Press Play with Madeleine Brand

KCRW

Latest episode

What makes good casting as the Oscars add a new category
12/03/2026 | 52 mins.
Plus, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei’s first public statement raises questions about the health of Iran’s supreme leader. And our weekend film reviews include a Colleen Hoover drama all about yearning.
Iran War could prompt a fresh look at alternative energy
11/03/2026 | 51 mins.
Plus, a preliminary report says the U.S. fired the missile that hit an Iranian school, new shows starring Tracy Morgan, Rachel Weisz, and Steve Carrell, and Evan Kleiman on how to make the simple potato sing.
Why air power alone is destined to fail in the Iran War
10/03/2026 | 51 mins.
Plus, California Republicans are scrambling to hold power after Congressional maps were redrawn to favor Democrats, and how a school in rural Louisiana managed to send so many kids to elite colleges.
Buck Meek looks in 'The Mirror' to face fear, find self-acceptance
09/03/2026 | 53 mins.
Plus, Live Nation settles with the Justice Department, The New York Times details years of abuse by celebrated chef René Redzepi, and how some Academy members skirted new rules for Oscar voting.
LA has a trash problem. The meth crisis is a big part of it
06/03/2026 | 52 mins.
Plus, the CIA has been secretly arming the Kurds, possibly encouraging them to mount a revolution in Iran, our weekend film reviews, and Evan Kleiman expresses her love for an ugly vegetable.