Bloggingheads.tv

Jun 3, 2013 — Alyssa Rosenberg & Noreen Malone

Critic Proof

On Critic Proof, Alyssa and Noreen compare New Girl creator Liz Meriwether with Girls creator Lena Dunham, especially in terms of their presentation of sex on TV. Alyssa describes how New Girl has grown on her despite her apprehensions about star Zooey Deschanel. She also discusses Mindy Kaling’s show The Mindy Project. Why are the breakout characters on the new crop of female-centric comedies mostly male? Is charm on the decline among men? Is the “unromantic comedy” on the rise? Are traditional romantic comedies bad for women? Turning back to New Girl, they suggest that romcoms could succeed by becoming more realistic about love and life.

Jun 3, 2013 — Robert Wright & Serhat Güvenç

Worldwise

Jun 2, 2013 — Jonathan Phillips & Joe Henrich

The Mind Report

Jun 1, 2013 — Robert Wright & Mustafa Akyol

Worldwise

May 31, 2013 — Robert Farley & Nate Jones

Foreign Entanglements

On Foreign Entanglements, Rob speaks with Nate about newly declassified documents concerning the secret 1983 NATO exercise Able Archer. Rob sets the stage by discussing the increase in tensions between the US and the USSR, and Nate explains why the exercise scared the Soviets. Nate then describes three sets of documents about the exercise, shedding light on Soviet fears of a US nuclear first strike, how a Warsaw Pact-NATO war in Europe would play out, and whether there was a real danger of the war game becoming real. Nate describes the “crown jewel” of declassified documents. They close by predicting the contents of declassified war on terror documents from decades in the future.

May 30, 2013 — Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis

The DMZ

On The DMZ, Bill asks Matt about his feud with Howard Dean, which leads to a reflection on the legacy of Dean’s primary campaign 10 years ago. They compare Dean to Michele Bachmann, who is retiring from Congress. Matt wonders why it’s so hard to find a smart, charismatic conservative leader like Ronald Reagan. Turning to the Obama Administration’s scandals, Bill finds it ironic that conservatives are siding with The New York Times against the Justice Department. Plus: Should Eric Holder resign?

May 29, 2013 — Robert Wright & James Traub

Worldwise

May 28, 2013 — David Blankenhorn hosts a conversation with Glenn Loury and Glenn Loury II

The Glenn Show

On a special live edition of The Glenn Show, David moderates a discussion with the Glenns, father and son. Glenn shares some family history, and Glenn II shares the story of how he came out to his parents. They consider the morality of homosexual conduct and the growing support for same-sex marriage, including the effect of personal ties on changing minds. Glenn II explains why his support of gay marriage has deepened recently. David argues that, for the sake of marriage, we must leave the culture war behind. Why is marriage declining in the general population? Should children be taught that marriage is the way to escape poverty? Finally, the three debate the comparison between the civil rights movement and the current struggle for same-sex marriage.

May 26, 2013 — Robert Wright & Enrique Acevedo