Showing results by narrator "Terry Gross" in All Categories

The 10th anniversary of the use of ground forces during the Gulf War on this edition of Fresh Air. NPR's Neal Conan talks with two former lieutenants who were tank platoon leaders with the 24th Infantry Division: Alex Verdon and Greg Downey. The two were just out of college and leading platoons for the first time. They tell their story in the new book, The Eyes of Orion.

Director, co-writer Stacy Peralta on this edition of Fresh Air. Stacy Peralta directed the documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys. The film is about the community of skateboarders in California in the 1970s who originated extreme skateboarding. They did so in rundown urban beach neighborhood near Santa Monica and Venice called Dogtown. They became international stars. Peralta was one of the Z-boys and is considered one of the founding fathers of modern skateboarding.

Journalist John Burns and Mexican film director Alfonso Cuaron on this edition of Fresh Air. John Burns is the Islamabad Bureau Chief for the New York Times. He will talk about reporting on Pakistan and Afghanistan. In the past, Burns has been posted in China, Bosnia, South Africa, and Russia. He has won two Pulitzer Prizes, one of them in 1997, for his reporting on the Taliban.

Actor Jared Harris and writer James Sallis on this edition of Fresh Air. The son of actor Richard Harris, Jared has acted in theater and on the big screen. He's appeared in movies like I Shot Andy Warhol, Happiness, Sunday, Smoke, and VH1's Two of Us in which he plays Beatle John Lennon. He talks to us today about his newest movie called Shadow Magic, which is set in China. Harris plays the man that brought the motion picture projector to China.

Cookbook author and food writers Jack Bishop and Marie Simmons on this edition of Fresh Air. Jack Bishop's latest book is called Vegetables Everyday. Bishop writes about food for The New York Times, Cooks Illustrated, and Natural Health Magazines. His other cookbooks include Pasta e Verdura, The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook, and Lasagna.

Actress Ellen Burstyn and Tejano musician Ruben Ramos on this edition of Fresh Air. Ellen Burstyn's up for an academy award for her portrayal of the mother of a drug addict who is also an addict herself in the film Requiem for a Dream. This is her fifth nomination and could be her second win.

Journalists Ken Herman and Joseph Hallinan on this edition of Fresh Air. Ken Herman writes for the Austin American Statesman. He's has been covering Texas politics for over 20 years and is currently in Washington, covering the first six months of President George W. Bush's administration. He'll talk about the differences between George W. Bush (the governor) and George W. Bush (the president).

Mark Malloch Brown of the UN Development Programme and poet Donald Hall on this edition of Fresh Air. Brown heads the United Nations Development Programme. He'll discuss their efforts in Afghanistan, the West Bank, and Gaza to help with reconstruction. Brown is from Britain. He is also the chair of the United Nations Development Group, a committee of the heads of all UN development funds, programmes and departments.

Actor Om Puri on this edition of Fresh Air. Om Puri is a star of Bombay's film industry, known as Bollywood. In his two decades of acting he's worked with every major Indian film director including Satjayit Ray. In western films, he had roles in Ghandi and City of Joy, and in the TV series The Jewel in the Crown. He's had starring parts in two British films My Son the Fanatic, and the film East Is East.

Former WWII P.O.W. Eric Lomax and Cajun musicians Luderin Darbone and Ben Sandmel on this archive edition of Fresh Air. Eric Lomax was captured by the Japanese during World War II. He was used as forced labor to help build the Burma-Siam railroad. He was also tortured by the Japanese. He has reconciled with the Japanese interpreter present during his beatings.

Looking at HBO's hit series The Sopranos as it enters its third season on this edition of Fresh Air. First, an interview with creator and executive producer David Chase. Actor Michael Imperioli, who stars as Christopher, has written some episodes. Imperioli also appeared in five Spike Lee films, and starred in, co-wrote, and executive produced Lee's film Summer of Sam. Imperioli also appeared in the films Goodfellas, Malcolm X, Clockers, and Household Saints.

Playwright and screenwriter Kenneth Lonergan on this edition of Fresh Air. The writer behind five screenplays and several theater productions, his new play is called Lobby Hero and opens March 13 at Playwrights Horizons. He also wrote, directed, and acted in the Oscar nominated You Can Count on Me, which came out last year. The screenplay for that movie recently won Best Screenplay by the Writers Guild of America and is up for an Oscar in the same category.

On this archival edition of Fresh Air, playwright and satirist from South Africa Pieter Dirk-Uys, and writer and director Todd Haynes. Dirk-Uys has a television talk show in South Africa that has an unusual twist. Instead of hosting his show as himself, he dresses drag as an Afrikaner dowager named Evita. His guests include such leaders as Nelson Mandela. His show is said to be "a way of making the country's leaders seem more human."

Senior vice president and editorial director of VH1, Bill Flanagan on this archive edition of Fresh Air. He's the author of A&R, a satirical novel about the music industry. Prior to this, Flanagan wrote extensively about the business for Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Esquire, and Spy. He's also the author of Written in My Soul, a collection of conversations with songwriters.

Religion scholar Karen Armstrong on this edition of Fresh Air. The best-selling author of The History of God and The Battle for God, has a new book, Budda, about the life of Sidhatta Gotam. From North India, Sidhatta Gotama renounced normal life, leaving his wife and child to live alone and attain enlightenment.

Journalist Bill Keller and actresses Lupe Ontiveros and Bonnie Hunt on this edition of Fresh Air. Bill Keller is a columnist for The New York Times and senior writer for the magazine section. He just returned from a trip to Russia. He'll discuss Russia's position on Iraq. Actress Lupe Ontiveros stars in the new film Real Women Have Curves as a mother at odds with her two teenage daughters. She recently starred in the independent film Chuck and Buck.

Jazz bassist Ron Carter and filmmaker Burr Steers on this edition of Fresh Air. Ron Carter has more than two thousand recordings to his credit. From 1963-1968 he was part of the Miles Davis Quintet with Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, and Wayne Shorter. Over the years, he's played with Randy Weston, Herbie Mann, Betty Carter, Eric Dolphy, Sony Rollins, McCoy Tyner and others.

Investigative journalist Robert Bryce and remembering labor activist Anthony Mazzochi on this edition of Fresh Air. Robert Bryce'sHis new book is Pipe Dreams: Greed, Ego and the Death of Enron. It's a gossipy, irreverent analysis of the Enron scandal.

Journalist Jonathan Landay and former White House Director of Counterterrorism Daniel Benjamin on this edition of Fresh Air. Jonathan Landay co-wrote an article called "Officials' Private Doubts on Iraq War. The piece appeared yesterday in newspapers owned by the Knight-Ridder-Tribune News Service, including the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Hear journalist Scott Shane and author Tara McKelvey, on this edition of Fresh Air. Scott Shane has been writing about terrorism and the CIA's interrogation techniques for The New York Times. His most recent article is about how the U.S. has adopted techniques once used by the Soviets: "Soviet-Style Torture Becomes Interrogation" (June 3, 2007). Then, Tara McKelvey, the author of Monstering: Inside America's Policy of Secret Interrogations and Torture in the Terror War.