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Fresh Air Weekend: 'Wicked' star Ariana Grande; Dominatrix and novelist Brittany Newell

Ariana Grande initially auditioned for both witch roles in Wicked, but "I knew I was Glinda," she says.
Katia Tempkin
Ariana Grande initially auditioned for both witch roles in Wicked, but "I knew I was Glinda," she says.

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, as well as new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and it often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

Ariana Grande says 'Wicked' was a gift — and she's proud to be in a 'beautiful coven': As a kid, Grande loved singing karaoke with her family. "I looked up to Whitney and Mariah and Celine endlessly," she says. "I think that's a large part of the reason why I learned to sing."

'Coming to New York' stories are alive and well in these two new books: Kay Sohini's graphic memoir, This Beautiful, Ridiculous City, tells a story of migration and redefinition. Gay Talese gathers many of his great pieces about the city in A Town Without Time.

A pro dominatrix and novelist says empathy, curiosity and bravery are key to both jobs: After publishing her first novel when she was 21, Brittany Newell started working as a dominatrix. The job gave her time to write — and plenty of material to draw from. Her new novel is Soft Core.

You can listen to the original interviews here:

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