Terry Gross

Three years ago, journalist Steve Lopez met a homeless musician on skid row in Los Angeles. He soon learned that the man, Nathaniel Ayers, had once been a promising violinist, and that he had left the Juilliard School because of his struggle with mental illness. Ayers is the subject of Lopez's new book, The Soloist.

Tim Fitzgerald, a marine scientist with the Oceans Program at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), shares tips for selecting fish that are good for you — and for the environment. The EDF's "Seafood Selector To-Go" is available online and in a pocket-size guide.

Kyle Chandler plays Coach Eric Taylor on Friday Night Lights, the NBC-TV series about the big drama of small-town Texas high-school football. The third season of the series will be shown on DirecTV before airing on NBC in 2009.