This American Life Updates

This Week on the Radio: "Stories Pitched By Our Parents"

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0600

Almost all the producers at This American Life have had the same experience: We've been pitched stories by our parents. In the past, we've invariably rejected these story ideas—either out of petulance, or because the idea was too big, or too small, or simply terrible. But this week, for our 400th episode, we pay our parents the respect they are due: Each producer solicited ideas from a parent, and chose one idea to pursue, lousy or not. Then, once we hear each other's stories, we vote on whose story turned out..."best." Brilliant concept, or nepotistic folly? Find out this week. Broadcast February 12 - February 14.

TAL iPhone App Introduction

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:00:00 -0600

Host Ira Glass gives a run-through of our new iPhone application's features, developed by the awesome folks at the Public Radio Exchange:

This American Life iPhone App

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 12:00:00 -0600

Extra! Extra! Stream all about it! We are super proud to unveil our brand new application for the iPhone and iPod touch. It's only $2.99, and pretty packed with features:

On-demand access to every radio episode we've ever produced
Lists of staff favorites, and the ability to save your own favorites list
Countdown to the Friday night live feed, which you can stream in the app
Exclusive extras like Ira Glass' and David Sedaris' first radio stories, video of live events, excerpts from our television show, audio of Ira Glass interviewing Terry Gross (and vice versa), a word from Torey Malatia (he's real!)

And some other stuff.

The app was developed by our talented friends at Public Radio Exchange (PRX).

Enjoy.

International Downloads now functioning on iTunes

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 11:00:00 -0600

For a while there, people outside the US weren't able to download This American Life episodes on iTunes. That should be all fixed now. Apologies for the delay, international friends. You can download any episode you like here. And folks in the US can of course still download too.

This Thursday: Ira and Philip Glass At the Soho Apple Store

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 08:00:00 -0600

Hi everyone—

Ira here. Philip Glass, the iconic composer of operas and film scores who—there's no non-weird way to say this—is also my cousin, is doing a live performance at the Apple Store in Soho this Thursday, January 21st. Apple is filming it and is going to offer the video on iTunes at some point, maybe that same day for all I know.

I've been asked to perform a piece that Allen Ginsberg used to perform with Philip, Ginsberg's great Vietnam-era poem "Wichita Vortex Sutra." Philip set it to music years ago, and there are a few great recordings of them performing it together, which you are just a google search away from, or try this YouTube clip, and at this point by the way are we still supposed to capitalize Google when we use it as a verb or adjective?

I've performed this with Philip once before. He plays that piano a lot louder than you might think. It's like reading a poem inside a helicopter. It's also really fun. Ginsberg used to perform the thing with a beat poet grandeur I'd be embarrassed to attempt. When he calls down the gods in the second half of the poem, he really calls down the gods. Needless to say, it's kind of the opposite of talking on the radio, where the whole point is to sound off-hand and conversational.

I'm the smallest part of this event. Philip will be playing solo, and with cellist (also his GF) Wendy Sutter which is always fantastic and really emotional, and with his chamber group. Details:

Thursday Jan 21st 7:00...Apple Store Soho 103 Prince Street New York City, NY 10012.

It's free. But you'd be smart to get there early.

PSU Student Responds to "#1 Party School"

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 10:00:00 -0600

"Ira, what have you done?" Read Rich Coleman's column in the Penn State school paper here.

"Unwanted Sex" in "#1 Party School"

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 12:00:00 -0600

After the #1 Party School show aired, a half dozen people wrote to us complaining about our use of the phrase "unwanted sex." It sounds like it means rape, so why weren't we using the term rape? They also criticized us for not talking more about sexual assaults on campuses. In case other listeners had the same questions, here's my response:

"To be clear, our intention was in no way to speak of rape euphemistically, or to sidestep the issue. Rather, we used the term "unwanted sexual experience" because it duplicates the language used by Penn State University in its own annual student surveys. Here's the question students of both sexes were asked: "Have you been a victim of an unwanted sexual experience?" (Six percent of those surveyed in 2009 said yes.) A narrower survey, of just the first two months of 2009, asked these questions: Have you: "Had sex when you didn't really want to?" (9.4% said yes); "Been pressured or forced to have sex with someone when you were too drunk to prevent it?" (3.4% said yes); "Pressured or forced someone to have sex with you after you had been drinking?" (1.5% said yes).

"While some of these incidents the students reported likely are rape, it's also safe to say that some of them aren't, and we wanted to be very careful not to misconstrue the data. This is the only data on sexual consequences/violence, as it relates to alcohol, that the university collects, so these were the only numbers, and terms, we felt we could use responsibly enough to broadcast.

"What I do know, is that so far this academic year, eleven women have reported sexual assaults to the local police. That number is higher than it was this time last year. I did consider adding that number to the story, but since I had no evidence that those assaults involved drinking, and the show was about drinking, I didn't report it.

"I do know that the majority of sexual assaults at colleges do involve alcohol, and maybe we should have said that. And perhaps I should have looked nationally to see if there's good, specific data linking drinking and rape on campuses. However, since we were mostly concentrating on stats at Penn State, we used what they had."

—Sarah Koenig (producer)

Turn In a Friend

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 12:00:00 -0600

Maybe you remember about a year ago, we asked you to turn in your friends who constantly listen to public radio and are financially secure... but never donate to their stations. Ira called some of these people up and used the recorded conversations during the pledge drive. They were super effective at raising much-needed money for stations all over the country, so we're going to produce more of these spots. And we need your help! Please tell us about your friend or loved one who listens but has never quite gotten around to pledging. Include several phone numbers for both your friend and you (last time Ira had trouble reaching some folks). Email your description and all of the contact info to: radio@thislife.org, with the subject "Turning in a Friend." Thanks! We appreciate the help.

We're Back Up On iTunes!

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 09:00:00 -0600

All of our past episodes are available again at the iTunes store, for 99 cents each! They're high quality stereo audio files. We're in the music store, so iTunes refers to the shows as 'songs'—which means we're almost as cool as musicians. You can even send them to friends as gifts, by clicking the little down arrow next to the iTunes purchase links. Have fun, and thanks for your patience while they were unavailable. Click here to see all the episodes on iTunes.

New Year, New Logo

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:00:00 -0600

You may have noticed our new This American Life logo on recent podcasts. It was designed for us by the talented folks over at Number 17, who have made logos for all sorts of famous places like Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, Orbitz and The Daily Beast. We were lucky to have convinced them to slum it with us. In the next few months we'll unveil a totally new website that they designed around this new logo.

And here are a couple of the logos concepts that we didn't choose.

Notice Regarding Holiday Orders

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 10:00:00 -0600

It has come to our attention that the fulfillment house in charge of This American Life holiday shipping failed to meet all of our holiday orders in a timely manner, and that some people received their merchandise late. We deeply apologize for any inconvenience this might have caused, and are currently working on the best way to address it. In the meantime, if you've had a problem with an order, please email Emily at emily@thislife.org with the details, including order number, a list of the merchandise you ordered and the date you ordered it, and the date that it arrived. Please put “Holiday Shipping” in the subject line.

Thank you so much for your patience and understanding, and have a wonderful New Year!

Infographical Companions

Sun, 03 Jan 2010 12:00:00 -0600

"My new years resolution is to make an infographic on every This American Life ever made. The idea is to expand and add context to the stories and information contained in the shows. Basically, anything I am curious about while listening to the pieces."

Check out the first infographic here.

