Fresh Air

Monday through Friday, 11am - 12noon; Monday through Thursday, 7pm - 8pm

Terry Gross

Fresh Air opens the window on contemporary arts and issues with guests from worlds as diverse as literature and economics. Terry Gross hosts this multi-award-winning daily interview and features program. The veteran public radio interviewer is known for her extraordinary ability to engage guests of all dispositions. Every weekday she delights intelligent and curious listeners with revelations on contemporary societal concerns.

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News/Talk

Composer ID:

5187f5a3e1c80ade92b5bd8c|5187f57fe1c80ade92b5bceb

Viola Davis: The Fresh Air Interview

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Credit Dale Robinette / Dreamworks Pictures

Minny (Octavia Spencer) and Aibileen (Davis) are two domestics who team up with a writer to break the code of silence about the conditions they work under in 1960s Mississippi.

Credit Dale Robinette / DreamWorks

Davis tells Fresh Air that the history she imagined for Aibileen included a yearning to write — and a gift for words.

By editor

Actress Viola Davis has been nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal of the maid Aibileen in the film The Help, set in 1960s Mississippi. But not everyone has applauded the film, which has been criticized for its portrayal of black domestic servants in the civil rights era.

10:34 am

Mon February 13, 2012

'Conchords': Musical Comedy from Clueless Kiwis

Credit HBO

Jemaine Clement (left) and Bret McKenzie: Witty musical parodists play witless musicians in Flight of the Conchords.

By editor

Originally published on Mon February 13, 2012 10:29 pm

Listen

This interview was originally broadcast on June 14, 2007. You can listen to the complete interview with Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie here.

Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, aka the folk-parody band Flight of the Conchords, hail from New Zealand. They were named best alternative-comedy act at the 2005 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival.

10:06 am

Mon February 13, 2012

Bret McKenzie: A Manly Muppet And A Muppet Of A Man

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Credit Andrew Macpherson / Disney

Bret McKenzie (left) wrote five of the songs in The Muppets, including the Oscar-nominated "Man or Muppet" and the opening number, "Life's a Happy Song."

Credit Scott Garfield / Disney

The cast of The Muppets includes (left to right) Floyd Pepper, Fozzie Bear, Lew Zealand, Janice, Swedish Chef, Camilla The Chicken, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Gonzo, Scooter and Beaker.

By editor

9:05 am

Fri February 10, 2012

'The Interrupters': Keeping Peace On The Streets

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Credit Aaron Wickenden / Kartemquin Films

Alex Kotlowitz (left) is the author of There Are No Children Here, The Other Side of the River and Never a City So Real. Steve James is the director, producer and co-editor of Hoop Dreams. His other films include Stevie and At the Death House Door.

Credit Aaron Wickenden / Kartemquin Films

Ameena Matthews, a violence interrupter with the Chicago organization CeaseFire, mediates disputes to prevent gang violence from escalating.

By editor

This interview was originally broadcast on August 1, 2011. The Interrupters will be broadcast on Frontline on February 14, 2012.

11:37 am

Thu February 9, 2012

Scrappy 'Girlchild' Forms A Girl Scout Troop Of One

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Credit

Credit Bradford Earle /

Tupelo Hassman graduated from the M.F.A. program at Columbia University. Girlchild is her first novel.

By editor

You'd think that, by now, the news that Americans are spoiling their children would be as attention-getting as the fabled headline, "dog bites man," but, apparently, we never weary of hearing about how bad we're doing as parents. Last year, it was the Tiger Mom; this year, a hot new book called Bringing Up Bebe, tells us that the French have us beat by an indifferent shrug when it comes to the art of raising independent kids.

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11:09 am

Mon February 13, 2012