FRESH AIR
A couple of years ago, director Jake Kasdan woke up in the middle of the night, knowing suddenly that his next
film would be a fake music biopic called Walk Hard. He went on to cast John C. Reilly as Dewey Cox, the putative legend at the heart of the story, who has trouble with women and drugs and who tries on a multitude of musical personalities. Walk Hard, due out Dec. 21, also features Jenna Fischer from NBC’s The Office; it was co-written and produced by Judd Apatow. Apatow and Kasdan worked together previously on the critically acclaimed TV show Freaks and Geeks. ALSO, with a new career retrospective of his recordings, a biographical film starring actors impersonating him, and a display of over 120 of his watercolors in a German museum, Bob Dylan is in the public eye a lot at the moment. The latest addition to the Dylan avalanche is a film, The Other Side of the Mirror, chronicling his performances at three consecutive Newport Folk Festivals, from 1963 to 1965. Ed Ward reports that there’s more to it than just a concert film.
RADIO TIMES
Hour 1
(Rebroadcast tonight at 11)
Does a recent announcement that scientists in Wisconsin and Japan have found a way to make ordinary skin cells behave like embryonic stem cells signal the end of the stem cell battle? We talk with two ethicists at the fore of the debate – Art Caplan from the University of Pennsylvania and Robert George of Princeton. Listen to this show via Real Audio | mp3
Hour 2
TAMARA JENKINS’ new film, The Savages stars Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman as a brother and sister dealing with their elderly father’s increasing dementia. Jenkins’ previous film credits include “The Slums of Beverly Hills.” Jenkins is in the studio with Marty. Listen to this show via Real Audio | mp3
THE WORLD CAFE
Sam Beam, publicly known as Iron & Wine, performs songs from his new album, The Shepherd’s Dog, for host David Dye on the World Cafe. Since his 2002 debut, Beam has been winning over folkies and indie-pop fans alike with his literary songwriting and lo-fi acoustic hooks. Beam’s latest release has earned him critical acclaim, and its rich rhythmic intensity marks a new maturity in his work. This is an artist hitting his stride with a performance that’s not to be missed.