TAL At The Podcast Awards

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 10:00:00 -0600

This just in! This American Life won the people's choice award in the "general" category at PodcastAwards.com—beating out Stuff You Should Know, Hogwarts Radio and Full Time Mom Podcast—and placed in the top ten for "best produced."

Also, Planet Money, which we co-produce with NPR News, has been chosen for best "business" podcast.

You can check out all of the results for this year's Podcast Awards here.

TAL and Penn State Chat With WPSU Listeners

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:00:00 -0600

Last night, after #1 Party School was broadcast, This American Life producer Sarah Koenig and Penn State Vice President of Student Affairs Damon Sims logged in to the WPSU website for a live chat with listeners regarding the issues brought up in the show. Does the legal drinking age affect college drinking problems? How do gender expectations contribute? Should drinking be allowed in student housing? Read the full discussion here.

Mutants Listen to TAL

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:00:00 -0600

This American Life appeared in the latest X-Men comic, Nation X #1! Nightcrawler and Wolverine tune in. See a scan of the panel at the Vocalo blog.

Please Help Keep Our Show In Production

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 08:00:00 -0600

It costs Chicago Public Radio $130,000 a year to cover the bandwidth for delivering our free podcast. And it costs a lot more than that to produce the show itself. In the past that money has come from people donating to public radio stations, but more and more people like you are listening online...and we need your help. A buck. Five bucks. Ten if you can spare it. Click here to donate. We're hoping that lots of little donations like this can keep the show in production, and keep the podcast and streaming free. We really appreciate you helping out.

Also, and this is very exciting: now you can text your donation. Just text the word LIFE to the number 25383, and a one-time donation of $5 will be added to your mobile phone bill. Send your text, then reply YES to the confirmation. It literally takes ten seconds, and will be a huge help. If that's confusing, you can of course just donate on the web. Again, thank you. We can't make the show without your help.

New This American Life Merch For the Holidays!

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:00:00 -0600

Search no further for your holiday shopping. Well OK, you're going to have to shop a lot of other places too. But we do have some cool new stuff, including:

DVDs of "Return to the Scene of the Crime," our 2009 live cinema show. Dan Savage, Mike Birbiglia and Starlee Kine all perform. Plus a special musical appearance by Joss Whedon, a cartoon by Chris Ware and more. Shot by 7 HD cameras and packed with bonus features like audio commentary, behind the scenes photos and the popular pre-show puzzles. Lovingly mastered by John Kuramoto with menu art by Chris Ware and package art by Travis Bone.

Snowman T-Shirts! A while back we had a t-shirt design contest, and one of the winners was Jon Shkiele's weightlifting snowman image, inspired by a story in our episode "The Super." To all who have been bugging us about when they'll be available: never. Just kidding: now.

"Your Guide to the Meltdown" 4-CD Set. This package collects four full hours of economics coverage by the Planet Money team: "The Giant Pool of Money," "Another Frightening Show about The Economy," "Bad Bank" and "The Watchmen." You know, the shows that made you think that finance could actually be really dramatic and entertaining. Really cool packaging design.

Also back in stock: the Super Limited Edition DVD/Book collecting both seasons of our TV show, with 64 pages of production photographs and diaries.

Plus posters, greatest hits CDs, mugs, you name it. DEADLINE FOR CHRISTMAS DELIVERY: SUNDAY DECEMBER 13th. (Shipments will arrive by Dec 23rd).

Cheers,
Your friends at TAL

Life Imitates Speculation

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:00:00 -0600

Ira writes:

So remember how the Infidelity episode started with Jessica Pressler of the Daily Intel blog at NY Magazine? She'd noticed that the New York Times wedding section sometimes featured couples who got together when one of them cheated on a previous relationship. She wondered what it would be like to be the ex in that situation, to open the paper one day and read the details of the affair.

Well...someone heard that and wrote in. I've deleted identifying details but the story checks out:

I just listened to the podcast of Ep. 393: Infidelity and was particularly struck by the intro, since this exact thing happened to me.

I once upon a time had a girlfriend for five and a half years and then some five years after we broke up, she got married and I discovered (after I'd gone to the wedding) in the New York Times that she had cheated on me with her now-husband.

The operative part of the announcement in the Times was: 'The bride and bridegroom met over the holiday weekend in XXX, when XXX and a friend stayed in Washington as houseguests of Mr. XXX’s oldest friend. XXX and XXX saw each other now and then over the years and even kissed five years later at a wedding. But they were seeing others and were in different cities.'

The guy sent in a work of fiction he'd written about the incident. In it, the protagonist reads the article in the paper, storms in on the bride and groom before the wedding and punches the groom in the face. So there!

In reality, by the time the story appeared in the New York Times, this guy was happily married to someone else. Which, um, takes some of the tension out of the whole thing. He writes: "My own reaction was much more measured than the main character's in the story—to me, it was mostly just a kind of sad postscript to what was (while I was in it) a usually happy relationship."

This American Life Wins Big at Third Coast

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:00:00 -0600

Stories from This American Life took home the first and second place awards at the 2009 Third Coast International Audio Festival Richard H. Dreihaus Foundation Competition. Michael May’s story "My Way or the FBI Way," about activist-turned-FBI-informant Brandon Darby, won the gold. And Mary Beth Kirchner’s story about transgender kids, "Tomgirls," won the silver. Both stories were edited by This American Life producer Nancy Updike. Congratulations Michael, Mary Beth and Nancy!

Ira Interviews Etgar Keret at Live NYC Event

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:00:00 -0600

Next Wednesday, October 28th at the New York Public Library, This American Life host Ira Glass will talk with author Etgar Keret (whom you may know from TAL episodes The Truth Will Out, or Turncoat, or Enemy Camp) on the topic "Is Reality Overrated?" The discussion will cover his short fiction and films, as well as runaway piggy banks, bus drivers, "and other, lesser gods"—and Keret will be reading his newest short story at the event, one that has never been performed before. It should be an amazing and interesting evening, and we'd love for you to join us.

And—and!—if you'd like to get tickets, TAL listeners can get a special discount, by using code GLASS. You can purchase them at smarttix.com, or call 212-868-4444.

Interview With Joss Whedon

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:00:00 -0600

Ira interviews Joss Whedon onstage. Among the questions: What old episodes of Buffy do you go back and rewatch? How come in the Buffy comic book, Buffy's and Willow's boobs keep growing? What would've happened on Firefly if it would've continued? (Okay Joss only gives a few morsels on that one.) Why do all the strong women at the center of your shows (Buffy, Echo, even River) have older dudes watching over them protecting them? What's so great about Battlestar Galactica that you've said "I love that show the way other people love 'Buffy.' I love it unreasonable. It feels wrong"? And ... most important of all ... Six reavers vs six vampires: who wins?

Joss and Ira did this as a benefit onstage for the literacy group 826NYC. You can hear the full interview here for free, though they'd both love it if you'd toss a buck or two into the virtual hat while you're there.

Another Emmy for This American Life TV

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0600

We're proud to announce that Joe Beshenkovsky was awarded the Outstanding Editing for Nonfiction Programming Emmy, for his work on the This American Life TV episode "John Smith." E! Entertainment Television will broadcast the awards this Friday afternoon. So if you’re home on Fridays and have cable, check it out. Then again, it’s a two-hour edited version of a four hour awards show, and Joe swore several times in his speech (it's the only Emmy speech we've heard of with the word "fellate" in it), so who knows if you’ll get to see him win. But hopefully they leave it in, because his speech was pretty awesome.

And if you haven’t seen the John Smith episode yet, you can see it, along with the rest of our TV episodes and a bunch of behind-the-scenes stuff, on a super limited edition DVD set that is only available here on our website.

