Our 'Toxic' Love-Hate Relationship With Plastics
()Science writer Susan Freinkel chronicles the rise of plastic in consumer culture — and its effects on the environment and our health — in Plastic: A Toxic Love Story. Freinkel says plastics leach potentially harmful chemicals into our bloodstream — and that scientists are now figuring out what that does to our bodies.
Recent Interviews
Author Interviews
Jon Sarkin: When Brain Injuries Transform Into Art
April 18, 2011 Jon Sarkin was working as a chiropractor when he suffered a massive stroke. Afterwards, he became an obsessive visual artist whose work was as fragmented and cluttered as his mind had become. Sarkin is the subject of a new book, Shadows Bright as Glass, by science writer Amy Nutt.
Movies
Will Ferrell: The Comedian Reflects On 'Fiction'
April 15, 2011 Will Ferrell is starring in a four-episode arc on NBC's sitcom, The Office. To celebrate, Fresh Air is replaying highlights from a 2006 interview with Ferrell about his time on Saturday Night Live and several of his movies, including Stranger Than Fiction.
Remembrances
Sidney Lumet: A Director Who Gave Actors His All
April 15, 2011 Fresh Air remembers director Sidney Lumet — who died Saturday at age 86 — with excerpts from a 1988 interview. One of Hollywood's most prolific directors, Lumet created more than 40 films, including Network, Serpico, Fail-Safe, Dog Day Afternoon, The Wiz, The Verdict and Prince of the City.
Movies
Going West: The Making Of 'Meek's Cutoff'
April 14, 2011 Michelle Williams plays settler Emily Tetherow in Kelly Reichardt's frontier drama Meek's Cutoff. Both Williams and Reichardt join Fresh Air's Terry Gross for a discussion about the film, which was shot with exquisite landscapes and virtually no dialogue.
Author Interviews
Tina Fey Reveals All (And Then Some) In 'Bossypants'
April 13, 2011 Tina Fey's new memoir Bossypants contains her thoughts on juggling motherhood, acting, writing and executive producing 30 Rock. Fey joins Fresh Air's Terry Gross for a wide-ranging conversation about her years in comedy, her childhood and her 2008 portrayal of Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live.
Recent Reviews
Spotlight on Country
How The Bristol Sessions Changed Country Music
April 19, 2011 In 1927 and '28, Ralph Peer, a talent scout for the Victor Talking Machine Company, set up recording sessions in a town straddling the Tennessee-Virginia border. The resulting sessions, rock critic Ed Ward says, laid the framework for all of country music.
Books We Like
An Old Romance Blooms Anew In 'Love Of My Youth'
April 19, 2011 In Mary Gordon's luscious, wistful new novel, two former lovers meet in Rome after not having seen each other for almost 40 years. Book critic Maureen Corrigan praises the book's "undeniable appeal."
Television
Ernie Kovacs: The King Of Early Television Comedy
April 18, 2011 From 1950 until he died in an auto accident in 1962, Ernie Kovacs created some of the most inventive and unusual television ever made. A new box set collects more than 13 hours of the TV pioneer's best and rarest programs. TV critic David Bianculli says it's "a mandatory purchase for anyone who loves TV."
Movie Reviews
'The Conspirator': A Trying Trial For Lincoln's Foes
April 15, 2011 Robert Redford's historical drama focuses on the months after President Lincoln was assassinated — and on Mary Surratt, the woman alleged to have aided the plotters. Critic David Edelstein says it's a dramatized civil-liberties lecture, both transparent and exaggerated.
Music Reviews
Edwyn Collins: 'Losing Sleep' And Continuing Life
April 12, 2011 Collins was the leader of the 1980s post-punk band Orange Juice. In 2005, he had two cerebral hemorrhages and doubted whether he'd ever make music again. But now he's back with his seventh solo album, Losing Sleep, which Ken Tucker says addresses the singer's past with "bracing clarity."
