Showing results by narrator "Terry Gross" in All Categories

Journalist Robert Kaplan and Peter W. Galbraith, former U.S. amassador to Croatia, on this edition of Fresh Air. Robert Kaplan is a correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly. His story in the April edition of magazine is "A Tale of Two Colonies." Kaplan traveled to Yemen and Eritrea to investigate how the war on terrorism is forcing the U.S. to be involved with each. Yemen is believed to have the largest Al-Qaeda presence outside of the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.

Actors Edward Norton and Sidney Poitier on this edition of Fresh Air as they both discuss their careers. Norton is co-starring in the film The Score along with Robert DeNiro and Marlon Brando.

Singer/songwriters Barry Manilow and Tom Waits on this edition of Fresh Air. Barry Manilow made the pop charts in the 1970s and early 80s with love ballads such as "Mandy," "Looks Like We Made It," "I Write the Songs" and "Copacabana (At the Copa)." Before becoming a singer he was Bette Midler's accompanist and arranger.

Linguist John McWhorter and photographer Joel Meyerowitz on this editin of Fresh Air.

Humorist Fran Lebowitz and writer Anne Lamott on this archive edition of Fresh Air. The Washington Post called Fran Lebowitz "The funniest woman in America." Humorist Lebowitz has come out with her first children's book, Mr. Chas and Lisa Sue Meet The Pandas. In 1978, she wrote the critically acclaimed book Metropolitan Life a collection of witty essays on life. Writer Anne Lamott's new book is Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life.

Filmmaker Alexander Payne and singer and musician Alvin Youngblood Hart on this edition of Fresh Air. Alexander Payne directed and co-wrote the satirical films Citizen Ruth and Election. His newest film, About Schmidt, is also a social satire. It stars Jack Nicholson and Kathy Bates who have both been nominated for Academy Awards for their roles. About Schmidt is loosely based on the novel of the same name by Louis Begley.

Writer David Sedaris and actor Alan Cumming, on this edition of Fresh Air. Sedaris is best known for his contributing work with public radio's This American Life. He's written three books of essays, Barrel Fever, Naked, and his newest Me Talk Pretty One Day which was just released in paperback. Scottish actor Alan Cumming co-wrote, co-directed, and is co-starring in the new film The Anniversary Party, along with Jennifer Jason Leigh.

British film director Michael Winterbottom and science writer David Quammen on this edition of Fresh Air. Michael Winterbottom's films include Welcome to Sarajevo, 24 Hour Party People, and Wonderland.

Veteran actress Angela Lansbury on this archive edition of Fresh Air. She's spent over 50 years in the business on stage, and in film and television. When she was 17 she debuted in Gaslight, and was nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of Ingrid Bergman's Cockney maid.

Film critic and historian David Thomson and sleight of hand expert and actor Ricky Jay on this edition of Fresh Air. David Thomson's latest book is The New Biographical Dictionary of Film. It is an updated version of his Biographical Dictionary of Film, which was first published in 1975. Some of the entries from the Dictionary have been revised and new entries have been added.

Comic book artist and writer Frank Miller and keyboard player and record producer Ray Manzarek on this edition of Fresh Air. Frank Miller transformed Batman into a brooding, tortured vigilante in his remakes of the classic Batman comic: The Dark Knight Returns and The Dark Knight Strikes Again.

Film director Ang Lee and actress Michelle Yeow on this edition of Fresh Air. Ang Lee's new movie is Crouching Tiger, Killing Dragon, starring Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeow. He also co-produced the film. Lee is best known for his English-language dramas such as Sense and Sensibility, the Jane Austen novel adaptation, as well as the Chinese-American themed Eat Drink Man Woman and The Wedding Banquet.

Composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim and actor Greg Kinnear on this edition of Fresh Air. Sondheim was mentored by Oscar Hammerstein, and went on to revolutionize musical theatre. His first major success was writing lyrics for West Side Story. He also composed the music and wrote the lyrics for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Follies, and A Little Night Music to name a few.

Filmmaker Peter Jackson and photographer Doug Niven on this edition of Fresh Air. Peter Jackson directed Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring. The film has been nominated for 13 Academy Awards, including Best Director, Best Picture and Screenplay. His other films include Heavenly Creatures and The Frighteners. The New Zealander is also slated to direct the other two upcoming films of the Hobbit trilogy, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

Filmmaker John Waters on this edition of Fresh Air. His film Cecil B. Demented has just been released on video and DVD. It's about an underground filmmaker and his cult following who declare war on bad cinema by kidnapping a starlet and forcing her to star in their own film.

Jazz musician James Moody and Screenwriter and novelist Richard Price. Just after World War II, Moody joined the bebop big band of Dizzy Gillespie and played with Milt Jackson. His most famous recording is of an improvisatory piece he performed in 1949, now known as "Moody's Mood For Love." Terry talked to him in 1996, about his CD, Young At Heart, which had just been released. It is a collection of Frank Sinatra tunes.

Reverend Wanda Henry-Jenkins and author Michael Chabon on this archive edition of Fresh Air. More than 20 years ago, Reverend Wanda Henry-Jenkins' mother was shot and killed as she headed home after a late shift at a Chicago hospital. Since then, Rev. Henry-Jenkins heads the grief assistance program at the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office. She offers survivors of homicide victims the guidance she says she never received after her mother's death.

The host of NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday, Scott Simon and remembering dancer Gwen Verdon on this edition of Fresh Air. Simon's written a memoir, Home & Away: Memoir of a Fan. Fresh Air remembers dancer Gwen Verdon. She died today at the age of 75. She became an overnight Broadway sensation in 1953 as a dancer in Can Can, for which she won her first Tony Award.

Journalist Gabrielle Glaser and singers Tony Bennett and K.D. Lang on this edition of Fresh Air. Gabrielle Glaser's new book is The Nose: A Profile of Sex, Beauty, and Survival. The book is a history of the nose (and smell), its science, biology and cultural significance. Host Terry Gross will talk with her primarily about how the nose and sinuses work.

Editor and writer Walter Kirn and casting director and actress Joanna Merlin on this edition of Fresh Air. Kirn's new novel Up in the Air is about 35-year-old Ryan Bingham, a well-traveled business man who has a goal of accumulating one million miles in his frequent flyer account. Kirn is the literary editor for GQ and a contributing editor to Time and Vanity Fair. His fiction and nonfiction work has appeared in The New Yorker and the New York Times Magazine.