Congrats Joe!

Hey New Yorkers: This American Life Event on Wednesday 9/16

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:00:00 -0600

If you're in the NYC area and are curious how the radio show is put together, head on up to the 92nd Street Y on Wednesday, September 16th. Ira Glass and most of the This American Life staff will be on stage for a moderated discussion taking you behind the scenes of production. You just might learn, once and for all, what that song was playing underneath the second story in that one episode you heard on a road trip in 1997.

Buy tickets here.

Archive Downloads Temporarily Unavailable

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0600

Heads up that our old episodes are temporarily not available for the ninety-five cent download option, while we put them on iTunes via a new provider. They'll start to show up again soon!

Don't forget, you can always stream old shows for free from our website, or purchase CDs.

Limited Edition Double-DVD And Book!

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 11:00:00 -0600

After we finished the second season of our television show, we thought it would be cool to put together a special DVD set with all of the episodes from seasons One and Two, plus a book that takes you behind the scenes of the TV show. It of course ended up being a ton of work and taking five times as long as we thought, but it turned out pretty great. We made this especially for all of you radio fans who've still never seen the TV show, to answer all your questions and finally get the show into your hands. It has essays about how we turned the radio show into a TV show by (click names to preview) Ira Glass, director Chris Wilcha and cinematographer Adam Beckman, as well as little stories from dozens of people on the production team. But most of the 64 pages are gorgeous photos taken during the two-plus years of filming—photos like this, this and this. An amazing designer named Paul Sahre did the layout. Our original print run is just 2,000 (we'll do more soon!) so act fast before they're all bought up!

You can't purchase this DVD set and book in stores, just here on our website.

What Would David Sedaris Play?

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:00:00 -0600

Last year, California station KCRW asked Sarah Vowell to join them for a Guest DJ Project episode. Now, you can hear David Sedaris' favorite tunes.

For his Guest DJ set, he tells tales of songs he loves so much he "burned holes" in the records and explains how his ideas about romantic relationships were defined by a 70's folk artist and his love of jazz music was cemented by his father.

You can check out his five-song tracklist and the show's transcript here, and download the full episode MP3 from KCRW (it's about twelve minutes long) here.

Thank You For All Your Help!

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0600

Ira writes:

I was in Dallas at the Mayborn Writers Conference this weekend and a listener handed me this five dollar bill to cover his podcast listening.

Recently a cabdriver in Chicago insisted that I keep the fare I should have paid him, and donate it instead to the podcast. Thanks to them and everyone else who donated this past month. We did meet our goal and covered the cost of bandwidth that WBEZ paid to get you the podcast for the past year.

Story Update: Mike Phillips' Travels

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0600

In "Escape," the first episode in our second television season, we introduced you to Mike Phillips and his unique struggles to live an independent life. This week he took a trip to New York City—with an assistant and a friend, but without his mother. You can read his accounts on his blog, here.

This American Life At The Emmys

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 11:00:00 -0600

We're proud to announce that the second season of the This American Life television show has been nominated for four Emmys!

The "John Smith" episode has been nominated for "Outstanding Cinematography For Nonfiction Programming" (Adam Beckman, Director of Photography), "Outstanding Directing For Nonfiction Programming" (Chris Wilcha and Adam Beckman, Directors), and "Outstanding Picture Editing For Nonfiction Programming" (Joe Beshenovsky, Editor).

If you haven't seen the second season yet, you can order it in our store or on iTunes.

Ira Glass Awarded 2009 Edward Murrow

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0600

Our host Ira Glass received public radio's highest individual honor this Wednesday: an Edward Murrow award!

"This American Life has created a new aesthetic for public radio, now emulated by a new generation of producers and reporters," said Lori Gilbert, CPB board member who presented the award to Glass at the Public Radio Development and Marketing Conference in San Diego, California. "Congratulations to Ira for his remarkable contributions to public radio over the last thirty years."

Read the full announcement here.

Now, With PayPal

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0600

You can now donate to This American Life using our secure site, or, if you prefer, through PayPal. Thank you for your support!

This American Life...in Russia

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:00:00 -0600

If you've been wondering why you haven't been seeing host Ira Glass on the NYC subway lately, it's because he's currently in Moscow, talking with Russian radio journalists about This American Life. You can hear the audio from these lectures here (they start in Russian, but Ira speaks in English).

The feature is here— or, in (Babelfished) English, here.

Help Keep the Podcast Free!

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0600

As you may have heard, last year it cost Chicago Public Radio more than $120,000 to pay for the bandwidth required to deliver our free podcast and streaming files. That's not computers. That's not staff. That's not the production of the show. That's just the server bandwidth required to get the show to you on the internet.

In the past we've been able to cover these costs with a flood of small donations—if we can keep that up, we can keep the podcast free.

Would you consider helping out? Five, ten bucks—anything you can give will be greatly appreciated! Click here to donate online.

Many thanks,
—Your friends at This American Life

New Television Episode!

Wed, 27 May 2009 12:00:00 -0600

"No Respect"—our new television episode about standup comedy, featuring Jonathan Goldstein and Mike Birbiglia, airs Thursday, May 28th at 9:30pm ET on Showtime.

Television Or Radio?

Fri, 22 May 2009 12:00:00 -0600

This American Life host Ira Glass refereed an epic AV Smackdown earlier this month, in which Radiolab hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich faced off over which medium was superior: television or radio. (And yes, satin robes and boxing gloves were involved.)

You can download an mp3 of the debate and view the image slideshow here.

Encore! Tomorrow Night!

Wed, 06 May 2009 12:00:00 -0600

If you missed the live show, or loved it and want to share it with your friends—make sure to catch the encore showing tomorrow night! Get tickets for the May 7th event here.

Of Mice And Law And Order: Two Videos

Fri, 01 May 2009 12:00:00 -0600

You can catch the majority of the content of our live show through its radio version—but if you loved the videos and want to watch them again, or if you didn't get a chance to see either of the live events and won't be seeing the encores (coming up!), we've uploaded them right here for you to see. Chris Ware's "Quimby The Mouse" can also be viewed in HD, and David Rakoff, Dave Hill and Miles Kahn's "Law and Order" was formerly exclusive to the Chicago live event.

Quimby The Mouse from This American Life on Vimeo.

Law And Order: BFD from This American Life on Vimeo.

Live Show Encore Coming Up! Now Including Canada!

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 12:00:00 -0600

If you missed the live show, or loved it and want to share it with your friends—we've added an encore showing! Get tickets for the May 7th event here. (Psst. Closer to Canada? Click here.)

Busy Busy Busy: Colbert Tonight!

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:00:00 -0600

Ira Glass will be Stephen Colbert's guest on The Colbert Report tonight. You can catch that interview on Comedy Central at 11:30pm ET/10:30pm C.

Update: here is the clip from Comedy Central!

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Ira Glass

colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

Gay Marriage Commercial

SO MANY WAYS to Deepen Your Relationship With This American Life!

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 12:00:00 -0600

THIS JUST IN: there is so much demand for tickets to the live show, that we've just added an encore screening on Thursday, May 7th. So if your theatre was sold out, or if you can't make it on the 23rd, click here for encore tickets.

Plus—if you're in New York—Ira Glass will be making two local appearances in April:

On April 28th, Ira interviews his cousin, the composer Philip Glass, onstage at a fundraiser for St Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn. Philip will perform his music and talk about it. Tickets are here.

