The Colin McEnroe Show

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.

WandaVision is a Disney+ miniseries that's part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and that's set, like, inside the history of television? It follows Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff and Paul Bettany as Vision as they try to conceal their superhero powers and blend into a generic sitcom neighborhood. Episodes so far have taken on the look and feel of American sitcoms from the 1950s, '60s, '70s, and '80s. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Hal Holbrook, Actor Who Channeled Mark Twain, Is Dead at 95He carved out a substantial career in television and film but achieved the widest acclaim with his one-man stage show, playing Twain for more than six decades. Dustin Diamond, 'Saved by the Bell' star, dead at 44 Jamie Tarses, Pioneering Television Executive, Dies at 56 Tony Bennett Reveals Alzheimer's Battle Golden Globes 2021: A Full List of NomineesHere are the films, television shows, actors and directors chosen by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Ella Emhoff Isn't a Nontraditional Model!Please stop praising her for having armpit hair and tattoos. Evan Rachel Wood Alleged Her Ex-Fiancé Marilyn Manson "Horrifically Abused" And "Manipulated" Her"He started grooming me when I was a teenager and horrifically abused me for years. I was brainwashed and manipulated into submission." Of course the GameStop stock market frenzy is already being turned into a movie Steven Spielberg Writes For Empire About Why Cinema Will Never Die The Wayne's World Super Bowl Ad Is Even More Depressing Than That Wonder Years TweetThe Generation X staple vanishes a little more each year Even Jodie Foster Is Still Trying to Figure Jodie Foster Out Six arrested after changing Hollywood sign to 'Hollyboob' Outlander star Sam Heughan hints he will be next James Bond on Instagram post The Accidental Sex Couch Tearing Facebook Mom Groups Apart Sarah Silverman just wants to make things rightThe potty-mouthed comic isn't done talking trash, but it's no longer her first instinct, or her job. GUESTS: Taneisha Duggan - Artistic producer at TheaterWorks 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.

Who's afraid of the Bix bad Beiderbecke? Hartford has an amazing jazz history, and Colin has a lot of jazz musician friends. This hour, a little onstage jazz party recorded in front of a live audience long before the pandemic put a pause on live audiences as a thing. Colin and the panel look to make jazz accessible to mere mortals. They talk about what makes jazz jazz, invite the audience to sing, and teach the audience to scat. GUESTS: Steve Davis - Trombone Atla DeChamplain - Vocals Matt DeChamplain - Piano Henry Lugo - Bass Jocelyn Pleasant - Drums Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. This show originally aired February 8, 2018.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have a complicated relationship with our food. We need food to live; yet, we've become removed from the food we eat and how it's grown and processed.  Even with the best of intentions, today's ultra-processed foods make it hard for us to know exactly what we're eating or how the methods used to mass produce our food are affecting our environment and our health. And I haven't even touched on how food has led to war, famine, poverty, and enslavement.     Today, we talk about the history of agriculture, where it went wrong, and how we might begin to cultivate food that is kinder to our bodies, our earth, and our fellow humans.   GUEST:  Mark Bittman is the author of 30 books, most recently, Animal, Vegetable, Junk: A History of Food From Sustainable To Suicidal. He was a food columnist and writer at the New York Times for 30 years. He’s currently Special Advisor on Food Policy at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Colin interviewed Hal Holbrook on February 3, 2015, in advance of Holbrook's performance of Mark Twain Tonight in Hartford on his 90th birthday on February 17, 2015. Colin wrote at the time that Holbrook was one of the most remarkable people he's encountered of all the remarkable people he's interviewed over the years. Holbrook was so passionate and fun to speak with that Colin never got to ask him all the many questions about the love of his life, his difficult childhood, or his time spent at Suffield Academy. He hoped for a second interview. Holbrook died on January 23. This hour, we reair our 2015 interview with him. GUEST: Hal Holbrook was an American film, television, and stage actor famous for his portrayal of Mark Twain in the solo show he created, Mark Twain Tonight, for which he won a Tony Award. His movies include All the President's Men, Lincoln, and Into the Wild, for which he was nominated for an Oscar in 2008. He won five Primetime Emmy Awards, and he's the subject of a documentary by Scott Teems and Laura D. Smith, Holbrook/Twain: An American Odyssey. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe contributed to this show, which originally aired February 4, 2015. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some say the press continues to portray the Republican Party as a "mainstream, center-right entity," long after their words and deeds reflect something more ominous. Is the media failing to convey the extreme behavior of the GOP out of fear they will be accused of liberal bias? It's not the first time the media has been accused of bias or been too slow to see something for what it is instead of what they want it to be. Also this hour: Five members of former President Trump's impeachment team departed Saturday, a little over a week before the Senate trial is set to begin on February 9. On Sunday, Trump hired lawyers David Schoen and Bruce L. Castor Jr. to take over. Will they be ready by next week? GUESTS: Eric Boehlert - A media critic and the founder and editor of Press Run; he has been a senior fellow at Media Matters for America, a media critic at Daily Kos, and a staff writer at Rolling Stone, and he's the author of three books, including Lapdogs: How The Press Rolled Over For Bush (@EricBoehlert) Ross Garber - Principal at The Garber Group, specializing in political investigations and impeachment; he's also a legal analyst for CNN, and he teaches at Tulane Law School (@rossgarber) 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.

