The Colin McEnroe Show

In the century since Russia’s “Mad Monk” was poisoned, we've come to believe a lot of things: he was mystical, he was evil, he was the world’s greatest lover. This hour: Rasputin — the all-too-human peasant who found his way to friendship with the Romanovs, and the comical, absurd version that just won’t die. GUESTS: Douglas Smith: Historian and author of Rasputin: Faith, Power, and the Twilight of the Romanovs Chris Roberson: Co-writer of the Hellboy comic Rasputin: Voice of the Dragon Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Colin McEnroe, Lily Tyson, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour, we’re joined by novelist Ruth Ozeki. Her latest novel is The Book of Form and Emptiness. We talk about animism, hearing voices, and how Zen Buddhism informs her writing. GUESTS: Ruth Ozeki: Novelist, filmmaker, and professor of English language and literature at Smith College The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired September 29, 2021.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week’s Nose would come straight to your home and do it on the weekends too. This week was week three of John C. Depp II v. Amber Laura Heard, Johnny Depp’s $50 million defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard (in which she’s countersued for $100 million). It is nothing if not a sordid tale where no one looks particularly innocent. But it certainly seems like the entire internet is Team Johnny Depp. And: Slow Horses is a darkly funny espionage thriller series based on the novel by Mark Herron and starring Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden, and Kristin Scott Thomas. Its first season finale hit Apple TV+ today. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: ‘Cinema Paradiso’ actor Jacques Perrin dies at 80 HBO reminds Jerry West that Winning Time is “not a documentary” Last week, the Lakers legend sent out a letter demanding a legal retraction by the company Why There’s So Much Unsexy Sex on TV How to Use (or Not Use) a Hyphen Plus: a brief digression into why The New Yorker hyphenates “teen-ager.” Jon Stewart says the ‘fragility of leaders’ is the real threat to humor The Avengers have been with us for 10 years. Have they made movies better or worse? Production on Bill Murray film ‘Being Mortal’ is halted after a behavior complaint It Is Still a Bad Idea to Antagonize Mike Tyson Yet people keep on trying ‘The Northman’ Was #4 Over the Weekend, Then #1 on Monday: Why the Uptick? This could be one of the most encouraging grosses of late — and a sign of great word of mouth. A rattlesnake bit Cary Elwes. Here’s what to do if it happens to you Megan Fox Appeared To Confirm That She And Machine Gun Kelly Are In A Consensual BDSM Relationship After Facing Intense Backlash Over Her Engagement Ring That He Designed To Cause Pain “I feel sexual power in that way, by experiencing it that way… I was being celebrated as being a feminist until I had the nerve to call my boyfriend, ‘Daddy.’” “Guardians Of The Galaxy” Director James Gunn Defended Chris Pratt On Twitter And Said He Will “Never” Be Replaced “I know the church he currently goes to. Do you?” The Return of Coachella and a Glimpse Into Our New Abnormal The most famous music festival in America returned this past weekend, providing a preview of the strange, not-so-distant future Billboard’s Newest No. 1 Hits Reiterate One Important Rule More pop stars have an oddball, ultimately forgotten big single than you might think. Disney announces Avatar 2 title, premieres teaser trailer At CinemaCon, Avatar producer Jon Landau discussed the “separate, but cohesive” strategy of the franchise Gene Kelly’s widow looks back on 70 years of Singin’ In The Rain Kelly’s widow Patricia offers some insights about the classic musical, Gene’s best moments, and the modern filmmaker she thinks he would have worked well with The Coastal Grandmother Aesthetic Is a Lifestyle, Not Just a TikTok Trend Coastal grandmother heralds a new kind of hot girl summer—with fresh produce, strong cocktails, and light linens. Mission: Impossible 7 Is Now Called Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part One Humans Can’t Quit a Basic Myth About Dog Breeds Breed doesn’t have that big an effect on a dog’s personality. How Elisabeth Moss Became the Dark Lady of the Small Screen The actor—who is also a director, a rom-com fan, and a Scientologist—likes to swim in the weird. Viola Davis says critics ‘serve no purpose’ but we do – and it’s not to sell tickets The actor’s response to criticism of The First Lady is astonishingly thin-skinned and misses our role in building dialogue and serving readers James Corden Says He’ll Leave His CBS Show Next Year The British-born host, who was a successful actor and comedian before joining the network’s late-night lineup, has been signaling for some time that he was considering leaving. GUESTS: David Edelstein: America’s Greatest Living Film Critic Helder Mira: Multimedia producer at Trinity College and co-host of the So Pretentious podcast Carolyn Paine: An actress, comedian, and dancer, and the founder, director, and choreographer of CONNetic Dance The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Cat Pastor, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour, as National Poetry Month comes to a close, we celebrate the form with three contemporary poets. GUESTS: Matthew Zapruder: Professor, poet, whose most recent collection is Father’s Day, and author of the book Why Poetry. Margaret Gibson: Poet laureate of Connecticut, whose most recent collection is The Glass Globe.  Yanyi: Poet, whose most recent collection is Dream of the Divided Field, and writer of the advice column “The Reading,” for creative writers.   Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Henry David Thoreau is a bit of a polarizing figure. He has been both celebrated and criticized for his writing. He’s considered an inspirational figure for retreating to the woods, but mocked for his reliance on his mother during that same period. This hour, we look at the life and legacy of Henry David Thoreau, and ask what his example can teach us about who is remembered and celebrated. GUESTS: Laura Dassow Walls: Professor emeritus of English at the University of Notre Dame and the author of Henry David Thoreau: A Life Alex Beam: Author, journalist, and contributor to The Boston Globe  Tracy Fullerton: Director of the Game Innovation Lab at the University of Southern California and the designer and director of Walden, A Game  Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mimes have been gesticulating their way into our hearts (or nightmares) nearly for forever. It may be that the legendary Marcel Marceau popularized the mime, but people have been communicating through movement since the very beginning. Today, characters in big-budget Hollywood movies and television shows routinely rely on pantomime techniques to create the on-screen characters we love. This hour, the past, present, and future of mimes. GUESTS: Doug Jones: A trained mime, contortionist, and award-winning actor known for his roles in The Shape of Water, Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, Hocus Pocus, Star Trek: Discovery, and more Richard Knight: Author of Mime the Gap: Techniques in Mime and Movement Shawn Wen: Author of A Twenty Minute Silence Followed by Applause The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Jonathan McNicol contributed to this show, which originally aired August 30, 2018.