And on April 30th, Ira will be a dealing blackjack at The Bailout Casino. That’s a fundraiser for 826NYC, an amazing nonprofit that teaches kids to write.

Our Economy Team, Coming Up Next On The News

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:00:00 -0600

This American Life producer Alex Blumberg and NPR's Adam Davidson, the team behind This American Life episodes like "The Giant Pool of Money" as well as the Planet Money podcast, will be on The Rachel Maddow Show tomorrow! You can also catch them on Meet The Press this weekend.

Find air times in your area here, and check out all of our shows on the economy here.

No April Fools: "The Giant Pool of Money" Wins Peabody

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 12:00:00 -0600

Today, The University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications announced the 2008 Peabody Awards. And "The Giant Pool of Money", which This American Life produced in collaboration with Planet Money, is on their list!

We're extremely excited. Here's what they had to say about the show:

"The first-ever collaboration of 'This American Life' and NPR's news division, this report was impressive for the arresting clarity of its explanation of the financial crisis we're in, and even more so for its having aired so early—May 2008."

You can check out all of our economical coverage here.

Win a Limited Edition Live Show Poster!

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:00:00 -0600

Artist Travis Bone designed this lovely poster for our upcoming show that we’re sending live to movie theatres on April 23rd:

Want one of your very own? We'll be making them available for purchase in our store soon, but you can also find out how to win one of ten hand-printed and signed posters, here.

Movie Tickets on Sale: This American Life -- Live!

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 09:00:00 -0600

Hello friends,

Movie theater tickets are on sale NOW for This American Life—Live!, our stage show that will be beamed via satellite to more than 400 movie screens nationwide on Thursday, April 23rd!

We’re getting psyched for the show: Ira Glass will host an actual episode of the radio program, performed onstage by some of our favorite contributors. Dan Savage, Starlee Kine, and Mike Birbiglia will tell stories. David Rakoff and Dave Hill will conduct a ‘special investigation.’ Plus a new cartoon from Chris Ware, additional visuals by Arthur Jones, and a very special appearance by Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer! The performance will last around two hours. Come on out!

One night only. Thursday, April 23rd, on select movie screens nationwide.

Ticket info here.

Take care,
— Your friends at TAL

This American Life -- Live!

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 18:00:00 -0600

We're excited to announce that This American Life will be doing two live shows this April! Some of our favorite contributors will join host Ira Glass to perform the radio show live onstage—including Dan Savage, David Rakoff, Starlee Kine, Mike Birbiglia and Dave Hill. Plus visuals by Arthur Jones. It's going to be tons of fun, and we'd love for you to join us.

On Sunday April 19th, we'll be in Chicago at the Chicago Theatre.
And on Thursday April 23rd, we'll be at NYU Skirball Center in New York City.

Both live shows have sold out, but...do not despair. We'll be filming the New York show and sending it live to movie theatres all across the country! Click here to add yourself to our cinema event update list, so you’ll be the first to learn when tickets will go on sale.

Turn in a friend – Part II

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 13:00:00 -0600

Hello, listeners:

For the last pledge drive, we asked you to turn in your friends and loved ones who constantly listen to This American Life and other public radio shows, but never pledge. You turned in lots and lots of people, and Ira called some of them to record very popular spots that helped stations raise money to stay on the air. Take a listen:

Many people who heard the spots emailed to ask when they could turn in their delinquent, public-radio loving people. That time is now! We’re going to create more of these spots for the next drive.

So if you know someone who loves public radio but never pledges, here’s what we need: your name and phone number, the name and phone number of the person you’re squealing on, and a quick description of their listening habits and non-pledging habits. Update: we've gotten all we need for now. Thanks for helping out!

— Your friends at TAL

Bench-Pressing Snowman Found

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 10:00:00 -0600

This American Life listener Eric Peltier emailed us a couple of days ago, after stumbling upon this particular snow sculpture in the woods. You may recognize him from Act II of The Super . . .

Bench-pressing snowman!

We love it. Click here for another view of that snowy brawn—complete with pipe!

Support our Free Podcast and Streaming

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 01:00:00 -0600

Dear listeners,

Last week, the economic crisis that we’ve been reporting on hit especially close to home. A dozen colleagues from our home radio station, WBEZ Chicago, had to be laid off. It costs the radio station around $150,000 per year just for the internet bandwidth to deliver the free podcast and web stream of This American Life. That’s not staff. Not computers. Just the bandwidth. We really want the podcast to remain free, but the radio station cannot absorb these costs; that would mean more layoffs. So we’re asking for your help. We’re thrilled that last year, we were able to make up this entire bandwidth cost through thousands of small donations from listeners. So if you’re a regular podcast listener, or if you use this website a lot, please consider pitching in. You can donate online here.

Thank you very much. In the current economy, your support means more than ever.
—TAL

What Would Sarah Vowell Play?

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 12:00:00 -0600

KCRW, a public radio station located in Southern California, has a neat program called the Guest DJ Project where they invite an array of cultural icons to share and discuss songs that have inspired and moved them. This week This American Life contributor Sarah Vowell took to the sound board: playing songs and telling stories that ranged in topic from feminism, to Marxism, to a risqué Christmas.

You can check out her five-song tracklist and the show's transcript here, and download the full episode MP3 from KCRW (it's about ten minutes long) here.

This American Life T-Shirts!! (And DVDs!)

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:00:00 -0600

Good news, holiday shoppers. The winning t-shirt from our design contest is now available in our store! Brian Kaas drew the really cool radio design, and shirts are available in both unisex and ladies' sizes. Pick one up today!

Also new in our store: DVDs of the complete first season of This American Life TV!

To receive your shipment in time for Christmas, make sure to order by Sunday, December 14th.

They're perfect as gifts—and we won't tell if you buy them for yourself, too. Let's get this economy back on track, people.

Cheers,
TAL

Ira discusses the Poultry Slam with David Letterman

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 09:00:00 -0600

In an April 2007 episode of Late Night With David Letterman, Ira tells the story of poultry activists protesting the name of the show Poultry Slam...and how this ultimately led him to giving up chicken.

Want more? Check out our favorite Poultry Slams: from 1996, 1997 and 2007.

Live Puppy Channel

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:00:00 -0600

Years ago we did a story about a man who wanted to create a puppy channel on cable TV. Now a live puppy cam is getting some Internet buzz. It's kind of great.

Phone Promos

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:00:00 -0600

Earlier in the year we opened up a phone line where you could call to tell us what you think of the show, and we would potentially use your message in an on-air promo. We received seven hours of voicemail. And we created seven promos, which we think are pretty entertaining. Click the links to listen:

Parentsitter.mp3

Thanks for calling.
—TAL

By Popular Demand...More Pledge Drive!

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 01:00:00 -0600

Do you remember a while back when we asked you to turn in your friends and family members who don't pledge? Well, lots of people did, and Ira called some of them to ask why they listen to public radio all the time but never donate. We played these conversations during the pledge drive.

Quite a few listeners who heard them on the air have asked how they can hear them again. This may be a public radio first—people actually wanting to hear more pledge drive. So, by popular demand, here are the segments:

If they inspire you to donate, you can do that here.

Take Our Podcast Listener Survey

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 12:00:00 -0600

Hello, podcast listeners. You might have noticed that a couple of underwriters are mentioned at the beginning of recent episodes. This is part of our continual efforts to keep the show afloat, and to only have to ask for donations a few times each year. We've set up a podcast listener survey to help us find underwriters that fit the show, and it would be a really big help if you could take a few minutes to fill it out. It's anonymous and none of the information will be shared.

