Television

In her 21 years as a prosecutor, Kelly Siegler successfully tried 68 murder cases.

'Cold Justice' Is Coming To A Small Town (And TV) Near You

6:18pm September 01, 2013

by NPR Staff

On TNT's new reality show, Cold Justice, a former prosecutor and a former crime scene investigator travel around rural America digging into unsolved, sometimes forgotten, murder cases.

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Conan O'Brien interviews Bruce Willis in a 2005 episode of Late Night With Conan O'Brien.

Arts

Conan's 'Uphill Climb' To Late-Night Throne

1:57pm August 28, 2013

When O'Brien took over for David Letterman on NBC's Late Night, he had virtually no on-air experience. In a 2003 interview, O'Brien tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross about his efforts to fill Letterman's shoes and how his Irish-Catholic repression fuels his comedy.

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Comedian Jimmy Kimmel interviews Mel Brooks on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Arts

Jimmy Kimmel: Making Late Night A Family Affair

12:04pm August 28, 2013

This month, the late-night talk-show host sets up camp in the 11:35 p.m. slot, which puts him head-to-head with Jay Leno and Kimmel's idol, David Letterman. Kimmel has put a personal mark on his show by bringing in his family to help him make it happen.

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Arts

Jay Leno: 'Tonight' Was About 'Trying To Get Johnny To Laugh'

1:53pm August 27, 2013

In a 1996 interview with Fresh Air's Terry Gross, Leno recalled his rocky Tonight Show debut: "I got heckled my first show ... but luckily I had worked a lot of clubs so I could deal with it, and Johnny [Carson] seemed to like that."

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Arts

Letterman And 'Tonight' Vet Go Behind The Scenes Of Late Night

10:43am August 27, 2013

Fresh Air kicks off its late night TV theme week with a 1981 David Letterman interview, in which the host describes how late night TV changed the comedy business, and a 1988 interview with one-time Tonight Show executive producer Fred de Cordova.

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Music & Culture

MTV Video Awards Celebrate 30 Years

7:00am August 26, 2013

The MTV Video Music Awards were held in Brooklyn, New York, Sunday night. The video of the year trophy went to Justin Timberlake for "Mirrors."

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Guy Pearce (front left) plays Jack Irish in TV movie adaptations of two Peter Temple novels. The films, Bad Debts and Black Tide, are broadcast by digital provider Acorn TV.

Arts

Aussie Detective Jack Irish Is More Than Old-School Macho

4:28pm August 22, 2013

by John Powers

The fictional Australian hard-boiled detective is the star of several sharp, funny novels by Peter Temple. Two of those books have recently been adapted into TV movies starring Guy Pearce. Critic-at-large John Powers says Pearce perfectly conveys a complex blend of old and new masculinity.

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Mexican detective Marco Ruiz (Demian Bichir) teams up with his American counterpart, Sonya Cross (Diane Kruger), to solve a murder in FX's The Bridge.

Arts

'Bridge' Actor Demian Bichir On Portraying Border Life

1:34pm August 21, 2013

In the new FX series, Bichir plays a Mexican detective who teams up with an El Paso cop to solve a series of murders. He tells Fresh Air's Dave Davies that The Bridge aims to give equal treatment to both sides of the border.

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Microwave pralines are easier to make than stovetop pralines, and just as tasty.

'Treme' Cookbook Captures The Flavor Of A Show And A City

11:34am August 21, 2013

by Melissa Block

Melissa Block talks with Lolis Eric Elie, a writer and editor behind the HBO series Treme about a new cookbook written in the voices of the show's characters. Elie says it reflects both old New Orleans traditions and more recent influences.

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Before the midseason break, Breaking Bad's Walter White (Bryan Cranston) had stashed away plenty of drug money, but may have inadvertently tipped off his DEA agent brother-in-law.

Arts

A 'Curb'-Like Comedy And The Return Of 'Breaking Bad'

1:55pm August 16, 2013

by David Bianculli

This weekend, AMC begins showing the final episodes of its acclaimed drama series, and launches a new one: Low Winter Sun. Meanwhile, HBO presents its newest made-for-TV movie — this one a comedy, starring and co-written by Larry David.

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