In this week's Movie Date podcast, Rafer confesses to being a magic nerd, Kristen talks about girl-on-girl action, Rafer admits to liking big beds, and Kristen uses some barnyard language. It's all in honor of "The Call," "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone," "Ginger and Rosa," and "Spring Breakers.

Movie fans have plenty to choose from this weekend. They include "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone," starring Steve Carell, and "The Call," starring Halle Berry. There are also a few indies, including "Ginger and Rosa," starring Elle Fanning, and "Spring Breakers," starring James Franco and a lot of young women who came up through the Disney machine.

The Boy Scouts of America made headlines earlier in January when they said they'd consider lifting the ban on homosexual scouts and leaders. They made good on their word this month when they sent out 1.1 million surveys to Boy Scout staff and leaders.

Twenty five years ago, math enthusiast Larry Shaw organized the first Pi Day event in San Francisco. And today, we’re celebrating the big day with conversation and song.

Lest we forget, it all started with music. And according to David Brown of KUT, there’s still plenty of it that’s great. Wade through the 2,500-plus bands at South by Southwest, and you might just find the next headlining act on Saturday Night Live or poster band for Apple.

Ten years after the American invasion of Iraq began, the BBC's Hugh Sykes files a report about how American soldiers handle the responsibilities, contradictions, and challenges of occupying Iraq.

New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s large soda ban drew comparisons to over-bearing parenting and prohibition. It was scheduled to go into effect beginning today, but before it could, New York Supreme Court Judge Milton Tingling struck it down yesterday afternoon.

In this week's Movie Date podcast, Rafer and Kristen review "Dead Man Down," "Emperor," and "Oz: The Great and Powerful." Along the way, they contemplate the power of Tyler Perry, the scariness of The Incredible Hulk, and the style choices of Joan Crawford. A warning: this week's trivia question refers to a certain college past time involving marijuana, "The Wizard of Oz," and Pink Floyd.  

This weekend, much of the U.S. and the world will be springing ahead one hour, as Daylight Saving's Time begins. Ostensibly, setting our clocks ahead will save us some light. But in a less logical way, it will also allow us to travel ahead in some way -- to time ...

On Wednesday, Arkansas passed into law the country’s most restrictive ban on abortion to date. The ruling denies women the right to an abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy, setting a term limit that is 12 weeks earlier than the limit established by Supreme Court decisions. Jason Rapert, Republican Arkansas State Senator sponsored the bill.  State Representative Greg Leding, an Arkansas Democrat and House Minority Leader, opposed it.

The new drama "House of Cards" is getting plenty of attention, for a number of reasons. First, because it was produced by the video streaming service Netflix exclusively on their site. Second, because it was developed specifically to suit the tastes of Netflix customers, based on their metrics. And third, because the Kevin Spacey led series is smart, well-written, and gripping. "House of Cards" creator, writer, and producer Beau Willimon sheds light on how the show was made, and what it means for the future of entertainment.

In this week's Movie Date podcast, Rafer and Kristen are joined by Jeff Yang, who writes the Wall Street Journal's Tao Jones column. Jeff shares his thoughts on the new movie, "21 and Over" - from its depiction of race, to whether it's just a cheap mash-up of "Weekend at Bernie's" and "The Hangover." Along the way, Rafer admits he doesn't remember his twenty first birthday, Kristen falls asleep, and Jeff clarifies that he's not really Jackie Chan (even though he wrote a book called, "I Am Jackie Chan"). Other films discussed in this podcast include the Cold War thriller, "Phantom" and the fairy tale reboot "Jack the Giant Slayer."

This weekend, three very different movies hit the big screen: "21 and Over" is the latest offering from the writers of "The Hangover." "Jack the Giant Slayer" is a modern-retelling of "Jack and the Beanstalk." And "Phantom" is a Cold War thriller.

Sixty years ago this week, James Watson and Francis Crick unveiled their model for the structure of DNA in the journal Nature. It was a revolutionary event, but it wasn’t built on their work alone.

Since being named CEO of Yahoo seven months ago, Marissa Mayer has consistently made the headlines. On of the biggest headlines yet might be about her new policy, announced last Friday, ending all telecommuting. Why did she do it?

Horse meat was discovered in Ikea's famous Swedish meatballs this week, and the retailer responded by withdrawing the meatballs from their stores in fourteen European countries. It’s the latest in an escalating crisis over horse meat appearing in beef products. But it got us to thinking: Shouldn’t we expect filler in meatballs and other ground-meat foods?

In this week's Movie Date podcast, Rafer and Kristen's bickering isn't restricted to the online world. Instead, it's made available to radio listeners all over the country. It's their first hour-long special for the airwaves, and it's all in honor of Hollywood's biggest night. Ladies and gentleman, "Movie Date Presents: Oscar...Totally Naked." 

And yes, Rafer and Kristen are naked throughout.

The Oscars are here, and everyone has an opinion. The hosts of the "Movie Date" podcast, Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday, and Kristen Meinzer culture producer for The Takeaway, preview this weekend's Academy Awards. Rafer and Kristen are also hosts of the special broadcast "Oscar: Totally Naked" -- listen to it below or download it here.

The special airs at 2 and 9 today on WNYC-FM, tomorrow at 6pm on AM820, and again on Sunday at 7pm, just before the Oscars, on WNYC-FM

We’re just two days away from the Oscars, and we’re pleased to announce that our very own Movie Date team, Rafer Guzman and Kristen Meinzer, are hosting their first hour-long special for the public radio airwaves called "Oscar…Totally Naked." To give you a flavor of what their special includes, Rafer and Kristen share some highlights.

"Oscar...Totally Naked" is an Oscar special hosted by Kristen Meinzer of The Takeaway and Rafer Guzman of Newsday. Listen to this hour-long spectacular, which pulls back the velvet curtain on Hollywood's biggest night.