Episode 227: Stephen Fry, Gail Simmons, and Daniel Boulud

Brit wit Stephen Fry talks Shakespeare, takes on Turkey Day, and meets dead people... "Top Chef" judge Gail Simmons adjudicates your etiquette questions while growing the perfect sous chef... star chef Daniel Boulud sniffs out truffle treasure... "Medora" co-director Davy Rothbart declares victory for some beautiful losers... neuroscientist and skeptic Sam Harris cannot tell a lie... wunderkind media polymath Tavi Gevinson jokes around... and country singer Julie Roberts suggests songs for getting dressed - and undressed.


Episode 226: Toni Collette, Bill Callahan, and Oil Balls

This week: Toni Collette grabs the wheel ... Rob Delaney takes us to a dark, dark chocolate place ... Ben Schott shares speichelgleichmut ... Texas singer-songwriter Bill Callahan remembers the Seventies ... Celia Rivenbark smuggles in the sauce ... Poetry among thieves ... And savor-ish dough balls straight from Amsterdam.


Episode 225: Jessica Chastain, Dave Barry, and Joy(ful) Division

This week: one of our favorite episodes of 2013, in which Oscar-nominated actress Jessica Chastain of “Zero Dark Thirty” riffs on Pitt and pigs… Humorist Dave Barry offers insane advice… Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff plays dinnertime DJ… Joy Division’s Peter Hook tells the bright side of a dark band… We excavate the story of a crown jewel, then drink a sparkling cocktail… Plus, flying goats, contagious laughter, and the spider of the year.


Episode 224: The 2013 All-Movie Episode

This week it's a special ALL MOVIE EPISODE! Starring Oscar-nominees Michelle Williams and David O. Russell... Also: Laura Dern re-examines David Lynch's brain(s)... "Hunger Games" make-up artist Ve Neill lists a few fave transformations...Spike Lee plays matchmaker... Steven Spielberg incites a teenage riot... Dick Cavett teaches us "how to Hitchcock"... David Alan Grier gives "two snaps up" to listeners' questions... And we toast the biggest premiere in movie history.


Episode 223: Bob Odenkirk, Linda Thompson, and Peaches Teaches

This week: Bob Odenkirk, comedy polymath & "Breaking Bad" breakout star, talks sketch and Saul... ... Pop provacateur Peaches strips down etiquette... Folk-rock icon Linda thompson plays party DJ ... Small island, big library ... Food writer Nigel slater recalls pre-parm Britain ... Behind the scenes with Johnny Carson ... Leafy green humor ... And a flood of beer was not as fun as it sounds.


Episode 222: Dane DeHaan, Anna Calvi, and the Modernist Maestro

This week: "Kill Your Darlings" star Dane DeHaan catches the Beats... Operatic indie rocker Anna Calvi DJs your next soiree... the Posts return with etiquette advice smokers will love... We're schooled in design by the man who defined late 20th Century style... Old-school Hollywood honcho David Picker acts out for Woody Allen... Little Richard throws stardom into the sea... Scientific proof that there's no "I" in team leaders... and Brendan samples "the soul food of Asia." Plus: Bill Callahan Sings us home.


Episode 221: Daniel Radcliffe, Lars Ulrich, and Elizabeth Gilbert

This week: Daniel Radcliffe wears a mask that's not for a role ... Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich tells your roommate to turn that racket down ... Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love) sets the planets spinning ... Cartoonist Jeff Smith lists favorite strips ... Visiting the Candyland of vegetables ... There is danger and allure at "The Summit" ... A famously bad sitcom is still famous ... And art students build the next Robocop ...


Episode 220: Margaret Atwood, Gunn Culture, and Hulk Hogan: Hero

This week: literary giant Margaret Atwood is prepared for mega-bears... "Project Runway's" Tim Gunn returns, just in time to save listeners from the 'comfort trap'... guitarist Steve Gunn (no relation) spins a mellow party playlist... The author behind the bestselling "Jack Reacher" series lists toughs he loves... "China, Illinois" Animator Brad Neely wants Hulk Hogan to eat him... The tale of one man's flight(s) to settle a bar bet... And we meet Rihanna, P.I. Plus: Rico tastes a bowlful of sweet, savory surrealism.


Episode 219: Colin Firth, Bobby Flay, and Molly Ringwald’s Vault

This week: Oscar-winning actor Colin Firth explores masks and the mind… We grill star chef Bobby Flay on etiquette… Food writer Michael Pollan says we are because we cook…Molly Ringwald sets a new standard for musical standards… Jane Fonda’s headbands & home videos inspire a health-crazed cocktail… And Mike Wolfe of “American Pickers” strikes it rich - as a four year old. Plus, Rachel Kushner’s hot new novel, part-time chickens, and a cowpoke joke.


Episode 218: Jonathan Lethem, Alt-J, and the Fab Four’s Freda

This week: Jonathan Lethem goes to New Jersey ... Alt-J are kind of over triangles at this point ... The Beatles' secretary gives a peek into music history ... Restaurant trends, from bars to bathrooms ... Astronaut agriculture ... Miss Manners is not telling you to lie, boast, and start rumbles ... A tempest in a cocktail glass ... Populist experimentation (in film) ... And letters from listeners like you.