The Colin McEnroe Show

On Thursday, Hasbro announced that its Mr. Potato Head brand would drop the "Mr." in a move toward inclusiveness. But they also made clear, in a move toward not being yelled at by the internet, that the Mr. Potato Head character (and the Mrs. Potato Head character, for that matter) would continue. Also this week, the U.S. Postal Service unveiled a new design for its mail trucks. The internet yelled about that some, too. And: Nomadland is Chloé Zhao's third film as writer and director. It is nominated for four awards at this weekend's Golden Globes, including two for Zhao (Best Director and Best Screenplay) and one for Frances McDormand (Best Actress in a Motion Picture -- Drama). Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Daft Punk Break UpThe legendary dance duo has called it quits 28 years after forming in Paris Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Poet Who Nurtured the Beats, Dies at 101An unapologetic proponent of "poetry as insurgent art," he was also a publisher and the owner of the celebrated San Francisco bookstore City Lights. Kim Kardashian Broke Her Social Media Silence After Officially Filing For Divorce From Kanye WestAfter two days of radio silence, Kim returned to Instagram on Sunday night. Olivia Rodrigo's 'Drivers License' Is The New Longest-Running No. 1 Hit On The Global Chart, Beating BTS And Mariah Carey Justice League: The Shocking, Exhilarating, Heartbreaking True Story of #TheSnyderCutA demoralizing battle with Warner Bros. A devastating personal tragedy. A fan base he couldn't control. Zack Snyder tells V.F. why he quit Justice League, and why he’s returned to complete a cut that’s reached near-mythical status. Farewell Cinefex, you unlocked the magic of VFX for everyoneAfter 40 years, the legendary journal is shutting down. How Hollywood Is Beating Its Final Boss: Video Game AdaptationsWith 'Mortal Kombat,' 'Uncharted,' 'Halo,' and 'The Last of Us' leading an adaptation deluge, video game IP has finally leveled up Look upon Chuck's works, E. mighty, and Cheesepair 8 Comedians Break Down Their Favorite Stand-up Closers Ever Paramount+ TV Shows: 'The Italian Job,' 'Fatal Attraction,' and More Are Becoming Streaming Series Post Malone Covers Hootie and the Blowfish for Pokémon Day CelebrationArtist will perform his rendition at Pokémon anniversary virtual concert this Saturday 'Baseball Bugs' at 75: How a Looney Tunes classic wham-bammed America's pastime I found the Bay Area hill in Windows XP's iconic wallpaper Biden Revokes Trump-Era Executive Order On Brutalist Federal Architecture GUESTS: James Hanley - Co-founder of Cinestudio at Trinity College Elizabeth Keifer - Professor emerita of English at Tunxis Community 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.

Ghostwriting evokes an image of the writer who toils away in obscurity, secretly penning books credited to another. In reality, ghostwriters are just good at turning someone's undeveloped vision into a story that others want to read. Their services are in demand from people wanting help writing everything from celebrity memoirs to Instagram captions and online dating profiles. Self-publishing is on the rise as our fixation on the solitary author and the stigma of ghostwriting recedes. Even rap and hip hop artists are getting on board. This hour, we pull back the curtain on ghostwriting. GUESTS: Lisa Dickey - A book collaborator and the ghostwriter for 20 books, nine of which became New York Times bestsellers; she's the author of Bears in the Streets: Three Journeys Across a Changing Russia and a storyteller on stage, appearing at The Moth's GrandSLAM, among other shows Dan Gerstein - The founder and CEO of Gotham Ghostwriters; he was a speechwriter and communications director for former U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman, and he has been a contributing columnist to several publications including Forbes and Politico Khaiim the RapOet (also known as Self Suffice) - Performs internationally, is co-host of the SoundMinds podcast, and leads Make It Full Time, career coaching for professional artists; his use of hip Hop to educate was awarded by President Obama and recognized by The New York Times and NPR, among others 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.

