Terry Gross

His book is Privileged Son: Otis Chandler and the rise and fall of the L.A. Times Dynasty.(Perseus) It is a history of the paper from 1960 to 1980. During that time Otis Chandler, a fourth generation member of the family, took control of the paper. His reign had elements of fabulous success and major scandal. He was described as –larger than life transforming The Times from a dreadful newspaper into one of the two or three best in the country.— (NYT magazine 1/23/2000) Dennis McDougal is a former investigative journalist for the L.A. Times.

Brooks has made some of the funniest films in movie history, including The Producers, Young Frankenstein, and Blazing Saddles. His film The Producers has been turned into a Broadway musical and is now the hottest show on Broadway. The show has broken records; earlier this month, The Producers won 12 Tony Awards. Brooks won Tony Awards for Best Book (with Thomas Meehan) and Best Score. Now, Brooks is one of the few people who have won a Tony Award, an Academy Award, a Grammy Award and an Emmy Award.

Currently, his LA Lakers are battling the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Finals. They lead the series 2 games to 1. Jackson has already won 7 NBA championship rings; He led the Lakers to the championship last year, and he also won 6 with the Chicago Bulls. He has coached NBA greats Michael Jordan, Shaquille ONeal, and Kobe Bryant. Jackson also has a new book called More than a Game, written with Charley Rosen.

His new book on depression, The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression, (Scribner) came out of a 1998 New Yorker article. He draws on personal experience as well as interviews with patients, physicians, philosophers and drug designers.

Scottish actor Alan Cumming co-wrote, co-directed and is co-starring in the new film The Anniversary Party, along with Jennifer Jason Leigh. His other film appearances include Josie and the Pussycats, Get Carter, Eyes Wide Shut, and Emma. He also starred in the recent revival of Cabaret.

Writer David Sedaris is best known for his contributing work with public radio's This American Life. He's written three books of essays — Barrel Fever, Naked, and his latest, Me Talk Pretty One Day.

Stage and screen actor Jonathan Pryce plays Gustav Mahler in the new film Bride of the Wind. Pryce has won many acting awards, including two Tonys, first for The Comedians, and later for his role in the hit musical Miss Saigon. Hes also appeared in many films including Brazil, Evita, Tomorrow Never Dies, and Glengarry Glenn Ross.

Andrew Spielman is one of the worlds leading experts on mosquitoes. He's just written a book, Mosquito: A Natural History of Our Most Persistent And Deadly Foe. (with Michael D'Antonio; Hyperion) Well find out why mosquito bites itch, and how the mosquito transmits deadly diseases. Spielman is a professor at Harvard University.

Writer Michael Pollan's new book, The Botany of Desire: A Plants-Eye View of the World (Random House) takes a look at four plants cultivated by humans: the apple, the tulip, potatoes and marijuana. Pollan demonstrates that plants and humans have developed a reciprocal, co-evolutionary relationship: do we plant potatoes, or do potatoes seduce us into planting them? Pollan questions the assumption that we are in charge of our agriculture.

His new movie, With a Friend Like Harry, has been compared to the thrillers of Hitchcock. Its about an accidental meeting of two old friends and the subsequent unsettling turn of events. The French film thrilled audiences at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival, and won 4 Cesars awards (the French equivalent of the Oscars). This is the second feature for the 38 year old German born filmmaker; his first was the 1993 Intimacy, a flop at the box office.