Arts and Culture

Fresh Air

• Come And Play: 'Sesame Street' Celebrates 40 Years
  Four decades after its premiere, <em>Sesame Street</em> is the same happy neighborhood it always was. TV critic David Bianculli takes a look at the newest episode &mdash; which features special guest Michelle Obama &mdash; and assesses the show's enduring legacy.
• The Man Behind Miss Piggy
  Film director Frank Oz was one of the defining creative forces behind the Muppets. He joined <em>The Muppet Show</em> creator Jim Henson in 1963 and went on to provide the voices of Miss Piggy, Cookie Monster, Fozzie Bear and Bert.
• Composing Silly Songs For 'Sesame Street'
  Writer and humorist Christopher Cerf has been associated with the Children's Television Workshop since 1970, developing products, producing music albums and writing parodies of rock-and-roll songs for <em>Sesame Street.</em>
• A Stroll Among The Memories On 'Sesame Street'
  The venerable children's TV show celebrates its 40th anniversary on Nov. 10, with a demonstration from First Lady Michelle Obama on how to plant your own vegetable garden. The late Jeff Moss, one of the program's co-creators, talked to Terry Gross in 1998; we'll listen back to excerpts from that conversation.
• La Roux: Full-Throated Ardor, Calibrated To Please
  La Roux is a British pop duo &mdash; 21-year-old singer Elly Jackson and synth player-producer Ben Langmaid &mdash; with a style that blends passionate vocals with strict mechanical beats. The pair's self-titled debut album went No. 1 in England and Europe this year, and now it's out stateside. Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews.
• 'Gentlemen Broncos': A Psychedelic Sci-Fi Comedy
  David Edelstein reviews the quirky new comedy from Jared Hess, who co-wrote and directed <em>Napoleon Dynamite.</em>
• A Director's 'Precious' Project
  Director Lee Daniels' new film, <em>Precious,</em> adapted from the 1996 novel <em>Push,</em> centers on the life of an abused, overweight, pregnant teen.
• 'The Audacity To Win' The Presidency
  As Barack Obama's presidential campaign manager, David Plouffe was responsible for constructing an unprecedented grass-roots campaign. In his new book, <em>The Audacity To Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama's Historic Victory,</em> Plouffe presents a behind-the-scenes look at a historic campaign.
• The Many Roles Of 'Glee' Meanie Jane Lynch
  Jane Lynch may be most well-known for her recent roles as Sue Sylvester on <em>Glee</em> and as Julia Child's sister in <em>Julie & Julia,</em> but she's a movie and TV veteran, with a long list of delicious character parts under her belt.
• 'The Lacuna,' Kingsolver's Vacant Return
  It's been nine years since Barbara Kingsolver, author of <em>The Poisonwood Bible,</em> has released a new novel &mdash; but is <em>The Lacuna</em> worth the wait? Critic Maureen Corrigan says this personalized perspective on the Red Scare in Mexico reflects the hidden meaning of the book's title: vacancy.
• Mary Karr, Remembering The Years She Spent 'Lit'
  <em>The Liar's Club,</em> Mary Karr's memoir about her hardscrabble childhood in Texas, was named one of the best books of 1995. In her new book, <em>Lit,</em> Karr details her early adult years and her struggles with alcohol, depression and motherhood.
• The Perils Of Overfishing, Part 2
  This is the second segment of <em>Fresh Air's</em> two-part interview with Daniel Pauly, a professor at the Fisheries Centre of the University of British Columbia. Pauly warns that the global fishing industry has drastically depleted the number of fish in the oceans.
• 'Googled': Biography Of A Company, And An Age
  Media critic Ken Auletta tracks the development of Google from a search engine to the provider of all things Internet in his new book <em>Googled: The End of the World As We Know It.</em>
• The Perils Of Overfishing, Part 1
  Daniel Pauly, a professor at the Fisheries Centre of the University of British Columbia, warns that the global fishing industry has drastically depleted the number of fish in the oceans.
• Remembering Roy DeCarava's 60 Years Of Photos
  The photographer, who died Oct. 27 at age 89, dedicated his decades-long career to capturing images of African Americans. Roy DeCarava's subjects ranged from daily life in his hometown of Harlem to the Civil Rights movement.

Driveway Moment

• This American Life
• Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen
• BBC Arts in Action