Fresh Air

May 14, 2012 One-third of Americans today are obese, and another third are overweight. A new HBO documentary series, The Weight of the Nation, explores how our country got this way and what can be done to tackle the growing national health crisis.

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May 14, 2012 Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Horst Faas, who captured iconic moments during the Vietnam War, has died. In 1997, he talked to Terry Gross about covering the conflict. "Being in Vietnam and being around a major story of the time was always a great shot of adrenaline," he said.

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May 12, 2012 The creator and star of HBO's new series Girls addresses the growing backlash against the show. And New York Times "Phys Ed" columnist Gretchen Reynolds shares some simple advice for staying healthy.

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May 11, 2012 Friday marks the 25th anniversary of the day Fresh Air became a daily national NPR program. To celebrate, hear two delightful medleys of impromptu musical performances, culled from Fresh Air's archives.

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May 10, 2012 Two reporters for The New York Times detail their monthslong investigation of America's racetracks. Since 2009, more than 6,600 horses have broken down or showed signs of injury at U.S. racetracks, a rate much higher than in other countries.

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May 14, 2012 Monday night on PBS, American Masters presents a two-hour biography of Johnny Carson. Carson retired 20 years ago this month, and vacated a throne that TV critic David Bianculli says no one has managed to claim since.

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May 10, 2012 Johnny Depp stars in Tim Burton's feature-film adaptation of the cult Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, about an 18th-century vampire transplanted to the 1970s. Critic and longtime Dark Shadows fan David Edelstein says the camp sendup of the show is lifeless and unfunny.

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May 4, 2012 Rhapsody in Blue, a 1945 film version of the life of George Gershwin, is out for the first time on DVD. Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz says it's a fascinating mixture of real facts, pure invention and memorable musical moments.

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May 3, 2012 In Joss Whedon's The Avengers, Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor and Captain America unite in what, on the basis of advance ticket sales, promises to be one of the biggest blockbusters of the summer. Critic David Edelstein says the movie's a blast — and one that will let fanboys geek thoroughly out.

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May 2, 2012 What can explain the enduring popularity of Sherlock Holmes? Critic John Powers says it's that Sherlock "embodies an archetypal aspect of the human psyche" — and appeals to the part of us that loves a good mystery.

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