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ADOLESCENCE

Program 05-03-06-A

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What do you do when your seventh-grade gym teacher orders some of your classmates to pile on top of you and wallop you as you leave the locker-room showers? You turn your adolescent misadventures into a critically-acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning television series called "Freaks and Geeks." In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, Paul Feig talks about turning his teen years into a television show.

SEGMENT 1:

Paul Feig is the creator of the short-lived TV show "Freaks and Geeks" which is now available on DVD. He tells Anne Strainchamps he and the other writers based the show on incidents from their own lives. And we hear clips. And Feig reads an excerpt from his memoir, "Kick Me: Adventures in Adolescence." Also, Chelsea Vargas of Youth Radio provides a commentary about keeping in touch with teachers.

SEGMENT 2:

John McNally is the author of "The Book of Ralph: A Fiction." McNally tells Steve Paulson about the real life kids who served as the models for his character Ralph, a trouble-maker. Also, historian Steven Mintz tells Jim Fleming that the idyllic, carefree American childhood never existed. Mintz is the author of "Huck's Raft: A History of American Childhood."

SEGMENT 3:

Curtis Sittenfeld is the author of a novel called "Prep." She tells Steve Paulson what she has in common with her lead character and why she feels protective of her.

CD copies are available at 1-800-747-7444. Ask for program number 05-03-06-A.

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Books:

• Paul Feig, Kick Me: Adventures in Adolescence (Three Rivers Press)
  
• John McNally, The Book of Ralph: A Fiction (Free Press)
• Steven Mintz, Huck's Raft: A History of American Childhood (Harvard)
• Curtis Sittenfeld, Prep: a novel (Random House)

Links:

• -- Paul Feig's website
  http://members.aol.com/heyhiboy/default.html
  
• -- "Freaks and Geeks" website
  http://www.freaksandgeeks.com/
  
• -- Youth Radio
  http://www.youthradio.org/index.shtml
  
• -- John McNally, "The Book of Ralph"
  http://www.bookofralph.com/
  
• -- Steven Mintz
  http://www.hfac.uh.edu/mintz/
  
• -- Curtis Sittenfeld
  http://www.curtissittenfeld.com/

Clips:

• -- Clips from the "Freaks and Geeks: The Complete Series"
  DVD box set (Shout! Factory)
  http://www.shoutfactory.com/selection/101/Freaks_And_Geeks.html
  http://www.shoutfactory.com

Music:

• -- "Lindsay's Theme" (Score)
  from the CD, "Freaks and Geeks: Original Soundtrack and Score"
  (Shout! Factory)
  
• -- "Ken's Ode to Joy" (Score)
  from the CD, Freaks and Geeks: Original Soundtrack and Score"
  (Shout! Factory)
  
• -- "Lindsay Disturbed Theme" (Score)
  from the CD, Freaks and Geeks: Original Soundtrack and Score"
  (Shout! Factory)
  
• -- "Neal's Lament" (Score)
  from the CD, "Freaks and Geeks: Original Soundtrack and Score"
  (Shout! Factory)
  http://www.shoutfactory.com/
  
• -- "Hillbillies from Outerspace"/The Vaughan Brothers
  from the CD, "Family Style"
  

Distribution dates:

week of 05/07/2006 - hour 2 week of 03/06/2005 - hour 1

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Questions and comments can be addressed to: flemingj@wpr.org

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