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Barbara Lea: Remembering A Versatile Cabaret Singer

By editor

Barbara Lea was a singer known for her straightforward interpretations, precise diction, and respect for the intentions of each song's composer and lyrist. She died December 26th at the age of 82, from complications from Alzheimer's disease.

Lea got her start singing in clubs in the 1950s. Her first album, A Woman in Love, released in 1955, was named one of the finest recordings of the year. Though she dropped out of singing for a while, she made a comeback in New York's cabaret world in the 1970s.

11:14 am

Thu January 5, 2012

Brownstein And Armisen's Comedic Take On Portland

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Credit Chris Hornbecker / IFC

Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen film their sketch-comedy show Portlandia in the summer, when Armisen is on hiatus from Saturday Night Live. During the rest of the year, they communicate through constant text messages, says Armisen.

Credit IFC

In one episode of Portlandia, Brownstein and Armisen started a grassroots campaign to prevent the Olympics from ever coming to Portland.

By editor

Soon after Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen became friends, they started making sketch-comedy videos.

"We would email a link ... to our friends, but they were mostly for us," says Brownstein. "It was very understated and silly, and we were just sort of reveling in the absurd."

10:36 am

Thu January 5, 2012

On 'Back To Love,' Hamilton Makes Every Syllable Count

Credit Courtesy of the artist

Anthony Hamilton.

By Ken Tucker

On Back to Love, Anthony Hamilton makes music from declarations. He tells a woman "I'm missing you crazy" in "Who's Loving You," and it's typical of his strategy. He states his thesis, his opinion, his desire in a voice that speaks as much as it sings for the sake of emphasis. After he's sure he's gotten his lover's attention, he begins doing his rhythm-and-blues work, mixing soul and blues and hip-hop phrasing to heighten the emotion in a song.

9:59 am

Wed January 4, 2012

Pamela Adlon: From 'Hill' Kid To 'Californication'

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Credit Fox

Adlon voiced Bobby on King of the Hill, among other animated characters.

Credit Jordin Althaus / Showtime

Pamela Adlon plays Marcy Runkle on Showtime's Californication. This season, her character is going through what she describes as a "sexual renaissance."

By editor

When Pamela Adlon meets her daughters' middle-school aged friends, she asks them nicely not to watch Californication, the show she's starred in for the past five seasons.

"I say, 'I'd appreciate if you don't watch my show and you don't Google me,'" she tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross.

But Adlon, who plays the brash, unapologetic, sexually charged Marcie Runkle on the Showtime series, says she knows that's not going to stop anyone.

"I am not embarrassed," she says. "I know they Google me."

10:59 am

Tue January 3, 2012

'Diaries' Reveals New York Through The Ages

Credit istockphoto.com

New York Diaries captures impressions of the city from Henry Hudson to the bloggers watching the events of Sept. 11.

By Maureen Corrigan

Most everyone's spirits are a bit deflated after the holidays. So, as a literary antidote, I recommend a just-published anthology called New York Diaries: 1609 – 2009. Editor Teresa Carpenter has collected four centuries worth of diary excerpts written by people, great and small, who've lived in or just passed through one of the greatest cities in the world.

9:40 am

Tue January 3, 2012

Stephen Hawking: Exploring An 'Unfettered Mind'

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Credit Palgrave Macmillan

Credit courtesy of the author

Science writer Kitty Ferguson sits next to Stephen Hawking in this undated photograph. Ferguson is the author of several books about physics, including Stephen Hawking: Quest for a Theory of Everything and Black Holes in Spacetime.

By NPR Staff

Make a list of the world's most popular scientists and it's likely Stephen Hawking's name will be near or at the very top of the list.

Hawking, the author of A Brief History of Time and a professor at the University of Cambridge, is known as much for his scientific contributions to theoretical cosmology and quantum gravity, as he is for his willingness to make science accessible for the general public, says science writer Kitty Ferguson.

2:41 am

Mon January 2, 2012

Louis C.K. On Life, Loss, Love, And 'Louie'

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Credit FX

Louis C.K. has written for The Late Show with David Letterman, The Chris Rock Show and Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

Credit FX

Louis C.K., born Louis Szekely, is a writer, actor, producer, director and star of the FX series Louie.

By editor

Listen

This week on Fresh Air, we're marking the year's end by revisiting some of the most memorable conversations we've had in 2011. This interview was originally broadcast on December 13, 2011.

2:34 am

Mon January 2, 2012

Seth MacFarlane: A 'Family Guy' Sings Out

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Credit FOX

Family Guy has received three Primetime Emmy Awards. The series, set in Quahog RI, stars the Griffin family and their pet dog Brian.

Credit FOX

Seth MacFarlane is the creator of the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show.

Credit Fox

Seth MacFarlane voices several characters on Family Guy, including Brian (left) and Stewie (right) Griffin.

By editor

Originally published on Mon January 2, 2012 11:46 am

Listen

This week on Fresh Air, we're marking the year's end by revisiting some of the most memorable conversations we've had in 2011. This interview was originally broadcast on October 17, 2011.

2:58 am

Sat December 31, 2011

Fresh Air Weekend: The Critics' Best Of 2011 Lists

Credit HBO

Larry David returned for an eighth season of Curb Your Enthusiasm this year. David Bianculli called his show "one of the funniest and [most] daringly different shows ever made for TV."

By editor

Originally published on Mon December 3, 2012 9:14 am

Listen

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors, and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

10:24 am

Fri December 30, 2011

South Park Creators Talk 'Book Of Mormon'

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Credit John Marcus / Courtesy of the artist

The Book of Mormon features music and lyrics by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone and plays at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre in New York City.

Credit Michael Yarish / Comedy Central

While in college, Matt Stone (left) and Trey Parker wrote and directed a black comedy called Cannibal! The Musical. A Fox executive saw the film and commissioned the duo to create an animated short, which eventually led to the creation of South Park.

Credit Joan Marcus / Courtesy of the artist

Rema Webb, Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad star in The Book of Mormon, a musical created by South Park's Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

By editor

This week on Fresh Air, we're marking the year's end by revisiting some of the most memorable conversations we've had in 2011. This interview was originally broadcast on May 19, 2011.

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9:33 am

Fri January 6, 2012