Ed Helms plays a paper pusher on The Office and an insurance salesman in the new comedy Cedar Rapids — but on Thursday's Fresh Air, he plays the banjo. With his band The Lonesome Trio, he joins Terry Gross for an in-studio performance and a chat about his latest film.
Country music singer and songwriter Rodney Crowell brings his guitar to play some songs that relate to his new memoir, "Chinaberry Sidewalks." Crowell has been successful in the worlds of country music and alternative music. His songs have been hits for many singers, including Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings and Tim McGraw.
New Yorker writer Lawrence Wright explains how he found a number of inconsistencies between documents the Church of Scientology says are official records of founder L. Ron Hubbard's war service and the actual official military records that Wright obtained.
Lawrence Wright talks about the history of the Muslim Brotherhood, a group banned in Egypt by the regime of President Hosni Mubarak that could play an important role in the future of the country.
Shawn Ryan's first series, The Shield, starred Michael Chiklis as a corrupt cop. His new series The Chicago Code is also about cops — but this time, they're honest. And TV critic David Bianculli says the heroes (played by Jennifer Beals and Jason Clarke) turn in very strong performances.
Hal Needham worked as a Hollywood stuntman for over 40 years. He details some of his most death-defying feats (and why he can't stand modern special effects) in his new memoir, Stuntman!
Elvis Presley is constantly being discovered by new generations, and by older fans in new stages of life. Critic Milo Miles talks about the surprise rewards he found while listening to the new reissue Elvis Is Back! — and during his first visit to Graceland in Memphis.
After abruptly departing MSNBC in January, Keith Olbermann returns to broadcasting on June 20 with a new version of Countdown on the Current TV network. The anchor explains why he feels like the environment at large news networks can be stifling.
The winner of the inaugural Queer Palm at Cannes, Gregg Araki's Kaboom is a freewheeling apocalyptic comedy centered around a sexually curious college freshman. Critic David Edelstein says the exhilarating movie is "part Blake Edwards, part David Lynch."
Director Lee Unkrich and screenwriter Michael Arndt discuss the final film in the Toy Story trilogy. One inspiration for the movie? An incident in which Unkrich accidentally threw out his wife's toys.
Barry, who died Sunday at age 77, wrote the scores for 11 Bond films, as well as the theme songs for Goldfinger and Thunderball. Fresh Air remembers the prolific, Oscar-winning film composer with highlights from a 1999 interview.
Two Titian masterpieces — Diana and Actaeon and Diana and Callisto — are in the United States for the first time. Fresh Air's Lloyd Schwartz says art lovers will want to see them in person — particularly because there's a chance they may be permanently separated.
The Spanish actor received his third Academy Award nomination for his performance in Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's new film. Bardem reflects on his role in Biutiful, as well as his performances in Before Night Falls and No Country for Old Men.
Journalist Thanassis Cambanis puts what has been going on in Egypt in a historical context — and explains what the popularity of other political parties, like Hezbollah, could mean for relations with Israel and the United States.
New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller explains why the paper decided to publish the classified dispatches and cables from WikiLeaks, the effect those documents had in Tunisia and Egypt, and why he came to regard WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange as indifferent to the people whose lives were at risk.
In honor of Levine's 40th anniversary conducting the Metropolitan Opera, the Met has released two box sets of his live performances. Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz says the new releases prove what a vital figure Levine has been.
When La Lupe, the "Queen of Latin Soul," peaked in the 1960s, she was a regular at the Palladium Club and played Madison Square Garden. By the late 1980s, she was on welfare with no fixed address. Critic Milo Miles says a new retrospective album redeems the forgotten singer.
Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney of The Black Keys join Terry Gross for a discussion of their musical influences, their recent album Brothers and why Stephen Colbert recently accused them of "selling out."
British actor Jason Statham plays a professional hit man in The Mechanic, based on a 1972 Charles Bronson thriller. Critic John Powers says the film offers a revealing look at Statham's distinctive appeal.