Olivia Rodrigo's "drivers license" is in its second week as the No. 1 song in the country, having debuted there last week. It is the first debut single by any artist to hit the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 1 in history. And: Pretend It's a City is Martin Scorsese's seven-part Netflix documentary series about Fran Liebowitz that's actually also kind of about New York City. And finally: How To with John Wilson is John Wilson's six-part HBO documentary series of advice and tutorials that's actually also kind of about New York City. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Cicely Tyson, groundbreaking award-winning actor, dead at 96 Cloris Leachman, Emmy and Oscar Winner, Dies at 94 Bruce Kirby, Veteran Character Actor and 'Columbo' Cop, Dies at 95 Walter Bernstein, Oscar-Nominated Screenwriter on 'The Front,' Dies at 101 Freddy the Great Dane, the world's largest dog, has died The Jokes About GameStop And The Stock Market Keep Coming, So Here Are The 50 Funniest Ones"Siri, what is a 'stock'?" There's a Metallica/Huey Lewis Mashup Now, Because San Francisco The Oscars Are a Mess. Let's Make Them Messier.Nothing has been normal about the last year, including the movies. The academy shouldn’t try to pretend otherwise. It should see this as an opportunity. These are the movies to watch before Oscars night The 50 Best Cult MoviesFrom 'The Room' to 'Eraserhead' to 'Rocky Horror,' these are the best movies to ever inspire deep obsession 'Tenet' Is Destined to Become a Cult MovieWith a failed release due to the pandemic, a muted critical reception, and a twisty narrative that demands multiple viewings, Christopher Nolan's 2020 film has all of the elements that eventually lead to niche fandom 2021 BBWAA Voting Results Yield No Electees Kraft Is Releasing A Pink Candy-Flavored Mac And Cheese For Valentine's Day, And The Internet Is Losing Its Mind The Pandemic Has Erased Entire Categories of FriendshipThere's a reason you miss the people you didn't even know that well. Here's What It Was Really Like to Work at a Women's WebsiteI felt nothing. So I headed to my desk for another busy day of browsing online sales and waiting to die. Carey Mulligan Responds to Variety's Apology for 'Promising Young Woman' Review Subway's tuna is not tuna, but a 'mixture of various concoctions,' a lawsuit alleges A Reformed Late Person's Guide to Being on TimeTime has become fluid in the pandemic. Except when there's a Zoom meeting. 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.

Applications to nursing schools spiked during the pandemic from those who wanted to help. They chose to be nurses at a time when the risk to their own health was never greater. Why are some people willing to run toward the fire when others are running away from it? Most of us fall somewhere on a spectrum of altruistic behavior. We might adopt a stray pet, donate a liter of blood, or check on an older neighbor. Others pursue a career based on helping others, and, at the extreme end of the spectrum, some choose to donate their kidney to a stranger.  We talk to two nurses, a kidney donor, and a psychologist about the nature of altruism. GUEST: Kelly Chevalier - Interim director of emergency services at Trinity Health of New England/St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center  Tracy Gordon Fox - A former journalist for the Hartford Courant; she’s currently a staff nurse on the general surgery floor at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center Lauren Herschel - An anonymous kidney donor who lives in Calgary, Alberta Abigail Marsh - A professor of psychology and a neuroscientist in the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program at Georgetown University; she directs their Lab on Social & Affective Neuroscience, and she’s the author of The Fear Factor: How One Emotion Connects Psychopaths, Altruists, and Everyone In Between  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.

André Gregory has directed and acted in the theater for more than 50 years. He has appeared in a number of movies, including Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ, Woody Allen's Celebrity, Brian De Palma's The Bonfire of the Vanities, Peter Weir's The Mosquito Coast, and many more. He has starred in three movies about the theater with the playwright, actor, and comedian Wallace Shawn: A Master Builder, Vanya on 42nd Street, and the iconic My Dinner with Andre. Gregory's memoir is This Is Not My Memoir. He joins us for the hour. Note: I apologize for the flagrant hackiness of the "joke" of the headline here. I feel your scorn and must suffer through my shame. There are times when a work is so iconic one doesn't have a choice but to make reference to it. And so here we are. GUEST: André Gregory - An actor, writer, director, teacher, and painter; his new book, written with Todd London, is This Is Not My Memoir 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.

Moderna announced today they were making new versions of their vaccine that can be used as boosters against variants seen in South Africa, Brazil, and the U.K. The vaccine should be effective against variants but it seems to create fewer antibodies against the one that has emerged in South Africa. Either way, vaccines alone will not be enough. We talk about mutations and vaccines.  Also this hour: The Biden inauguration was the most Catholic inauguration in history. Is a more liberal Christianity on the rise?  Lastly, a tribute to John McDonough, actor, singer, and a Connecticut native. GUESTS:  Paul Turner - An evolutionary biologist and virologist; he’s the Rachel Carson Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University and a microbiology faculty member at Yale School of Medicine Michael Sean Winters - Writes the Distinctly Catholic blog for the National Catholic Reporter, and he is the author of two books including Left At the Altar: How Democrats Lost The Catholics And How Catholics Can Save The Democrats 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.