Fresh Air

It's a David Byrne Christmas. The cofounder and frontman of Talking Heads has put together a playlist of his favorite Christmas songs for us. Also, we'll hear from actor Nicolas Cage. In the new movie Dream Scenario, he plays a college professor who becomes a star on the internet after he mysteriously appears in the dreams of millions of people. He talks about how that relates to his own experience of becoming an internet meme.

From now until the end of 2023, we're listening back to some stand-out interviews from this year. Timothy Olyphant is best known for portraying lawmen in cowboy hats. He reprises the role of U.S. marshal Raylan Givens in the eight-part sequel, Justified: City Primeval, based on Elmore Leonard's novel. He also played Sheriff Seth Bullock in Deadwood. He spoke with Dave Davies about the roles. Film critic Justin Chang reviews The Zone of Interest.

Cage has been acting for almost 45 years, and has appeared in more than 100 films. Dream Scenario is one of five scripts he's encountered in his career that he knew, immediately upon reading, he had to take on. He spoke with Dave Davies about becoming a meme, changing his name from Coppola to Cage, and maybe breaking into TV. Also, jazz critic Kevin Whitehead remembers composer Carla Bley, who died this year.

The singer-songwriter and Talking Heads frontman presents some of his favorite holiday music — including songs by The Pogues, James Brown, LCD Soundsystem and Paul Simon. The playlist on Apple MusicThe playlist on Spotify Also, David Bianculli shares highlights from TV this year.

Braugher died of lung cancer last week at age 61. He's best known for his portrayals of police in two opposite genres: in the comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which lampooned cop shows, and in the drama series Homicide: Life on the Street. We have two interviews with him — one from 1995 and one from 2006.Also, Kevin Whitehead shares a remembrance of jazz musicians who died this year.

This Christmas, the film adaptation of the musical The Color Purple hits the big screen. For award-winning actress Taraji P. Henson, starring as Shug Avery in the American classic is a full circle moment. Henson first saw Steven Spielberg's film version as a high schooler in D.C., and knew from then on that she wanted to be an actor. "I just remember going to the movies, seeing all those Black people on the screen and I was like, 'Oh my God. I want to do that.' " She spoke with Tonya Mosley about the musical, playing Cookie on Empire, and how her acting training at Howard prepared her for Hollywood.Also, rock critic Ken Tucker reviews two new Christmas albums.

Humorist and author David Sedaris is a public radio regular – his 'Santaland Diaries' first aired on NPR's Morning Edition in 1992 and has gone on to become a holiday staple. He also is a regular Fresh Air guest, and in a first, we're sharing an exclusive bonus episode with Sedaris – normally only available for our Fresh Air+ supporters – with everyone. If you're not already a Fresh Air+ supporter, enjoying weekly bonus episodes like this and sponsor-free listening on all our episodes, you can find out more at https://plus.npr.org. You can hear all of Sedaris' 1997 interview here https://n.pr/4agJKmN. Sedaris' 'Santaland Diaries': https://n.pr/3TswxkO. Sedaris in 2022: https://n.pr/3Tm2qvf. Sedaris in 2018: https://n.pr/3Tsevz0. Sedaris in 2017: https://n.pr/48jrebn. Sedaris in 2013 https://n.pr/3GNj937. Sedaris in 2008: https://n.pr/3GL1wks. Sedaris in 2004: https://n.pr/47TsaDA. Sedaris in 2000: https://n.pr/48lw8oy. Sedaris in 1996: https://n.pr/41nfz98. Sedaris in 1994: https://n.pr/3Nw7V6W. Sedaris in 19

Colman Domingo stars in the biopic Rustin as Bayard Rustin, the civil rights leader responsible for organizing the 1963 March on Washington. Rustin was forced into the background because he was gay. Domingo is also starring in The Color Purple, as Mister, the abusive husband. Maureen Corrigan shares her picks for the 10 best books of the year.Also, writer and director Cord Jefferson talks about his new satirical film American Fiction. It's about a Black writer who can't get his novel published because it's not considered "Black enough." Under a pseudonym, he writes the kind of Black novel publishers seem to want.