Please note, this survey is just for podcast listeners. If you only listen on the radio, no need to fill it out.

Thanks for helping us out!
— The TAL team

TAL Wins Big at Third Coast

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 12:00:00 -0600

Two This American Life stories took home honors at the 2008 Third Coast International Audio Festival. Starlee Kine won the top prize—Best Documentary: Gold Award—for her story "Dr. Phil" in our episode about break-ups. That’s the one where Starlee gets advice from Phil Collins on writing a torch song. Also, Alex Blumberg and Adam Davidson won both the Director’s Choice Award and Best Documentary: Honorable Mention for The Giant Pool of Money, our episode about the mortgage crisis. Congratulations Starlee, Alex and Adam! Read more about the Third Coast Festival here.

Tuesday in NYC! A Show Ridiculously Overstuffed with Famous People!

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:00:00 -0600

Hi everyone. Ira Glass here. This Tuesday in New York City I'll be appearing at this fundraiser that really is overbooked with the famous. Paul Simon is playing. Parker Posey and Patricia Clarkson are performing with Bobby Canavale, Tunde Adebimpe (of TV on the Radio) and Jonathan Franzen. Not to mention Dave Eggers. That's just how star-studded this evening is. Dave Eggers is buried in the sixth sentence in this paragraph. Also: Department of Eagles (members of Grizzly Bear), Thao Nguyen and Zach Rogue. The Daily Show's John Oliver hosts.

It's 8PM on Tuesday, October 7th at Town Hall (123 W. 43rd Street). All proceeds go to the literacy program 826NYC. Tickets are available here. Read more about the event here.

Looking For Our Coverage of the Financial Crisis?

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:00:00 -0600

If you read about us in The New York Times, or heard a segment from The Giant Pool of Money on your local station's fundraising drive, you can check out the full episode here. You can listen for free at your computer, or download a copy of the show for 95 cents.

We also recommend:

Alex Blumberg and Adam Davidson (the guys who did that program) have a new daily, free podcast and blog applying that same explanatory power to each day's breaking news on the financial crisis—Planet Money.
Enforcers, Act II "Now You SEC Me, Now You Don't"
Next week on TAL: "Another Frightening Show About the Economy" (promo available here)
A great episode of Fresh Air, in which Terry Gross interviews Michael Greenberger, a former director at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. He gives a very helpful, lucid primer on the current financial picture.
A follow-up Terry did with Greenberger, just as good, when the government bailed out AIG in mid-September.

Understand the current bailout! Regale dinner parties with your take on credit default swaps! Amaze your friends!

We Won!

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:00:00 -0600

To paraphrase Meat Loaf, two out of five ain't bad. On Saturday we won Emmys for Outstanding Nonfiction Series and Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming. Ira writes:

Up until the weekend of the ceremony, we'd all been kind of shrugging it off. We wouldn't be in the big televised ceremony that the stars are at; our categories were presented as part of the "Creative Arts" Emmys which includes all sorts of tech awards—Best Sound Editing for a Series, Best Makeup Without Prosthetics, that kind of thing—and some of the nonfiction and reality show awards. Since it wasn't the big Emmy ceremony, what was the big deal?

But then we got there and suddenly it seemed very big and official and there was a red carpet and actual TV stars and now we wanted to win very badly.

We lost the first three awards we were up for: Cinematography, Writing and Editing. It started to feel like this wasn't our crowd, like we weren't going to win anything. And then, when they read the nominees for Best Nonfiction Series, the camera man roaming the aisle next to me flipped through some notes and then trained his camera on James Lipton, the host of Inside the Actors Studio, one of our competitors. About a half-dozen of us saw this and we turned to each other and said "Okay, we're dead." And then we won! When they called our names, it was truly a shock. It was like one of those movies where they fake you out with an ending where everything goes wrong and the main character dies and you're sad and then Aha! Psych! And everything works out great. It was very exciting.

Turns out the although this is not the big Emmys ceremony, this one will be broadcast next weekend on E!

Pictured: From left, cinematographer Adam Beckman, host Ira Glass and senior producer Julie Snyder backstage after winning the Emmy for Best Nonfiction Series. Photo by Banks Tarver.

We Have A Winner!

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:00:00 -0600

A big thanks to the hundreds and hundreds of people who entered our recent T-Shirt design contest! We were incredibly impressed by the designs.

And the winner is...Brian Kaas of San Francisco, CA! His very elegant radio design [below] seemed perfect for the next TAL pledge drive thank-you gift.

We also really love Jon Shkiele's weight-lifing snowman design (from Episode 323 ‘The Super’). We're planning to get those made too, to put in our online store. I mean, look at that tank top the snowman is wearing.

Click here to see more of our favorites.

TAL T-shirt Design Contest Closed!

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 10:00:00 -0600

Thanks to the many, many folks who entered our t-shirt design contest! The deadline has passed, and we're no longer accepting entries. Give us a few days to sort through the hundreds of designs you submitted, and we'll announce the winner soon.

Five Emmy Nominations For This American Life Television Show

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:00:00 -0600

We're very proud to announce that the second season of This American Life television has been nominated for five (5!) Emmy Awards, with special attention for the first episode, “Escape”:

Outstanding Nonfiction Series: The Producing Team, This American Life
Outstanding Cinematography For Nonfiction Programming: Adam Beckman, Director of Photography, "Escape"
Outstanding Directing For Nonfiction Programming: Chris Wilcha, Director and Adam Beckman, Director, "Escape"
Outstanding Picture Editing For Nonfiction Programming: Joe Beshenkovsky, Editor, "Escape"
Outstanding Writing For Nonfiction Programming: Ira Glass, "Escape"

Read more about Season Two here, and check out the complete list of 2008 Emmy nominations here.

TAL T-Shirt Design Contest Details!

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:00:00 -0600

So you’ve heard that we’re holding a contest to design a This American Life t-shirt. You’ve also heard that it will be our thank you gift for the next pledge drive, and that the winner will get $1000. And, well, you happen to be a pretty awesome graphic designer. In that case, all you need are the contest rules and submissions instructions. The deadline is soon: Monday July 28th. We’re excited to see your designs!

TAL T-shirt Design Contest

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 08:00:00 -0600

Every once in a while, listeners ask if we have a new This American Life t-shirt. And we tell them no. And then, well, maybe they feel sad. We assume it's just sad, and not something worse, like morose..or despondent. Truth is, it's been a while since we've had a shirt idea that we really like.

This is where you come in. That's right: we're holding a t-shirt design contest!

Create a This American Life t-shirt, and your art could end up on the backs (or fronts, depending on your design) of thousands of people. Because.... drum rolllll.... the shirt is going to be our thank-you gift during the next national pledge drive. Then later, after the drive, we'll make it available in our webstore.

Oh, and the winner will also get a cash prize of $1000. Okay, it won't be cash. It'll be a check.

The deadline will be in late July, and we'll post complete contest rules and submission instructions soon. In the meantime, start working up your design. We're excited to see what you come up with!

Help Keep Our Podcast and Streaming Free

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 10:00:00 -0600

Hello, listeners.

It's been a year-and-a-half since we decided to offer our show as a free, weekly podcast, and that's been a crazy, whopping success. But because so many people—sometimes more than half a million—are downloading and streaming our show each week, the Internet bandwidth to distribute the program this way costs $152,000 per year. We want to keep offering This American Life for free. You want us to keep offering the show for free. Our home station, Chicago Public Radio, doesn't need to make money on our podcast, but they can't lose $152,000 a year on it, either.

