Buddying Up To ‘Follies’ Star Danny Burstein

This week on Fresh Air, we’re marking the year’s end by revisiting some of the most memorable conversations we’ve had in 2011. This interview was originally broadcast on November 28, 2011. Before he was cast in the Broadway revival of Follies, actor Danny Burstein had never seen Stephen Sondheim’s famous musical, which first hit the [...]

Watch This: Must-Sees From A Show-Creating Couple

In the TV drama The Good Wife, a political spouse forges her own path after her husband is disgraced by corruption and scandal. Real-life married couple Robert and Michelle King are the creators of the Emmy Award-winning CBS series. And the Kings are the latest Hollywood insiders to share their TV and movie recommendations with [...]

True Grit: ‘Into The Silence’ Scales Everest

No mountain captures the popular imagination like Everest. The world’s highest peak, towering out of the Himalayas, has frequently proved deadly to those who have tried to reach its summit. The most famous of its victims was the first Englishman to attempt a climb: George Mallory. In the early 1920s Mallory took part in the [...]

N.H. Voters Look For Calm Amid Economic Jitters

The economic fears and hopes of the electorate in early-voting states like New Hampshire will play a significant role in determining who emerges from the pack of Republican presidential candidates. And despite the Granite State’s financial stability, lots of Republican voters see cloudy skies ahead. Economist Ross Gittell says New Hampshire has some attractive numbers: [...]

The Real Buddha Bar, Tended By Tokyo Monks

Another Friday night at this tiny neighborhood watering hole in Tokyo: By 7:30, the bar stools and tables in this cozy joint are filling up; office workers settle in with their cocktails and Kirin beers. And by a little after 8, it’s time for the main act. Vow’s Bar in the Yotsuya neighborhood has no [...]

Will Islamist Politicians Hamper Egyptian Tourism?

Islamists are widely expected to hold a majority of seats in Egypt’s new parliament when it convenes next month, and a leading priority is the sagging economy. Yet their conservative religious approach could threaten a key pillar of Egypt’s economy: Western tourists. The Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party received many votes from vendors at [...]

2011 Put Chrysler Back In The Fast Lane

Despite a sluggish economy, it’s been a good year overall for the auto industry. But among the Detroit Three, there’s been a clear standout. From marketing and advertising to car quality to sales, it has been a very good year for Chrysler — and that year began in January at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show. [...]

In Katrina’s Wake, New Orleans Enjoys Start-Up Boom

Part of a series New Orleans has long been known as one of America’s hardest luck cities, struggling over the years with poverty, crime and corruption and tragic disaster. But the city’s darkest days have sparked a surprising new entrepreneurial spirit. Residents Billy Bosch and Matt Mouras, for example, are trying to launch a nutritional [...]

Year in Review: Mega Tech Brands Raise Megabucks

The year 2011 was tumultuous for stocks. The eurozone crisis and a U.S. credit downgrade kept investors nervous, but one industry held steady, even faring better than in prior years: technology. About the same number of technology companies went public this year as last year. Difference is, they managed to raise more than $6 billion [...]

Signs The End Is Nigh For Some GOP Candidates

There will be winners next Tuesday in Iowa and there will be losers. Although many prospective Iowa Republican presidential caucus-goers have yet to decide who they will vote for Jan. 3, it’s increasingly clear who among the six GOP candidates competing here (former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman skipped the Hawkeye State contest) will likely leave [...]