The towering TV writer/producer died last week at 101. He created All in the Family, Sanford and Son, The Jeffersons, Good Times, Maude, and a lot more. His TV shows used humor to address subjects not typical for television: racism, homophobia, politics, and generational conflicts. His most enduring character, Archie Bunker, the bigoted father of a working class family in Queens – was partly based on Lear's own father. We'll listen back to our interview with Lear, as well as with Esther Rolle. Initially, she was reluctant to play the role of the maid, Florida, on Maude, but that led to her own spinoff series, Good Times. And we also hear from TV director John Rich, who directed All in the Family.

New York Times reporter Charlie Savage says Trump has a plan — and potentially the backing — to purge the federal bureaucracy, which he disparages as "a deep state that's filled with villains." Also, film critic Justin Chang shares his top 10 films of the year.

Poet and memoirist Christian Wiman has had a rare form of cancer for 18 years. "When death hangs over you for a while, you start to forget about it," he says. Wiman's new book is Zero at the Bone: Fifty Entries Against Despair. Also, David Bianculli reviews the return of Monk in a new movie on Peacock.

The movie American Fiction is a satire about a Black writer who can't get his latest book published because it's not "Black" enough. He decides to write a book with every offensive Black stereotype he can think of — and gets a $1 million book deal. Screenwriter/director Cord Jefferson says he experienced something similar as a writer in Hollywood. Also, jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a new album from tenor saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi.

Colman Domingo stars in two big films this year, in very different roles. In "Rustin," he plays the civil rights leader Bayard Rustin. In the new musical adaptation of "The Color Purple" he plays Mister, a cruel and abusive husband. "I think as artists, as actors, we are always watching," Domingo tells Terry Gross. "We're watching heroes. We're watching ordinary people do extraordinary things every single day. We're watching horrible people do terrible things and be committed to it. ... For me, I didn't build outside of myself, modeling on somebody who did some vicious things or abusers. I have to look within."

Former congresswoman Liz Cheney says a second Trump presidency would be an "existential threat" to democracy: "There's simply no defense, no excuse for putting that power back in the hands of Donald Trump." Her new memoir is Oath and Honor. Also, Terry Gross interviews Dave Davies, Fresh Air's longtime fill-in host. He's cutting back on his workload at the show. We're paying tribute to him by listening to clips of some of his memorable interviews.

Barry Manilow recently broke Elvis' record for performances in Las Vegas, and he has a new Broadway musical called Harmony. He spoke with Terry Gross in 2002 about his hits of the '70s and '80s and writing advertising jingles early in his career. Film critic Justin Chang reviews the new film Poor Things, starring Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe.

In his new book, Kenan Thompson shares stories from his life and career, like his early days at SNL, his estrangement from his longtime co-star Kel Mitchell, and how he was conned by an accountant, lost all of his Nickelodeon money and had to file for bankruptcy. "It's humbling when people in the McDonald's drive-thru line recognize you, and then they also recognize that you're paying for a meal with change," he tells Tonya Mosley. His new book is When I Was Your Age. Also, John Powers reviews the documentary Anselm.

More than half of the population menstruates, and yet there is still so much shame and stigma surrounding what is a normal part of life. We talk with filmmaker Lina Lyte Plioplyte about her new documentary Periodical. The film looks at the origins of the cultural stigma around periods. We also talk about period poverty, taxation on menstrual products, and reframing how we think about menopause. The documentary is streaming on Peacock and airing on MSNBC. 
Also, Maureen Corrigan shares her picks for the 10 best books of the year.

The former representative says a second Trump presidency would be an "existential threat" to democracy: "There's simply no defense, no excuse for putting that power back in the hands of Donald Trump."

Dave Davies, Fresh Air's longtime fill-in host, is cutting back workload on the show. Today we're paying tribute to him — by listening to clips of some of his memorable interviews. And we'll talk about his reporting career in Philadelphia and the odd jobs he had along the way.

Computer scientist Joy Buolamwini coined the term the "coded gaze" while in grad school at MIT. As a brown-skinned woman, the facial recognition software program she was working on couldn't detect her face until she put on a white mask. She's written a book about the potential harms of AI — which include the social implications of bias and how it affects everyone. Also, we'll talk about UFO conspiracy theories with journalist Garrett Graff. He talks with us about how they've led to other conspiracy theories about the government.And Justin Chang will review the latest film by Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, The Boy and the Heron.