Fresh Air

Topics from the Most Recent Show

• Galactic: The Funk Is Always Pushing Forward
  Blending funk, hip-hop, and jazz sounds, the New Orleans-based band Galactic combines musical genres to create a new sound that they make their own. Critic Ken Tucker says heir newest album <em>Ya-Ka-May</em> is a true rhythmic pleasure.
• Eric Holder And The Politics Of Terrorism Trials
  Attorney General Eric Holder has come under fire, mostly from the Republican side of the aisle, for the decision to try Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in a civilian court &mdash; and for the handling of "underwear bomber" Umar Abdulmutallab after his arrest. <em>New Yorker</em> journalist Jane Mayer looks at growing partisan differences about national security.
• 20 Years Of Defending Death Row Inmates
  Attorney David Dow has spent his career representing inmates who have been sentenced to death. Despite his efforts, many of his clients have been executed &mdash; and most of them were guilty. In his new memoir, <em>The Autobiography of an Execution,</em> Dow details what it's like to become emotionally involved with the people living on death row.
• Jazz Ensemble Empirical Recalls Eric Dolphy
  <em>Out 'n' In,</em> the latest album from Empirical, is a tribute to the late musician Eric Dolphy. The record contains six original pieces that adopt Dolphy's style and adaptations of two songs from his album <em>Out to Lunch!</em>
• Temple Grandin: The Woman Who Talks to Animals
  Temple Grandin is one of the world's greatest animal behaviorists. She is also autistic &mdash; and has put that to work for her. Grandin has written several books on animals, including <em>Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior</em>. This weekend, HBO will premiere a made-for-TV movie based on her life.
• 'Love' American Style: In Paris, Travolta Takes Names
  Luc Besson's latest action fantasy, <em>From Paris With Love,</em> stars John Travolta as an FBI agent and Jonathan Rhys Myers as a diplomat trying to stop a terrorist attack in Paris. The story moves at warp speed &mdash; and it doesn't skimp on thrills.
• Aziz Ansari: The Funniest Tool In 'Parks' Utility Shed
  Comedian Aziz Ansari has appeared on HBO's <em>Flight of the Conchords,</em> ABC's <em>Scrubs</em> and MTV's <em>Human Giant.</em> Nowadays he stars opposite Amy Poehler on NBC's workplace comedy <em>Parks and Recreation.</em>
• Ravens Coach Brian Billick Tackles Super Bowl XLIV
  During his nine years as the coach of the Baltimore Ravens, Brian Billick led the team to a Super Bowl win in 2001. Now a commentator for Fox Sports and the NFL Network, he joins <em>Fresh Air</em> to discuss the upcoming Super Bowl &mdash; and the future of the NFL.
• Watching 'Lost' Later Spoils Some Of The Fun
  Last night, ABC presented the two-hour season premiere of <em>Lost</em>, the mystery-shrouded ABC drama that's beginning its final year. The network was so secretive about the show's contents that it made only the first five minutes available for critics to preview. TV critic David Bianculli reviews the premiere and takes a larger look at the Lost phenomenon.
• 'Transference' Adds Layers To Spoon's Sound
  Critically acclaimed Austin rock band Spoon has just released its seventh album, <em>Transference.</em> Rock critic Ken Tucker says the new album should help make this band, together now for fifteen years, an even bigger success.
• Colin Firth: By Anyone's Measure, A Leading Man
  Yesterday Colin Firth received a Best Actor nomination for his starring role in <em>A Single Man,</em> the Tom Ford adaptation of Christopher Isherwood's 1964 novel. Today Firth talks to Terry Gross about playing professor George Falconer, a gay professor navigating Southern California in 1962.
• 'Henrietta Lacks': A Donor's Immortal Legacy
  In 1951, Henrietta Lacks died after a long battle with cervical cancer. Doctors cultured her cells without permission from her family. The story of those cells &mdash; known as HeLa cells, in Lacks' honor &mdash; and of the medical advances that came from them, is told in Rebecca Skloot's book, <em>The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.</em>
• Big Star: The Unluckiest Band In America
  The '70s Memphis-based rock band Big Star won rave reviews for their albums and influenced countless followers, but never managed to become stars. Rock and Roll historian Ed Ward says a new box set and a collection of recordings by founding member Chris Bell offer a chance to look back on the band's troubled life.
• 'The Quants': It Pays To Know Your Wall Street Math
  In 1967, mathematician Ed Thorp revolutionized Wall Street with a method of using math and computers to predict the future of the stock market &mdash; and his hedge fund has been profitable ever since. Thorp's story, and those of many other market-driven math whizzes, is told in Scott Patterson's new book <em>The Quants: How a New Breed of Math Whizzes Conquered Wall Street and Nearly Destroyed It.</em>
• 'Get Me Out': Making Babies Through The Ages
  Mare's-urine cocktails? Do-it-yourself forceps? Randi Hutter Epstein's new book <em>Get Me Out: A History of Childbirth From the Garden of Eden to the Sperm Bank</em> is full of delightful &mdash; and sometimes disturbing &mdash; anecdotes about the history of pregnancy and childbirth.