archive
Movie Interviews
Julianne Moore, Relishing Complicated Characters
May 23, 2013 In What Maisie Knew, Moore plays a troubled rock star who might initially seem like a rotten person, but Moore's performance humanizes the character, highlighting her human frailties — something Moore has done in many parts.
Television
Douglas, Damon Illuminate HBO's 'Candelabra'
May 23, 2013 Steven Soderbergh's latest film is a showbiz story about Vegas icon Liberace and his secret lover — played, respectively, by Michael Douglas and Matt Damon, both terrific in their roles. It premieres Sunday on HBO.
Author Interviews
Fictional 'Mothers' Reveal Facts Of A Painful Adoption Process
May 22, 2013 After years trying to conceive, novelist Jennifer Gilmore and her husband decided to adopt. What they thought would be a relatively simple process was instead a long and painful one. In her latest novel, Gilmore channels these autobiographical experiences into fiction.
Music Reviews
Daft Punk: Accessing Electronic Music's Humanity
May 22, 2013 Random Access Memories finds the French duo changing its music-making process in an effort to make its songs sound more human. To that end, Daft Punk enlists guest stars such as Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers.
Movie Interviews
Soderbergh's Liberace, 'Behind The Candelabra'
May 21, 2013 In his new HBO film, the acclaimed director examines the five-year relationship between the flamboyant entertainer and Scott Thorson, who was 40 years Liberace's junior and still a teenager when they met. Michael Douglas plays Liberace and Matt Damon plays Thorson.
Television
Mel Brooks: 'I'm An EGOT; I Don't Need Any More'
May 20, 2013 The screenwriter, producer, director and actor, whose name has become synonymous with American comedy, talks about his penchant for spoofs and his decades-long friendship with Carl Reiner. Brooks, who is among a handful of people who've won Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards, is the subject of a new documentary on PBS.
Music Reviews
Sarah Vaughan: A New Box Set Revels In Glorious Imperfections
May 20, 2013 Divine: The Jazz Albums, 1954-1958 packs four CDs with Vaughan's music, recorded live or in the studio with bands big and small. Two live albums from Chicago nightclubs are standouts, partly when a performance threatens to slide off the rails.
Fresh Air Weekend
Fresh Air Weekend: Gerwig, Baumbach, Dawes And Polley
May 18, 2013 In Frances Ha, a 27-year-old (Greta Gerwig) navigates New York City — and the transition from prolonged adolescence to proper adulthood. Gerwig and director Noah Baumbach co-wrote the script. Dawes has a new album, Stories Don't End. In a documentary, Sarah Polley turns the camera on her own family.
Music Reviews
Jerry Lee Lewis: Live, Singing As If Life Depended On It
May 17, 2013 In 1958, Lewis suffered a precipitous decline in popularity when people learned that his new wife was not only 13, but also his cousin. Nobody would touch his records. Then, in 1963, he signed a deal with Smash and it looked like things were getting better.
Television
Bill Hader On Sketch Comedy, Classic Hollywood
May 17, 2013 This weekend will be Hader's final romp on Saturday Night Live. He joined the cast in 2005 and has been nominated for an Emmy for his character Stefon, an obsessive clubgoer. Hader talks about not understanding how people do standup and about watching old films, which sparked his interest in Hollywood.
Your Money
The Tricky Business Of Retirement: Hidden 401(K) Fees
May 16, 2013 You could end up with a lot less savings at 65 than you ever anticipated because of fees charged by the financial institutions managing your retirement accounts. Robert Hiltonsmith, who researches retirement security, says those fees were disclosed to 401(k) plan participants until only recently.
Music Reviews
100 Years Of Woody Herman: The Early Bloomer Who Kept Blooming
May 16, 2013 In a career that ran from the 1930s into the 1980s, and included work in big bands and rock 'n' roll, the clarinetist, saxophonist and bandleader changed to reflect the times. Herman would have turned 100 on May 16.
Movie Reviews
'Into Darkness,' Boldly And With A Few Twists
May 16, 2013 The 12th film based on Gene Roddenberry's '60s sci-fi TV show is the second to star a new group of actors as Kirk, Spock and their crew. J.J. Abrams returns as director, and Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch plays the memorable villain.
Movie Interviews
A Polley Family Secret, Deftly Pieced Together
May 15, 2013 In a striking documentary, Sarah Polley turns the camera on her own family. The director and actor, known for films such as Away from Her and The Sweet Hereafter, was teased growing up about not looking like her actor father. At 27, she discovered that it wasn't a joke.
Book Reviews
Coming To 'Americanah': Two Tales Of Immigrant Experience
May 15, 2013 The new book from Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a knockout of a novel about immigration that transcends genre. It's everything from a coming-of-age novel to a romance to a comic novel of social manners to an up-to-the-minute meditation on race.
