Terry Gross

Starting in the '50s, TV became an indispensable tool in any presidential candidate's belt. David Schwartz, Chief Curator of Film at the Museum of the Moving Image, talks with Terry Gross about some of the earliest campaign ads — and the most influential ones.

Critically acclaimed HBO series The Wire came to its close earlier this year; its fifth and final season was released on DVD on August 12. Creator David Simon talks about the show, his career, and the city of Baltimore.

One of the worst fears of adolescents everywhere is throwing a party that no one attends. This actually happened to director Paul Weiland, who was left alone at his Bar Mitzvah because of the 1966 World Cup. Now, Weiland recreates his embarrassment for the amusement of others in his new movie, Sixty Six.

He's put out hit records for half a century, toured with the Beach Boys, even hosted his own TV show. So why is the latest album from the indefatigable country-pop singer called Meet Glen Campbell?

Russia and Georgia have signed a cease-fire, but the conflict continues. Journalist James Traub, author of The Freedom Agenda: Why America Must Spread Democracy (Just Not the Way George Bush Did), discusses the latest developments.

There are 100,000 private military contractors in Iraq. Mercenary John Geddes explains why he thinks this is a good thing. His new book Highway to Hell is an account of his experiences in Iraq as a soldier for hire.

Hostile womanizer, crack addict, New York Times journalist — David Carr has been all of those, sometimes simultaneously. For his memoir The Night of the Gun, Carr put on his investigative-reporter hat — to reconstruct his various sordid lives.

Is it ever acceptable for a pitcher to bean a batter intentionally? Baseball expert and obsessive fan Zack Hample gives the answer.

Grammy-winner Ricky Skaggs is redoing his own country hits. On his latest album, The High Notes, the musician gives his older classics a bluegrass twist.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind says that the war in Iraq was based not simply on blunders but on lies. His book, The Way of the World, accuses the Bush administration of burying critical information and forging a letter that linked Iraq to the Sept. 11 attacks.