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The Brian Lehrer Show / January 18, 2006

The Brian Lehrer Show

Wednesday, January 18, 2006
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  • Actors Heath Ledger (L) and Jake Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain.
    Actors Heath Ledger (L) and Jake Gyllenhaal in Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain. (Focus Features)

    But is it a Gay Movie?

    It has sex between two matinee idols in a tent, but is Brokeback Mountain really a gay movie? Many critics think it isn’t. But—pardon the expression—how can you tell? And could Brokeback just be a Priscilla, Queen of the Desert for the 21st century? Also: NJ politics, suing the government and juicy supreme court decisions.

Mr. New Jersey

Bob Hennelly, WNYC reporter
- on the inauguration of Jon Corzine yesterday

But is it a Gay Movie?

Harry Benshoff, assistant professor in the Department of Radio, Television and Film at the University of North Texas in Denton,
- on Brokeback Mountain's place in gay cinema

» Harry Benshoff (University of North Texas)
» Brokeback Mountain (official movie site)

Crossed Wires

Christopher Hitchens, contributing editor to Vanity Fair
and
Arsalan Istikahar, legal director of the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR)
- are suing the Bush administration to find out if the NSA monitored their communications

» "Two Groups Planning to Sue Over Federal Eavesdropping" by Eric Lichtblau in The New York Times (free for one week from publishing date)
» Christopher Hitchens statement (ACLU)
» CAIR

Supreme Court Skinny

Emily Bazelon, senior editor of Slate
-on assisted suicide, parental controls on abortion and the lawsuits against the Bush administration

» Slate Magazine

Open Phones

Listeners talk about their conflicted opinions on the issues

A person dressed as a bear to represent a bear market performs outside the New York Stock Exchange on October 6, 200 in New York. Wall Street tumbled after the opening bell as fallout from the credit crisis triggered concerns about the economy and the Dow fell below 10,000 for the first time in four years.

Uncommon Indicators

The Brian Lehrer Show

The Brian Lehrer Show wants to hear how the economy is affecting the little things in your daily life. Share your stories and photos of the downturn.

Cast your vote for our video contest semi-finalists.

Ray Young, General Motors Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

The Rocky Road Ahead

The Brian Lehrer Show

Ray Young, the chief financial officer of General Motors, talks about GM’s bankruptcy.

Then, Damon Lester, president of the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers, and Greg Williams, former owner of the recently closed Huntington Chevrolet in Huntington Station, NY., discusses the effect GM’s bankruptcy has had on dealerships and their employees.

paper trail small

Tweet If You Use Twitter

The Brian Lehrer Show

Farhad Manjoo, Slate's technology columnist and the author of True Enough: Learning To Live in a Post-Fact Society talks about what Twitter means and how different groups use it.

What's your take on Twitter? How do you use it? Comment below!

(<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexerde/80417539/">alexerde</a>/flickr)

Don't Say That, Literally

The Brian Lehrer Show

John Flansburgh of the band They Might Be Giants discusses the running list the band keeps of "things we can no longer say." (a few examples: "my bad" "don't go there" "one hundred and ten percent" and "voted off the island")

What would be on your list of banned words or phrases? Comment below!

happiness

From Denmark with Love

The Brian Lehrer Show

Jesper Grunwald, senior managing editor with the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, talks about the Danish economy, biking to work, and why the Danes are allegedly the happiest people in the world.

Judge Sotomayor

Squatting, Then and Now

The Brian Lehrer Show

As former squats in the East Village make the transition to coops, making homes from abandoned housing is again an issue. Andrew Reicher executive director of Urban Homesteading Assistance Board, Frank Morales an Episcopal priest involved in East Village/Lower East Side squatting and homelessness activism since the late '70s, and Rob Robinson, a leader of the Housing Campaign of Picture the Homeless, discuss the return of squatting.

Video Picks

The Brian Lehrer Show

Check out some recent video clips of interviews with guests and Brian Lehrer's weekly Web video picks.