Canadian writer and naturalist Farley Mowat. Mowat has written widely on nature and wildlife and championed the cause of harp seals, whales, wolves, Eskimos. His books include A Whale for the Killing, The Boat Who Wouldn't Float and Never Cry Wolf. His latest book, Woman in the Mists, is the story of Dian Fossey, the American woman who studied and lived with the mountain gorillas of Rwanda, Africa. Fossey was murdered at her remote base camp in 1985. (This is the first part of a two-part interview with Mowat.) (Contains portion of Dian Fossey interview; May 12, 1982).
Film critic David Edelstein reviews Crash, a new film by writer-director Paul Haggis. The movie's ensemble cast includes Brendan Fraser, Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Thandie Newton and hip-hop artist Ludacris.
Distinguished biographer Hermione Lee is known for her writings on the lives of Virginia Woolf and Willa Cather, among other subjects. Now her much-anticipated biography of Edith Wharton has been published, and book critic Maureen Corrigan has just resurfaced after a long, long read.
Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews two new CDS from two Southern hip hop groups: "Tha G-Code" (Cash Money) by Juvenile and "World Party" (Arista) by Goodie Mob.
Summer grew up singing gospel in church choirs in Boston and, in her teens, joined the German cast of Hair. While abroad she recorded Love to Love You Baby, which became a huge hit. She returned to the United States a disco star. Her other hits include Bad Girls and Hot Stuff. She's written a new memoir about life in the disco spotlight called Ordinary Girl.
Cumberbatch stars in Jane Campion's Western The Power of the Dog as Phil Burbank, a hyper-masculine cattle rancher living on the plains of Montana in the 1920s. We talk about how body odor helped him channel the character, toxic masculinity, and filming on location in breathtaking landscapes of New Zealand. Cumberbatch also shares stories from his past — like his experiences teaching English at a Tibetan monastery and getting kidnapped in South Africa in 2005.
Emily Monosson says fungi and fungus-like pathogens are the most devastating disease agents on the planet, causing the extinction or near extinction of species of trees, bananas, bats, frogs and more.
Mary Gordon. Her novels include The Company of Women and Final Payments, an acclaimed exploration of a Catholic upbringing. Her recent collection of short stories is titled Temporary Shelter.
Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight has a new period drama, set in 1880s London and featuring a cast of tough, yet vulnerable characters trying to outwit and outlast competing criminal elements.
Actor John C. Reilly is probably best known for his association with filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson, who cast Reilly in the films such as Hard 8, Boogie Nights and Magnolia. He also earned an Oscar nomination for his performance in Chicago. Reilly steps into a comedic role along Will Ferrell as a NASCAR driver in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.
Ukrainian novelist Andrey Kurkov writes short, surrealistic stories full of dark comedic surprises. His latest is The Case of the General's Thumb, but critic John Powers suggests starting with his 1996 novel, Death and the Penguin. It's a fast-paced, witty read and what Powers calls "an almost perfect novel."
The flap over the Kentucky senator's articles and speeches is just the latest in a series of cases of plagiarism by high-profile journalists and politicians. Linguist Geoff Nunberg looks at the way the word plagiarism has been used since it was invented by the Romans and wonders if it's always immoral or just bad form.
Suzanne Collins' best-seller about a televised killing tournament has come to the big screen, with a cast that includes Jennifer Lawrence, Lenny Kravitz and Stanley Tucci.
Canadian writer and naturalist Farley Mowat. Mowat has written widely on wildlife and the natural habitat, championing the cause of the harp seals, whales, wolves, Eskimos. His books include A Whale for the Killing, The Boat Who Wouldn't Float and Never Cry Wolf. (This is the second part of a two-part interview.)
The last week before the long summer recess is usually crunchtime for Congress, but that hasn't been the case for the 113th. New York Times correspondent Jonathan Weisman joins Fresh Air's Terry Gross to discuss why this Congress has passed so few laws.
Critic Nick Quah says the streaming giant's foray into the music podcast field has been pleasantly experimental, with casual, compelling shows that sound lo-fi and intimate.
Actress and comedian Janeane Garofalo. She's a regular on HBO's "The Larry Sanders Show," where she plays the caustic casting agent, and was a regular on FOX's "The Ben Stiller Show." Now she's appearing in the new film directed and starring Ben Stiller, "Reality Bites." Her stand-up persona has been described as "a bitter, boot-wearing feminista." Which they go on to describe as "no act" on her part.
