Terry Gross

Journalist James O'Shea is former chief economic correspondent for The Chicago Tribune. His book, "The Daisy Chain," is a case history of what went wrong with the Savings and Loans in this country. It looks at an S&L in Vernon, Texas owned by Don Dixon who was recently sentenced for defrauding regulators, illegally spending depositors' money, and other misdeeds.

Journalist Andrew H. Malcolm's new book, "Someday," is his first-person account of his decision to take his terminally ill mother off life support, a decision made ironic by the fact that Malcom often covers issues of medical ethics and the right to die for the New York Times.

Dorn's in charge of a new series of records on Virgin called Night Records, featuring great live performances. The first four releases feature performances by Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Cannonball Adderley, Les McCann, and Eddie Harris.

Journalist Alex Kotlowitz won the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for a series of articles he wrote for the Wall Street Journal chronicling the lives of two children in a housing project in Chicago. He's expanded those articles into the new book, "There Are No Children Here: The Story of Two Boys Growing Up In the Other America."

Cooper wrote the screenplay for the new movie, "New Jack City," and coined the term, "new jack swing," that inspired the movie's title. Cooper's reporting appears in The Village Voice and Spin.

Grier is a regular cast member of the popular sketch comedy show, which has been hailed as a black alternative to Saturday Night Live.

Tim Weiner reports on national security issues and the justice department for the Philadelphia Inquirer. In 1988, he won his second Pulitzer Prize for a series of articles on secret Pentagon spending. He discusses the A-X weapon - a stealth bomber which has just been put into production. It's predecessor, the A12, was cancelled because of cost overruns and unnaccountability.

Bernstein has composed the scores for around 80 films, including "The Man With the Golden Arm," "The Magnificent Seven," and "The Ten Commandments. He's done the scores for 2 new films -- "The Field" and "The Grifters." He joins Fresh Air to talk about how he works with directors to write his music.

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Two: The Secret Ooze." He says that, while several elements are borrowed from other movies, it's surprisingly watchable.