Friday, June 10, 2005
Chatterbox: “You’re the Top,” Today
Timothy Noah analyzes the classic Cole Porter tune “You’re the Top.” The song was a catalog of the top of 1930s pop culture, but Noah wonders whether the then-current references will leave contemporary listeners bewitched, bothered, and bewildered. Listen to the segment.
Summary Judgment: Sharkboy and Lava Girl, The Honeymooners, Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Mark Jordan Legan looks at what the critics are saying about this week’s major movie releases, including The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lava Girl, The Honeymooners, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Listen to the segment.
Thursday, June 9, 2005
Gaming: A New Japanese Numbers Game
Seth Stevenson talks about the game of sudoku, a Japanese numbers game that’s gaining popularity in the United States. Listen to the segment.
Human Nature: Leave No Embryo Behind
Madeleine Brand continues the conversation with Will Saletan about the politics of handling embryos. He’s written extensively on the issue, and reviews the variety of legislative proposals aimed at regulating the creation and adoption of human embryos. Listen to the segment.
Wednesday, June 8, 2005
Explainer: Bollywood’s Censorship Rules
Andy Bowers explains how the government of India censors films made and shown in the subcontinent, and what you still can’t show in an Indian movie. Every year, the Bollywood movie factory cranks out more films than any other nation—even Hollywood—but there’s no French kissing, no nudity, and definitely no sex. Now the censorship board has banned on-screen smoking, too. Listen to the segment.
Tuesday, June 7, 2005
Explainer: The FBI Goes to Aruba
The disappearance of an Alabama teenager on a high school graduation trip to Aruba has drawn the FBI to the Caribbean island to aid in the investigation. Andy Bowers explains how an American law enforcement agency gets to participate in such a search in another sovereign country. Listen to the segment.
Monday, June 6, 2005
Ad Report Card: The Song’s Just Wrong
Seth Stevenson talks with Madeleine Brand about his listener survey of the most misused songs in television commercials. Listeners chose “Lust for Life,” Iggy Pop’s ode to drug culture, which is featured in an ad for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. Listen to the segment.
Jurisprudence: High Court Nixes Medical Pot
Alex Chadwick talks with Emily Bazelon about a slew of rulings being announced by the U.S. Supreme Court as it reaches the end of its session. In one decision, the high court ruled the federal government’s law outlawing the cultivation, possession, and use of marijuana trumps state laws allowing “medical marijuana” use by sick patients. Listen to the segment.
