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Since its national debut in 1987, Fresh Air with Terry Gross has been a highly acclaimed and much adored weekday magazine among public radio listeners. Each week, nearly 4.8 million people turn to Peabody Award-winning host Terry Gross for insightful conversations with the leading voices in contemporary arts and issues. The renowned program reaches a global audience, with over 620 public radio stations broadcasting Fresh Air, and 3 million podcast downloads each week. Fresh Air has broken the mold of 'talk show' by weaving together superior journalism and intimate storytelling from modern-day intellectuals, politicians and artists alike. Through probing questions and careful research, Gross's interviews are lauded for revealing a fresh perspective on cultural icons and trends. Her thorough conversations are often complemented by commentary from well-known contributors. Fresh Air is produced at WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and broadcast nationally by NPR., (1.) Journalist MARGARET TALBOT is a staff writer for The New Yorker and a Senior Fellow at the New American Foundation. Her article 'Brain Gain: the underground world of 'neuroenhancing' drugs' appears in The New Yorker (April 27, 2009 edition). Drugs prescribed for attention deficit disorder, narcolepsy, epilepsy and other conditions are being used by people who don't need them, to enhance their brain function. It's known as 'cosmetic neurology.' (2.) Journalist HEDRICK SMITH is correspondent for the Frontline documentary 'Poisoned Waters' (on most PBS stations, Tuesday, April 21). SMITH zeroes in on the waters of the Chesapeake Bay on the Eastern seaboard, and the Puget Sound of Washington State, where untreated toxins, and chemicals from urban sprawl and development are damaging or destroying the natural habitat. In the Potomac River mutations in the genitalia of frogs are linked to their exposure to chemical compounds ('endocrine disruptors') that mimic the body's natural hormones. In the Puget Sound, orca whales have become endangered due to the high levels of PCBs. Experts warn of the long-term, slow-motion risks to humans as well. SMITH is a Pulitzer prize winning journalist, the author of a number of books, and a former New York Times correspondent. (THIS INTERVIEW WAS CONDUCTED BY DAVE DAVIES). (THIS INTERVIEW CONTINUES THRU THE END OF THE SHOW).

Since its national debut in 1987, Fresh Air with Terry Gross has been a highly acclaimed and much adored weekday magazine among public radio listeners. Each week, nearly 4.8 million people turn to Peabody Award-winning host Terry Gross for insightful conversations with the leading voices in contemporary arts and issues. The renowned program reaches a global audience, with over 620 public radio stations broadcasting Fresh Air, and 3 million podcast downloads each week. Fresh Air has broken the mold of 'talk show' by weaving together superior journalism and intimate storytelling from modern-day intellectuals, politicians and artists alike. Through probing questions and careful research, Gross's interviews are lauded for revealing a fresh perspective on cultural icons and trends. Her thorough conversations are often complemented by commentary from well-known contributors. Fresh Air is produced at WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and broadcast nationally by NPR., INT. 1: Journalist HEDRICK SMITH. Smith has spent years covering the Soviet Union, as a reporter for the New York Times, as an author, and as a TV documentary producer and correspondent. He's just returned from the former Soviet Union, and his latest report, "After Gorbachev's U.S.S.R." airs this week on the public television documentary series, "Frontline." INT. 2: Author ROBERT OLEN BUTLER. Butler's first novel, "The Alleys of Eden," has been called one of the finest books ever written about Americans in Vietnam. Butler has a new collection of stories, called "A Good Scent From A Strange Mountain." (It's published by Henry Holt). REV. : Television critic David Bianculli reviews three new CBS series premiering this week; "Scorch," "Fish Police," and "The Boys of Twilight."

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues, is one of public radio's most popular programs. Each week, nearly 4.5 million people listen to the show's intimate conversations broadcast on more than 450 National Public Radio (NPR) stations across the country, as well as in Europe on the World Radio Network. Though Fresh Air has been categorized as a "talk show," it hardly fits the mold. Its 1994 Peabody Award citation credits Fresh Air with "probing questions, revelatory interviews and unusual insights." And a variety of top publications count Gross among the country's leading interviewers. The show gives interviews as much time as needed, and complements them with comments from well-known critics and commentators. Fresh Air is produced at WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and broadcast nationally by NPR., INT. 1:Journalist HEDRICK SMITH. Smith was a reporter for the New York Times for 26 years. He reported from the Soviet Union from l971-l974. Out of that came the best-selling book, "The Russians." More recently he returned to the Soviet Union to see the changes under Gorbachev. The result is his new book, "The New Russians." REV. 1:Ken Tucker reviews new albums by two female rappers, Monie Love ("Down to Earth" on Warner Brothers) and Shazzy ("Attitude: A Hip Hop Rapsody"). Ken says these women provide a solid alternative to the prevailing misogynistic lyrics in contemporary rap and heavy metal. INT. 2:Food writer HAROLD McGEE. McGee investigates the science of everyday cooking, things like does blowing on soup really cool it and why is it that sometimes hot water turns into ice cubes quicker than clod water? McGee's latest book is called "The Curious Cook." It's published by North Point Press. REV. 2:Critic Owen Gleiberman reviews "Edward Scissorhands," the new movie directed by Tim Burton (Batman, Beetlejuice). It stars Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest and Alan Arkin.

Since its national debut in 1987, Fresh Air with Terry Gross has been a highly acclaimed and much adored weekday magazine among public radio listeners. Each week, nearly 4.8 million people turn to Peabody Award-winning host Terry Gross for insightful conversations with the leading voices in contemporary arts and issues. The renowned program reaches a global audience, with over 620 public radio stations broadcasting Fresh Air, and 3 million podcast downloads each week. Fresh Air has broken the mold of 'talk show' by weaving together superior journalism and intimate storytelling from modern-day intellectuals, politicians and artists alike. Through probing questions and careful research, Gross's interviews are lauded for revealing a fresh perspective on cultural icons and trends. Her thorough conversations are often complemented by commentary from well-known contributors. Fresh Air is produced at WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and broadcast nationally by NPR., INT. 1: Journalist HEDRICK SMITH. He's the host of the new PBS series, "Inside Gorbachev's U.S.S.R." SMITH won the Pulitzer Prize for his reporting from the Soviet Union in the 70's. His book, "The Russians" was a bestseller. He's now writing another book on Russia, "The New Russians." REV. 1: Jazz Critic KEVIN WHITEHEAD reviews a new CD featuring Carmen McRae. It's "Carmen Sings Monk" on the BMG/RCA label. The recording is a first: no other performer has been permitted to record the lyrics to Monks' songs. McRae got special permission from the Monk family. The CD also features the late saxophonist Carlie Rouse. NT. 2: Photographer BERT ANDREWS. Since the early '50s, Andrews has been photographing the African-American theatre. There's now a collection of Andrews' photos, called "In The Shadow of the Great White Way: Images From the Black Theatre." (Rebroadcast of 11/29/1989) REV. 2: Television critic DAVID BIANCULLI previews the latest in a seemingly endless parade of 60s sit-com revivals. (It's return to Green Acres, on CBS).