Did you catch Steve Inskeep and Joe Palca's version of the Dean Martin classic this morning? I'm continually surprised at what people will do for a laugh. It did make me smile, though. 
Have you heard about The Secret? The author has been on Oprah and Slate Magazine has examined it. Oh, and the book -- there is an audiobook and DVD as well -- has been on the New York Times best seller list for 33 weeks. The secret is the law of attraction. Simply put: whatever you think about comes to you.
Book clubs have been coming up in conversation lately. I am an avid reader and am always open to suggestions, so I will make an effort on this blog to list the books that are going to be reviewed or talked about on the programs we carry. NPR has some suggested summer reading lists, but I can't find anything that grabs me. Of course, I will start the new Harry Potter on Saturday, that is after I finish reading Jane Smiley's Good Faith, but I'm always open to suggestions. Got any?
Welcome to 1999! That's right, WVPE has finally jumped on board the MySpace bandwagon now that most of the tweens have left it. (Not that we were waiting for that, it just sort of worked out that way.) The generous folks at Elkhart Community Schools let us use their system to access the internet so unfortunately, I cannot access MySpace at work. I'll do my best to keep up with it at home, though. I'm also working on a Facebook account and some other things I can still get to at the office. I'll keep you posted.
Anyone listen to the Diane Rehm Show today? I find it interesting that they are comparing Harry Potter to Star Wars. I hadn't really considered that.
Did you catch Ricky Gervais on Fresh Air today? It was a rebroadcast of an interview from December, which I actually caught the first time around, but I still didn't want to miss a minute of it. I love it when his songs. And David Bowie singing about his puffy face and stupid brains is just brilliant, hilarious and entertaining to me.
WVPE is sponsoring the South Bend Silver Hawks Culture at the Cove Night this Sunday, July 1st. The gates will open early at 5:30 p.m. with pre-game musical entertainment from singer-songwriter Riely O’Connor and special guest Molly Moon. A variety of local artists will display their talents along the concourse. 
Sing Out! - This program will be heard Sunday night at 11pm. It will replace Bluegrass Breakdown as the program following the Back Porch. It fits the style and approach of the Back Porch much better than the Bluegrass program did. Sing Out! Radio Magazine is a one-hour magazine-format radio show, with interviews, news, music and information, covering folk music and the people who make it. Produced by the same folks that have published the premier folk music magazine since 1950, the Sing Out! Radio Magazine brings the same eclectic and broad definition of folk music to the radio that the print publication has pioneered for more than 57 years and counting!
Listen Here! The Jazz Review with Neil Tesser and Mark Ruffin - This program will be heard Monday night at 7pm. It replaces Jazz Profiles which had been in reruns for awhile. Jazz Profiles is no longer producing new programs. Listen Here is a fun, lively program about jazz. The hosts are two long time Chicago residents, Neil Tesser and Mark Ruffin. (in picture Neil on left, Mark on right). They talk about and review new jazz CD’s and talk about jazz news. They disagree in a friendly, funny way. It is a fastpaced, information, fun program about jazz with a Chicago feel.
It is now becoming hip to use your own bags as opposed to wasteful plastic bags for your shopping. So popular that a $10 designer shopping bag that reads "I'm Not a Plastic Bag" has sold out in the U.K. and San Fransicso has banned plastic grocery bags.
Have you ordered tickets to see Morning Edition's Steve Inskeep on April 19th yet? There are 16 tickets left for the dinner at 5:30pm and over 200 left for the talk at 7:30pm. More information and tickets are available here.
WVPE-produced Michiana Chronicles has won a regional Edward R. Murrow Award for writing! (photo of the Chronicles staff courtesy of Kathy Borlik/IUSB Communications Dept.)This American Life by WBEZ and StoryCorps by National Public Radio have won Peabody Awards! The Peabody Awards are given by the University of Georgia, my alma mater (GO Dawgs!).
As previously blogged, This American Life's Ira Glass will be in South Bend on September 8!
This news seems to contrast nicely with the Morning Edition story about Brigham Young University's commencement speaker, Vice President Dick Cheney.
We love This American Life, don't you? Of course we love the radio show, but how do you feel about the television show? It just aired on Showtime.
For those of you who don't have Showtime, like me, you can watch the first episode on their website.
WVPE is hosting Ira Glass at Saint Mary's O'Laughlin Auditorium on Saturday, September 8, 2007. I'll let you know when tickets are available.
Steve Inskeep is coming to South Bend! Don't miss the chance to meet your Morning Edition host! You can purchase a $50 ticket to the 5:30 p.m. LaSalle Grill Catering Events with Style dinner with Inskeep (limited to 40 people) or you can get a $10 ticket to his 7:30 p.m. talk (limited to 300). For now, tickets are only available to WVPE members. Non-members will be able to purchase tickets on April 2. The 7:30 p.m. tickets are $15 for non-members.
Thanks to everyone who came out to Studebaker Friday on February 23! The event was a great success for WVPE and our partners the Studebaker National Museum.
