It was a cold December night in 1972 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A 38-year old widowed mother of 10 named Jean McConville was with her children in their apartment in the Divis Flats, a labyrinthine public housing project that one critic described a "slum in the sky."
We celebrate the life of the legendary obit writer, who died Feb. 22, by listening back to a 1987 interview. Also, Philadelphia Inquirer editor David Gambacorta reflects on Nicholson's work.
"Dance numbers are anything but spontaneous," Donen told Fresh Air in 1996. Donen, who died Feb. 21, also directed On the Town, Funny Face and Damn Yankees, among other films.
A new film by German director Christian Petzold is set in a suspended-in-time version of the present. Critic Justin Chang calls it "a piercingly sad lament for the lost and forgotten souls of Europe."
Miller's band, the sextet Boom Tic Boom, keep good time — and appear to have a good time — on their new album. "You can hear how much her crew enjoy playing this music," critic Kevin Whitehead says.
New York Times Magazine writer Mattathias Schwartz says that when Trump's tweets take our allies by surprise, it's the secretary of state's job to "calm people down."
Mary Pipher's new book, Women Rowing North, chronicles the positive aspects of transitioning from middle age to old age: "At this life stage, women start granting themselves the power of no."
Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews a new novel about the fate of undocumented migrant children by Valeria Luiselli who was a volunteer court translator for undocumented children in New York.
Jennifer Stockburger runs the Consumer Reports "test track," where the magazine takes stock of hundreds of cars, trucks and SUVs. She says more than 50 tests drive each vehicle's rating.
Pamela Adlon talks about directing and writing Better Things. It's the first season without co-creator Louis C.K. After he admitted the allegations of sexual misconduct were true, Adlon severed ties with him.
Filmmaker Yoruba Richen's documentary, The Green Book: Guide to Freedom, tells the story of the manual that helped African-Americans find safe places to stay, eat, shop and do business on the road.
Fifty-seven years ago, Charles released two albums that helped extend the reach of country music. Though initially perceived as a novelty, a re-release of the albums proves they were anything but.
Filmmaker Adam McKay spoke to Fresh Air in January 2019 about his efforts to bring the former vice president "to the foreground" in Vice. The film is up for eight Academy Awards, including best film.
"No one can sing like Freddie Mercury," Malek told Fresh Air in November 2018. The actor has been nominated for an Academy Award for playing Queen's lead singer in the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.
"If there was contact between the Trump campaign, or even Trump himself, and WikiLeaks, it went through [Jerome] Corsi and [Roger] Stone," says New Yorker writer Jeffrey Toobin.
Activist, filmmaker and writer dream hampton executive produced Surviving R. Kelly, a six-part docuseries focusing on Kelly's alleged victims and their family members.
Historian Daniel Immerwahr shares surprising stories of U.S. territorial expansion, including how the desire for bird guano compelled the seizure of remote islands. His book is How to Hide an Empire.