Poet and NPR commentator Andrei Codrescu. Codrescu's new book, "A Hole In The Flag," examines how the exuberance in his native Romania after the overthrow of Ceausescu turned to cynicism, and with the realization that Ceausescu's overthrow changed nothing.
Perl's new book, "Gallery Going," is a collection of essays about the art world of the late 80s and 90s. He says that museums are succumbing to new pressures to generate income, which is affecting the kind of art curators choose to feature.
Stern played one of the bungling burglars in the movie, "Home Alone." He's also the voice of the narrator in the TV series, "The Wonder Years." He's co-starring now in the new movie, "City Slickers."
Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews "Duke Ellington's Carnegie Hall Concerts," a new series of CD reissues that chronicle the annual performances Ellington gave during the 40s.
Getz recently passed away after a bout with liver cancer. We remember him with a rebroadcast of an interview from last year. Getz talks about dropping out of school and going on the road at 15. He learned while traveling and playing with other musicians.
Alvarez was born into a prosperous family in the Dominican Republic. When she was ten, her family moved to New York City. Alvarez's new novel, "How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents," is a semi-autobiographical work about the clash of cultures in her early life.
We examine the state of human rights in post-war Kuwait with Ken Roth, the deputy director of Human Rights Watch. He just returned from a nine day visit to Kuwait.
Lea started singing in the 1950s; she recorded her first album in 1955 to critical acclaim. After a hiatus from music, she made a comeback during the 70s in New York's cabaret world. Today, Lea is accompanied in studio by pianist Tony Tamburello. In honor of Cole Porter's 100th birthday, they perform several of the songwriter's compositions.
Deputy Director of Human Rights Watch Ken Roth just spent nine days in Kuwait observing the trials of persons accused of being collaborators with the Iraqis.
For more than a decade, Sciolino has been reporting on the Middle East. She was one of the few American journalists who recognized the danger of Saddam Hussein before the invasion of Kuwait. She currently is a diplomatic correspondent covering U.S. foreign policy and national security issues for the New York Times. Her new book is "The Outlaw State: Saddam Hussein's Quest for Power and the Gulf Crisis."
Cannon is Los Angeles correspondent for the Washington Post. As a reporter for the "San Jose Mercury News," and later as "The Washington Post" White House correspondent, he covered Ronald Reagan as Governor and President. He's just written a third book about the Reagan presidency, called "President Reagan: A Role of a Lifetime."
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new videotape of the first time Wagner's Ring Cycle was broadcast on television, with conductor Pierre Boulez and stage director Patrice Chereau.
Architects Robert Venturi and Denise Soctt Brown. Venturi has just been awarded the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize. His famous response to the modernist philosophy that "less is more," was "less is a bore," and is credited as a major turning point in modernist architecture. Venturi and Brown are the authors of several books on architecture. Current projects include a new wing of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square in London, and a new building for the Seattle Art Museum.
Sayles' films include Return of the Secaucus Seven, Brother From Another Planet, Matewan, and Eight Men Out. He has just written a novel, called Los Gusanos, about Cuban Americans living in Miami. He joins Fresh Air to talk about the difference between moviemaking and creative writing.
Television critic David Bianculli revisits Masterpiece Theater's "I, Claudius," which is being rebroadcast beginning this Sunday. When the show first aired, he gave it a mediocre review--which he later retracted after watching several more episodes.
