Showing results by author "Terry Gross" in All Categories

Actor John C. Reilly on this edition of Fresh Air. John C. Reilly co-stars in the hit film Talladega Nights: the Ballad of Ricky Bobby with Will Farrell. It's soon out on video. Reilly is probably best known for his association with writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson in the films Hard 8, Boogie Nights, and Magnolia.

Playwright Neil Simon on this edition of Fresh Air. Simon talks about being this year's recipient of the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain prize for American humor.

Actor Greg Kinnear, culinary expert Shirley Corriher, and linguist Geoff Nunberg, on this edition of Fresh Air.

Former Vice Presidential candidate and senator John Edwards and journalist Julian Dibbell on this edition of Fresh Air. During the election of 2004, Edwards resigned from the Senate. He currently lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and recently did a lot of campaigning for Democrats in advance of last week's midterm elections. He'll talk about politics, the Kerry-Edwards campaign, and his thoughts on his own possible presidential bid in 2008.

New York Times correspondent Michael Gordon, author Richard Sloan, and TV critic David Bianculli, on this edition of Fresh Air. Michael Gordon was recently in Iraq. We'll talk with him about efforts to stem the violence in Baghdad, and the prospects for change in American policy. His recent book is Cobra II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq. Then, Richard Sloan, Ph.D whose new book is called Blind Faith: The Unholy Alliance of Religion and Medicine.

Author Lou Dubose and journalist Tima Cassidy on this edition of Fresh Air. His new book, co-authored with Jake Bernstein, is Vice: Dick Cheney and the Hijacking of the American Presidency. Dubose, a former writer for the Texas Observer, has covered Texas politics for over two decades. He's also the co-author (with Molly Ivins) of two books about George W. Bush, and he also wrote books about Tom DeLay and Karl Rove.

Former Deputy Director and Director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives David Kuo and H. James Towey on this edition of Fresh Air. David Kuo is the former deputy director of the White House's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. He left in December 2003. He says he was disillusioned with the administration because they failed to actually fund faith-based charities, and they used compassion and religion for political ends.

Actor Forest Whitaker and a tribute to the late country music legend, Freddy Fender, on this edition of Fresh Air. Forest Whitaker played jazz musician Charlie Parker in Bird, a British soldier kidnapped by the IRA in The Crying Game, a mafia hit man who models himself after a Samurai warrior in Ghost Dog, and an internal affairs detective on the FOX TV show The Shield. In his latest film The Last King of Scotland, he plays Ugandan dictator Idi Amin.

Peabody award-winning independent radio producer Jay Allison and director Stephen Frears on this edition of Fresh Air. Allison's radio series include Life Stories, Lost and Found Sound (with The Kitchen Sisters), and the Sonic Memorial Project. He created Transom.org, an online resource for newcomers to radio production. Along with producer Dan Gediman, he created the This I Believe series, currently on NPR, modeled after the Edward R. Murrow series.

Writer Zadie Smith, novelist Tom Perrotta, and film critic David Edelstein, on this edition of Fresh Air. Smith's latest novel, On Beauty, is out in paperback. Smith gained critical acclaim for her debut novel, White Teeth, penned when she was just 24. Her second novel was The Autograph Man. On Beauty, her third book, is already garnering praise from critics. Smith says it is a homage to E.M. Forster's Howard's End.

Washington correspondent for The New Yorker and author, Jeffrey Goldberg, rock critic Ken Tucker, and film critic David Bianculli, on this edition of Fresh Air. Jeffrey Goldberg's new memoir is Prisoners: A Muslim & A Jew Across the Middle East Divide. Goldberg won the National Magazine Award for Reporting in 2003 for his coverage of terrorism. Then, Ken Tucker reviews White Bread Black Beer the first album in eight years by the post-punk band Scritti Politti.

Authors Judea Pearl and Akbar Ahmed on this edition of Fresh Air. Judea Pearl is the father of slain journalist Daniel Pearl and author of I am Jewish. Professor Akbar Ahmed teaches Islamic Studies at American University. The two are collaborating on a series of interfaith dialogues across the country and abroad. Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered in Pakistan in 2002 while reporting on Islamic extremists.

Jazz pianist Jason Moran, TV critic David Bianculli, and film critic David Edelstein, on this edition of Fresh Air. Jazz pianist Jason Moran's new CD, Artist in Residence, is the result of music he created after he accepted commissions from three American art institutions. Moran has been described in Downbeat Magazine as one of the most important figures of his generation. Then, today's host and TV critic David Bianculli previews Dexter.

BBC security correspondent, Gordon Corera, and rock critic, Ken Tucker, on this edition of Fresh Air. Corera is a security correspondent for the BBC. In his new book, he warns that we may be entering a "new era of accelerated proliferation." He writes about the challenges of halting the proliferation of nuclear weapons and about A.Q. Khan, the man described by a former CIA Director as "at least as dangerous as Osama bin Laden."

Biographer Peter Guralnick on this edition of Fresh Air. His book Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke is now out in paperback. Guralnick follows the life of rhythm and blues legend Sam Cooke from his roots in gospel music through his legendary career as a singer and songwriter whose hits include "You Send Me", "Bring it on Home to Me", "Only Sixteen", and many others. Peter Guralnick has written extensively about American music.

PBS' Frontline executive editor Louis Wiley, FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein, attorney Stephen Weiswasser, and Executive Director of the PTC, Tim Winter, on this edition of Fresh Air. Louis Wiley is executive editor of the PBS Frontline documentary series. He will discuss how they have been affected by the FCC's crackdown on indecency in broadcasting. The FCC has increased fines tenfold for material they deem indecent.

Journalist Lawrence Wright on this edition of Fresh Air. Wright is the author of the new book The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11. The book is based on more than 500 interviews, some with friends and relatives of Osama bin Laden, and examines the circumstances that led to the formation of Al Qaeda. Then, book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews The Emperor's Children, the new novel by Claire Messud.

Boston University Professor Augustus Richard Norton and actor Matt Dillon, on this edition of Fresh Air. Norton is a Professor of International Relations and Anthropology. He has been writing about Lebanon for 25 years and is an expert on the Shiite political movements, including Hezbollah. His books include Amal and the Shi'a: Struggle for the Soul of Lebanon and Civil Society in the Middle East. Norton is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Singer Tony Bennett and film critic David Edelstein on this edition of Fresh Air. Tony Bennett turned 80 years old yesterday. A grocer's son, Anthony Dominick Benedetto was born in Astoria, Queens in 1926. After working as a singing waiter in his teens and then following service in the U.S. Army, he auditioned for Columbia Records and launched a career that started off with his first big hit "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" (1950).

Political reporters Tom Hamburger and Peter Wallsten and Washington Post senior Pentagon correspondent Thomas Ricks on this edition of Fresh Air. Hamburger and Wallsten are the authors of the new book One Party Country: The Republican Plan for Dominance in the 21st Century (John Wiley). Hamburger covers the White House and the executive branch for the Los Angeles Times. Wallsten covers the White House for the Los Angeles Times.