The Dinner Party

This week: Stephin Merritt's attraction to love... Actress Amy Brenneman adjudicates listener etiquette... A vengeful lunch with Joel Stein... an Alkaholic drink... Neil deGrasse Tyson defends space... Bill Plympton's favorite animation... and a 3-song prescription from Dr. Dog. Plus: Aggie yells, a Dinner Party Timeout, and a cross-word joke from singer Cate le Bon.

This week: Celebrated UK writer Geoff Dyer takes us into the "Zona"... Top Chef's Gail Simmons survives internship hell and gets her Angel wings... Damn Good Advice from legendary ad man George Lois... Bees you can drink... A big empire built on small change... Winning an election... And nomophobia on the rise. Plus: picture books for grownups, Islands with Hallways, and a Fun joke.

This week: "The Artist" director Michel Hazanavicius breaks the silence... Brendan witnesses the arrival of a fruit sensation... Titanic sound achievements, selected by a 7-time Oscar-winning sound designer... Sharon Van Etten's moody party soundtrack... the real "Bonfire of the Vanities"... and Comedian Sarah Colonna breaks up with eHarmony. Plus, travel trends, a reality-check for gamers, and a joke from Miranda July.

This week: The Shins' James Mercer blows the lid off a government cover-up... author Krys Lee's inspired immigrant tales... An Oscar-nominated Undefeated team... Emily Post's offspring get aggressive-aggressive... a tourist's guide to a city you can't visit... and Victorian puddings on the rise (plus a recipe). Plus: The weirdest bands of the year, a kiddie joke from Youth Lagoon, and a prescription for dull dinner parties from Dr. Dog.

This week: Actress Anjelica Huston reveals her secret good-luck charm ... Writer-provocateur Caitlin Flanagan blends etiquette, therapy, and cake... "The Artist's" James Cromwell talks quiet... Chickens with four wings... Greeks invade Britain... We toast the end of the world... A poem from imprisoned dissident Liu Xiaobo... Plus, nurture-over-nature, and a Major find from the Asteroids Galaxy Tour.

This week: Musical duo Chairlift offers us a martini (and some music)...Megadeth politely shreds our etiquette questions...Author-du-jour Ben Marcus says words CAN break your bones...Antonio Banderas plays kitty and creepy...A soldier lost and found - 28 years later...Plus, the latest in men's fashion, epic Sundance flops, and a joke from crime writer Robert Crais.

This week: Sketch duo Tim & Eric tell us the secret to comedy... Lucinda Williams on etiquette and (non) barbecuing... Chuck Klosterman tackles football... Shalom Auslander's words about last words... CNN's Kat Kinsman talks about not talking about "bone luging"... And the science of "disgusting." Plus, a running joke, your letters, and new Shins.

This week: "The Office" co-creator Stephen Merchant spars with Brendan... fashion guru Simon Doonan advocates mullets... humorists Dave Barry & Alan Zweibel (attempt to) read their epic epilogue... The soundtrack of The War on Drugs... Artist Chris Burden's slot-cars on steroids... And Rico digs into Frito Pie. Plus: silent senators, illin' crosswords, and far-out jokes.

This week: Director Wim Wenders speaks body language... Star Trek's George Takei takes etiquette to warp factor five... A list about Liszt, from world-renowned pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet... Kathleen Turner's fiery new role... Third Wave Coffee... Existential humor... And finally, we learn how to play dead from a corpse - and then how to come back to life from Guided By Voices.

This week: We celebrate the year's end with an all-list show. Film critic A.O. Scott explains the art (and anxiety) behind list-making... The Colbert Report's Opus Moreschi curates the year in comedy... sleeper hit films... Lists with identity crises... And the Onion lists the year's top news stories that never happened. Plus, a glimpse of the future feat. jetpacks, platefuls of bark, and your favorite artists of *next* year (like Jhene Aiko and the XX).

This week: We celebrate the best of 2011 Hear Guest of Honor interviews with Spike Lee, Carrie Brownstein, and Randy Newman... groove to disco godfather Nile Rodgers' tale of the birth of "Le Freak"... feast on a heart-stopping sandwich and a 100-year-old egg... toast Sweden's turn to the right... ponder a bigger Small Talk... then set your New Year's playlists with Song Of The Year picks from listeners like you.

This week: Patton Oswalt rocks our public radio world... A travel list from essayist Sloane Crosley... A shot-less heist inspires a shot-full cocktail... The "Rules of Regifting," according to etiquette royalty... Author Jay Kirk tells the tale of Barnum versus Britannia... a dinner party soundtrack from Kathryn Calder of the band The New Pornographers... and Rico gets a brief history of breakfast.

This week: Actor Gary Oldman turns our world upside-down... Top Chef's Gail Simmons spills some sweet and saucy etiquette tips... Artist/Musician Terry Allen uncovers 3 lost gems... We toast the instant replay (twice)... and author Lou Beach tells 6 stories with 420 characters. Plus, a crash course in video games, a joke from Brit-com phenom Stephen Merchant, and a tune from Chairlift.

This week: Actress Michelle Williams channels Marilyn... GZA of the Wu-Tang Clan proves his Genius... New Yorker critic Alex Ross shares the best of his "Best Of"... child star Barry Livingston picks his favorite characters... Gossip and Etiquette collide... Rico inhales some world-class vodka... and 7 ways to read a sandwich.

This week: David Cronenberg plays with our minds...We toast the phonograph with a drink that sounds like it...PennySaver 101 from Miranda July...Odd Future goes Pop...We're thankful for Elaine Stritch...Sarcasm in the Smithsonian?...And we check in on Real Estate in Paris.