Book critic Liesl Schillinger reads a darkly comic excerpt from a newly-published short story collection by early-20th century Russian author Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky.
Pokémon Shockwave
So many Japanese children were glued to Pokémon when a new episode was broadcast this week in 1997 that an oddity in the animation simultaneously made viewers across the country ill. Learn about this airwave error and then turn the TV off to enjoy a custom cocktail.
Nick Lowe Unwraps Cool Yule Tunes
Nick Lowe's newest album is "Quality Street: A Seasonal Selection For All The Family." It is a Christmas album designed to avoid the hokey, Perry Como style of seasonal music. We asked him to give us a holiday party soundtrack of other Christmas songs you're probably not sick of yet.
LeVar Burton and the (Paper) Cut Threat
LeVar Burton takes refuge in libraries, says 'meh' to Google Glass, and answers other pressing questions in this excerpt from our recent live event.
Aubrey Plaza on Moustache Protests and Awkward Encounters
A conversation with actor Aubrey Plaza, excerpted from our first live event. She tells us about being a rule-abiding rebel and her recent work in "The To Do List" and "Parks and Recreation"
Restoring the Majestic Chestnut
They might be the favorite snack of Christmas song, but native wild chestnut trees that once grew along the east coast have been decimated by blight. Bryan Burhans is the president of The American Chestnut Foundation, an organization solely devoted to restoring the trees to their native habitat.
A Lucky Long-Distance Call to ‘The Fifth Beatle’
The newest production from award-winning Broadway producer Vivek Tiwary is a graphic novel about the man who helped discover and promote The Beatles. Vivek tells us a tale of the phone conversation that changed the course of rock history… and which almost never happened.
Geoffrey Rush on Good Guys, Pirates, Neanderthals & Robots
The Oscar-winning thespian stars in the world War II-era drama "The Book Thief." He tells Rico about acting decent, and his performances in some very expensive art films.
Stakes Are Very High for Joey Sweeney’s Party Music
Joey Sweeney is the rare music critic who also makes great music himself. When he isn't writing or performing, he keeps busy sharing the gospel of Nina Simone.
The Piltdown Hoax
In 1912, English fossil collector Charles Dawson claimed to have found evidence of the ‘missing link.' In 1953, they realized there were some missing facts.