The Colin McEnroe Show

Toward the end of every year since 2014, we've picked a day and put "Big Al" Anderson, Jim Chapdelaine, and Colin in a room together, sung some songs, told some stories, and wound up with some sort of a holiday special. The "in a room together" part of that is essential… and just not going to happen in 2020. So, in lieu of doing a new show with Al and Jim, this year we've gone through all six of the previous shows we've done and pulled out some of the best songs -- 11 of them, no less -- and some of the best guest appearances and some of the other best bits and bobs and we've added a brand-new version of an age-old Big Al song that Al and Jim sent along special. And we've wound up with this sort of best-of edition of our annual holiday spectacular. Just 'cause we can't all get in a room together doesn't mean you can't have an hour of our nonsense to put on in the background on Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve or whatever Eve you want. Happy holidays from us to you. GUESTS: Al Anderson - Vocals, guitar, songwriter Jim Chapdelaine - Guitar and vocals Lorne Entress - Drums and vocals Paul Kochanski - Bass guitar and vocals Nekita Waller - Connecticut's 17th state troubadour Chion Wolf - Host of Audacious with Chion Wolf on Connecticut Public Radio Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Gene Amatruda, Betsy Kaplan, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Primary tabs View(active tab)   Edit The Nose Hasn't Happened Yet: 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' And 'Tenet'By JONATHAN MCNICOL • 1 HOUR AGOThe Colin McEnroe ShowShareTweetEmail Chadwick Boseman, Colman Domingo, Viola Davis, Michael Potts, and Glynn Turman in 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.'NETFLIX, INC. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is George C. Wolfe's film adaptation of the August Wilson play. It stars Viola Davis in the title role and Chadwick Boseman in his final film performance, and it's available to stream on Netflix. Christopher Nolan's Tenet was the first tentpole movie to be released in theaters during the pandemic. It did okay business (it's currently the third-highest grossing film of 2020), but nothing like what Warner Bros. would've hoped for in a normal time. It's still in theaters, and it's now available to buy on physical disc or from digital platforms. It will be available to rent digitally in January. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: John le Carré, Best-Selling Author of Cold War Thrillers, Dies at 89Breaking from the James Bond mold, he turned the spy novel into high art as he explored the moral compromises of agents on both sides of the Iron curtain. Charley Pride, Country Music's First Black Superstar, Dies at 86He began his career amid the racial unrest of the 1960s and cemented his place in the country pantheon with hits like "Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'." Ann Reinking, Tony Winner and Star of Broadway's 'Chicago,' Dies at 71 Pantone Picks Two Colors of the Year for 2021It's all about the messaging. Get ready for a brighter future. Here's a Complete List of Updated Marvel, Lucasfilm, Pixar, and Disney Animation Release Dates Snoop Dogg Doesn't Agree With Cardi B's "Wap," Encourages Women to Have Privacy and Leave Things to the Imagination Jon Bon Jovi's sappy cover of a Pogues' holiday classic just 'ruined' Christmas, says the Pogues American Master Bedrooms Should Just Split Up Already No, I Am Not Getting Rid of My Thousands of CDsOur chief classical music critic writes in praise of going to a shelf, pulling out a recording and sitting down to listen. Cleveland's Baseball Team Will Drop Its Indians Team NameThe decision comes amid a wider push for sports teams to stop using Native American names and imagery as team names and mascots. MLB Is Finally Recognizing the Negro Leagues as the Major Leagues They Always WereNegro League statistics from 1920 to 1948 will now be officially classified as "major league," marking a long-overdue acknowledgment of the accomplishments of players who didn't have the opportunity to play in the American or National Leagues Every Steven Soderbergh Movie, Ranked Taylor Swift's deeply affecting evermore continues folklore's rich universe-building Christopher Walken Says He's Never Owned a Computer or Cell Phone TOM CURSE: Raging Tom Cruise warns Mission: Impossible crew they're 'f***ing gone' if they break COVID rules on set Tom Cruise rant dubbed into classic 'Rudolph' clip on Twitter Lin-Manuel Miranda Is Hopeful for Broadway's Return 'Heroes' Was Supposed to Be Leonard Roberts' Big Break. Instead, It Nearly Broke Him. Cyberpunk 2077 Was Supposed to Be the Biggest Video Game of the Year. What Happened?Nearly a decade of hype led to a troubled release riddled with glitches, a livid fan base, refunds for potentially millions of players and a possible class-action lawsuit. John Mulaney Checks Into Rehab The Journalist and the Pharma BroWhy did Christie Smythe upend her life and stability for Martin Shkreli, one of the least-liked men in the world? It Took a Global Pandemic, But Generation X is Finally Getting LoveSorry Boomers and Too Bad Millennials -- Only One Generation Stands Out as Social Distancing Pros A Close Reading of Ariana Grande's Engagement AnnouncementIn an extremely 2020 move, Ms. Grande got quarantine-engaged and announced it in an Instagram photo dump. MGM Is Exploring a Sale of Its Studio Trump Sets 'Beautiful' as the New Standard for Federal Buildings Golden Globes Switch 'Promising Young Woman' to Drama, Maria Bakalova Moved to Lead for 'Borat'Other HFPA changes include the men of "One Night in Miami" and "Hamilton" accepted into the film categories. GUESTS: Tom Breen - A film critic and reporter for the New Haven Independent and host of WNHH radio's Deep Focus Mercy Quaye - Founder and principal consultant for The Narrative Project and a columnist with Hearst Connecticut Media Group 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.

