Hearing Voices - Radio Stories / Entertainment

Disney Death 5:54 Jake Warga

Did Walt Disney have an obsession with death? The demise of Disney characters, from Bambi’s mom to Old Yeller, provides many children their first glimpse of violent death.

Broadcast: Nov 20 2004 on PRI/WNYC Studio 360 Subjects: Historical, Health, Entertainment, Children

Cover of Juarez book: man climbing over border fence

Juarez 4: Juarezland 5:13 Scott Carrier

Tourists and natives alike can get caught up the drug trade pervading Ciudad Juarez, a city on the U.S.-Mexico border just across the Rio Grande from Texas. [transcript]

Broadcast: Jul 12 2004 on NPR Day to DaySeries: Juarez: City on the Edge Subjects: International, Hispanic, Entertainment, Travel

Let the People Decide 7:20 Jake Warga

A trip to the auditions for the American Idol TV series to examine the merging of aestetics and democracy in the United States. It’s the latest trend: using the popular vote to create music, art, and celebrity.

Broadcast: Nov 8 2003 on PRI/WNYC Studio 360 Subjects: Entertainment, Music

Losing It at Universal Studios 5:00 Mark Allen

Temporarily insanity during a tour of Universal Studios in southern California. So many cool things to see, to do, to tour. The producer is overwhelmed by the magnificence of it all, and pretty much loses his mind. [transcript]

Broadcast: Aug 9 2003 on NPR All Things Considered Subjects: Entertainment, Travel

Lost and Found Department, Disneyland 6:26 Jake Warga

The items left behind by the tens of thousands of visitors to the Happiest Place On Earth. In the back, behind two security doors: a day with the workers that tend time in the underbelly of Disneyland: the lost and found office. Remember the last scene from "Raiders of the Lost Ark"? It’s kind of like that, but with rows and rows of Tupperware.

Broadcast: Jun 13 2003 on PRI/MPR Savvy Traveler Subjects: Entertainment, Travel, Cultural

Spirits of the Ordinary 6:02 Dmae Roberts

Crypto-Jews or hidden Jews are Sephaerdic Jews who emigrated to Mexico and other parts of Latin America to escape the Inquisition in the 1500’s. Many Latinos don’t even know their Jewish origins even though they might speak Ladino (mixture of Hebrew and Portugese and Spanish) and use Jewish chants in what they thought were exclusively Catholic services. Kathleen Alcala stumbled upon her Jewish origins and wrote Spirits of the Ordinary, a novel about her family history -- now a play in Portland. [transcript]

Broadcast: May 15 2003 on NPR Latino USA Subjects: Hispanic, International, Religious, Entertainment

London Street Threatre 4:04 Larry Massett

On the streets of London’s Theatre Distrcit: "then they were screaming at each other, and she swept the silverware off the table, threw the water at him, smashed the glass on the ground, and stormed off." [transcript]

Broadcast: Jun 1 2002 on PRI/MPR Savvy Traveler Subjects: Drama, International, Entertainment, Travel

Sarah as a child wearing Indian chief headdress

PRODUCER: Sarah Vowell Sarah Vowell

CONSONANT VOWELLS– A gallery of radio works, essays and books by Violet Incredible.

Broadcast: Jan 1 2002 on HV Webwork Subjects: Literature, Entertainment, Politics, Native