Brown joins Fresh Air to discuss the mechanics of filmmaking, and the impact the success of Jaws had on his career. His wife is Helen Gurley Brown; they work together on the women's magazine Cosmopolitan. David Brown's memoir is called Let Me Entertain You.
New York Times journalist Timothy West says that cities in the region like Seattle strike a successful balance between urban centers and the natural world. His new book about his travels throughout the Pacific Northwest is called The Good Rain.
In anticipation of the new season, networks have been trying to one-up with each other with pilots of new shows. TV critic David Bianculli says NBC's Parenthood is the best of the bunch, while Hull High can't compete.
Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead thinks there's nothing better than Duke Ellington's masterful compositions, arrangements, and performances. He reviews two new CDs he thinks are particularly excellent.
Pakula's new courtroom drama is based on the novel of the same name by Scott Turrow. His previous credits include All The President's Men, Sophie's Choice, and Klute.
Esteban "Steve" Jordan grew up partially blind in a poor family in Texas. Also known as El Parche, he became an accomplished accordionist playing conjunto and other regional styles. World music critic Milo Miles has this profile.
New Yorker staffer Tony Hiss has a new book compiling several of his articles for the magazine, called The Experience of Place. His writing concerns the emotional dimensions of city planning. Hiss is the son of Alger Hiss, who was charged with treason during the McCarthy era.
Critic Owen Gleiberman reviews the director's new movie, a violent tale about young love. Despite an excellent performance by female lead Laura Dern, the film fails to capture balance of innocence and weirdness found in Lynch's other work.
Blackwood was hired by a movie studio with no experience. That stroke of luck eventually led him to a career as a movie director. His newest documentary, inspired by his travels, is called Motel. Blackwood says his work is less concerned with narrative, and more on the emotions of the people he follows.
Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews two albums representative of the new, technology fueled variation on the classic Jamaican style. He says its accessibility may give reggae the larger audience it deserves.
Baldessari was a painter, but his recent work incorporates unusual materials like found photographs and video clips. His success has allowed him to resign from a long-running teaching position at CalArts.
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new recording of "Flavio" on the Harmonia Mundi label. He says it's perhaps the best performance of the opera since Handel's own time.
Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Gone Primitive by Marianna Torgovnick. The book argues that images of so-called primitive people in art often reflect the fears that mainstream culture has of the Other.
Ruth Macklin is an ethicist who helped develop a new philosophical approach to patient-focused care. She advocates for the informed consent model of medical treatment, and advises doctors and medical professionals on the best way to help resolve difficult issues, especially when their desires conflict with those of the patient.
New York Times journalists Ralph Blumenthal and E.R. Shipp were part of a five-person team who investigated the supposed rape and murder of Tawana Brawley, a fifteen-year-old African American girl in Wappingers Falls, New York. A book about the public controversy, and how the reporters concluded the incident was a hoax, is called Outrage.
Commentator Patricia McLaughlin remembers how the tail end of summer left her listless; but, as a busy grown-up, she longs for such uninterrupted stretches of time to relax.
Rock historian Ed Ward talks about how the city's music scene in the late '70s and early '80s incorporated rockabilly with bands like X, and Mexican traditions with Los Lobos.
Ellroy grew up in Los Angeles; his mother was murdered when Ellroy was still a child. He credits these two experiences with leading him on his path toward becoming a crime writer. His latest novel is called L.A. Confidential.
