Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner co-wrote the screenplay for the new Stephen Spielberg film Munich. Kushner won a Pulitzer for his 1993-1994 play Angels in America, which was performed in two parts and set in New York in the mid-1980s in the midst of the AIDS epidemic.
Brian Walker, son of Hi and Lois creator Mort Walker, has co-edited a new book that traces the history of America's funny pages in the 20th century. Walker now writes the Hi and Lois strip with his brother, editor Greg Walker, and illustrator Chance Browne.
Reggaeton is an international hybrid of reggae, hip-hop and salsa. Several compilation albums offer an overview of the genre: Mas Flow, Mas Flow 2, and La Trayectoria.
Actor, producer, writer, director George Clooney directed and co-wrote the new film Good Night, and Good Luck, about the showdown between legendary journalist Edward R. Murrow and Sen. Joseph McCarthy that took place in 1954. Clooney also has a role in the film, portraying Murrow's producer Fred Friendly. The film is receiving much critical acclaim.
The actor died on Dec. 16, 2005, at age 58. We replay an interview from April 2000. Spencer is best known for his character Leo McGarry, the president's chief of staff, on the popular NBC series The West Wing.
Actor Luke Wilson's new film The Family Stone depicts the annual holiday gathering of a New England family. Wilson plays Ben Stone, a film editor living on the West Coast.
Fresh Air book critic Maureen Corrigan lists her favorite books of 2005, including novels by Mary Gaitskill and Kazuo Ishiguro, and memoirs by Joan Didion and J.R. Moehringer.
Director and choreographer Susan Stroman makes her screen directing debut with the new film version of The Producers, the screen adaptation of the Broadway hit starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick.
New York Times reporter Dexter Filkins has been covering the recent elections in Iraq. In April, he received the George Polk Award for War Reporting for "his riveting, first-hand account of an eight-day attack on Iraqi insurgents in Falluja."
As part of Fresh Air's annual 10 Best edition, film critic David Edelstein offers his take on the year's crop of movies. And as part of his conversation with Terry Gross, Edelstein discusses movies opening this holiday season. David Edelstein is also chief film critic for www.slate.com.
Fresh Air rock critic Ken Tucker offers his picks for the best music of the year, including Fiona Apple's latest album and a Bob Dylan DVD. He also addresses the topic of women in music, and he talks about the year in hip-hop. Tucker is the film critic for New York magazine.
In time for the holidays, Fresh Air presents an in-studio concert. Singer Rebecca Kilgore, trombonist Dan Barrett and pianist Rossano Sportiello played at the NOLA studios in Manhattan.
The novels, “The Ice Harvest” by Scott Phillips, “The History of Love” by Nicole Krauss; the nonfiction “The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness” by Joel ben Izzy, and the short story 1961 classic “Tell Me a Riddle” by Tillie Olsen.
In The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, actor Tommy Lee Jones stars as a laconic Texas ranch foreman who sets off on an honor quest to bury his murdered friend in his hometown in Mexico. The film marks Jones' directorial debut and has garnered the Oscar-winning actor accolades for his work behind and in front of the camera. Jones also produced Burials, which was written by Guillermo Arriaga, the screenwriter for Amores Perros.
Journalist Scott McCartney, who follows the airline industry, writes the weekly column "The Middle Seat" for the Wall Street Journal. McCartney is the journal's travel editor and deputy bureau chief in Dallas, Texas.
Scholar Bart Ehrman's new book explores how scribes — through both omission and intention — changed the Bible. Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why is the result of years of reading the texts in their original languages.
