Showing results by author "Terry Gross" in All Categories

Hear singer-songwriter Ray Davies on this edition of Fresh Air. Davies first became known as the leader of the band The Kinks, one of the great and enduring British bands to came out of the 60s. Davies' first solo record, Other People's Lives was released in 2006. While recording the album in New Orleans, he was shot in the leg by a man who stole his girlfriend's purse. His new album, Working Man's Cafe, was released this month.

Professor of Religion Elaine Pagels and film writer and director Rusty Cundieff on this archive edition of Fresh Air. Pagels has written four books, including The Gnostic Gospels (which won both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award). She has a new book called The Origin of Satan. Cundieff has a new horror flick called Tales from the Hood.

British actor Colin Firth on this edition of Fresh Air. Firth is co-starring in the new romantic comedy/holiday feel-good film, Love Actually. Firth is probably best known for his role as Mr. Darcy in the BBC/A&E production of Pride and Prejudice. The film turned him into a heartthrob.

Former NPR reporter Sarah Chayes and current field director of Afghans for Civil Society on this edition of Fresh Air. Afghans for Civil Society is a non-profit, non-governmental organization founded to promote a democratic alternative and to assist in the development of a civil society. ACS involves the community in reconstruction efforts: everything from physical reconstruction of a bombed-out village, to organizing a women's income generating project to launching an independent radio station.

Illustrator Marjane Satrapi and guitar legend Jimmy Page on this edition of Fresh Air. Marjane Satrapi is the author of the memoir, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood. The book is in the form of an illustrated comic. Satrapi was born in 1969 in Iran, and grew up in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution.

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.

A compilation of Fresh Air celebrity interviews with host Terry Gross.

The Broadway musical The Producers has opened on Broadway, based on the Mel Brooks movie. It stars Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick.

Actor Michael C. Hall and director and screenwriter Hal Hartley on this edition of Fresh Air. Michael C. Hall plays David Fisher, the gay brother who co-runs a funeral home on the HBO hit Six Feet Under. The American Film Institute has nominated Hall for Best Male TV Actor-Drama for his role in the series. Hall comes to TV from the stage. Most recently, he was on Broadway as the emcee in Cabaret. Prior to that role, he was in a number of off-Broadway productions.

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, religion scholar and former nun Karen Armstrong, the religious leader of the Islamic Center of America in Detroit, Iman Sayed Hassan Qazwini and American Muslim Asma Gull Hasan on this edition of Fresh Air. Thomas Friedman covered the Middle East for many years, work that won him two Pulitzer Prizes. He's also the author of the book, From Beirut to Jerusalem.

Fresh Air guest host Barbara Bogaev talks with actor Michael C. Hall from HBO's Six Feet Under. He plays David Fisher, the gay brother who co-runs a funeral home on the show. He's currently starring as Billy Flynn, an oily attorney in the Broadway revival of Chicago. James Earl Jones, of the astounding voice, talks about his memoir. And you'll hear a review of the foreign film Mostly Martha.

The HBO hit series Sex and the City, begins a new season July 21st. On this edition of Fresh Air, we'll hear from two people involved with the show: actress Sarah Jessica Parker and writer and executive producer Michael Patrick King. Sarah Jessica Parker was just nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She's been acting for most of her life, including playing Annie on Broadway, the young bimbo in L.A. Story, and a fed-up fiancee in Honeymoon in Vegas.

Soul week continues on Fresh Air. Two former members of the vocal group The Impressions - Jerry Butler and Curtis Mayfield on this edition of Fresh Air. Singer Jerry Butler, aka The Iceman. His 1969 hit, "Only the Strong Survive," is a rhythm and blues classic, and also the title of his autobiography: Only the Strong Survive: Memoirs of a Soul Survivor. Butler founded The Impressions.

Actress Jodie Foster on this edition of Fresh Air. Jodie Foster produced and acts in the new film The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys. Foster has won two Oscars for performances in The Silence of the Lambs and The Accused. She was also nominated for her work in Taxi Driver and Nell. She's also served as producer or director on numerous films. (Broadcast Date: June 17, 2002)

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.

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.

Susan Orlean is a staff writer at The New Yorker. In 1994 she wrote a profile of David Friedman, one of the Friedman sons. David was known as Silly Billy, a popular clown who was a favorite at children's birthday parties in New York City. David's father and brother were accused of molesting children, and the family's story is told through their own home movies in the documentary film.

Tammy Faye Messner and record executive Simon Cowell on this edition of Fresh Air. Tammy Faye Messner, along with her ex-husband Jim Bakker, built the Praise the Lord televangelist network. Record executive Simon Cowell is one of the judges on the talent show, American Idol, a spin-off of the show he co-created in Britian, Pop Idol.

Musician, producer, arranger, composer Quincy Jones on this edition of Fresh Air. He has a new autobiography, Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones.

The late writer, Carol Shields on this edition of Fresh Air. Carol Shields discusses her life, her work, and her diagnosis of stage 4 breast cancer. She won a Pulitzer Prize for her best-selling novel The Stone Diaries. Her books are often about middle class people leading quiet lives.