Kurt Andersen's last book, Fantasyland, looks at America's "centuries-old weakness for the untrue and irrational, and its spontaneous and dangerous flowering since the 1960s" and how it got us where we are today. His new book, Evil Geniuses, is a kind of sequel, a companion. It's a parallel history, really, that looks more closely at "the quite deliberate reengineering of our economy and society since the 1960s." This hour, public radio great Kurt Andersen on "the unmaking of America." GUEST: Kurt Andersen - Co-founded Spy magazine and he was the host and co-creator of Studio 360; his newest book is Evil Geniuses: The Unmaking of America — A Recent History Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired September 23, 2020.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It could be months or years before the US government knows the full extent of last week's sophisticated cyberattack that targeted private tech and security companies and federal agencies like the Energy Department and National Nuclear Security Administration. President Trump dismissed the significance of the attack, tweeting that "everything was under control." He refused to criticize Russia for the attack, claimed without evidence that it could be China, and contradicted Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's acknowledgement of Russian involvement. Yet, the President continues to fight the election results and has considered declaring martial law to overturn the election.   Also this hour: The FDA says it's time to deregulate the ingredients in French dressing and frozen cherry pies.  GUESTS: Josphine Wolff is assistant professor of cybersecurity policy at The Fletcher School at Tufts University. She's the author of, You'll See This Message When It Is Too Late: The Legal and Economic Aftermath of Cybersecurity Breaches. Lawrence Douglas is the James J. Grosfeld Professor of Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought at Amherst College. He’s the author of seven books; his most recent is Will He Go? Trump and the Looming Electoral Meltdown in 2020 Michael Levenson reports for The New York Times, Express Desk. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For decades, we didn't take television seriously. We saw it as ephemeral, as "chewing gum for the eyes," as, literally, furniture. And then, around the turn of the century, things started to change. There was The Sopranos. The Wire. And, at the same time, shows like Big Brother and The Amazing Race. For Emily Nussbaum, it was Buffy the Vampire Slayer that forever changed her take on television. This hour: A serious appraisal of television with The New Yorker's television critic. GUEST: Emily Nussbaum - Television critic for The New Yorker and the author of I Like To Watch: Arguing My Way Through the TV Revolution Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired July 15, 2020.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Native Americans exerted their political power in the 2020 election. A record-breaking six Native-Americans were elected to Congress and Native American votes tipped the scales in Arizona - which went blue for only the second time in seventy years. And U.S. Representative Deb Haaland (D-NM) is on President-elect Biden's short list to be Secretary of the Interior.  Native Americans made big gains in the 2020 election. Yet, Native Peoples are still largely invisible in American culture. Centuries of "colonialism" that separated Indigenous People from their families, their culture, and their land, led to intergenerational trauma from which they are still recovering. Yet, they remain resilient against continued attacks on their land and a trail of broken promises.  Today, we look at the emerging power of Native Americans in the context of centuries of systemic racism and cultural erasure.  GUESTS:  Sara Sinclair is an oral historian of Cree-Ojibwa descent. She is the editor of the Voice of Witness oral history collection How We Go Home: Voices from Indigenous North America. Sara teaches in the Oral History Masters Program at Columbia University. Robert Ornelas is T/ijua Apache. He worked at the New York City Ballet and as a substance abuse counselor Tara Benally is of Hopi descent. Her family was raised by Navajo. She is a field director at Utah Rural Project Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2001: A Space Odyssey. