Terry Gross

Former NBA star Charles Barkley. The colorful, outspoken ex-player has a new book, I May Be Wrong, But I Doubt It (Random House). Barkley is considered one of the greatest players of the game. He was on 11 All-Star teams, and with Wilt Chamberlain was one of the two players in NBA history with more than 23,000 points, 12,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists. He played for the Philadelphia 76ers, the Phoenix Suns and the Houston Rockets. He is currently a studio analyst for TNT's Inside the NBA.

Professor Raymond McNally, an expert on the many portrayals of vampires in folklore and film, died Oct. 2 at the age of 71. McNally traced the origins of the Dracula story in Transylvania. He wrote the book In Search of Dracula and taught at Boston College, specializing in Russian intellectual life.

Saxophonist Branford Marsalis. He's just released "Footsteps of Our Fathers," the debut release on the artist's own Marsalis Music label. In the nearly two decades that he has released solo albums, he's won two Grammy Awards and was nominated for a third in 1995. He was the first band leader for Jay Leno's "The Tonight Show" and appeared on the show from 1992-1995. In addition to the solo and ensemble records he's released, Marsalis has participated in various film scores as both composer and featured soloist.