Thornton Wilder's Our Town debuted more than 80 years ago. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and, over the decades since, it has continuously been one of the most produced of American plays. It is known for its spare set -- just some chairs and tables, perhaps some ladders -- and lack of props and sometimes even costumes. It's known for its metatheatricality and its Stage Manager character, who addresses the audience directly and rarely participates in the action of the play, as much as there really is any. It is known as old-fashioned, sentimental, nostalgic and, simultaneously, obviously and intentionally not old-fashioned, sentimental, and nostalgic. This hour, a look at perhaps the quintessential American play: Our Town. GUESTS: Howard Sherman - The author of Another Day's Begun: Thornton Wilder's Our Town in the 21st Century Kate Powers - A stage director and the founder of The Redeeming Time Project; in 2013, she directed a production of Our Town at Sing Sing Correctional Facility 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.

The octopus has always been the stuff of spine-tingling legend, like that of the kraken, the many-armed sea monster believed to drag ships to the bottom of the sea after dining on the crew. Or Gertie the Pus, the giant Pacific octopus that lives under the Narrows Bridge connecting Tacoma, Washington, to Gig Harbor. In reality, the octopus is more benign but equally fascinating. Did you know the octopus has two-thirds of its brain neurons distributed throughout its eight arms? Or that the severed arm of an octopus can walk independently toward a food source and move it to where its mouth should be? The octopus was the only invertebrate included in The Cambridge Decision of Consciousness, a 2012 declaration by scientists expressing consensus on animal consciousness. But what does consciousness mean in an octopus and how does it drive the relationships Sy Montgomery and Dr. David Schell have with these alien beings? Scientists wonder if humans can even begin to understand the intellect and mystery of the octopus. So, should we be eating octopus? GUESTS: Sy Montgomery - The author of nearly 20 books for adults and children, including The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness David Scheel - A marine biologist and behavioral ecologist at Alaska Pacific University; he has a forthcoming book on the behavioral ecology of marine animals Silvia Killingsworth - Managing editor at The New Yorker Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired August 26, 2015.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The U.S. is about to surpass 500,000 deaths from COVID-19. That said, new cases are declining, hospitalizations and deaths are trending down, and vaccination rates are picking up, though inequities remain. We talk vaccines, variants, messaging, and more. Also this hour: A new study finds that House members who hold extreme views receive far more airtime on cable and broadcast news than their moderate counterparts. Changes in the media have incentivized elected officials such as Marjorie Taylor Greene to build a national brand at the expense of legislating for their local constituents. Last, welcome to Elizabeth Ann, a baby black-footed ferret cloned from Willa, who died more than 30 years ago. GUESTS: Leana Wen - An emergency room physician and visiting professor at George Washington University School of Public Health; she's a contributing columnist at The Washington Post and a medical analyst for CNN Joshua Darr - An assistant professor of political communication at Louisiana State University; his book is Home Style Opinion: How Local Newspapers Can Slow Polarization co-authored with Matthew P. Hitt and Johanna L. Dunaway Ben Novak - A de-extinction biologist and the lead scientist at Revive and Restore; he leads The Great Passenger Pigeon Comeback 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.

In a new essay for Harper's, filmmaker Martin Scorsese criticizes the current state of the movie business and all these new fangled streaming platforms and their algorithms. "We can’t depend on the movie business, such as it is, to take care of cinema," Scorsese says. And: Judas and the Black Messiah is a biopic of Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton. It is director Shaka King's studio feature film debut, and it's nominated for two Golden Globe Awards. It is one of two movies nominated for Golden Globes this year that portray Hampton (along with The Trial of the Chicago 7). Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: If you use this emoji, Gen Z will call you old The First "Cruella" Trailer Is Here, And The Internet Already Has A Ton Of ThoughtsIs this Disney's Joker??? Failing Britney SpearsIt shouldn't have taken ten years to realize the discourse about her had been a hurtful, unhealthy constant. Buffy Deserves Better Than Joss WhedonHe wasn't the only person who made Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and he shouldn't be the one to take it down. Taylor Swift Misses the Old Taylor Swift, TooThe artist's first release from her re-recording project is much more than a nostalgia play. It's a love letter. Hockey Has a Gigantic-Goalie ProblemNever before in the NHL's history has the tail so wagged the dog. Why Is Everyone Talking About Clubhouse?The new social media app is tapping into the public's desperate need to connect -- and it's becoming a flashpoint in the culture wars So, you’ve been subtweeted by Turner Classic Movies. What do you do next? 'Paddington 3' Officially in the Works The Story of the DuckTales Theme, History's Catchiest Single Minute of MusicA woo-hoo heard around the world. 'You can smell the sweat and hair gel': the best nightclub scenes from cultureWriters and artists including Róisín Murphy, Tiffany Calver and Sigala on the art that transports them to the dancefloor during lockdown I have an important pop culture theoryYou will now read it and share it with others online as you see fit GUESTS: Taneisha Duggan - Artistic producer at TheaterWorks Lucy Gellman - Editor of The Arts Paper and host of WNHH radio's Kitchen Sync 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.

