David Litt penned some of former President Obama's most memorable speeches, including his comic turns at White House Correspondents' Dinners. The stories behind those speeches are the stuff of his new memoir, "Thanks, Obama: My Hopey, Changey White House Years." Listen as he shares a tale that didn't make it into the book… maybe because it involves him stealing.
Mackenzie Scott released her first album under the moniker Torres when she was still in college. Her personal lyrics and raw vocals continue to earn her critical acclaim. She's just released her third album of emotional electronica, called "Three Futures." She mixes up a playlist with songs by Gal Costa, Portishead, and more to give you some slinky and "kinda kinky" songs for your next party.
Back in the early '80s, four lanky Brits calling themselves Depeche Mode, armed only with primitive synthesizers, started churning out pop hits. Nearly 40 years later they've sold over 100 million albums and are one of the most popular live acts on Earth. This weekend they'll become the first band ever to play four consecutive sold-out shows at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Rico spoke to Mode's main songwriter, Martin Gore, and his fellow founding member, Andy Fletcher, about their synth beginnings, their shift to more political music, and the worst night of their musical lives.
Since Brendan was outsourcing some of the segments on the show while Rico was gone, he managed to convince Associate Producer James Kim to do a new segment. And James came up with this idea called "Double Take." Here's how this segment works: A comedian breaks down a single joke that bombed, and then said comedian talks about how they reworked it into something better. And James' first guest (or maybe we should say "victim") is New York funnyman Joel Kim Booster.
Learn a little more about who is filling Rico's shoes this coming week while he's away. Plus, get a few "Nancy" podcast episode recs!
Actor Sterling K. Brown won his first Emmy for portraying Christopher Darden in "The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story." And he won his second, a little over a week ago, for his performance as Randall Pearson in the acclaimed NBC drama "This Is Us." His latest role in the biographical drama "Marshall." Sterling talks to Brendan about his "This Is Us" character being "black on purpose," not-so-blind justice, and more.
Each week you send us your questions about how to behave, and here to answer them this week is Shania Twain. Hailed as the queen of country music, she is one of the biggest selling female country artists of all time. Her new album, titled "NOW," is her first in nearly 15 years. Listen as she talks about her return to music, before helping our listeners with concert etiquette and more.
Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton started out as rock video auteurs, co-directing classic clips like Extreme's "More Than Words." They leapt to the big screen with "Little Miss Sunshine" -- which was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. Their new film is "Battle Of The Sexes." A dramedy about the real-life, 1973 tennis match between women's champion and feminist Billie Jean King, played by Emma Stone and the chauvinist former men's champion Bobby Riggs, played by Steve Carrell. The two talk to Rico about why they created a more nuanced portrayal of Riggs… what was really going on beneath those 1970s costumes.
After mixing up a soundtrack and teasing us with a delectable-sounding tortilla soup, Emily was kind of enough to give us the recipe and a glimpse inside her home.
Cheese tea. Yes, it's a thing. And yes, it really is tea topped with cheese. In fact, Rico sampled some in Downtown L.A. at a cheese tea shop called Little Fluffy Head. Listen as the shop's owner, Jenny Zheng, explains how she stumbled on the tea, what kind of cheese tops the drink, their special lid, and more.