In response to a decision by some Broadway musicals to drastically cut the number of live performers in the orchestra pit, the Broadway musicians' union is waging an aggressive battle to save jobs. The show at the center of the controversy is the jukebox musical "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert," which features disco favorites. The show currently only has nine musicians playing live in the orchestra. The rest of the music comes from a pre-recorded track. We talk with Marshall Coid, a lead on stage violinist in the Broadway show, "Chicago." Boyd has been performing on Broadway for 30 years, as an actor, singer and violinist.

Half a century ago, as Martin Luther King Jr. marched on Washington and Freedom Riders tested the desegregation of interstate buses, students at a Detroit high school stood up for their rights, and won. Finding the facilities and education at their school inferior to what was available at predominately white schools, they staged a walk-out, and refused to come back to their school until their demands were met. A new play called “Northern Lights 1966” tells their story. Starring a cast of high school students, it’s being staged by Detroit’s Mosaic Youth Theatre through this weekend.

Fans are mourning the end of Oprah Winfrey's show. But the loss of the internationally syndicated talk show doesn’t just affect fans, it also affects book sales. Patrik Henry Bass, Takeaway contributor and senior editor at Essence magazine, talks with us about the impact Oprah has had on the publishing industry, and how publishers are preparing the life minus her book club.

Yesterday was the 100th anniversary of Gustav Mahler's death. Celeste Headlee remembers the impressive works of the world famous composer that still resonate today. The late Romantic Austrian-Bohemian composer, who at the end of his life directed the New York Philharmonic, was famous for an obsession with composing symphonies.

This week, Rafer tells Kristen why he thinks "Bridesmaids" is the most feminist film to come along in years. Kristen, in turn, tells Rafer that he might not know a darn thing about what feminism is.

WARNING: A clip from the movie contains some of the gross-out actions described and may be disturbing to some listeners!

This weekend, movie goers are talking about one movie: "Bridesmaids." A new raunchy ensemble comedy, it features a cast that's almost entirely female. "Bridesmaids" stars Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph, of "Saturday Night Live" fame, as well as Ellie Kemper from "The Office" and Wendi McLendon-Covey from "Reno 911." Crass to the point of being shocking, some cultural critics are arguing that this could be a watershed moment for women in film and comedy. 

For more than thirty years, Cary Grant was one of the most bankable actors in the world, starring in such classics as “Bringing Up Baby,” “The Philadelphia Story,” “An Affair to Remember,” and “North by Northwest.” And to this day, he is the gold standard for the male movie star against whom actors like George Clooney are compared. But in 1966, at the age of 62, he hung up his hat, and focused the rest of his life on being a loving father to his only child, Jennifer Grant. Grant is the author of a new book, "Good Stuff: A Reminiscence of My Father, Cary Grant."

This spring, we’ve been sitting down with some of America’s most fascinating elder statesmen older Americans, long past retirement age, who are nonetheless still working to change how we live and work in this country. We’re calling this series “In My Experience.” And today we talk with lead singer and one of the founding members of the Blind Boys of Alabama, Jimmy Carter.

This spring, we’ve been sitting down with some of America’s most fascinating elder statesmen and stateswomen: older Americans, long past retirement age, who are nonetheless still working to change how we live and work in this country in a series called “In My Experience.” Today, our guest is comedian, movie star, and seven-time Emmy award winning TV legend Betty White. In addition to starring on “Hot in Cleveland,” White is also the author of a new book “If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won’t).”

Mel Gibson is trying to jump start his career with a movie about a depressed man who takes solace in a handheld beaver puppet. Rafer and Kristen debate whether the movie is a work of genius or an utter train wreck.

It’s Friday, and Rafer Guzman reviews this weekend's releases: "Thor," "The Beaver," and "Something Borrowed." Film critic for Newsday, Rafer Guzman also co-hosts the Takeaway’s Movie Date podcast. Below: The trailer for "Something Borrowed." Unfortunately, says Guzman, this movie is "neither a comeback nor a self-immolation for Mel Gibson."

In the world of modern-day superstar sex symbols, there are those who simply look beautiful, and then there are those like Eva Mendes. Willing to play roles that range from the brilliant to the ridiculous, she’s famously starred in both Oscar-nominated fare like “Training Day” and loony comedies like “The Other Guys.”  Her newest film, which opens today, is called “Last Night.” The movie follows a husband and wife, played by Sam Worthington and Keira Knightley, who are each faced with the temptation stray from their marriage. Eva Mendes plays the woman who catches the eye of Sam Worthington’s character.

This spring, we’re sitting down with some of America’s most fascinating elder statesmen; older Americans who are long past retirement age, who are nonetheless still working to change how we live and work in this country. We’re calling this series “In My Experience.” Today, our guest is Pulitzer-Prize winning cartoonist, screenwriter, playwright, and professor Jules Feiffer. The 82-year-old explains why he has no plans to retire.

In this week's Movie Date podcast, Rafer and Kristen look back at their memories of the high school prom and share their thoughts on proms on the screen — from John Hughes's "Pretty in Pink" to the new Disney teen flick, "Prom."

The Tribeca Film Festival kicked off in New York last week. The festival, known to most for its celebrity backer, Robert De Niro, is in its tenth year and has become something of a showcase for independent film. It also features films by young people — students who are nurtured and educated through the Tribeca Film Institute.

Hip hop is filled with young artists who appear to live the Horatio Alger dream, ascending from impoverished urban neighborhoods to international fame and wealth.

But few of them have transformed themselves so often, and remained popular for so long, as Ice-T. An orphan turned family man and thief turned superstar, he famously went from singing about killing cops to playing a cop on the long-running and popular series “Law and Order SVU.”  He chronicles his rise from poverty to fame in “ICE: A Memoir of Gangster Life and Redemption — From South Central to Hollywood.”

In this week's Movie Date, Kristen is crackling with excitement for the upcoming nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Rafer couldn't care less, but he agrees to look back at royal romances on film with Kristen, if only to get off the subject of commemorative wedding tea towels. Everybody loves tea towels, right? 

In this week’s podcast, Kristen and Rafer talk about the movies they’re most looking forward to seeing this summer. Warning: most of them are extremely stupid.

Here's a sampling: Woody Allen's new star-packed flick "Midnight in Paris"; "Larry Crowne," starring Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks; "Bad teacher with Cameron Diaz as a drunk irresponsible teacher and Justin Timberlake as the hot new sub; Alex Gibney's latest documentary, "Magic Trip"; "The Change Up," starring Ryan Reynolds; and "30 minutes or Less," about a pizza delivery guy-turned robber.

Rafer Guzman, Newsday film critic and co-host of the Movie Date podcast previews the weekend's new releases. There's the new animated birdbrained film "Rio" as well as the latest in modern slasher blockbuster series "Scream 4."

What's worse? Jokes about farts or boobs? Are there certain subjects that should be off limits for humor? And when does a movie cross the line from raunchy to completely tasteless? Rafer and Kristen debate these questions and share their opinions on the medieval raunch fest "Your Highness."