John talks with songwriter Carl Sigman's son Michael about his father's life and legacy. Carl would have turned 100 on September 24, 2009.

39-year old Camille Rose Garcia may not be appreciated by the fine art community, whatever that means, but she has leagues of fans who appreciate her work, which one observer has described as “eerily cute.” Fans who could buy a Camille Rose Garcia print for $200 in 2000 are now paying more than $1,000. Julian Bermudez talked with Camille Rose Garcia at a gallery event.

John talks with Joe Domanick about his latest article in Los Angeles Magazine, which looks at the state prison in Lancaster as a microcosm of the state's prison problem. These are the log and short versions of our conversation, taped Thursday, September 17, 2009.

Rico Gagliano & Brendan Newnam bring you another installment of The Dinner Party Download – a 10-minute "booster shot" of cuisine and culture to help you win your next dinner party. This week: Grammy-winner Billy Bragg makes "Ode" new again... an English Major fails the cough test... and Brendan talks to the cholesterocidal maniac behind deep-fried butter. INSIDE: A note from Rico on Billy Bragg...

An Off-Ramp Exclusive, from the release party and concert at the Grammy Museum at LA Live for the album "Anything Goes." Trumpeter Herb Alpert (the A in A&M Records) and singer Lani Hall (formerly of Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 and Alpert's wife) talk about the new album, the Tijuana Brass, and how they met.

...in which a police officer stops a random motorist somewhere in Los Angeles. “Checkpoint” was written by KPCC’s Steve Julian, based on a question posed by Ken Levine. Actors, in order of appearance: Steve Julian, Steve Martin, Hettie Lynne Hurtes, and Jace Kent, and Doug Geary. Harmonica performed by Jace Kent. The first audio item is the one that was broadcast on Off-Ramp. The second is the longer, original version ... the director's cut, if you will. (See the comments section inside.)

AP: A federal grand jury in California investigating an alleged plot to overthrow the government of Laos is dropping charges against a leading figure in the nation's Hmong community. U.S. Attorney Lawrence Brown says charges have been dropped against 79-year-old Vang Pao, a former Laotian general who assisted American troops during the Vietnam War and is considered a hero by Hmong refugees living in the U.S. Last year, we ran a profile of Vang Pao produced by his great niece, then-KPCC reporter Doualy Xaykaothao.