Kristen Meinzer

It happened last night, whether we were ready for it or not: The New Year. And today, on the first day of 2013, some of us are dragging our feet (perhaps with a headache) into the fut...

Starbucks recently rolled out a new marketing campaign in which they're urging Washington to "Come Together" a la the Beatles on the fiscal cliff business and everything else that div...

Last week, Russia's parliament unanimously approved a ban on American adoptions of Russian children and this week President Vladimir Putin signed it. What will happen to Russia’s waiting children?

It's Christmas 2012, one of the most highly anticipated movie release days of the year, and Rafer and Kristen are prepared to throw down over two of the big ones: "Les Miserables" and "Django Unchained."

What if you could erase any knowledge of painful experiences? This is not just the plotline of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind." In reality, scientists have been working for ...

We're told from an early age that we have ears to hear with, but if you investigate a little closer, it turns out that behind our ears are our brains.  Seth Horowitz is an auditory ...

Ray Kurzweil, technologist and futurist who is on a mission to make us all immortal. According to Kurzweil, technology is progressing at a faster and faster rate so that in 10 or 15 y...

Our brains evolved in survivalist terms, prioritizing basic sensory functions, like sight and scent. Today, our brains must adapt to learn much more complex processes, like learning t...

What happens in our brains when we hear language, or speak it? In addition to our brains, what other parts of our bodies are at work, trying to relay and understand meaning? And how d...

Recent guests, including actors Ed Burns and Brian Cox and singers Olivia Newton John and Darryl McDaniels, tell us about the gifts that have meant the most to them.

For George Takei, gift giving will always be associated with something that was taken away from him as a child. As a boy he remembers being rounded up at the beginning of World War ...

Back in 1987, Run D.M.C. did something unusual for hip hop artists — they released a Christmas single titled, "Christmas in Hollis," sampling holiday classics like "Joy to the World,"...

Katherine Bigelowe’s latest film "Zero Dark Thirty" comes out in limited release this week, but critics have already honed in on what’s become the film’s most controversial talking po...

It's the week before Christmas, when a lot of movies hit the big screen. Of course, some of them are better than others, and Rafer and Kristen each have their favorites. On the chopping block: the new Kathryn Bigelow film about the hunt for Osama Bin Laden, "Zero Dark 30"; the mother-son road trip comedy starring Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogan "The Guilt Trip"; Judd Apatow's follow up to "Knocked Up," "This is 40"; and the movie that turns Werner Herzog into an action star "Jack Reacher."  

All week, in response to the Newtown Connecticut shooting, we're talking about assault weapons, and whether they should be banned. Takeaway listeners have some strong opinions, and smart insights.

The co-hosts of The Takeaway's Movie Date podcast debate big versus small screen holiday movie music.

In this week's podcast, Rafer and Kristen review the highly anticipated "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." Along they way, they do their best Gollum imitations, contemplate the greatness of Benny Hill's humor, and recognize the similarities between "The Hobbit" and "The Smurfs." 

Based on a true story "Any Day Now" follows a gay couple that takes in a neglected child, and fights to remain the child’s legal guardians. Opening on December 14, the film has alread...

Friday is the day when we talk about new movie releases here on the Takeaway. And there’s one big one that’s dominating the headlines: the long-awaited Peter Jackson film, “The Hobbit...

It’s the week before Christmas and, as usual, The Takeaway is celebrating with our annual “Remixing the Holidays” series. Throughout the month, we’re talking with musicians, actors, e...