Terry Gross

Historian Thant Myint-U is a former U.N. official and a native of Burma. His new book, The River of Lost Footsteps: Histories of Burma — part memoir, part history — explores the problems plaguing the country.

In his new book, Going Down Jericho Road, historian Michael Honey chronicles the campaign which the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was working on at the time of his death. Honey is a former civil liberties organizer and a professor of ethics, gender and labor studies and American history at the University of Washington, Tacoma.

Actress Helen Mirren has been nominated for three Golden Globes this year. For her roles in the TV mini-series Prime Suspect and Elizabeth I, and for her work in the film The Queen. Mirren has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and in the films Gosford Park, The Comfort of Strangers, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, Age of Consent, The Long Good Friday and Excalibur. This interview originally aired on Apr. 18, 2006.

Actor Alec Baldwin has been nominated for a Golden Globe award for his role in the TV sitcom 30 Rock. He recently appeared in the films The Good Shepard, Running with Scissors, The Departed and The Aviator. Baldwin's other films include State and Main, GlenGarry Glen Ross, The Hunt for Red October and The Cooler. He has appeared on Broadway in A Streetcar Named Desire, and Loot. He is also a board member of People for the American Way, and of the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund, sponsored by Stony Brook University in honor of his mother.

Clint Eastwood has examined the Battle of Iwo Jima from two sides this year. His acclaimed film Flags of Our Fathers followed the stories of the American soldiers who raised the flag in one of World War II's most enduring images. His new movie, Letters from Iwo Jima, explores the perspective of the Japanese soldiers who fought it. The actor once best-known as a western and action star has directed a number of great films, including Unforgiven, Mystic River, and Million Dollar Baby.

Republican pollster Frank Luntz advises politicians on the language they should use to win elections and promote their policies. Although he works on one side of the aisle, he says that what he does is essentially nonpartisan, seeking clarity and simplicity in language. His critics disagree, and have accused him of using language that misrepresents policies to "sell" them to the public. Frank Luntz is the author of Words That Work.

Singer, guitarist, and author Alex Kapranos is the frontman for the Glasgow-based indie rock quartet Franz Ferdinand. The band, best known for its single "Take Me Out," has produced two hit CDs. Kapranos has a new book about eating on tour, called Sound Bites. The book is compiled partly from his column in London's Guardian newspaper about his gastronomic adventures.

Journalist Zev Chafets is a former New York Daily News columnist and founding editor of the Jerusalem Report. In his new book, A Match Made in Heaven, Chafets explores American evangelical support for Israel.

On the occasion of his 60th birthday, we rebroadcast an excerpt of a 2002 interview with David Bowie. More than 30 years ago, Bowie created the gender-bending Ziggy Stardust, and produced the now classic album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. With it, Bowie helped invent glam-rock. This interview originally aired on Sept. 4, 2002.

In his book, 31 Days: The Crisis That Gave Us the Government We Have Today, Journalist Barry Werth chronicles the days following Richard Nixon's resignation and leading to Gerald Ford's swearing-in as President of the United States. Werth's articles have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine and Outside. This interview originally aired on Apr. 13, 2006.