Now I've Heard Everything

Up until the mid-1980s, no U.S. state had ever elected a woman to be attorney general It took a former Roman Catholic nun in America's smallest state to shatter that glass ceiling. In 1984, Arlene Violet – running as a Republican in deep blue Rhode Island – was elected attorney general. Her goals were to strengthen victims’ rights, and to try to root out the state's entrenched public corruption ....

Andre Previn was still in high school when MGM gave him a job in their music department, doing piece work. His first official movie credit came in 1949, and over the next dozen or so years Previn was involved in creating the musical scores for over 50 MGM films. In this 1991 interview discusses his memoir of his 16-year MGM career, No Minor Chords. Get No Minor Chords by Andre Previn As an Amazon...

Phyllis Newman made her Broadway debut in 1952, when she was 19. Just a few years later she won a Tony award for Best Featured ACtress in a Musical. More awards came her way, and she was soon in demand on Broadway and in television. But off screen, in the mid-1980s, she faced her biggest life challenge: she was diagnosed with breast cancer. In this 1988 interview Newman recounts her fight to beat...

The United States was founded on a bedrock of freedom. But what, exactly,y, is “freedom?” Does it depend on who you ask? Or when you ask? In this 1998 interview renowned historian Eric Foner explains how the definition of freedom has evolved -- and continues to. Get The Story of American Freedom by Eric Foner As an Amazon Associate, Now I've Heard Everything earns from qualifying purchases. You ma...

John McEnroe won 77 career singles titles, including three at Wimbledon. He also won 77 doubles titles, including five at Wimbledon. It was at Wimbledon in 1981 that McEnroe came up with what has become his signature phrase – “You cannot be serious!” He embraced the phrase, even calling his memoir You Cannot Be Serious In this 2002 interview McEnroe talks about his life, his career, and his marria...

Since her college days in the early 1960s Rita Mae Brown has been an advocate for the LGBTQ community. Long before it was known by that shorthand descriptor.. But she is also widely known for her fiction, her “cozy” mysteries as well as her standalone novels. Her book Rubyfruit Jungle, published in 1973, has become a literary classic. In this 1993 interview Brown discusses the issues she raises in...

Anthony Bourdain was executive chef at New York’s Les Halles restaurant, but his popularity exploded with his first book Kitchen Confidential. Then came the Food Network TV show, then more TV on The Travel Channel and CNN. Yet somehow he had resisted the idea of publishing a cookbook until 2004They finally came out with Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook In this 2004 interview Bourdain lets us...

How did the son of Alabama sharecroppers, with relatives who were openly racist, become one of the country's most prominent voices against white supremacy? His name is Morris Dees, and in 1971 he co-founded the Southern Poverty Law Center. In this 1991 interview Dees discusses his career, how he got started, why he got into the kind of law he became known for, and what the SPLC was about. Get A Se...

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has led many people to use a very strong word as they discuss, debate, and protest: that word is ‘genocide. ‘ One of the strongest voices for human rights in our time is former UN ambassador Samantha Power A former war correspondent who then entered public service, Power has been a champion of the rights of the oppressed. In this 2002 interview, Power discusses the...

Work isn't easy. Of course it never has been, but these days it seems harder than ever. Unreasonable bosses. Rude customers. A minimum wage that hasn't been raised in 15 years. In this 1999 interview former Burger King CEO Barry Gibbons reveals his formula for bringing out the best in workers -- and why they must be rewarded properly. Get If You Want to Make God Really Laugh, Show Him Your Busines...

If you were alive 30 years ago today, June 17, 1994, you were glued to your television watching a white Ford Bronco driving down the 405 in Southern California. Inside was OJ Simpson, about to be arrested for the murders of his ex-wife Nicloe Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. A year later he was tried by a team led by prosecutor MarciaClark. In this 1997 interview Clark recalled the trial,...

Author, educator, and motivational speaker Leo Buscaglia was an immensely popular figure in the 1980s, seeding the American psyche with a message of love and humanity. Buscaglia was also widely renowned for his penchant for hugging people, even strangers. But once you met Leo you were no more a stranger to him,. In this 1989 interview Buscaglia talks about his book Papa, My Father, a troibute to h...

