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Actress Lauren Ambrose plays daughter Claire Fisher on the HBO drama series Six Feet Under. Also a classically trained opera singer, Ambrose appeared on stage last year in the Sam Shepard play Buried Child at London's National Theatre. (This interview originally aired July 6, 2005.)

Writer and designer Jennifer Sharpe collects musical oddities. This time, Sharpe shares some selections from an unusual genre she calls "kid funk," including 6-year-old Angela Simpson's 1970s rendition of Langston Hughes poetry.

India is planning its first museum celebrating the writer Rudyard Kipling. A bungalow in Bombay, where Kipling was born and lived until he was nearly 6, is being restored to house a hoped-for collection of associated memorabilia.

Billy Joel doesn't perform on his latest CD, a collection of classical pieces he composed. The 'piano man' explains why — and reveals what he's learned about his craft (6:58-7:45) Billy Joel: Fantasies & Delusions, Op. 1-10. Sony/Columbia.

The Gorillaz' debut album sold more than 6 million copies worldwide, and the group was nominated for MTV awards, Brit awards, even a Grammy. Their recent tour sold out premier venues in North America. Not bad for a bunch of cartoon characters. NPR's Susan Stone goes behind the curtain, Tuesday on All Things Considered.

Host Susan Stamberg continues her discussion with singer/songwriter Billy Joel. The rock icon dedicated his song New York State of Mind to the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. (4:09-6:42) Billy Joel's latest CD is called Billy Joel: Fantasies & Delusions, Op. 1-10. It's released by Sony/Columbia.

There are an estimated 6,000 western private security contractors in Iraq. Often times, the line between defense and offense can blur as contractors are drawn into heavy firefights with insurgents. There's no real authority structure to control these contractors, and some U.S. lawmakers worry that it's setting a dangerous precedent in a war zone. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports.

President Bush says the just-released President's Daily Brief document from August 6, 2001, lacked enough information to prevent an attack on the United States. Bush also said U.S. troops in Iraq will have as many reinforcements as they need. Bush spoke with reporters Sunday morning after meeting with troops at Fort Hood, Texas. Hear NPR's Liane Hansen.

Under pressure from a panel investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the White House Saturday declassified the President's Daily Brief document from August 6, 2001. The briefing, titled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.," has been mentioned often in testimony before the panel. Hear NPR's Liane Hansen, NPR's Pam Fessler and New York Times correspondent David Sanger.

It's been seven years since detective Jane Tennison last applied her world-weary determination to solving a case on Masterpiece Theatre's Prime Suspect. But on April 18, acclaimed British actress Helen Mirren revives Tennison's character, returning to PBS in Prime Suspect 6: The Last Witness. Mirren speaks with NPR's Lynn Neary.