We think we can cover the whole cost by coming to you, hopefully just twice a year, virtual hat in hand. If you listen regularly over the Internet, please pitch in a little cash. To all the people who gave six months ago, a sincere thank you, and please consider giving a small amount again. A dollar from every Internet listener would more than pay for everything, but of course not everyone's going to give, so consider a $5 donation. It'll cover you and a few other people for a year of listening. If you donate more than a few bucks, you can choose thank-you gifts—including some stuff you can't get anywhere else. One of the items is a CD of "The Giant Pool of Money," our incredibly popular, recent episode about the mortgage crisis, which many listeners wanted to purchase as a gift.

Our dream is that we'll get you and most of our Internet listeners to chip in at the $1 or $5 level, and that'll cover everything. We'd love to take care of this expense with a flood of little donations from the people who actually listen to our show this way. And of course, if you feel that getting an hour of our show every week is worth more to you than a dollar a year, we'd be grateful for anything else you'd care to contribute. We really want to keep the podcast free.

Thanks so much,
Ira Glass

Ira on Conan!

Wed, 28 May 2008 13:00:00 -0600

If you are

A) Super-cool and stay out really late
B) A big nerd and go to bed early

that means you missed Ira Glass's appearance last Friday on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. But the good news is, you can stream it online!

Ira shows us the freakish advertisement he recently saw in Canada, breaks the news to movie theater owners about a scary new technology called "television," and talks about the very ambitious season finale of our TV show:

Let Us Know What You Thought of Our Cinema Event

Mon, 05 May 2008 12:00:00 -0600

A big thanks to the more than 20,000 of you who turned out to your local movie theaters last Thursday night for This American Life - Live! No other radio show had ever tried a nationwide cinema simulcast, and we didn't really know what to expect. So we were thrilled that so many people came out, and even more thrilled to read the positive feedback on your blogs (thanks, Google Alerts!).

It was more technologically complex than anything we'd ever attempted—with shots from five HD cameras intercut live, video playback, Ira synching audio to visuals, and everything beamed onto 330 screens across the country. We're amazed that nothing exploded.

Oh, and remember when Ira read the wedding proposal from the guy in a theater in Peoria? She said yes.

We weren't able to send spies to every theater, so tell us what you thought of the show! Leave us comments on MySpace and Facebook, and add your photos to our Flickr pool (Tag 'em tal-live, and give us some details in the description, willya?)!

Thanks, again, to everyone who joined us on Thursday. You're awesome!

Pictured: The satellite truck that made the whole shebang possible. Photo by Seth Lind.

New Chris Ware Animation for TAL TV

Fri, 02 May 2008 16:00:00 -0600

For the second season of our television show, cartoonist Chris Ware once again teamed up with animator John Kuramoto. You may recognize the story, told by public radio veteran Robert Krulwich, from our radio show. Here's Chris and John's complete segment from our television episode "Every Marriage Is a Courtroom":

Season Two debuts this Sunday, May 4, at 10 pm ET/PT on Showtime. See more clips on our Showtime site!

Ira on Letterman Tonight!

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0600

Ahead of next Thursday's special event on the big screen, Ira will appear on the small screen tonight. He'll be on the Late Show with David Letterman alongside Craig Ferguson and The Black Crowes. Items on the agenda: doggie anti-depressants, testosterone, and our upcoming cinema simulcast.

So tune in tonight—11:30 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

Pictured: TAL producer Jane Feltes (left) and intern Emily Youssef on the set of the Late Show.

TAL on Television: Season Two Debuts May 4 on Showtime

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:00:00 -0600

We've been bursting at the seams to share this with you, so without further ado, here's a preview of season two of our television show:

The stories are funnier and more confident this time around, and we're really excited for you to see them. Our six-episode run debuts Sunday, May 4 at 10 pm ET/PT on Showtime.

This American Life - Live! Tickets on Sale Now

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:00:00 -0600

If you haven't seen it, here's the event trailer that's currently playing in movie theatres across the country:

If you have a question for Ira, email ask@thisamericanlife.org by Friday, April 18—and be creative!

Again, this event is one night only: Thursday, May 1 at 8 pm EDT/7 pm CDT/6 pm MDT and tape-delayed at 8 pm PDT (we wanted it all to be live, but figured a 5 pm start would be pushing it for lots of you West Coasters). Search for theatres near you, and buy tickets here!

Important Note: We're screening this event everywhere we can. Please understand that we're at the mercy of theatres' capability to show a live, digital satellite feed, and the equipment for that takes significant time and money to set up. So unfortunately, we can't accommodate requests to screen the show in additional venues. Thanks.

TV Season One on DVD

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 17:00:00 -0600

Chances are, if you're a fan of our radio show, you may not have actually seen our television show. DVDs of our first season come out on January 29, and they'll be available exclusively at Borders:

Watch another promo.

TAL Wins DuPont Journalism Award

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 21:00:00 -0600

We're proud to share that This American Life contributor Alix Spiegel has won an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for her story "Which One of These is Not Like The Others?" Alix's story is Act One in episode #322: Shouting Across the Divide.

Ira and the "New Kings" Live Onstage: New in Our Store

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 18:00:00 -0600

In this live recording, Ira is joined onstage at Town Hall in New York by three amazing writers: Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Orlean, and Chuck Klosterman. All three appear in Ira's anthology The New Kings of Nonfiction.

In a very funny conversation, each writer chooses a passage of the others' work to read and comment on. Malcolm, Chuck and Ira are all shocked when they hear how much time Susan spends with her interviewees. Malcolm talks about a story he was sure was going to be his magnum opus, except for the unfortunate fact that no one else saw it that way. Chuck explains how he's able to write so much. Each writer describes how he or she would go about writing a magazine profile of one of the others. And for one surprising moment that catches everyone off guard, there's a side by side comparison of Chuck Klosterman and Dante.

If you or a loved one are among the 303,576,253 Americans who somehow missed this extremely popular event, don't miss your second chance!

Break-Up Song Contest Winners

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 19:00:00 -0600

A few months back, we held a contest for listeners to remix, re-perform, or reimagine Starlee Kine's break-up song from episode 339. Well, polls have closed, votes are in, ballots are counted...and we've posted the winners for your heartbreak listening pleasure.

Ira on The Sound of Young America

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 11:00:00 -0600

Ira writes:

Recently I was interviewed for one of my favorite podcasts, The Sound of Young America. If you haven't heard the show, some episodes I'd recommend: Chuck Klosterman/Dave Foley (which contains absolutely perfect interviews with both men), any of the John Hodgman appearances, and—though I normally find him a bore—the Henry Rollins interview. My wife pointed out that host Jesse Thorn gets the most amazing quote out of Henry Rollins, by coaxing him to talk about all the comedy albums he loved as a kid. Revealing and fascinating.

Every comedian you've ever heard of has been on the show, as well as many This American Life regulars, like Jonathan Goldstein, Dan Savage, David Rakoff—even our senior producer Julie Snyder.

I'm also a fan of Jordan, Jesse GO!, which Jesse Thorn co-hosts with his friend Jordan Morris. The first one I heard was "Ep. 27: Sadcast," and it was good enough to get me hooked. After discussing Tofutti Cuties, laundry, DVD extras, and other subjects, Jesse talks about his dying dog Woofie.

TAL TV Wins International Documentary Association Award

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 10:00:00 -0600

We're proud to share that our television show has been honored with the 2007 IDA Distinguished Documentary Achievement Award for "Continuing Series!"

