Now that author Salman Rushide has gone into hiding, critic-at-large Laurie Stone looks at how communities around the world have been responding to his controversial book.
Jazz critic has this profile of Roy Eldridge, an early pioneer of the jazz trumpet, whose style departed from greats like Louis Armstrong in several important ways.
Reiner is a prolific director of comedy films. A frequent collaborator with Mel Brooks, he started in the theater and later television, where he began his career as a writer on the program Your Show of Shows. His latest movie, inspired by classic Hollywood musicals, is called Bert Rigby, You're a Fool.
Ken Tucker is, as usual, disappointed by the winners of this year's Grammy Awards. But he's also dismayed by reader and critic polls which, according to him, celebrate dolorous and purposeless artists. New Order's recent album, Technique, could be described the same way, but Tucker appreciates its charm and accessibility.
Stuart Klawans reviews the new movie, which features a trio of shorter films directed by Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, and Francis Coppola. Klawans says the efforts of the first two directors are fantastic, but viewers can step out into the lobby for Coppola's contribution.
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new recording of Harold Shapero's symphony, conducted by Andre Previn and performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Language commentator Geoff Nunberg reviews a new book by James Crawford which examines the history of bilingual education. Despite the contemporary controversy surrounding the issue, Nunberg and Crawford point out that such curricula was once considered a valuable way of helping immigrant children learn English and assimilate into American culture -- a view once shared by conservatives in the 1970s.
Reed recently played a campaign manager in the HBO political satire Tanner '88. Now she stars as a struggling single mother and radio journalist in the film Rachel River. She joins Fresh Air to talk about the politics of nudity in film and the kinds of roles available to women.
Lopez has a new collection of essays called Crossing Open Ground, which offers what he hopes is a non-judgemental view of environmental change and different interactions with animals and the natural world.
Book critic John Leonard says that leading feminist author Margaret Atwood can be alternately lyrical and severe. Her latest novel, Cat's Eye, is a dark look at a painter's fraught friendships with other women.
Rock historian Ed Ward says there was talent all over the state during the 1950s and '60s. Despite their excellent music, most of the recording artists of this era faded into obscurity. But contemporary musicians like Willie Nelson and Elvis Costello are rediscovering Louisiana's soulful, forgotten legacy.
Tucker says he's often confused with the character he plays on the legal drama -- which also stars Jill Eikenberry as his wife. He's featured in the new made-for-TV movie, Day One.
Costello's first album, My Aim Is True, showcased his tough but emotional songwriting and his classic rock star persona. He joins Fresh Air to discuss his growth as a singer, and to perform a few of his songs.
Mathematician John Allen Paulos joins Fresh Air to discuss how people often lack the ability to evaluate the size of objects and the magnitude of different phenomena. He believes numeracy should be taught in primary schools in order to combat this deficiency.
Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead says much of saxophonist Ahmed Abdullah's new album, Liquid Magic, takes its cues from South African musical traditions. Whitehead says that the international influence on a style already born of African traditions proves that jazz is in no danger of stagnating.
Feminist writer Susan Brownmiller wrote a fictionalized account of the Sternberg-Nussbaum child abuse and murder case, case called Waverly Place. She joins Fresh Air to discuss why she avoided writing a true crime book, as well as the sociology of domestic abuse.
TV critic David Bianculli reviews a new made-for-TV movie about the bombing of Hiroshima, called Day One. He says the scenes of White House discussions regarding whether or not to use nuclear weapons are what make the movie really special -- and really scary.
The 1967 film Point Blank, directed by John Moorman, never found a wide audience in the U.S. Critic Ken Tucker says the crime thriller was a success nonetheless, with a brutal, fast-moving style and a directorial vision never recaptured in Moorman's later work.
Martin Bauml Duberman was personally selected by Robeson's son to write about the legendary African American actor and activist. Duberman says he brought to bear own experiences in the theater and as a gay man while working on the book. He joins Fresh Air to discuss his research, as well Robeson's political activity and the effect government surveillance had on his mental health.
