Welcome to the dinner party download. This is your icebreaker.

I'm really terrible with jokes, but here's a favorite of mine. It's not actually, it's from Mitch Headwood.

And it says something like an escalator is never broken. It just becomes stairs.

I am Rico Gagliano. I'm Brendan Francis Noonam, and from APM American Public Media, this is the dinner party download.

One hour of culture, food, and humor to fuel your weekend conversations.

You just got a joke from acclaimed author George Saunders. That'll help break the ice.

He's got a new novel out, a ghost story of sorts called Lincoln in the

Bardo. We will talk to him about that later, and then he'll stick around to answer your

etiquette questions. Plus, we chat with Damien Chazelle, director of the acclaimed movie

musical La La Land. Also coming up, Grammy-winning musician Riannon Giddens, DJs a party with

equal parts opera and blues. Chef Jason Kim invents a dessert salad, and we hear a new track from Sun Kill Moon.

But first, small talk.

All week long, you've been hearing these headlines?

National Security Advisor Michael Flynn forced to resign.

Adele won every Grammy Award for which she was nominated.

The evacuation order has

been lifted for nearly 200,000 people below the Oroville Dam. Now for something you might not have

heard, we are joined by Erin McCann. She is senior staff editor with pink hair at the New York Times.

Oh yes. Erin, what story are you going to be talking about this weekend? I have a story about

puppies. Okay. The dog show is this week, so puppies abound. There are 3,000 dogs in town

this week. In New York City for the Westminster Dog Show. Exactly. And many of them are staying at the

Hotel Pennsylvania across the street from Madison Square Garden, where the Westminster Dog Show

...