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. A Clockwork Orange. The Shining. Full Metal Jacket. Spartacus. Eyes Wide Shut. This hour, a careful consideration of the filmmaker Steven Spielberg called "the best in history": Stanley Kubrick. GUESTS: James Hanley - Co-founder of Cinestudio at Trinity College David Mikics - Author of Stanley Kubrick: American Filmmaker Lila Shapiro - Senior reporter at New York magazine and Vulture, where she published "What I Learned After Watching Eyes Wide Shut 100 Times" Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired in a different form September 2, 2020.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is yodeling, anyway? Some consider it singing, some say it's an ululation, and still others consider it merely a means to herd animals. Whatever yodeling is, one's thing clear: Yodeling has been around for thousands of years and shows no signs of disappearing. This hour we speak with a musicologist, a DJ, and a professional singer about this age-old vocal practice. We'll trace yodeling's history from its humble, utilitarian roots to its place in modern day pop music and beyond. GUESTS: Bart Plantenga - Amsterdam based writer, radio DJ, and expert on yodeling; author of several books including Yodel in Hi-Fi: From Kitsch Folk to Contemporary Electronica Timothy Wise - Senior lecturer in musicology at the University of Salford, England; author of Yodeling and Meaning in American Music Roger Tincknell - Massachusetts-based cowboy yodeler, musician, and traveling performer Chion Wolf - Host of WNPR's Audacious with Chion Wolf Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe contributed to this show, which originally aired October 10, 2017.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Each state's slate of electors will cast their votes for president and vice-president today. President Trump won't win today. Nor will he win in the final Congressional certification on January 6, despite talk among some Republican legislators about plans for some type of electoral coup during the final vote count.  Trump and his supporters are retreating deeper and deeper into an alternate reality where they can collectively will things to be the way they want them to be. At some point, Americans will have to start sharing the same reality again or reckon with the outcome.  If we downplay anti-democratic behavior by a sitting president and leaders of a major political party, even if they didn't pull it off, we normalize it and invite future attempts by someone more competent.  Also this hour: the ongoing assault against Voice of America. GUESTS: Dahlia Lithwick writes about the courts and the law for Slate and hosts the podcast Amicus. Margaret Sullivan is a media columnist for The Washington Post and the author of Ghosting the News: Local Journalism and the Crisis of American Democracy @sulliview Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mank is David Fincher's feature film portrayal of the writing of Citizen Kane. Gary Oldman plays the title character and Kane screenwriter, Herman J. Mankiewicz. Mank hit Netflix last Friday, and it's already got lots of Oscar buzz. The Godfather: Part III is a movie that was actually nominated for seven Oscars 30 years ago (it didn't win any), and it's the third film in a series that had already won nine Academy Awards, including two Best Pictures. Part III, though, has always been thought of relatively poorly. And so, for its 30th anniversary this month, Francis Ford Coppola has rejiggered it and rereleased it as The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone. This new version is four minutes shorter, starts with a different scene, ends slightly differently ... and is ultimately the same movie. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Stream Taylor Swift's New Album, 'Evermore' Taylor Swift Had A Powerful Message For People Who "Don't Care" About Following COVID Guidelines"If they make it out of this, if they see the other side of it, there's going to be a lot of trauma that comes with that." Bob Dylan Sells His Songwriting Catalog in Blockbuster DealUniversal Music purchased his entire songwriting catalog of more than 600 songs in what may be the biggest acquisition ever of a single act's publishing rights. Harrison Ford to reprise Indiana Jones role for fifth and final movie Disney Just Announced So Much More 'Star Wars'Breaking down the many Force-related developments from Thursday's Investor Day Steven Soderbergh Teases Plans for Limited-Edition Box Set Featuring Seven Remastered FilmsAnd it could be released sooner than you think. GUESTS: Nick Davis - A filmmaker and the author of the forthcoming Competing with Idiots: Herman and Joe Mankiewicz, a Dual Portrait Taneisha Duggan - Producing associate at TheaterWorks James Hanley - Co-founder of Cinestudio 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.