Spain

Bardem didn't set out to become an actor; instead he wanted to be a painter. He's now up for for an Academy Award for his portrayal of Desi Arnaz in Being the Ricardos. Originally broadcast in 2011.

Cruz has been nominated for an Oscar for her role as a 40-something woman who becomes pregnant unintentionally and meets a teen who is unhappy about having a baby. Originally broadcast Dec. 22, 2021.

According to Adam Hochschild, about 2,800 Americans fought in the Spanish Civil War, and some were bombed by Nazis years before the U.S. entered World War II. His new book is Spain in Our Hearts.

Journalist Adam Hochschild tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross that "it was by far the largest number of Americans before or since who've ever joined somebody else's civil war."

A book about the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay has led to an investigation by the Spanish court. In Torture Team, Philippe Sands alleges that high-ranking members of the Bush administration were responsible for instituting harsh interrogation tactics.

Maria Rosa Menocal is a R. Selden Rose Professor of Spanish and Portuguese and Director of the Whitney Humanities Center at Yale University. She is also the author of the new book: The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews, and Christians created a culture of tolerance in Medieval Spain (Little, Brown). Menocal details Andalucia, Spain from 786 to 1492 where literature, science, and tolerance flourished.

World music critic Milo Miles admits he doesn't know much about Flamenco music. But he likes what he hears on the new anthology Duende.

Book critic John Leonard reviews "Moorish Spain," by British scholar Richard Fletcher, about the often violent culture clash in Medieval times.

Spanish film director Pedro Almodovar. He made the campy comedies "Women On The Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" and "Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down." His new movie, "High Heels" is a more sober story, the tale of a romantic triangle involving a mother, her daughter, and a murder.

Book critic John Leonard reviews "The Quest for El Cid," by Richard Fletcher.

Film critic Stephen Schiff praises Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, a wildly-stylized farce that he says is weirdly touching.

The Nonesuch label has released new recordings of early sacred songs by Ensemble Alcatraz, who perform on period instruments. Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz says that, since the music on "Visions and Miracles" draws on so many cultural traditions, it's a source of constant discovery.

Spanish film director Pedro Almodóvar. He compares his films, like "Law of Desire" and "What Have I Done To Deserve This?," to the films of the American film director John Waters. Like Waters, Almodovar's films take a humorous view of popular culture's cliches.