Arts & Life

Arts

Remembering 'Mod Squad' Actor Clarence Williams III

2:25pm June 11, 2021

by Terry Gross

Williams, who died June 4, acted on Broadway before moving on to TV and film roles, including The Mod Squad, Purple Rain, Half Baked and I'm Gonna Git You Sucka. Originally broadcast in 1995.

Queue Listen Now

Arts

Stephen Colbert On Missing His Live Audience And Making Comedy A Family Business

2:25pm June 11, 2021

by Terry Gross

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert resumes taping in front of a live audience on June 14. Colbert spoke to Fresh Air in April 2021 about filming the show from home during the pandemic.

Queue Listen Now

Anthony Ramos and Melissa Barrera play Usnavi and Vanessa in the film In the Heights.

Arts

'In The Heights' Is A Spirited, Socially Undistanced, Summer Crowd Pleaser

2:25pm June 11, 2021

by Justin Chang

Set during a record-breaking New York City heat wave, this vibrant screen adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's stage musical pulses with musical numbers that blend of hip-hop, Latin pop and salsa.

Queue Listen Now

Arts

Check-In: Eyewear Escapades

11:49am June 11, 2021

Ophira Eisenberg informs Jonathan Coulton how, after a lifetime of sitting too close to screens, she finally decided to give in and wear glasses. Coulton shares his hard-earned eyewear fashion advice.

Queue Listen Now

Hosts of NBC's American Ninja Warrior Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbajabiamila.

Arts

American Ninja Where?

11:49am June 11, 2021

Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, hosts of NBC's American Ninja Warrior, play a game where they imagine what would happen if landmarks from American cities became American Ninja Warrior obstacles.

Queue Listen Now

Arts

Real or Fake Video Game Peripheral

11:49am June 11, 2021

Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, hosts of NBC's American Ninja Warrior, guess which weird video game controllers actually exist and which are made up. DJ turntables? Electro-shock wristbands?

Queue Listen Now

Rugrats stars Cheryl Chase and Nancy Cartwright.

Arts

Animal Songs

11:49am June 11, 2021

In this music parody game, Rugrats stars Cheryl Chase and Nancy Cartwright hear songs about animals that were rewritten to be about fictional examples of those animals.

Queue Listen Now

Pictured: Tommy Dewey as Stu Pickles, Nancy Cartwright as Chuckie Finster and Cheryl Chase as Anjelica Pickles of the Paramount+ series Rugrats.

Arts

Adult Milestones

11:49am June 11, 2021

Rugrats first aired 30 years ago. In this game, Nancy Cartwright and Cheryl Chase, the voices of Chuckie Finster and Angelica Pickles, imagine what their original audience might be doing now.

Queue Listen Now

Arts

Sara Bareilles

11:49am June 11, 2021

Grammy-winning musician Sara Bareilles discusses how the Broadway musical Waitress changed her life. Then, she gets quizzed on one of her favorite shows: The Golden Girls.

Queue Listen Now

Arts

COMIC: Director Jon M. Chu's Long Journey From Home Videos To 'In The Heights'

7:38am June 11, 2021

Hollywood director Jon M. Chu got his start splicing VHS tapes of home videos, but it took him two decades — and acceptance of his cultural identity — to realize what stories he really wanted to tell.

Queue Listen Now