Interviews

Bobby Cannavale (right) starred in Glengarry Glen Ross on Broadway. Cannavale has also starred in television shows such as HBO's Boardwalk Empire and in films such as The Station Agent.

Bobby Cannavale, At Home On Broadway

10:20am August 16, 2013

The actor, who starred in Glenngarry Glen Ross opposite Al Pacino, has been acting for the stage since he was a teenager in Union City, N.J. "It was the only thing I ever wanted to do, really," he says.

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Bob Odenkirk plays sleazeball lawyer Saul Goodman on AMC's Breaking Bad. The show is in its final season, but creator Vince Gilligan has talked about doing a spinoff series for Saul that would star Odenkirk.

Fresh Air Weekend: Bob Odenkirk, 'Love Affairs' And 'In A World ...'

11:44am August 10, 2013

Odenkirk reflects on playing Breaking Bad's most comedic character, Maureen Corrigan reviews a debut novel about a literary young man in Brooklyn and Lake Bell and Fred Melamed discuss the draw of voice-over work.

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Ondelee at home before his prom. In Chicago, prom night is a big deal. Fifty percent of African-American Chicago high school students end up dropping out of high school before senior year. Ondelee graduated from Wendell Phillips Academy High School in Chi

National

Surviving Tragedy: 'It Brought Us Closer'

12:06pm August 09, 2013

by NPR Staff

Ondelee Perteet survived being shot more than three years ago, but his recovery has been long and uncertain. Still, thanks to his mother, Detreena — who he calls "a drill sergeant" — the teenager is relishing his second chance.

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In HBO's Enlightened, Laura Dern stars as corporate executive Amy Jellicoe, who returns from a post-meltdown retreat to pick up the pieces of her broken life. Series creator Mike White stars as Tyler, Amy's friend and co-worker.

Mike White On Creating HBO's 'Enlightened' Whistle-Blower

11:54am August 09, 2013

On the HBO series Enlightened, a naive corporate executive played by Laura Dern wants to change the world. The series' creator and writer, Mike White, says the show's whistle-blowing plot line was inspired, in part, by his own father's experience.

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Matthew McConaughey stars as a man on the run from authorities in Jeff Nichols' Mud.

Matthew McConaughey, Getting Serious Again

2:30pm August 05, 2013

The leading man known for his good looks and lighthearted charm has made a comfortable career for himself in romantic comedies. Lately, however, he has been taking on more serious roles in films such as Bernie, Magic Mike and most recently Jeff Nichols' Mud.

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Fresh Air Weekend: 'Masters Of Sex,' 'Blue Jasmine' And John Gallagher Jr.

11:57am August 03, 2013

William Masters and Virginia Johnson became famous for their studies of human sexuality. Blue Jasmine finds Woody Allen stuck in old ruts. Gallagher is a Tony Award-winning Broadway performer and plays a cable news producer in HBO's The Newsroom.

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Former Democratic representative from Louisiana Lindy Claiborne Boggs attends the Distinguished Service Award ceremony at the Capitol on May 10, 2006.

Fresh Air Remembers Former Louisiana Congresswoman Lindy Boggs

5:51pm July 29, 2013

Boggs moved to Washington in 1941, when her husband was elected to Congress. After his plane disappeared on a campaign trip through Alaska, she ran for his seat and won, becoming the first woman elected to Congress from her state.

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In Season 2 of The Newsroom, Jim Harper (John Gallagher Jr.) goes on the 2012 campaign trail.

Arts

John Gallagher Jr. On 'Newsroom' Dialogue And Staging Green Day

2:28pm July 29, 2013

In addition to playing a cable news producer on Aaron Sorkin's HBO drama, Gallagher is a Tony Award-winning Broadway performer. He tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross about starring in a punk rock musical and rehearsing Sorkin's Newsroom scripts.

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Arts

What's It Take To Be A Polar Explorer?

12:59pm July 27, 2013

From the TED Radio Hour, polar explorer Ben Saunders on what pushes adventurers like him to brink of human endurance. In 2004, Saunders became the third man — and the most recent — to ski solo to the North Pole.

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Maria Bamford is a stand-up comedian and voice actress. She recently appeared in the fourth season of Arrested Development.

Fresh Air Weekend: Maria Bamford, 'Lunches With Orson' And '& Sons'

11:11am July 27, 2013

The comedienne's routines tackle some of the really serious problems she has. Transcripts of filmmaker Henry Jaglom's conversations with Orson Welles have been released in a new book. David Gilbert tells the story of an aging writer whose children do not feel as warmly toward him as his readers do.

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