Pop Culture

Commentator Patricia McLaughlin remembers how the tail end of summer left her listless; but, as a busy grown-up, she longs for such uninterrupted stretches of time to relax.

Critic Maureen Corrigan muses on the complications of buying a wedding dress, and other pre-wedding arrangements.

Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg explains Misapprehensions, a game for people who find Jeopardy too easy.

Critic Maureen Corrigan shares her thoughts on celebrity stars, thoughts generated by her recent trip from the East Coast halls of Academe to Hollywood.

Batman creator Bob Kane. In his new autobiography, "Batman & Me," Kane tells how he came up with the idea for the caped crusader, and what influence he had on the T-V series and last year's movie. Kane drew Batman from its inception in 1939 to the late 60s.

Critic Maureen Corrigan gives us her family's version of how to celebrate St. Patricks Day, and recommends the novel "Motherland" by Timothy O'Grady as perfect St. Patrick's Day reading.

Historian and author Hillel Schwartz. His latest book is "Century's End: A Cultural History of the Fin-de-Siècle From the 990's through the 1990's." (Published by Doubleday.) According to Schwartz, certain events happening now, as we approach the year 2000, are part of a pattern that repeats itself at the end of each century. Schwartz's earlier book about dieting, "Never Satisfied: A Cultural History of Diets, Fantasies, and Fat," has just come out in paperback. (Published by Anchor Books, Doubleday.)

Terry talks with Fresh Air's rock critic, Ken Tucker, about rock in the 80s.

Terry and film critic Stephen Schiff look back on the movies of the 80s, and how the decade changed film making. Stephen also gives his picks for the best films of the 1980s.

Language commentator Geoffrey Nunberg discusses choosing children's names.