Erin Calabria

Robert Braczyk has always been handy, working first as cabinetmaker and then as a sculptor for 25 years. But there was one profession he always wanted: Toymaker. And it all started with seeing Geppetto's workshop in Walt Disney's Pinocchio.

Last month, one of reggae’s founding fathers, Jimmy Cliff, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On this week's show, Kurt talked with Jimmy about his long, illustrious career and whether he had plans to retire soon; to which Jimmy replied, “Oh ...

No matter how long the winter… Swag is sure to follow.

Here in New York City, folks are wondering whether it's winter or spring. Over the past couple weeks, we've basked in bright, warm sun one day only to shiver out of the subway into icy rain the next. Recently, ...

With the Winter Olympics in full swing, you may have noticed there's a lot of competition for your attention as well. In between the slaloms and the triple axels, there's also the slightly shameful attraction of (dare I say it) the advertisements. Take this awesome one from AT&T featuring silver ...

Last Wednesday, the artist Jeanne-Claude, wife and creative partner of the artist Christo, passed away.  New Yorkers remember Jeanne-Claude and Christo's ambitious 2005 piece, The Gates, a sweeping installation with 23 miles of saffron fabric fluttering throughout Central Park.

This week Kurt talks with the Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar, who's made a career of films about passionate, quirky women: 'Women On the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown,' 'Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!,' 'Volver,' among many others.  Almodóvar's new movie, 'Broken Embraces,' opens this weekend.  Like his other films, it draws from a rich, quintessentially Spanish palette, filled with the vibrant streets, landscapes, and colors of Almodóvar's home country.

Last week, Irish playwright Enda Walsh's The New Electric Ballroom opened to rave reviews at St. Ann's Warehouse in Dumbo, Brooklyn. I fell in love with Walsh's work reading his first play, Disco Pigs, while living in Cork City, Ireland. Walsh isn't just a playwright, but a wordsmith in the truest sense; he blasts language to pieces and then re-invents it. In Disco Pigs, Walsh synthesized Cork slang and poetic puns into a new language for two wild best friends, Pig and Runt, creating 'a whirl dat no one can live sept us two.'

With Halloween fast approaching, the swag coming into the studio this week has taken a spooky turn. We appreciated these vampire teeth, which accompanied The Vampire Archives: The Most Complete Volume of Vampire Tales Ever Published...

Tomorrow, the much-anticipated film, “Where the Wild Things Are” is coming to theaters. It’s based on the beloved children’s book by Maurice Sendak, whose fantastical illustrations have inspired innumerable artists.

Earlier this summer, we lamented the decreased flow of swag into our office in the wake of the recession. While many promotion companies continue to tighten their belts, some recent arrivals may forecast a recovery.

This week in Studio 360, Kurt talked with drummer and composer Stewart Copeland.  Copeland became famous in the early 80s as the drummer for the band, The Police.  However, The Police were never, in Copeland's own words, 'a warm, cuddly band like U2.

Author Michael Chabon has a way with words. He captivated readers (and won a Pulitzer) for The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. His wife, Ayelet Waldman, has a successful writing career of her own.

This week in Studio 360, we heard from Marvin Hamlisch, the award-winning and always ebullient composer. Hamlisch has won nearly every major music award, including four Grammys, four Emmys, three Golden globes, a Tony, and a Pulitzer. Most recently, he composed the music for the new movie, The Informant!

When Johnny Cash listed 100 essential country songs for his daughter, Rosanne, he included one he was famous for singing himself, 'Long Black Veil.' In her upcoming album, The List, Rosanne Cash covers twelve of those 100 songs, including the haunting love ballad.

Today, “Jennifer’s Body” opens in theaters. Written by Diablo Cody (who recently stopped by Studio 360), this new horror flick tells the story of Jennifer (Megan Fox), a popular high school girl possessed by a man-eating demon. Her best friend, Needy (Amanda Seyfried), is the yin to Jennifer’s yang: unpopular, mousy, a bit of a nerd. But when Jennifer develops a taste for her best friend’s boyfriend, it’s up to Needy to stop her.

Today, artists across the country are commemorating the eighth anniversary of the terrorist attacks. Here in New York City, I’ll be heading to the September 11th Memorial Sing, tonight 5-7:30pm. Organized by the Brooklyn Arts Council, 20 local musicians (including Papa Dish) will perform songs written specially for the occasion. It will be held at the Empire Fulton Ferry State Park in DUMBO, Brooklyn: it’s one of the most striking views of Lower Manhattan and the rays of light that will tower over the city until dawn.