wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

 “Downton Abbey” stars Hugh Bonnevillle and Elizabeth McGovern (who play Lord and Lady Grantham), and Joanne Froggatt (who plays Anna the downstairs maid) discuss the Emmy-winning series. The eagerly awaited second season of “Downton Abbey” premieres January 8 on PBS's "Masterpiece Classic."

Playwright/performer Gerard Mannix Flynn talks about the U.S. premiere of “James X.” An Irish government tribunal of inquiry into institutions responsible for cruel and inhumane treatment of children is in session. In the foyer, James X, one of those children, now a man, anxiously prepares to offer the testimony which he hopes will unshackle him from the past. “James X” is playing at 45 Bleecker Street.

Navina Haidar, curator in the department of Islamic Art, talks about the Metropolitan Museum’s new renovated Galleries for the Art of the Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and Later South Asia. The greatly enlarged, freshly conceived, and renovated galleries house the museum’s collection of Islamic art—one of the finest and most comprehensive collections of this material in the world.

Last weekend, thousands gathered in Moscow to protest for new parliamentary elections after accusations of fraud and widespread vote falsification were made. On Monday, billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov announced that he would challenge Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in the presidential election in the spring. And Wednesday, the speaker of Parliament—an ally of Putin’s—resigned. On today’s Backstory, Stephen Sestanovich, George F. Kennan Senior Fellow for Russian and Eurasian Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Professor in the Practice of International Diplomacy at Columbia University, talks about what this week’s events say about Russia’s political landscape.

Declan McCullagh, a senior writer and chief political correspondent for CNET, takes a look at some of the concerns surrounding the Stop Online Piracy Act. The House is set to take action on the bill today.

Gerard Mannix Flynn was on the Leonard Lopate Show recently to discuss "James X," a play that looks at the abusive treatment of children in Irish institutions through the eyes of man who was raised in one. He also told us that he's been listening to Amy Winehouse and reveals what his favorite comfort food is!

Dan Stevens plays Matthew Crawley on the hit series "Downton Abbey," on PBS's Masterpiece Classic. Although he didn't join us for our conversation about season 2 of the series, he shared what he's been reading and watching recently -- as well as his love of Indian food!