Norbert Leo Butz, Judy Greer, and Katie Holmes talk about starring in the Broadway play “Dead Accounts.” Then, Orhan Pamuk discusses an early novel of his, called Silent House, which has been translated into English for the first time. On the Media’s Bob Garfield talks about his novel Bedfellows, about an ad executive who gets into the discount mattress business only to run into complications with the mafia. And the gurus of how-to, Al and Larry Ubell, take your calls on home repair!

Morning Edition is your perfect morning companion: gentle, but straightforward, explaining the vagaries of international diplomacy, reporting weather and even recommending the best film in town.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is proposing tougher campaign finance rules for non-profits. Hear about why he thinks more regulation is important. Plus: Judith Shulevitz of The New Republic talks about her cover story on the effects of “The Grey Generation”; the expansion of charter schools into middle class neighborhoods; the December series with Judith Rodin of the Rockefeller Foundation kicks off with a discussion on resilience; and director David Lynch on transcendental meditation.

Fresh Air is one of the most popular programs on public radio, breaking the "talk show" mold, and Gross is known for her fearless and insightful interviews with prominent figures in American arts, politics, and popular culture.

Reporters scour the globe for the most direct and compelling information, from the spread of AIDS in India to the inexplicable fluctuations of the Brazilian economy.

Reporters scour the globe for the most direct and compelling information, from the spread of AIDS in India to the inexplicable fluctuations of the Brazilian economy.

Tune in Thursday, Dec. 13 at 9 p.m. ET for live conversation, calls and in-studio performances.

For this New Sounds, listen to a combination of strings and drones from the likes of American composer Ellen Fullman, the South Indian-born double violinist known as Shankar, (formerly L. Shankar, not to be confused with the late Ravi Shankar), along with Maya Beiser and Kayhan Kalhor.  Ellen Fullman is best known for her work with the long-string instrument (LSI), a curious way of using physics and acoustics to make music.  The LSI is an array of bronze wires (maybe 20 meters or more in length) strung near waist height across a performance space and played by rubbing rosined fingertips while walking between banks of strings.  The overtones of the strings as well as the room interact and make the giant instrument.