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve been doing these shows a lot of weeks where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. We don’t even, anymore, start with the suggestion of a topic that your calls might, potentially, be about. We’ve had fun with these shows, and you seem to like them too. So we’re doing that again. In other words: Give us a call during the 1 p.m. EDT hour about anything at all. 888-720-9677.‌ Or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Colin McEnroe, Cat Pastor, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When this week’s Nose hits the sky, it’s not just a call. It’s a warning. Matt Reeves’ The Batman is the highest-grossing film of 2022 so far by a fairly wide margin. It stars Robert Pattinson in the title role, and it’s the first entry in a new Batman shared universe. Two sequels are expected and two HBO Max television series are planned. Pattinson’s Batman exists alongside the DC Extended Universe, in which Ben Affleck plays Batman, and, it turns out, alongside a universe where Michael Keaton is still Batman. It’s a shared multiverse that I’m talking about, I guess. Pattinson is Batman in what is apparently called ‘Earth-2.’ I am not making any of this up. I could not make any of this up. Anyway, The Batman premieres on HBO on April 23. It is available to stream on HBO Max and for digital rental and purchase now. Oh, and it’s still in theaters, too. And: Netflix announced this week that it lost 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter of the year and that it expects to lose another 2 million this quarter. And its animation department is kind of falling apart. And it’s now going to crack down on password sharing. And then its market value dropped more than $50 billion over night. Yikes. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Robert Morse, Impish Tony-Winning Comedy Star, Is Dead at 90 He dazzled as a charming corporate schemer in “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” His later triumphs included a memorable role on “Mad Men.” Liz Sheridan, ‘Seinfeld’ actress, dead at 93 Radu Lupu, celebrated Romanian pianist, dies at age 76 In Cleveland, Some Fans Are Guardians Only of the Past Cleveland’s baseball team adopted a new nickname, and their home opener was the first in years without Native American protests. That doesn’t mean everyone was happy. The Artful, Subdued Translations of Modern Pop Young artists like Latto, Vince Staples, and Doechii are subtly persuading listeners to rethink the way music genres can be interpreted. Rachel Zegler Is Finding Her Voice Cast in starring roles in West Side Story and Snow White, a high schooler became an overnight celebrity. What comes next? Johnny Depp in court says he has never struck any woman in his life Taylor Swift was the inspiration for the name of a new millipede species Gen X Was Right About Everything. Here’s Proof Album anniversary tours are just our generation’s cultural victory lap A 4-year-old can run errands alone … and not just on reality TV What Happened to Jon Stewart? He is comedy royalty. But the world has changed since he was at the height of his powers. Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid It’s not just a phase. Elon Musk says he has secured the money to buy Twitter Florida legislature passes bill repealing Disney special tax status Martin McDonagh Isn’t Done Talking After a two-year delay that spanned a pandemic and his 50th birthday, McDonagh is back on Broadway with his new play, Hangmen—no longer the enfant terrible of the theater world, but still turning heads. Crap music isn’t as good as it used to be What is 2022’s equivalent to The Ketchup Song? Where are the tunes that teach us how to “Cha cha real smooth”? GUESTS: Sam Hadelman: Works in music public relations and hosts The Sam Hadelman Show at Radio Free Brooklyn James Hanley: Co-founder of Cinestudio at Trinity College Tracy Wu Fastenberg: Development officer at Connecticut Children’s The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Cat Pastor, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show. Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today by visiting ctpublic.org/donate.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Humans have always been interested in the sky, and astrology has been used as a tool for people in power for a long time. During times of stress, interest in astrology increases. But why are we so interested in something that is not considered a science? This hour, a look at the history of astrology, its relationship with astronomy, and the reasons why people love it so much. GUESTS: Julie Beck: Senior editor at The Atlantic, where she wrote “The New Age of Astrology” Darin Hayton: Associate professor of the history of science at Haverford College and the author of The Crown and the Cosmos: Astrology and the Politics of Maximilian I Emily Levesque: Professor in the University of Washington’s Astronomy Department and the author of The Last Stargazers: The Enduring Story of Astronomy’s Vanishing Explorers The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. This episode was produced by Sara Gasparatto. Colin McEnroe, Cat Pastor, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show. Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The term “brainwashing” has been used throughout history by scientists, politicians, and journalists, as well as in movies and literature. This hour: a look at the history and science of brainwashing. GUESTS: Joel Dimsdale: Distinguished professor emeritus in the department of psychiatry at University of California San Diego and the author of Dark Persuasion: A History of Brainwashing from Pavlov to Social Media Timothy Melley: Professor of English at Miami University The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today by visiting ctpublic.org/donate. Colin McEnroe, Cat Pastor, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.