Alex Granados

If you've listened to music any time since the '80s, then you may be familiar with Weird Al Yankovic's wacky parodies of popular music. He rose to fame with his send-ups of such hits as "My Sharona," and "Another One Bites the Dust," and he's stayed current by poking fun at modern stars such as Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber. He's coming to the Durham Performing Arts Center Sunday. Frank Stasio talks to him about his concert, his album, "Alpocalypse" and more.

Construction on a new housing facility for homeless veterans in Raleigh is underway. Almost 600 vets are eking out an existence in Wake County alone, and the new complex – built by CASA, a community housing nonprofit – will only house 10, but it’s a start. Others around the state are trying to deal with the problem as well, including the Durham VA, and Barbara Marshall, a veteran helping homeless female vets in Fayetteville.

Attendees of this weekend's NC Pride parade and festival will have a lot on their minds, including North Carolina's proposed same-sex marriage amendment and the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The event has grown steadily since its beginning in 1981, and now represents one of the best opportunities for North Carolina's LGBT communities to get together for celebration and contemplation. Host Frank Stasio talks about some of the issues facing gays and lesbians today with Steven Petrow, author of the book, "Complete Gay & Lesbian Manners: The Definitive Guide to LGBT Life" (Workman Publishing Company/2011); Pam Spaulding, editor and publisher of the LGBT advocacy blog, “Pam’s House Blend”; Reverend Brett Webb-Mitchell, a former pastor and visiting faculty at North Carolina Central University; and Randy Jones, the cowboy from Village People and the keynote speaker at this weekend's NC Pride parade and festival.

The nature of consciousness is hotly debated among philosophers, scientists and artists. We have thoughts, we feel, we remember the past and we anticipate the future. We think that is what it means to be conscious, but nobody can explain just exactly what that is or how it comes into being.

When Victor and Sarah Lytvinenko started making jeans in their downtown Raleigh apartment four years ago, they had no way of knowing where their project would take them. They went from being denim makers with a small presence in North Carolina to high style designers with products being sold across the world.This weekend they will be at fashionSPARK, part of the SPARKcon festival in Raleigh.

Ten years ago, Enron became the ultimate symbol of corporate malfeasance. The company robbed Americans of billions of dollars, helped destroy accounting giant Arthur Andersen and caused rolling blackouts across California. Burning Coal Theatre Company in Raleigh is revisiting this dark chapter in American corporate history with the play, “Enron,” on stage now through September 25th.

Decades after the beginning of the war on drugs, America's desire for illicit substances has not abated. North Carolina has become a hot spot of both drug activity and sex trafficking, and state leaders are coming together to address the problem. The conference, “Reducing Harm and Building Communities: Addressing Drug Use in the South," will be held in Durham tomorrow and Friday at RTI International. Host Frank Stasio talks about drug use, sex work, and the conference with Jill Brenneman, a Raleigh sex worker and program coordinator for Sex Workers without Borders; Robert Childs, executive director of the NC Harm Reduction Coalition; and Lieutenant Colonel Marty Sumner, deputy chief of the High Point Police Department.

Dr. Nortin Hadler says the human body has an end date – about 85 years old – and thinking you’re going to live much beyond that is mostly wishful thinking. But the health care industry wants to convince you otherwise, he says. They want you getting heart bypass surgery in your 80s, being treated for cancers that won’t kill you and worrying about a host of problems that aren’t as dangerous as they seem.

Lewis Shiner’s latest novel is a blend of historical fiction, romance and crime, and it all revolves around tango. Protagonist Rob Cavenaugh is a recent transplant to Buenos Ares. On the dance floor, he falls in love, but his relationship exposes him to Argentina’s dark history. Thousands of citizens disappeared in the country’s dirty war, and Rob’s new crush was somehow involved. Host Frank Stasio talks with Shiner about his new novel, "Dark Tangos" (Subterranean Press/2011).

Eric Okamoto is a percussion teacher in Cary, NC who has brought drumming to new heights. Since he won his first speed percussion competition in 2003, Okamoto has continued to top the list of the world's fastest drummers. He just broke more records at a competition in Nashville, Tennessee in July.