NPR: Fredo Quits, Surfers Protest, Trapped in the Closet and Fun with Maps

Fredo Quits, Surfers Protest, Trapped in the Closet and Fun with Maps

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In today's show we take a quick trip around the nation's editorial pages to check responses to the resignation of Alberto Gonzales. Then we talk with Jim VandeHei - Executive Editor of The Politico. Later in the show we ask Paul Mirengoff of Powerline why conservatives haven't been too sorry to see Gonzales go. Mirgenoff: "Gonzales's only real offense seems to have been mediocrity."

-- We hear the amazing story of Hawaiian surfer/activists managing to stop a Superferry from docking in the Kahului Harbor. Surfers and swimmers spent about four hours in the water to block the giant ship. Surfer Mehana Vaughan tells us what it was like to to be in the water and environmental attorney Isaac Hall gives us a courtroom update.

-- The 2008 Farmer's Almanac predicts a winter of miserable cold in the east and mild temperatures in the west. We ask editor Peter Geiger about the Almanac's secret weather predicting formula based on sunspots, the position of the planets and the tidal action of the moon.

-- Rolling Stone Senior Editor Melissa Maerz is our delightful guide through "New Music Tuesday." We hear from The New Pornographers, Caribou and R. Kelly's Trapped in the Closet 13-22 DVD.* Plus a love offering to Lyle Lovett.

-- Luke and Alison get their Ramble on with George Hotz, the 17-year-old who hacked his iPhone so it would work outside of the AT&T network. Hotz traded his hacked phone for a new Nissan 350Z and three new iPhones. A British man left his prosthetic hand gripped to his motorcycle handlebar and it was stolen. He's ordered a new hand, but says: "I still need my old hand back. It was better quality and will last a lot longer." NASA will celebrate the 30th anniversary of Star Wars by sending the original Star Wars Lightsaber to the International Space Station. Chewbacca himself will transfer the lightsaber to the space agency. I feel cool.

* After the jump, essential R. Kelly scholarship.

From an Amazon review of Trapped in the Closet 13-22 DVD.

7 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
Great Film Tour De Force, August 19, 2007

R.Kelly is a Great Artist and the most Important Artist today bar none.

this Film from the direction is Orson Wells Meets Tyler Perry. I call this film R.Kelly's Citizen Kellz.

the Angel element in the film makes R.Kelly the Black Mr.Rourke from Fantasy Island and like that show you have to be careful for what you do.

the Narrative that R.Kelly does is Rod Steiger meets James Earl Jones.

the acting has R.Kelly doing a Richard Pryor/Eddie Murphy Multi Roles which is a testimony to his versatility as a Actor as well.

all of the chicks in this film were great.

Trapped needs to be on the Soap Channel and never stop.

this Movie reflects Soceity and covers a wide range of topics.

R.Kelly is a Gifted Film-Maker and Music Maker. He is like Charlie Chaplin Meets Benny Hill Meets Rudy Ray Moore all rolled into one.

R.Kelly should win a Oscar, Tony, Grammy,Emmy and a Indy Award fo rhis contributions to film and theater.

chapter 18 was classic Kellz. this film will make Laugh,feel sad, make your sides hurt and also make you think. there is nobody else like him in Entertainment today and he is wearing the crown of King. he is the Musical Genius of today and Beyond. Trapped in the Closet and the Aliens that inspired it's creations represent Yesterday,Today and Tommorow.

Lauren Spohrer

1:39 PM ET | 08-28-2007 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

You all are putting on a great show. I've been listening to each new episode at work and the only problem is that I constantly find myself jumping away from what I'm supposed to be doing and into my web browser to find out more about the stories you are covering. Thanks!

Sent by Will Kistler | 5:54 PM ET | 08-28-2007

i wasn't planning on a comment today but i just listened and loveditt......too bad i had to "create" so much mental effort in the 60's to get those music visuals! thanks for your great programming...i hope you all can warm up that cold winter acomin...

Sent by jay | 7:44 PM ET | 08-28-2007

I wonder how construction workers feel about Alberto Gonzales's comment that his worst day as a Attorney General was better than his father's best day at work since Junior had some pretty bad work days recently.

You see those Politico guys all over the place. As a new news organization, they're trying to spread the work.

Concerning Larry Craig, Idaho papers just dropped their "Is Craig gay?" probes while others wonder why his arrest went unreported for several months. Personally, I don't want the tabloid aspects of this story -- however, scandalous they are -- but this guy is a Senator!

Miss South Carolina... LOL!

This is the first time that I have heard a concerted banter effort between Luke and Matt.

Interesting show guys.

Sent by Steve Petersen | 8:22 PM ET | 08-28-2007

hey guys. thanks for the show. it was great fun as always. and thanks for the greetings (and very excellent pronounciation of my last name). when i heard it on my metro ride to work, i was completely surprised and actually smiled -- which is something that you simply DO NOT do on the moscow metro. thanks for bringing the sunshine to Moscow and giving a pleasant start to my day.

Sent by josh machleder | 1:45 AM ET | 08-29-2007

I've been listening to all of your pilots and I love the direction that the show is heading. I appreciate your interview style, in particular that I feel the interviewee is allowed to discuss the issue at hand rather than simply answer questions.

Two things I am not such a fan of:
(1) at the end of interviews why do you start the musical transition music while the interview subject is still talking? It sounds like the way that the Oscars start playing the theme music if the acceptance speech goes too long.
(2) Both Alison and Luke have used phrases like "some people might say" or "I heard that" or "a colleague said". These are relatively cheap ways of stating an (unattributed) opinion without saying "I think" or "in my opinion". Fox News does this all of the time. Please, whatever you do, don't do anything Fox "News" does and please always cite sources or admit that the opinion is yours.

Sent by John C. | 4:00 PM ET | 08-29-2007

Hey John..
I do want to let you know...whenever I say "our colleagues", I mean it. We usually all discuss the stories in the show, their merits, possible questions. One of the reasons I mention my my co-workers is I don't want to take credit for his/her idea or question. It is as simple as that.

Like you, I am not a fan of "some people say" for the reasons you mentioned. I tend to yell, "Yeah who?!?!" whenever I hear it.

So I do try to avoid it--but we are just real people and sometimes we slip up.

Thanks for pointing it out and for the constructive feedback.

Sent by Alison Stewart | 9:57 AM ET | 08-31-2007

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