The Dinner Party Download featuring Vera Farmiga

Actress Vera Farmiga
Actress Vera Farmiga is the guest of honor on this week's Dinner Party Download.
Submitted photo

On this week's Dinner Party Download, author T.C. Boyle, the history of SPAM and actress Vera Farmiga.

Icebreaker: T.C. Boyle
T.C. Boyle — author of the new novel "When the Killing's Done" — doesn't write self-help books, but he jokes about them.

Small Talk: Richard Lawson
Gawker.com staff writer Richard Lawson tells us the sad tale of a commercial actor caught by a catch phrase.

A History Lesson with Booze: A SPAM Is Born & the "You've Got Nail"
This week back in 1994, two immigration lawyers unleashed the scourge of SPAM upon an unsuspecting Internet. Hear the story, then treat everyone you know to the cocktail it inspired ... whether they asked for it or not.

Guest of Honor: Vera Farmiga
Last year Vera Farmiga got an Oscar nomination for her role opposite George Clooney in "Up in the Air." This week you can find her in both the big-budget "Source Code" and the new indie comedy "Henry's Crime." She tells Brendan about $100 million dollar inspirations, generational chutzpah and the lactating brain.

Listen to Rico go Dutch at one of NYC's newest gastropubs — and hear a new track from Cass McCombs at http://www.dinnerpartydownload.org.