Cartoonist Bill Griffith based his legendary character Zippy the Pinhead on Schlitzie, a real life sideshow 'pinhead' who appeared in Todd Browning's 1932 film Freaks. Early audiences were appalled by Browning's use of real sideshow characters to seek revenge on those who treated them cruelly. Griffith's graphic novel is his effort to understand Schlitzie and the sideshow family who cared for him. We talk to Griffith and a member of Schlitzie's sideshow family. Also this hour: the man who saved thousands of premature infants by exhibiting them in incubators at the Coney Island sideshow. GUESTS: Bill Griffith - Creator of the syndicated daily comic strip Zippy and author of two graphic memoirs, including, Nobody's Fool: The Life and Times of Schlitzie the Pinhead Wolf Krakowski - Yiddish singer whose CDs are on Tzadik Records; Wolf has videotaped testimonies of Holocaust survivors for the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation Claire Prentice - Freelance journalist, editor, and writer; She's the author of two non-fiction books, including Miracle at Coney Island: How a Sideshow Doctor Saved Thousands of Babies and Transformed American Medicine Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Jonathan McNicol contributed to this show, which originally aired May 2, 2019.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We live in an "Everything Should Take Twenty Minutes" world. Movies are too long. SundanceTV has a show that airs in 10-minute episodes. Tierra Whack has a 15-minute album made of fifteen 60-second songs. Todd Rundgren's memoir has 183 one-page, three-paragraph chapters. So today, we turn our hour over to five short, little shows about short, little things. Here's a Spotify playlist of the albums reviewed on today's short, little episode of The Sam Hadelman Show. GUESTS: Carmen Baskauf - Produces Where We Live on Connecticut Public Radio Taneisha Duggan - Artistic producer at TheaterWorks Sam Hadelman - Host of The Sam Hadelman Show at Radio Free Brooklyn Brandy Jensen - An advice columnist and editor at The Outline Jacques Lamarre - A playwright, and director of client services at Buzz Engine Vince Mancini - Senior film and culture writer for Uproxx Chion Wolf - Host of Audacious with Chion Wolf on Connecticut Public Radio Bill Yousman - Professor of media studies at Sacred Heart University Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Eugene Amatruda, and Matt Farley contributed to this show, which originally aired July 18, 2019.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Senate voted to aquit Donald Trump Saturday after falling shy of the two-thirds majority required to convict him. Fifty-seven senators, including seven Republicans, voted to convict him for "incitement of insurrection" and 43 Republicans voted to acquit Trump for a variety of reasons.  Reliving the January 6 insurrection during last week's Senate impeachment trial has left many of us sorting through a gamut of emotions along with a lack of closure on the last four years. 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.

As of Monday morning, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell are still working out the details for the Senate impeachment trial scheduled to begin this Tuesday, February 9. Forty-five senators say it's not constitutional. Conservative lawyer Charles Cooper says it is. We talk to Connecticut U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal on impeachment, intelligence, and more.  Also this hour: Fox News has been scared into silencing popular commentator Lou Dobbs, after Smartmatic filed a $2.7 billion defamation suit against Fox News over election fraud claims made on their shows. Fox News Media hosts Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro were named, along with lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell. Will it take a massive lawsuit to force them to confront the lies and harm perpetuated on their broadcasts? Lastly, a quick look at the tone of this weekend's Super Bowl ads.  GUESTS: Richard Blumenthal is a US senator from Connecticut David Folkenflik is NPR’s media correspondent and the author of Murdoch’s World: The Last of the Old Media Empires  Melinda Fakuade is a fellow for The Goods by Vox, covering culture and entertainment Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.