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Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, aka the folk-parody band Flight of the Conchords, hail from New Zealand and were named best alternative-comedy act at the 2005 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival. Now they're starring in an HBO series called, yes, Flight of the Conchords — which is, yes, about two transplanted New Zealanders living in New York City's Lower East side. It launches Sunday.

In 1861, Elizabeth Packard was forcibly removed from her home and committed to an insane asylum because she disagreed with her Calvinist husband's religious beliefs. Playwright Emily Mann tells her story in the Kennedy Center's presentation of Mrs. Packard.

Gerard Alessandrini is the creator of Forbidden Broadway, a show that spoofs hit Broadway shows. Alessandrini sees every show that opens, to mine its comic potential out of and create parodies. He offers his predictions for Sunday night's Tony Awards.

Director Brad Bird and actor Patton Oswalt talk about their film Ratatouille. The animated feature tells the story of a foodie rat who becomes a chef in a top Paris kitchen. Bird previously directed and wrote The Incredibles and The Iron Giant. Oswalt is a writer and stand-up comedian.

Fresh Air's book critic suggests the aptly titled 'Summer Reading,' by Hilma Wolitzer; 'Be Near Me,' by Andrew O'Hagan, and the much-lauded 'On Chesil Beach,' by Ian McEwan.

Near the town of Alliance, Neb., stands an installation called Carhenge. The artwork replicates Stonehenge in England, but in the form of 38 vintage American cars, half buried in the ground. Carhenge draws about 30,000 tourists a month during the summer, and it turns 20 this weekend.

The Sergio Leone Anthology includes A Fistful of Dollars; For a Few Dollars More; The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Duck, You Sucker.

In his new novel, Falling Man, Don DeLillo, one of the most admired American writers, squarely faces the awful events of Sept. 11, 2001, with eyes wide open. DeLillo narrates the viewpoints of a number of people — including one of the hijackers — in prose both exquisite and exhausting.

You Kill Me, a new mob comedy starring Ben Kingsley, centers on a hit man with substance-abuse problems — who hopes Alcoholics Anonymous can help him get back on the job.

George Clooney and the gang return to Vegas and to the casino caper for this third installment in Steven Soderbergh's hit franchise. David Edelstein has a review.