former Jeopardy! contestant Claire McNear - Staff writer at The Ringer and the author of Answers in the Form of Questions: A Definitive History and Insider's Guide to Jeopardy! Carolyn Paine - An actress, comedian, and dancer, and founder, director, and choreographer of CONNetic Dance Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired November 18, 2020.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Criminal Minds. Mindhunter and Manhunt. Cracker and Profiler. Nearly the whole of the Hannibal Lecter universe: Manhunter, The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal (the movie and the TV series), Red Dragon, and now Clarice. It seems we're fascinated by forensic psychology, by criminal profiling, by... mindhunting. This hour, we look at three different criminal profilers: James Brussel, the psychologist who helped catch the Mad Bomber of New York in 1957; James Fitzgerald, the forensic linguist who caught the Unabomber; and Bill James, the father of sabermetrics, turns his data analysis on a century-old serial killer mystery that no one had even realized was a serial killer mystery before he and his daughter figured it out. GUESTS: Michael Cannell - Author of Incendiary: The Psychiatrist, the Mad Bomber, and the Invention of Criminal Profiling James Fitzgerald - Retired FBI agent, criminal profiler, and forensic linguist; he's the author of a series of memoirs, A Journey to the Center of the Mind Bill James - Former Senior Advisor on Baseball Operations for the Boston Red Sox; co-author of The Man from the Train: The Solving of a Century-Old Serial Killer Mystery Rachel McCarthy James - Co-author of The Man from the Train: The Solving of a Century-Old Serial Killer Mystery Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Cat Pastor, and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired November 7, 2017.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The southeastern part of our state conjures images of casinos, submarines, and a blue-collar vibe that's just a little different from the rest of the state's image of leafy suburbs, clapboard homes, and town greens that show off Connecticut's colonial past. The southeastern corner has its own allure, challenging writers and artists mystified by this place that time left alone. It's quirky, a little unruly, and special in ways we can't fully define. Wally Lamb describes it as "more feisty than fashionable, more liverwurst than pate." We talk to three writers, including Wally Lamb, who have tried to capture the essence of this unique region of Connecticut. GUESTS: Wally Lamb - The author of I Know This Much is True, She's Come Undone, We Are Water, and I'll Take You There John-Manuel Andriote - A reporter and the author of Victory Deferred, Wilhelmina Goes Wandering, and Tough Love: A Washington Reporter Finds Resilience, Ruin, and Zombies in his ‘Other Connecticut' Hometown Stephen Dobyns - Poet of 13 volumes including Winter's Journey and Velocities and the author of Is Fat Bob Dead Yet? Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired October 29, 2015.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour, we talk about two Connecticut dance halls, each springing from the vision of two very different men who took their respective dance halls down very different paths. One's dream soared, bringing thousands of concert-goers to over 3,000 acts over an 11-year history. The other's dream stalled, his elaborate dance hall sitting idle for decades. Thrall Hall in East Windsor is a lot of things. By most accounts, it's a fascinating example of vernacular or folk architecture. Ed Thrall built the dance hall from materials he recovered from demolition projects, sometimes salvaging pieces of historical interest. He built it his own way following his own idiosyncratic ideas about architecture. Thrall Hall contains some engineering marvels including the use of recycled tractor trailer tires under the dance floor to give it adjustable bounce. What Thrall Hall is not is usable.  Ed is a peculiar and troubled man. He didn't work and play well with others, and you'll hear today an occasionally hair-raising account of his battles with the town. Catie Talarski shares this heartbreaking story of lost dreams, betrayal, and redemption. Thrall Hall was just about the only thing that could make the wild 11-year run of the Shaboo Inn in Mansfield seem pale by comparison. That's the second story we tell today.  Connecticut’s Shaboo Inn, a legendary 1970s and 1980s blues and rock concert dance hall, attracted over 100 top artists, including Bonnie Raitt, Miles Davis, The Police, Aerosmith, and Tom Waits, to the former silk mill in Mansfield. David "Lefty" Foster started Shaboo at the age of 19 when he wasn't yet old enough to be inside the building. He joins us to share stories from this long and storied Connecticut icon.  Read and listen to Catie Talarski's feature here. GUEST: David Foster - Co-founder of Shaboo Productions and the leader of the Mohegan Sun Shaboo All-Stars; he was inducted into the New England Music Hall of Fame in October, 2020 Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Betsy Kaplan, Catie Talarski, and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired September 30, 2014.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We reair Colin's 2016 interview with Patti Smith at the Immanuel Congregational Church in Hartford when she was in town for a Mark Twain House event. The church was filled to the rafters with a capacity crowd of 700 people who remained enraptured by her presence throughout the entire evening. If you don't know her, you may come to love her after hearing this very funny and endearing interview.  She looked back over her life as an artist, a lover of Robert Mapplethorpe, a wife and a mother, and as a person she says is a better friend in the abstract than in reality. Again, she's really funny.  GUEST: Patti Smith - Singer, songwriter, poet, and visual artist; she's released almost a dozen albums and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007; she won a National Book Award for her memoir Just Kids; her second memoir is M Train Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired November 10, 2016.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This Week (or so) in Reassessing Not-Necessarily-Current Bits of Culture: Seuss enterprises pulled six mostly early Dr. Seuss books from future publication. Disney+ added content warnings to certain episodes of The Muppet Show. Amazon tweaked its app logo to look less like, uh, Hitler. Turner Classic Movies launched a new series called Reframed Classics that will, well, frame movies like Gone with the Wind and Breakfast at Tiffany's with discussions of their problematic aspects. And: Allen v. Farrow is a four-part HBO documentary series that chronicles the sexual assault allegation against Woody Allen by Dylan Farrow. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: "Degrassi" Actor Jahmil French Has Died At 29, And The Cast Is Sharing Emotional Memories Of Him"Bhandurner forever in my heart." Bunny Wailer, Reggae Pioneer With the Wailers, Dies at 73He was the last surviving original member of the group, which also featured Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. Together they helped spread the music of Jamaica worldwide. Inside Joss Whedon's 'Cutting' and 'Toxic' World of 'Buffy' and 'Angel' The Marilyn Manson Reckoning From Britney Spears to Janet Jackson, the Era of the Celebrity ReappraisalMonica Lewinsky. Janet Jackson. Lindsay Lohan. Whitney Houston. We are living in an era of reappraisals. Opinion: Do we even need the Golden Globes? Rosamund Pike Says Body Was Photoshopped for Johnny English PosterThe "I Care a Lot" star said she was photoshopped on the poster for "Johnny English." The 101 Greatest Endings in Movies HistoryGood finales offer catharsis. The best deny us closure altogether. Critics Poll: 'Do the Right Thing' Named Best Film of the 1980s By Over 200 Critics, Filmmakers and Programmers E-mail Is Making Us MiserableIn an attempt to work more effectively, we've accidentally deployed an inhumane way to collaborate. First-ever space hotel slated to be operational by 2027 Disney CEO Bob Chapek Thinks Shorter Theatrical Windows May Be Here to Stay 'Soul' and 'Wolfwalkers' Lead the 2021 Annie Awards With 10 Nominations Each Reese's New Peanut Butter Cup Is (Almost) All Peanut ButterAfter decades of touting the taste of two flavors together, Hershey's will release a version without chocolate. 'Playing With Power' Tackles the Unique Enigma That Is Nintendo GUESTS: Jacques Lamarre - A playwright and director of client services at Buzz Engine Irene Papoulis - Teaches writing at Trinity College 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.

