Entertainment

Wayans is the brother of actor and director Keenan Ivory Wayans, and has been pursuing a career in stand-up. He's been appearing in films recently like Beverly Hills Cop, though he's frustrated by the lack of complex and varied roles for black actors. Wayans' forthcoming movie is called Earth Girls are Easy.

Critic-at-large Laurie Stone recently attended the Lincoln Center's celebration of Hollywood star Bette Davis, who is now 81. The gala included a series of film clips which, according to Stone, highlighted the power, confidence, and humanity of Davis's performances.

Hurt stars in the new film Scandal, about the Profumo sex scandal of the 1960s. He also portrayed Joseph Merrick in David Lynch's The Elephant Man. He joins Fresh Air to discuss how he fully inhabits his characters, and how his early life led him to acting.

The Texas-based pianist joins Fresh Air to sing a classic boogie-woogie song and a piece of her own, about Mobile, Texas.

Winfield won an Academy Award for his role in Sounders, and is a featured actor in the television show Wiseguy. He joins Fresh Air to talk about his career to date, and his involvement with black arts and civil rights movements.

Part 2 of the Fresh Air interview with Bob Balaban. He talks about the kinds of roles he played early in his career, and his show business lineage: his grandfather was a movie producer; his father helped operate a movie theater chain; and one of his uncles was president of Paramount.

Part one of the Fresh Air interview with Bob Balaban. He made his directorial debut with Parents, about a suburban family's dark secret. As an actor, he starred in Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Absence of Malice.

Three members of the popular band join Fresh Air to perform a few songs to showcase their distinctive Louisiana sound.

The drag artist, also known as Lipsynka, has a new one-person show in which he mimes the lyrics to women pop stars and fame-obsessed divas. Critic-at-large Laurie Stone calls the performance lovely and purposefully crude.

After leaving England, Cale rose to prominence as a storyteller in the same New York scene as Spalding Grey. He has a new book called Redthroats.

TV critic David Bianculli reviews the network's latest pilots, including a ghastly sitcom, a thirtysomething ripoff, and a magical hour from the Muppet's creator.

In celebration of the coming of spring, jazz pianist Dave McKenna performs three songs with "April" in the title.

Taylor has cast over fifty films to date. Early in her career, she formed a professional relationship with Woody Allen, and has worked on sixteen of his movies.

Jazz pianist Dave McKenna is known both for his large repertoire of songs and his improvisatory skill. He joins Fresh Air to offer a musical meditation on the change of seasons.

Pianist Kenny Barron says that the late jazz musician's style was jagged, percussive and dissonant. Barron performs some of Monk's compositions to demonstrate this innovative approach.

Lovett plays country music, but he's heavily influenced by rock and roll and jazz. His newest album, Lyle Lovett and His Large Band, takes its cue from the big band era.

Jazz pianist Kenny Barron joins Fresh Air to perform some of Abdullah Ibrahim's music, as well as Barron's own composition inspired by Ibrahim.

Barron was part of the Sphere jazz ensemble and records for the ECM label. He joins Fresh Air to perform some of the songs that influenced his playing.

Wise has made movies in nearly every genre, including science fiction, horror and westerns. He won an Oscar for editing Citizen Kane, and directed the film adaptation of West Side Story. He's recently come out of retirement to make the movie Rooftops, about homeless teenagers in New York City.

Patinkin had no formal training as a singer, but he's found fame starring in musicals like Evita and Sunday in the Park with George. He's also appeared in the films Yentl, Ragtime, and The Princess Bride, among others. Patinkin has a new self-titled album of songs from the stage and screen.