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Driveway Moments
Tom Petty Packs 30 Years of Rock for the Road
July 27, 2006 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are marking their 30th year in the business with a U.S. tour, and Petty has a new solo album, Highway Companion. It's been 12 years since Petty has released a solo album, and four since he's released an album with the Heartbreakers.
Interviews
A Legend In His Own Field: Farmer John
June 7, 2006 John Peterson was accused of turning his family farm into a haven for devil-worship, drugs, and orgies. But the flamboyant farmer eventually thrived by going organic. The Real Dirt on Farmer John tells his story.
Analysis
The Shifting Poles of New Globalization
March 30, 2006 The most frightening thing the United States could do to Iran, short of attacking it, is to leave Iraq, says New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman. The second most frightening thing for Iran, he says, would be a U.S. success in Iraq.
Music Interviews
Beastie Boys, Filmed in Concert: 'I... Shot That!'
March 29, 2006 You may know them as Mike D, MCA, and Ad-Rock. Or as Michael Diamond, Adam Yauch, and Adam Horovitz. Or simply, the Beastie Boys. For their new concert film, Awesome; I... Shot That!, they gave cameras to their fans in the crowd.
Interviews
Seymour Cassel, Lead Character Actor
March 27, 2006 Actor Seymour Cassel has roles in the new TV series Heist and the film Lonesome Jim. Cassel, who comes from a showbiz family, has been acting in film and TV since 1959. His mother worked in Burlesque, and Cassel grew up backstage, amid chorus girls and sequins.
Environment
The Coming Crisis: Water, Not Oil
March 27, 2006 Concerns over energy resources aside, economists say a global shortage of water would curtail the world's ability to raise food — perhaps by 2025. Fred Pearce is an environmental and development consultant at New Scientist. His new book is When the Rivers Run Dry.
Movies
Baumbach's 'The Squid and the Whale' on DVD
March 24, 2006 Filmmaker Noah Baumbach's new film is The Squid and the Whale. The post-college angst film Kicking and Screaming established Baumbach's directorial credentials in 1995; last year, he collaborated with Wes Anderson on The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.
Global Warming
'Weather Makers' Seeks to End Climate Debate
March 22, 2006 Discussions of global warming and climate change often center around anecdote and cyclical analysis. Scientist Tim Flannery seeks to clarify current — and future — conditions in The Weather Makers: How Man is Changing the Climate and What it Means for Life on Earth.
A Political Warning Shot: 'American Theocracy'
March 21, 2006 Nixon adviser Kevin Phillips' book The Emerging Republican Majority was hailed as a visionary work of political analysis. But in American Theocracy, he argues that the Republican Party — and the country — is headed for disaster.
Movies
Dinklage Takes on Diesel in 'Guilty'
March 21, 2006 Peter Dinklage plays a defense attorney in the new Sidney Lumet-directed film Find Me Guilty, starring Vin Diesel as a member of the Lucchese crime family who represents himself on trial. Dinklage, a person of short stature, is perhaps best known for his award-winning film The Station Agent.
Performing Arts
Loesser's 'Happy Fella' Returns to Stage
March 20, 2006 The music of Frank Loesser has been celebrated and extended by his wife, Jo Sullivan Loesser, since his death in 1969. But her musical relationship with him began earlier, as she starred in the original production of Loesser's The Most Happy Fella.
Health Care
'Wrongful Birth' and Early Testing
March 16, 2006 A mother who gave birth to a severely handicapped child has sued her obstetrician for not providing data that would have allowed her to abort the fetus. Elizabeth Weil wrote about the case in The New York Times Magazine.
Katrina & Beyond
Back in School, Back in New Orleans
March 15, 2006 When Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, it also disrupted the education of thousands of students. While many schools remain closed, Benjamin Franklin High School is one of the few operating charter schools in New Orleans. We talk with two teachers.
Author Interviews
Coroner's Tale: Naming the Dead in Louisiana
March 15, 2006 Louisiana State medical examiner Louis Cataldie was the coroner for the East Baton Rouge Parish in Louisiana from 1998 to 2003. When Hurricane Katrina hit, Dr. Cataldie helped to evacuate patients and set up field hospitals. He also aided the injured and investigated deaths.
Interviews
David Mamet and Shawn Ryan: 'The Unit'
March 14, 2006 The latest project from playwright David Mamet teams him up with Sean Ryan, who created the FX series The Shield. The pair's new show is The Unit, about a covert military unit.