We produced our first show on masks in the spring of 2020. It was when most of us were isolated at home to sidestep the life-threatening illness we've come to call "COVID." The show was about how rapidly masks had become a statement of political identity. The intensity of the mask battles has begun to calm as we've acclimated to the pervasiveness of masks in our lives. Like them or not, they're here to stay, and they've begun to leave a lasting imprint on our culture. This hour, we take a longer view of how these objects that cover half of our faces have changed the way we perceive ourselves, how we interact with others -- and what masks might look like in the future. GUESTS: Kim Adrian is the author of Sock, The 27th Letter of the Alphabet, and, most recently, Dear Knausgaard Henry Alford is a humorist, journalist, and author; his most recent book is And Then We Danced: A Voyage Into the Groove Mollie Ruben is an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Maine Elizabeth Segran is a senior staff writer at Fast Company and the author of The Rocket Years: How Your Twenties Launch the Rest of Your Life 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.

Over just six years, from 1954 to 1960, Alfred Hitchcock made four movies -- Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), and Psycho (1960) -- that are routinely mentioned among the very best movies ever made. It's maybe an unparalleled run in the history of cinema. And that's just those four movies. Hitchcock's filmography is full of classics: Notorious (1946), Strangers on a Train (1951), The 39 Steps (1935), The Wrong Man (1956), The Birds (1963). The list goes on. At the same time, Hitchcock's relationship with his actors has been the subject of much discussion and debate for many decades. He's said to have thought of them as "cattle" and "animated props." He's said to have sexually harassed at least one of them. At the same time as that, Hitchcock's films earned eight of his actors nine Academy Award nominations and produced many more all-time-great screen performances, from Joan Fontaine in Rebecca (1940) to Tippi Hedren in Marnie (1964) and many others. This hour: a look at the work of Alfred Hitchcock... and his actors. GUESTS: Tom Breen - Managing editor of the New Haven Independent and the host of Deep Focus on WNHH radio Dan Callahan - Author of The Camera Lies: Acting for Hitchcock 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.

There's a theory that ours isn't the only universe. That there are, actually, infinitely many universes. That there are, then, infinitely many yous. That there are infinitely many different yous reading infinitely many different versions of this show synopsis. That there are infinitely many universes that don't even bother to include you. Or this show synopsis. Or even reading. Also, there's a theory that The Berenstain Bears prove the theory that ours isn't the only universe. So, this hour, in this universe, a show about all that. Or (at least) one version of a show about all that. GUESTS: Amanda Gefter - A physics and cosmology writer and the author of Trespassing on Einstein’s Lawn: A Father, a Daughter, the Meaning of Nothing and the Beginning of Everything Mack Lamoureux - Night editor at Vice Canada Eugene Lim - Senior lecturer in theoretical physics at King's College London Alicia Lutes - Managing editor of The Nerdist Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Katie Glass, Cat Pastor, Chion Wolf, and Alan Yu contributed to this show, which originally aired December 8, 2016.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The theme of election fraud ran through this weekend's Conservative Political Action Conference. We talk about how "The Big Lie" is becoming a way for Republican leaders to rationalize the voter suppression measures making their way through state legislatures. Also this hour: In the short term, there seems to be a mortality gap between wealthier and poorer countries when it comes to COVID-19, with wealthier countries, such as the U.S., experiencing significantly more deaths than the least developed countries. But the long-term economic and public health toll on poorer countries could get much worse if wealthier countries don't step in to help. Lastly, what Rep. Deb Haaland's nomination to lead the Department of the Interior means to the Native American community. GUESTS: Ari Berman - A senior reporter at Mother Jones covering voting rights and the author of Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America Mushfiq Mobarak - Professor of economics at Yale University with concurrent appointments in the Department of Economics and in the School of Management; he’s the founder and faculty director of the Yale Research Initiative on Innovation and Scale Jenni Monet - A journalist and media critic reporting on indigenous affairs; she's the founder of the weekly newsletter Indigenously 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.