Carlin's "Seven Dirty Words" act ignited an obscenity case in the '70s. We listen back to two archival interviews with the late comedian, and David Bianculli reviews a new HBO documentary about him.
Why did the flushing toilet take centuries to catch on? When did strangers stop sharing beds? And how did people brush their teeth with fish bones? Historical curator Lucy Worsley details the intimate history of the bedroom, bathroom and kitchen in her new book.
Journalist John Conroy. Conroy lived in a poor Catholic neighborhood in violence-torn Belfast, Northern Ireland. He recorded stories of the life there in his book Belfast Diary.
Movie musicals usually get lumped together as a category. But classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz says that a batch of original musicals from MGM and 20th-Century Fox, just released on DVD, reveals an array of categories that date back to the earliest sound films. The batch includes Till the Clouds Roll By, Summer StockDown Argentine Way and It's Always Fair Weather.
Historian Adam Hochschild traces the patriotic fervor that catapulted Great Britain into war during the summer of 1914 — as well as the small, but determined British pacifist movement — in his historical narrative To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918.
Uber's "God view" shows a map of the cars in an area and the silhouettes of the people who ordered them. Linguist Geoff Nunberg says Uber-Santa doesn't just know when you've been sleeping, but where.
Environmentalist Michael Oppenheimer says that rising temperatures could cause international crises like wildfires and food shortages. He has a new book about ways to curtail this trend on the individual, corporate, and governmental levels, called Dead Heat.
The Dutch stage and screen actor is often cast as a Russian character, including in the new movie Scandal. In the Netherlands, he often worked with director Paul Verhoeven. In the U.S., he's best known for his role as a womanizer in Crossing Delancey.
Television critic David Bianculli previews three shows worth catching this week...David Frost's interview with General Norman Schwarzkopf, Bob Costas' interview with musician Paul Simon, and the political comedy "House of Cards," premiering this week on Masterpiece Theater.
Before Boogie Nights, before Far From Heaven, before Short Cuts, she appeared as identical half-sisters — one of them evil — on the soap opera As the World Turns. She won a Daytime Emmy in 1988; for her film work, she's earned four Oscar nominations.
Jazz singer Phyllis Hyman was in the original Broadway cast of "Sophisticated Ladies," a musical revue of Duke Ellington's work, along with Gregory Hines and Judith Jamison. Hyman is featured on McCoy Tyner's new album is "Looking Out" and is in town to perform. Hyman discusses the show, her career, and writing jingles for television commercials.
Carney rounds up diverse musicians in a sextet that cuts across generations, stylistic preferences and social circles. Their interpersonal chemistry flows on a new album.
The Broadway star used to describe herself as a Catholic, diabetic alcoholic. She died last week at the age of 89. In 1999, she talked with Terry Gross when she was starring in a revival of Sail Away.
Journalists Judith Miller and Matt Cooper discuss their court case, in which they face jail time for refusing to reveal their sources in an investigation into the leak of a CIA officer's name. Despite attorney Floyd Abrams's efforts, on Feb. 15, 2005, a federal appeals court upheld a ruling against the two.
"We think it's all a bit vulgar, you know, cashing in on Christmas," Lowe says of the British. He says he took it as a challenge: Quality Street tackles old classics and adds originals to the mix.
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His latest movie is Traffic, starring Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Its about drug traffic at the US-Mexico border. The idea came from a British miniseries called Traffic.Soderbergh began his career with the low budget hit,Sex, Lies and Videotape. His other films include Erin Brockovich, The Limey, and Kafka.
Satirist Al Franken. For 15 years he was a cast member of Saturday Night Live, creating such well-loved characters as Stuart Smalley (author of "I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!"). His bestselling satire, "Why Not Me: The Inside Story of the Making and Unmaking of the Franken Presidency" is now in paperback (Delta). He’s also coordinating producer of this Sunday’s “SNL Presidential Bash 2000.”
