Showing results by author "Terry Gross" in All Categories

Former Beatle Paul McCartney on this edition of Fresh Air. His song lyrics include "When I'm Sixty-Four," "Yesterday," "Fool on the Hill," "Paperback writer" and many more. They are collected along with his poems in a recent volume, Blackbird Singing: Poems and Lyrics 1965-1999.

Actor, director, screenwriter Billy Bob Thornton and British comedian Eddie Izzard on this edition of Fresh Air.

Writer and economist Denise Chong and actress Sarah Jessica Parker on this archival edition of Fresh Air. Chong is the author of The Concubine's Children. The book is a history of her family, beginning with her grandmother, May-Ying, a concubine brought to Canada by Chong's wealthy grandfather. May-Ying had two daughters in China, and Chong's mother in Canada.

Actress, writer, comedians Ellen Degeneres and Andy Richter on this edition of Fresh Air. Ellen Degeneres will soon begin a comedy tour. Her five-year sit-com Ellen won an Emmy for her much anticipated coming-out episode. She and her character came out at the same time. This was followed by a very public relationship with actress Anne Heche, which eventually ended.

"Queen of Disco" Donna Summer and actor Sean Penn on this edition of Fresh Air. Donna Summer grew up singing gospel in church choirs in Boston and in her teens joined the German cast of Hair. While abroad, she recorded "Love to Love You Baby", which became a huge hit. She returned to the United States a disco star.

Musicians Ray Davis, Marianne Faithfull, Pete Townsend, and Colin Blunstone on this special edition of Fresh Air, "The British Invasion." Ray Davies started The Kinks in 1964 with his brother. They are said to be the pioneers of the rowdy garage band genre of rock music. Their many hits included: "You Really Got Me," "Lola," "All Day and All of the Night," and "Tired of Waiting for you."

Writer Stephen King on this edition of Fresh Air. King has just received the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters at this year's National Book Award ceremony. Author of several best sellers, he is credited with ushering in a whole new era of horror with his first novel, Carrie, published in 1974.

Robert Plant, former lead singer of the band Led Zeppelin, on this edition of Fresh Air. Plant has a new solo CD that includes tracks he recorded before Zeppelin and after. It's called Sixty-Six to Timbuktu.

Writer/producer Judd Apatow and novelist, screenwriter and biographer, A.E. Hotchner on this edition of Fresh Air. Judd Apatow's new series for FOX is called Undeclared. He's billed as the creator/executive producer. It's about a group of geeky college freshmen. Apatow also worked on the Emmy award winners Freaks and Geeks and The Ben Stiller Show.

Religious scholar Elaine Pagels talks about the Gospel of Thomas and Middle East energy expert Youssef M. Ibrahim on this edition of Fresh Air. Elaine Pagels latest book, Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas, is about a religious text that is little known - the secret Gospel of Thomas, rediscovered in Egypt in 1945. She will explain why it was suppressed by the church and kept out of the cannon.

Joey Ramone, the lead singer of the punk band the Ramones, died earlier this month. He had lymphoma. From their start in 1974, the Ramones combined fast, deafening guitar with precise drumming to create a hurricane of sound. Their songs had titles like "Beat on the Brat," "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment" and "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue." This edition of Fresh Air features an archive interview with Ramone from 1988.

Actor and comedian Denis Leary and writer Daniel Harris on this edition of Fresh Air. This Sunday, Leary gets roasted by Comedy Central. He's also starring in the new film The Secret Lives of Dentists. Last year, he starred in the ABC comedy series, The Job.

Singer and Hollywood legend Rosemary Clooney on this archive edition of Fresh Air. Clooney starred in the 1954 film White Christmas. She talks about her life as a singer and performer, and you can listen to songs from throughout her career. Her 1999 autobiography, Girl Singer, reads like a who's who from the Golden Age of Hollywood. She also released a CD companion to the book. Its called Songs from the Girl Singer.

Actors Christopher Reeve and Martin Donovan on this edition of Fresh Air. A 1995 horseback riding accident left Christopher Reeve paralyzed from the neck down. Recently, with intensive physical therapy, Reeve announced that he has regained motion and feeling in his fingers and in other parts of his body. This is incredible news to scientists, who assumed he would never move again. Reeve was totally paralyzed for five years. Then, one morning two years ago, he found he could move one finger.

Film director Wes Anderson and producer Robert Evans on this edition of Fresh Air. Wes Anderson co-wrote and produced the critically-acclaimed and popular film The Royal Tenenbaums, which has just been released on video and DVD. The film stars Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Billy Murray, Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Stiller. Anderson also co-wrote and directed Bottle Rocket and Rushmore.

Comic book creator Stan Lee on this edition of Fresh Air. Stan Lee was the leading creative force behind the rise of Marvel Comics and is responsible for many of the best-known comic book heroes. Forty years ago, he co-created the character Spider-Man. He also helped create The X-Men, The Fantastic Four, and The Incredible Hulk. He is now chairman emeritus of Marvel Enterprises, and is executive producer of the new movie, Spider-Man.

Journalist David Cay Johnston on this edition of Fresh Air. Last year, he won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the U.S. tax code.

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, religion scholar and former nun Karen Armstrong, the religious leader of the Islamic Center of America in Detroit, Iman Sayed Hassan Qazwini and American Muslim Asma Gull Hasan on this edition of Fresh Air. Thomas Friedman covered the Middle East for many years, work that won him two Pulitzer Prizes. He's also the author of the book, From Beirut to Jerusalem.

Filmmaker Peter Jackson and photographer Doug Niven on this edition of Fresh Air. Peter Jackson directed Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring. The film has been nominated for 13 Academy Awards, including Best Director, Best Picture and Screenplay. His other films include Heavenly Creatures and The Frighteners. The New Zealander is also slated to direct the other two upcoming films of the Hobbit trilogy, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

Journalist Elizabeth Neuffer and The New Yorker staff writer, Philip Gourevitch on this edition of Fresh Air. Elizabeth Neuffer is the Foreign Affairs/UN Correspondent for The Boston Globe. She recently returned from Iran. Earlier this year she was in Iraq. She's also reported on the war on terrorism from Afghanistan.