The Colin McEnroe Show

Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood is Quentin Tarantino's ninth movie as writer and director. It had the biggest opening of his career last weekend, and its been called "his best movie in a decade" and "his most transgressive film." We'll discuss it.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On September 3rd of 2019, Random House will release what is likely the very last Dr. Seuss book there'll ever be: Dr. Seuss's Horse Museum. The work, initially just a manuscript and pile of incomplete sketches, was found buried in a box in the late author's California home in 2013. Since then, artists intimately familiar with Seuss's style of drawing have managed to fill in the gaps and finish the book. In advance of the book's release we'll look back at the life and career of the bestselling children's author and take a deep dive into some of his most memorable stories to reveal profound messages you may may have missed as a kid. We'll speak with a New York Times bestselling biographer whose new book shows sides of Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss) few new existed, a longtime artistic collaborator and friend of the children's author, and a university professor who reveals how Seuss's stories often reflect the thinking of some of history's greatest philosophers.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Women in America die more frequently from complications of childbirth than in any other industrialized nation in the world. In addition, women of color are three to four times more likely to die than white women. And over the last 25 years that the maternal mortality was rising in America, other countries were decreasing their rate.  There are lots of reasons why maternal mortality and morbidity is rising, including  lack of access, the high rate of caesarian sections, racial bias, bias against women's health issues, and a medical model that medicalizes a normal process.   While no one action can explain why maternal mortality rates are lower in European countries, we do know that they utilize one resource that we don't: midwives and doulas. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hartford native Sol LeWitt was one of the giants of conceptualist and minimalist art. As an artist, he abandoned the long histories of painting and drawing and sculpture in favor of his Wall Drawings and Structures. And as an art figure, he abandoned the conventions of celebrity and resisted ever even having his picture taken. This hour, a look at Connecticut's own Sol LeWitt.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Election systems in all 50 states were targeted by Russia in 2016. Those were the conclusions of a bipartisan Senate Intelligence report released on Thursday. This comes one day after Special Counsel Robert Mueller III warned that Russian efforts to interfere in the upcoming election are happening right now. How safe are Connecticut's voting systems?  Also this hour: Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank nudged the Overton Window with this opening line from his Friday op-ed:  "Mitch McConnell is a Russian asset." His post went viral on social media in response to the Senate Majority Leader's refusal to bring up for a vote multiple bipartisan bills intended to ensure the integrity of our elections.  Lastly, can bowling win over the 'Lebowski' generation?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last weekend, Marvel unveiled its plans for Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (along with a few hints and winks and nods about Phase Five -- which is mostly notable 'cause it means they're planning a Phase Five). And we're currently in the middle of a year when, when it's all said and done, the top eight highest-grossing movies may well have all come from Disney or Marvel or both. The top eight. That's not a typo. Here, look: Aladdin (2019) (Disney) Avengers: Endgame (Marvel/Disney) Captain Marvel (Marvel/Disney) Frozen II (Disney) The Lion King (2019) (Disney) Spider-Man: Far from Home (Marvel/Sony) Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Lucasfilm/Disney) Toy Story 4 (Pixar/Disney) And so the question is: Is the future of movies Marvel and Disney? And then The Nose takes a look at the present of movies from the opposite end of the box office spectrum with three indie films: The Art of Self-Defense, Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love, and Wild Rose.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Summer is the time we look forward to reading -- or rereading -- our favorite books.   How do you choose from the stack of next-to-read books that pile up beside your bed? Do you relish the adventure of what a new book might bring or do you reread an old favorite that changed your life in some way, that one book that resembles a child's much beloved stuffed animal -- dog-eared and stained with food, sweat, and tears.  Today, writers explore the transformative nature of reading, writing, and a great novel.   GUESTS:   Steve Almond - writer and author of ten books of fiction and non-fiction, including Against Football and Candyfreak. His latest book is William Stoner and the Battle For the Inner Life. Julia Pistell - freelance writer, comedian, Managing Director at Sea Tea Improv, creator of Syllable Series, host of Literary Disco, a podcast about books and writing. Joseph Luzzi - writer and author of the memoir, In a Dark Wood: What Dante Taught Me About Grief, Healing, and the Mysteries of Love. He’s the author of two other books, most recently, My Two Italies. He’s a professor of Comparative Literature at Bard. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been called a "glorified game of toss" and "World of Warcraft for extroverts." But has Ultimate Frisbee quietly become a real sport? It is, apparently, a likely Olympic sport. Which would, apparently, maybe be bad for Ultimate. This hour: The world of the Frisbee disc, including Connecticut's integral part in its history. This episode originally aired on August 31, 2017.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller made crystal clear that he would not comment on the long-awaited Mueller Report beyond the carefully chosen words we could all find in his 448-page, plus appendices, report.  Now, I hope and expect this to be the only time that I will speak to you in this manner. I am making that decision myself. No one has told me whether I can or should testify or speak further about this matter. There has been discussion about an appearance before Congress. Any testimony from this office would not go beyond our report. It contains our findings and analysis and the reasons for the decisions we made. We chose those words carefully, and the work speaks for itself. And the report is my testimony. I would not provide information beyond that which is already public in any appearance before Congress. Yet, here we are. Robert Mueller has agreed to testify before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee for three hours this Wednesday, July 24, followed by two (or so) hours before the U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.  What does Congress hope to gain? That may depend on which side of the aisle you represent.  Colin, a political analyst, and a comedian will take your calls. We finish with a DC pub owner gearing up for a Mueller testimony party, of sorts.  Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's kind of a lot going on this week: There's rumored to be a new 007. The Emmy nominations are out. There's a new dating trend called 'Caspering.' Farhad Manjoo thinks we should all use the singular 'they.' 1.7 million people want to raid Area 51. Anthony Fantano (or an animated version of Anthony Fantano, really) is in the new "Old Town Road" video. During the New York City blackout, Star Wars fans helped direct traffic... with their lightsabers. And: The Cats trailer is out, and it's maybe kind of, uh, horrifying? Oh, and Episode 4 of Years and Years aired on HBO. The show "combines the grand sweep of a near-future dystopia with the warm intimacy of a family drama." Its vision of our next decade or so is "terrifyingly plausible."Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.