Moms Mabley was a regular performer at Harlem's Apollo Theater, where actress Clarice Taylor saw her perform. Taylor, best known for her role in The Cosby Show, wrote and stars in a new play about the comedian's life.
The Nobel Prize-winning author condensed 600 pages of notes into a slim biography of filmmaker Miguel Littin, who traveled throughout Chile to salvage footage of life under Augusto Pinochet. Book critic John Leonard says LIttin is lucky to be the subject of Garcia Marquez's "magic" writing.
Fifty-one-year-old author Avery Corman has a new book called 50. He joins Fresh Air guest host Liane Hansen to talk about the different ways men and women view aging. Corman first rose to prominence with his novel Kramer Versus Kramer.
John Peck, who also goes by the names The Mad Peck and Dr. Oldie, now focuses his professional interests on TV. His new book, called Mad Peck studio, anthologizes two decades' of his comics and writing.
Television critic David Bianculli reports back from a press tour in Los Angeles, where he was able to preview the shows debuting in the next few months. He shares his thoughts on the upcoming season.
The members of Sphere are heavily influenced by Thelonious Monk; some of them even performed with him. Jazz critic Francis Davis says their original compositions fall short of Monk's tunes, but the musicians' individual solos are outstanding.
Coleman was a child piano prodigy who has written for Broadway, television and pop artists. Despite his popular success, he says that, in order to keep working, he still has to audition for directors and producers.
Photographer Ted Spagna. His most recent project has been photographing people and animals while asleep. It's attracted the interest of sleep researchers who see links that were not previously apparent.
Comedian Bob Goldthwait, who has appeared in the "Police Academy" movies and the Whoppi Goldberg film "Burglar." Goldthwait recently completed an HBO special and frequently appears on MTV.
Rock critic Ken Tucker thinks that new albums from Randy Travis and Dwight Yoakum might appeal to people who were once turned off by country music's old-fashioned sound.
Stephen Schiff says that the recent Japanese movie Tampopo pays homage to the Seventh Samurai and countless other films. The food-obsessed plot is both absurd and telling: the movie satisfies and leaves you hungry for more.
The actress, daughter of Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, is best known for her role as Princess Leia in Star Wars. Her new autobiographical novel deals with drug abuse and depression.
Matt Neuman writes for the HBO show Not Necessarily the News, which lampoons political figures and current events. He joins Fresh Air to talk about his brand of edgy of humor.
Bill Raymond has long worked with the collaborative theater troupe Mabou Mines. Their recent production, Cold Harbor, in which Raymond stars, is about Ulysses S. Grant.
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz has cautious admiration for the Kronos Quartet, which exclusively plays pieces from the 20th century. He says the members are excellent performers who often fail to explore the true depths of their chosen repertoire.
