While I am partial to belting it out with my current celebrity crush Adam Levine, or full on pretending I am Rihanna, or  Adele, while I’m in the car, I’m  also totally captivated by the over-the-top intelligence, sensibility, and downright smarty pants-ness of NPR, or in my neck of the woods, WBUR. The news is apt, and in-depth. The news reader is a friend who possesses all the stuff I like about NPR. Her name is Sharon Brody, and she is now not just reading the news, she is also writing for Cognoscenti, the station’s blog. She’s brilliant, and funny, and my neighbor, to boot. (She is also a really good mom of two totally stellar kids, plus a talented photographer–she even did me the favor of taking my son’s yearbook photo).

I love anything that takes me suprises me, makes me think broadly, differently, or intensely. I like to be challenged by thoughtful insights, studied opinions, passionate views. NPR often takes me off-guard, while making me feel understood. What I mean by that is, it feels like it reaches a hunger deep down, that sometimes I don’t even know I have.

I am partial to Fresh Air with Terry Gross (and even more partial to SNL’st parody of this show, “Shweddy Balls”). Tom Ashbrook has a smart and compassionate voice, and although I’ve never laid eyes on him, I’d trust him with my life. Robin Young has a lovely measured intelligence, with a soothing sound, and reminds me of my early days in Boston, when she hosted  Evening Magazine, a local entertainment/news tv show. (Ok, whoever REMEMBERS THAT is old).  And of course, who doesn’t love the party that is “Wait, wait, don’t tell me?” I am a fan of Radio Boston with Anthony Brooks and Meghna Chakrabarti, I listen to the BBC World Service, just for the accent.

If only the real world could all be as intelligent and thought provoking as NPR always is. It’s so smart, sometimes I don’t even sing anymore (which, if you heard me, you’d know, is actually a really good thing).