Television

Books
Arts

Colbert On Musical Moments And 'America Again'

4:23pm December 28, 2012

As part of our year-end wrap up, we are sharing the best Fresh Air interviews of 2012. Here we listen back to two interviews we did this year with Stephen Colbert. He talks about the presidential debates, his superPAC, Jesus Christ Superstar and Elvis Costello

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On Aaron Sorkin's latest drama The Newsroom, Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels) pledges to cover stories because they're important, not because they get ratings.

Arts

Aaron Sorkin: The Writer Behind 'The Newsroom'

12:18pm December 27, 2012

HBO's new behind-the-anchor-desk drama follows in the footsteps of Sorkin's hit series The West Wing. "I like writing about heroes that don't wear capes or disguises," he says.

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Aziz Ansari dissects a variety of topics in his latest comedy special, Dangerously Delicious.

Arts

Aziz Ansari's Latest Is 'Dangerously Delicious'

9:55am December 26, 2012

The comedian, who plays Tom Haverford on the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation, just released a new comedy special directly on his website. He's also embarking on a multicity tour, where he'll be riffing on the things that terrify him — marriage, for instance, and babies.

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Aaron Paul plays a meth-making drug dealer on the AMC drama Breaking Bad.

Arts

David Bianculli Says 2012 Brought No New TV Favorites

2:57pm December 24, 2012

Fresh Air's television critic says there weren't any new shows this year that wowed him and that all the shows he watched and loved this year were ones that have been on for at least a season. His No. 1 favorite remains Breaking Bad.

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Laura Dern and series creator Mike White, shown together on the set of Enlightened, first worked together on White's 2007 film Year of the Dog.

Arts

HBO's 'Enlightened' Take On Modern Meditation

2:00pm December 21, 2012

Laura Dern is Amy Jellicoe, a health and beauty executive who returns from a post-meltdown retreat to pick up the pieces of her broken life in the HBO series Enlightened. Series creator Mike White talks about the tone of the show, and whether it's possible for people to really change.

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The Beatles look out of the Magical Mystery Tour coach skylight, on location in England in September 1967.

Behind The Scenes Of The Beatles' 'Magical Mystery Tour'

3:01pm December 14, 2012

by David Bianculli

A new documentary on PBS about the making of the Beatles' 1967 film Magical Mystery Tour features outtakes from the original and new interviews with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. TV critic David Bianculli calls the film "wonderfully thorough."

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Reality TV Has Become Honey Boo Boo-ified

2:54pm December 05, 2012

Last month, Mike Rowe quietly let his fans know that his TV show Dirty Jobs had been canceled. On the show, Rowe showcased people proudly doing difficult, dirty and often low-paying work. TV critic Eric Deggans says it's out of fashion now for a show to look up to its subjects.

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Books
Arts

PBS Remixes 'Reading Rainbow,' Delights Map And Book Nerds Everywhere

4:48pm December 04, 2012

by Linda Holmes

PBS remixes another of its iconic shows, and this time, it's all about books.

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The new five-DVD, one-CD box set The Incredible Mel Brooks is crammed full with comedy gold — and includes Brooks and Carl Reiner (above) doing their iconic skit "The 2,000-Year-Old Man."

Arts

Boxes Of TV Fun, Old And New, For The Holidays

1:06pm December 04, 2012

by David Bianculli

It's holiday box-set season, and Fresh Air critic David Bianculli shares some favorites for the TV-lover on your list. "Giving someone a gift of a TV show," he says, "is somehow very personal. You're giving something that you love, and that, in many cases, will occupy many hours ... of their time."

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