Paul Giamatti stars in The Holdovers as a pompous and disliked teacher at a boys boarding school in the '70s. He's now up for an Oscar for best actor. Giamatti spoke with Sam Briger about the role and reuniting with director Alexander Payne, 20 years after Sideways. Also, we remember comic and Curb Your Enthusiasm actor Richard Lewis, who died Feb. 27. The Brooklyn-born comic made his standup debut in 1971. His routines were full of biting takes on love, life, and physical and mental health. Lewis spoke with Terry Gross in 1988 and 2000. Also, Justin Chang reviews Dune: Part Two. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
On the Ted radio hour, linguist Ann Curzan says she gets a lot of complaints about people using the pronoun they to refer to one person.
I sometimes get into arguments with people where they will say to me, but it can't be singular.
And I will say, but it is the history behind words causing a lot of debate.
That's on the Ted radio hour from NPR.
This is fresh air.
I'm David B.
And Cooley were counting down to the Academy Awards.
The film holdovers is nominated for five oscars, including best picture, supporting actress, original screenplay and best actor for Paul Giamatti.
He's already won a Golden Globe for best actor in a comedy.
Our producer, Sam Brigger, spoke with Giamatti last month.
Here's Sam in the holdovers.
Paul Giamatti plays a pompous and lonely classics professor named Paul Hunnam at a New England boarding school for boys in 1970.
He's almost universally disliked by other faculty members and by students because of his impossibly high academic standards and merciless grading.
The students also mock him behind his back because he has a lazy eye and bad body odor.
The body odor is uncontrollable, the result of a rare disease commonly known as fish odor syndrome.
But he doesn't do himself any favors in the way he treats his students, as he does here in this scene, handing out his students graded final exams.
I can tell by your faces that many of you are shocked at the outcome.
I, on the other hand, am not, because I have had the misfortune of teaching you this semester.
And even with my ocular limitations, I witness firsthand your glazed, uncomprehending expressions.
Sir, I don't understand.