Terry Gross

Film historian Rudy Behlmer wrote the CD liner notes for the sound track of the film King Kong.

When rock singers want to learn how to use their voice without ruining their vocal chords, they often turn to Melissa Cross, otherwise known as the "Scream Queen." Cross teaches metal, punk and hardcore performers how to growl, bark, bellow — and scream. Cross, who is classically trained, has a new instructional DVD, The Zen of Screaming: Vocal Instruction for a New Breed.

Alex Knott, a political editor at the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, produced the research, which details the expenses shouldered by federal contractors, lobbyists and other groups. Knott covers politics and lobbying at the Center for Public Integrity, which researches and reports on public policy issues.

Comic and journalist Stephen Colbert is the former senior correspondent on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. And true to the industry he parodies, Colbert's incisive work has landed him in the anchor's chair on a show of his own: The Colbert Report.

In his new book, Character Is Destiny Sen. John McCain passes along the stories of heroes — both famous and obscure — whose values exemplify the best of the human spirit.

Husband and wife actors Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy have collaborated on the new offbeat feature Transamerica. Macy is the executive producer on the project, which features Huffman as a male-to-female transsexual who is contacted by the son she never knew she fathered.

The accepted wisdom in American politics is that the moderate center prevents either party from moving too far to the extreme. In the new book "Off Center" Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson write that the Republican Party has managed to defy this accepted wisdom.

The jazz icon turns 85 on Dec. 6. He'll celebrate with a concert in London where he will be joined by the London Symphony. There are several recent collections of his work: The Dave Brubeck Collection, which reissues five of his classic out-of-print LPs, and Dave Brubeck: Time Signature: A Career Retrospective.

Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi, has a lot of experience
rounding upevotes for Republican legislation. He's the former Senate majority
leader and former House and Senate whip. He's also the author of a new memoir,
"Herding Cats."