Television critic David Bianculli previews the CBS comedy-drama, about a local TV news station. He says the well-cast pilot has a purposeful feel reminiscent of Hill Street Blues.
Savini creates the macabre effects for George Romero's zombie films. Now he's directed his own movie, a remake of Romero's classic, Night of the Living Dead. He shares some of the secrets behind how he simulates gore on set.
The white South African writer's latest book is called My Son's Story, about a mixed-race family. She joins Fresh Air to talk about why she stays in in her home country, despite political unrest. A long-time anti-apartheid activist, she's recently become a member of the African National Congress.
The singer performs for Fresh Air audiences with pianist Huw Warren. Tabor was a mainstay of the British folk scene, and has more recently branched out into other forms of music. Despite her accomplishments, she admits to not practicing and never learning to read music. Her latest album is called Freedom and Rain.
Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews Neil Young's new record with Crazy Horse, called "Ragged Glory." Tucker says that, after several genre exercises throughout the '80s, Young finally returns to form.
World music critic Milo Miles says the Brazilian style was seen as a mark of refinement for both Brazilian and American listeners. But it's this polish that can sometimes make the genre tiresome. Nonetheless, the new CD The Legendary Joao Gilberto is a worthwhile listen.
Film critic Stephen Schiff says Disney thought of the animated classic as a high-brow work of art. Audiences disagreed -- and so does Schiff. The film works best when it doesn't take itself so seriously.
Baltimore Sun reporter Roger Simon has a syndicated column that originates from the Baltimore Sun. He's covered several presidential campaigns; his new book about the 1988 presidential election is called Road Show.
Sidransky was born to deaf parents, though she herself is a hearing person. Her memoir, In Silence, is about their lives and how she often spoke for them.
Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews the jazz musician's new albums. Weston spent a spent a decade in Tangiers; Whitehead says you can hear the percussive influence of West African music in his performances.
Writer John Updike recently completed his Rabbit series. He says that, while elements of his life show up in the protagonist Harry Angstrom, the books were never meant to be autobiographical.
Replacements singer and songwriter Paul Westerburg has a reputation for rawness and bad stage behavior -- as well a strong pop sensibility. His band has lasted over a decade, in part because of their willingness to mellow and evolve. The Replacements' new album is All Shook Down.
Rock historian Ed Ward begins a two-part profile of the influential singer, songwriter, and guitar player. Mayfield was recently injured during a performance, and is now paralyzed.
Book critic John Leonard reviews the South African author's new epistolary novel, which uses cancer as a metaphor for apartheid. Leonard says it's baffling with a terrible beauty, that spares no one -- including blacks and white liberals.
The American conductor and composer died yesterday at the age of 72. Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz talks with Terry about Bernstein's life and legacy.
Kaufman's new movie Henry and June, based on the diaries of Anais Nin, is the first to get the the new MPAA rating for its explicit sexual content. Kaufman's earlier movies include The Unbearable Lightness of Being and The Right Stuff.
Television critic David Bianculli reviews the new three-hour profile of the rise and fall of Richard Nixon, presented on the American Experience show. The documentary comes on the heels of Ken Burns' Civil War series, and continues PBS' streak of excellent programming.