After 41 year0s as host of TV's "Wheel of Fortune," Pat Sajak has retired. But co-star Vanna White hasn’t. She’s been turning the letters since 1982. It wasn’t long after joining the show that Vanna was as well-known as Pat. In this 1987 intervbiew Vanna talks about her role, the future of the show, and what it would be like without Pat Sajak. Get Vanna Speaks by Vanna White As an Amazon Associate...

The feminist movement that was born in the 1960s had many faces, and many voices. One of the most prominent was a writer and activist whose first book in 1974 catapulted her to prominence. Andrea Dworkin was an early voice speaking out about violence against women, especially sexual violence. Dworkin is today best known for her analysis of pornography and prostitution. In this 2002 interview Dwork...

In August 2004 the governor of New Jersey resigned. Big deal, you say. politicians resign from office all the time. But Jim McGreevey’s resignation was unique, as he outed himself as the nation’s first openly gay governor:. McGreevey resigned, however, not because of his sexuality, but because he had an affair with a male state employee. In this 2006 interview McGreevey discusses his book The Conf...

The NBA finals are about to get underway. But the celebratory mood was muted last week with news of the passing of a towering basketball figure (literally and figuratively). Hall of Famer Bill Walton was a 14-year NBA veteran. The #1 draft pick in 1974, he spent his early years with the Portland Trail Blazers, then the Clippers, then the Celtics. Nagging foot injuries eventually forced his retirem...

Country music legend Hank Williams was married twice. Between those two marriages Williams had a relationship with a woman named Bobbie Jett. And they had a daughter, who was born five days after Williams’ death from heart failure. But it took some 30 years for that baby girl to learn the real story of her parentage. And it took years of court fights for the full story to emerge, and for her to ob...

From 1996 to 2002, economist Laurence Meyer was a Federal; Reserve governor. He was among those experts who meet a few times a year to keep the economy on track. In this 2004 interview Meyer pulls back the curtain to show us not just what the Fed does, but how they do it. Get A Term At The Fed by Laurence Meyer As an Amazon Associate, Now I've Heard Everything earns from qualifying purchases. You...

1950s blonde bombshell Mamie Van Doren's career put her in the same stratosphere as Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield. And Mamie was not shy about her sexiness. She had many male acquaintances. In this 1988 interview Van Doren talks about her kiss-and-tell memoir, and about the pressures and demands of being labeled a sex symbol. Get Playing the Field by Mamie Van Doren As an Amazon Associate, No...

It’s been almost 50 years since the last American soldier came home from Vietnam. In this 1993 interview, Army Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and war correspondent Joe Galloway recall the first major battle of thwe war, in the Ia Drang Valley in1965.' Get We Were Soldiers Once… And Young by Joe Galloway & Hal Moore As an Amazon Associate, Now I've Heard Everything earns from qualifying purchases. You may also...

If you were a fan of the Comedy Central series “Chappelle's Show,” you know Charlie Murphy. The multi-talented actor, comedian, and writer was a popular cast member, especially known for his “Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories” segments. As it turned out, Charlie Murphy had a terrific talent for standup. In this 2009 interview Murphy talks about his book The Making of a Stand-Up Guy. Get The...

Susan Ford was 17 when her father, Gerald Ford, became the nation’s 38th president, and she moved into the White House. The youngest of the Fords’ children, and the only daughter, Susan acclimated to her new surroundings, absorbing details about the history and protocols of the First Family’s home. Years later, she drew upon that intimate insider’s knowledge to write fiction, a mystery called Doub...

In the late 1960s and early ‘70s television audiences ate up what they were served by a unique cooking show host who called himself The Galloping Gourmet. Graham Kerr’s producer was his wife Treena, whom he married in 1955. They had known each other since age 11. In their later years, Graham and Treena embraced a simpler, less materialistic life. Adhering to their closely-held Christian beliefs th...

The3 Washington Post once referred to Raffi as “the most popular children’s singer in the English-speaking world.” And generations of fans would probably agree. Raffi has been entertaining youngsters since the 1970s, when he turned his folk singing ambition to address a younger audience, inspired by his wife, a kindergarten teacher. In this 1998 interview Raffi reveals more about his family, his c...

You've seen the movie, now hear Erin Brockovich describe her real life experiences. In this 2001 intewrview America's most famous legal clerk reveals how the movie was like -- and unlike -- what really ha[pened. Get Take It From Me by Erin Brockovich As an Amazon Associate, Now I've Heard Everything earns from qualifying purchases. You may also enjoy my interviews with Helen Prejean and Chesley “S...