Ira's Book, The New Kings of Nonfiction, Available in Our Store

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 16:00:00 -0600

About a year ago I got talked into editing a book—a collection of reporting I've been a fan of over the years—to raise money for the writing center 826 Chicago. Seemed like a good cause.

Most of the stories in this book come from a stack of favorite writing that I’ve kept behind my desk. It started as a place to toss articles I simply didn't want to throw away, and it's a mess. Old photocopies of photocopies. Pages I've torn from magazines and stapled together. Random issues of a Canadian magazine a friend edited for a while. Now and then, in working on a radio story with someone, I'll want to explain a certain kind of move they could try, or someone just needs inspiration. They need to see just how insanely good a piece of writing can be, and shoot for that. That's when I go to the stack.

The contributors are some of the best nonfiction authors alive: Malcolm Gladwell, who wrote The Tipping Point; Susan Orlean, who wrote The Orchid Thief; New York Times Magazine writer Jack Hitt (a contributing editor of our show), and more. David Foster Wallace does the best piece of reporting I've ever read on right-wing talk radio. Mark Bowden explains what Saddam Hussein—the man—was really like. Dan Savage recounts how he decided that the best way to change the Republican Party would be to sign up (he ends up as a delegate to their Washington State convention; havoc ensues). Jim McManus tells the story of how he went to cover the World Series of Poker for Harper's Magazine and ended up at the final table, carrying home a quarter million dollars—the poker equivalent of showing up at the Olympics after having run some track in high school and bringing home the bronze.

The book is now available. Check it out in our store.

-Ira Glass

Read Ira's full introduction to the book.

Maps That Are More Like Novels

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 17:00:00 -0600

Check out some of the maps cartographer Denis Wood describes in last week's episode, "Mapping."

Break-Up Song Contest

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 18:00:00 -0600

Listen to the song featured on This American Life! Then make your own version!

"The Three of Us"—written during Act One of this week's episode, "Break-Up"—changed dramatically depending on how it was mixed. Witness: the slower, sparer version we played in the show vs. a happier, poppier version. Julia Greenberg's vocals are the same in both versions; Joe McGinty's arrangement changed. (If you want more than streaming audio, you can purchase mp3s at Joe's MySpace page.)

If you'd like to take a crack at mixing your own version, we've posted all of the tracks they used (53 MB): guitar, vocals, keyboard, back-up vocals, etc.—25 in all. Details are in the complete track listing, and the tempo of the song is 100 bpm. If you're a musician and want to take a crack at performing it yourself, we've also made the sheet music available. Plus, check out Joe's photos of some of the instruments!

Update: Thanks to everyone who entered our contest! The deadline was September 30, and you sent us 127 mixes—wow. We're working to post them all online, and we also have some special judges selecting their favorites. The tracks and sheet music are still available, so if you haven't had a chance yet, mix away!

See Ira Glass Live and David Sedaris on Tour

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 09:00:00 -0600

Host Ira Glass will be coming to a city near you this fall! Cities include Los Angeles; South Bend, Indiana; Chicago; Scottsdale, Arizona; and Salt Lake City. See his complete list of appearances.

Plus, TAL contributor David Sedaris is going on a 32-city tour in October. Get city and show info for David's marathon.

TAL TV Receives Three Emmy Nominations!

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 10:00:00 -0600

We're proud to announce that the first season of our television show has been nominated for three Emmy Awards! Chris Wilcha was nominated for Outstanding Directing, Adam Beckman was nominated for Outstanding Cinematography, and producer Nancy Updike was nominated for Outstanding Writing--all for Episode Three: "God's Close-Up".

We really didn't know what to expect when we ventured into TV, so we're thrilled about these kudos. Winners will be announced on September 8. And remember: the entire season is available in iTunes!

Some Special Notes about "Who Can You Save?"

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 10:00:00 -0600

This episode features a story from what is arguably the most groundbreaking new show in public radio: Radio Lab, from New York Public Radio. If you haven't heard it, everything they've done is available as free downloads from their website.

Also, in Act Two, Ira interviews a retired diplomat, Kiki Munshi, about testimony she gave to Congress about Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Iraq. You can read her testimony, and The Atlantic ran a story that goes into more detail about Kiki's experience heading up a PRT.

And Brady Udall, who tells the story in Act Three, also wrote one of the most popular pieces of fiction we've ever run: "Otis Is Resurrected," from our episode In Dog We Trust.

Our TV Show: Now Available for Download in iTunes!

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 07:00:00 -0600

Hi everyone. Ira Glass here. For months now, I and everyone who works on This American Life have been approached by a steady stream of public radio listeners who don't get Showtime, but who want to see our TV show. "When are the DVDs coming out?" they ask. "When's it going to be on iTunes?" Well, the DVDs are still in the works, but I'm excited to tell you the whole series is now up in iTunes. And it's cheap!

My personal favorites, of the six episodes: Nancy Updike's story in Episode Three about nonbelievers and believers colliding in Utah, the fourteen-year-old who decided he doesn't believe in love in Episode Two, and Chris Ware's cartoon and GJ Echternkamp's home movie in Episode Four. If you download all six shows, you'll see us try all sorts of ways to film a story for TV and you'll probably notice us loosen up as we figure out what we're doing in this new medium. It's been exciting trying to make a television program that would feel just like our radio show and I hope you take a look.

Bonus Audio: "The Center for Lessons Learned"

Thu, 31 May 2007 17:00:00 -0600

Host Ira Glass writes: Hi everyone. We found ourselves in the strange situation with last week's show, "The Center for Lessons Learned," that we had a great story that was simply hard to hear over the radio. It's a phone call with a 20-year-old medical student in Baghdad, and the audio quality is a little too sketchy for radio, but not too terrible to hear sitting at a computer or—even better—on iPod headphones. She says some amazing things, including a story about a U.S. soldier who was stationed in Iraq who she got to know over the Internet. He wanted to meet her in person, so he set up a fake roadblock and checkpoint on the route between her house and her school. We pinned this interview onto the end of the podcast of this episode, and we've also posted it as a separate, downloadable mp3. It's 10 minutes, and you can listen here.

Bonus Audio: "The Ten Commandments"

Tue, 08 May 2007 15:00:00 -0600

We weren't able to squeeze this excellent interview into last week's episode, "The Ten Commandments": Marine chaplain Eli Takesian—like Lyn Brown, the chaplain interviewed in Commandment Six. You Shall Not Murder.—was attached to a unit that saw the brutality of combat up-close, but in a different war. He served two tours as a chaplain during Vietnam. Takesian talked with TAL producer Alex Blumberg. The bonus clip is eight minutes, and you can listen here.

Showtime Picks Up TAL for Second Season

Tue, 08 May 2007 10:00:00 -0600

The debut season of our television show has come to a close. Now, on to Season Two! We'll go into production at the end of this summer, and Season Two will hit the air, er, cable, a year later—probably in late 2008. For Showtime subscribers, Season One is still available on-demand. Also, Season One should be available in the iTunes Store or as a DVD box set at some point in the not-too-distant future. We'll let you know the minute we find out ourselves!

Ira Appears on Acceptable.TV

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0600

Host Ira Glass writes: "I was invited to play a prison gang member in a cartoon. Oh, sure, I winced at the typecasting, but it seemed like it'd be fun, so I did it. I like Acceptable.TV, though it seems to be the worst-publicized show in the history of television. I have yet to meet anyone who's ever seen it or even heard of it. The surprisingly enjoyable premise of the show is that each week, they present five 'TV pilots,' and we in the audience vote for which ones we want to see again. Then the next week, two winners return with new episodes.

