Terry Gross

Laura Joplin is the younger sister of the rock legend Janis Joplin. Her new book, "Love XX Janis," was inspired by a bundle of letters Laura found of her sister's. This is the first time the letters are published. Laura is six years younger than Janis, and was 21 when Janis died. There's a new episode of the VH1 documentary series "Legends" about Janis Joplin, in which Laura reads some of the letters of her sister.

Since 1979, Gray has been performing monologues about his life and anxieties before audiences. "Swimming to Cambodia" was about the Vietnam war and his acting part in the film "The Killing Fields," "Monster in a Box" was about writing/vacation and Hollywood, and "Gray's Anatomy" was about an eye ailment. His latest is considered his most confessional, "It's a Slippery Slope" about marriage and learning to ski.

Rowlands won acclaim for her performance in "A Woman Under the Influence" and "Gloria." She collaborated with her late husband actor/screenwriter/and director John Cassavetes for thirty years. Rowlands is starring in the new film "Unhook the Stars" in which she plays Mildred, a middle-aged woman who finds herself at a crucial turning point in her life. The film was written and directed by Rowland's son, Nick Cassavetes.

Tenor saxophonist and composer, Ellery Eskelin. He's been called the most inventive American tenor player in creative music. His father, Rodd Keith, (also known as Rod Rodgers) was killed when he was struck by cars on the Hollywood Freeway after leaping or falling from the Santa Monica Boulevard overpass. Eskelin only knew his father for the first eighteen months of his life. As he grew up, Eskelin was inspired and intrigued by the continuous stories he heard about his father and his musical talent.

Ellroy was born in Los Angeles in 1948. After his mother was mysteriously strangled to death when he was ten, he grew up obsessed with crime. His life spun towards booze, drugs, theft, and jail. He eventually cleaned up his life and began writing. He has written several novels, many of which were international best-sellers, including "American Tabloid," "The Black Dahlia," and his most recent book, "My Dark Places," in which he tells the story of his mother's murder.

Bono first gained national fame as half of the "Sonny and Cher" entertainment couple. The two were married but later divorced. Prior to that, Bono worked as a songwriter. He later entered politics and was elected as Mayor of Palm Springs, California from 1988-1992. In 1994, As a Republican from California's 44th Congressional District he was elected to the U.S House of Representatives. Earlier this month, he won re-election to Congress. This interview was originally aired 7/17 and 7/18 in 1991.

We return to Bono to hear him talk about his years married to Cher and their years together as a successful entertainment team.

Cher talks about her her acting acting career. Last month, HBO premiered the film "If These Walls Could Talk." The pop star co-starred and co-directed the film. Also this year, Cher starred in "Faithful" with Ryan O'Neal and Chazz Palminteri. There's more, a CD called "The Casablanca Years" was released this year featuring many of her past hits. Nickelodeon's TV Land, a cable channel dedicated to old shows, is airing "The Sonny and Cher Show." This interview originally aired 7/2/96.

In the 1950s, Gelbart was part of a team of television writers that included Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, and others who wrote for Sid Caesar's "Your Show of Shows" and "Caesar's Hour." Gelbart went on to develop and write for the television version of "M*A*S*H.

The inventor has been called "the greatest marketer/salesman of the television era." Popeil sold everything from the Veg-O-Matic to the Pocket Fisherman on television, amassing over one billion dollars in sales. He's written a book about how he did it, "Ron Popeil: The Salesman of the Century." (REBROADCAST from 2/7/96)