"If you want to witness them at their full genius, go to their site and watch 'Homeless James Bond' or 'FBAbdullah.' And is it okay to say on a public radio website that I loved a TV pilot they did called 'Who Farted?' (If you watch that one, note the incredible and perfect music they created for it.)

"The people who make the show seem to love everything about the conventions of television and to see through those conventions with piercing, critical, x-ray eyes—all at once. One of their go-to moves that I especially love is that many of the sketches end on these fake-sincere moments where the characters have tender, TV-sized heartstrings moments. The one in 'FBAbdullah' is sort of a classic, but in the very same episode there's also one in 'Gayliens' and another in 'Operation Kitten Calendar.' I don't think I've seen other sketch comedies do this as well (or certainly as often). It gives the sketches (excuse me, the 'pilots') satisfying endings, which apparently is a tricky thing to do in sketch comedy. The cartoon I'm in is the fifth episode with Mr. Sprinkles. He's a Cat in the Hat figure who enters kids' homes when it rains, inevitably terrifying the kids. They always call the cops, which is how he ended up in prison."

"Growth Spurt" Soundtrack Posted

Sun, 22 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0600

In which producer and TV music supervisor Jane Feltes admits two bad habits. And Bedroom Walls prove that you can never have too much of a good thing.

"The Cameraman" Soundtrack Posted

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 11:00:00 -0600

We have a guest this week on our TV music blog: associate producer Mary Ann Casavant. Read her entry about dealing with the big music issue in Episode Four, "The Cameraman."

Join Our Conversation at Vox.com

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 17:00:00 -0600

We've started a group blog/TAL community at Vox.com, where we're asking you to submit your own stories as well as responses to ours. Vox's Anil Dash wrote a blog post that captures the essence of this experiment in a very lovely way. And joining Vox is easy: just sign up here, and you'll automatically be added to our group. Plus, your Vox page will be gussied up with our logo, which will make it, us, and you all feel very special!

TAL on MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 10:00:00 -0600

We've finally entered the first half of the decade. Find us...friend us:

• MySpace
• Facebook
• YouTube

"God's Close-Up" Soundtrack Posted

Sun, 08 Apr 2007 10:00:00 -0600

"I messed up, kinda big time, with this week's episode. And I kinda did it twice." Read the third installment of producer Jane Feltes's TV music blog!

Watch Ira on Charlie Rose!

Fri, 06 Apr 2007 16:00:00 -0600

Thanks to the kind folks at The Charlie Rose Show, you can now watch TAL host Ira Glass on the program:

Ira appeared this past Wednesday, April 4.

"Habeas Schmabeas" Wins Peabody!

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 12:00:00 -0600

We're proud to share that our radio episode "Habeas Schmabeas" has won a Peabody Award! It's a show about Guantanamo Bay and what it meant for prisoners there to be denied the right of habeas corpus. We also tried to explain in a way that wasn't crushingly boring what habeas corpus actually means, why it's so fundamental in American law, and how dangerous it is for everyone when it begins to erode. For a limited time, you can download an mp3 of this episode for free. It's a special, uncut version that contains several minutes of additional material. Also, you can download a transcript.

Limited-Edition "What I Learned from Television" Poster

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 16:00:00 -0600

They were the hit of the merch tables, and now they're in our store: full-color, 19" x 39" posters designed by Lilli Carré for our 2007 live tour—"What I Learned from TV." And for an even more limited edition, you can buy one signed by host Ira Glass and other tour performers!

"My Way" Soundtrack Posted

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 13:00:00 -0600

In the second installment of her TV music blog, producer Jane Feltes wraps up last week's cliffhanger...and leaves you with another!

TV Bonus Clip: Ira Duels Chris!

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 11:00:00 -0600

In this silent outtake from Episode Two, "My Way," host Ira Glass and director Chris Wilcha take time to duel, using the swords and maces of the high school kids they just interviewed.

FAQ: Will the TV show be available on DVD? Via iTunes?

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 12:00:00 -0600

We hope that both of these things will happen, but don't have the final word about either just yet. Showtime's contracts with cable companies prevent them from offering entire series on DVD or via iTunes until a few months after first broadcast. We'll update here as soon as we have news on this front.

The New Republic's TAL Contest

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 11:00:00 -0600

We are following with interest a contest at The New Republic called "Can You Out 'Ira Glass' Me?" It was created by Sacha Zimmerman, who challenged people to send in "childhood memories, profound moments, or fleeting epiphanies and turn them into This American Life masterpieces." Here are the finalists, and the winner is being announced today. Sacha also reviewed our TV show.

Update: The winner is Emigdio!

"This American Soundtrack"

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 09:00:00 -0600

Check out our new TV music blog! For our TV show, producer Jane Feltes also served as music supervisor, the person charged with finding the perfect songs and getting them cleared for broadcast. Read her blog each week for true stories of soundtrack madness, track listings, and more.

Watch Chris Ware's TAL TV Segment

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0600

Acclaimed comic artist (and good friend of TAL) Chris Ware and John Kuramoto animated a story for the fourth episode of our new TV show, and Slate.com has posted the whole, beautiful thing. Go, enjoy.

Read All About Us

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0600

We've been getting a bit of press lately, which we're delighted about. Here's an article from the NY Times, one from the LA Times, and one from The Oregonian. And some articles go behind the scenes: Popgurls has an interview with the director of our new TV show, Chris Wilcha; and Billboard talked to TAL producer and TV music supervisor Jane Feltes.

Feeds: The Final Frontier

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0600

We've infiltrated your radio, iPod, neighborhood cable television network, and now: your RSS reader. Subscribe to our updates feed to stay on top of all things TAL: promos, announcements, press, site updates and fixes, and more.

Turn In a Friend

Tue, 01 Jan 1980 12:00:00 -0600

Maybe you remember about a year ago, we asked you to turn in your friends who constantly listen to public radio... but never donate to their stations. Ira called some of these people up and used the recorded conversations during the pledge drive. They were super effective at raising much-needed money for stations all over the country, so we're going to produce more of these spots. And we need your help! Please tell us about your friend or loved one who listens but has never quite gotten around to pledging. Include several phone numbers for both your friend and you (last time Ira had trouble reaching some folks). Email your description and all of the contact info to: radio@thislife.org, with the subject "Turning in a Friend." Thanks! We appreciate the help.

We Have A Winner!

Tue, 01 Jan 1980 12:00:00 -0600

Let Us Know What You Thought of Our Cinema Event

Tue, 01 Jan 1980 12:00:00 -0600

Ira Interviews Etgar Keret at Live NYC Event

Tue, 01 Jan 1980 11:00:00 -0600

Next Wednesday, October 28th at the New York Public Library, This American Life host Ira Glass will talk with author Etgar Keret (whom you may know from TAL episodes The Truth Will Out, or Turncoat, or Enemy Camp) about his short fiction and films, as well as runaway piggy banks, bus drivers, "and other, lesser gods." Keret will be reading his newest short story at the event, one that has never been performed before. It should be an amazing and interesting evening, and we'd love for you to join us.

And—and!—if you'd like to get tickets, TAL listeners can get a special discount, by using code GLASS. You can purchase them at smarttix.com, or call 212-868-4444.

TaL At The Podcast Awards

Tue, 01 Jan 1980 10:00:00 -0600

This just in! This American Life won the people's choice Podcast Award in the "general" category, and placed in the top ten for "best produced." Also, Planet Money was voted best "business" podcast.

You can check out all of the results for this year's Podcast Awards here.