Terry Gross

Singer/Songwriter Marshall Crenshaw. He will talk about and sing songs from his new CD, “No. 447.” Crenshaw has been writing, recording and performing his songs for some 20 years. “No. 447” is his 10 th album. Singer/Songwriter Marshall Crenshaw. He will talk about and sing songs from his new CD, “No. 447.” Crenshaw has been writing, recording and performing his songs for some 20 years. “No. 447” is his 10 th album.

We talk about the state of welfare with journalist Jason DeParle (dee- PARL). De Parle has been covering welfare for the last 10 years. He has been monitoring welfare programs in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where work requirements have been the toughest. He just finished a yearlong series for the New York Times, about the changes in the welfare system. He says that although there are far fewer people on welfare, the lives of the poor haven’t changed much.

Writer Lee Stringer. He spent eleven years on the streets of New York City, living n the tunnels under Grand Central Terminal, addicted to crack. His acclaimed memoir "Grand Central Winter: Stories from the Street" (Washington Square Press) chronicled his unraveling, from a marketing executive to being homeless and crack addicted. He collaborated on his new book with Kurt Vonnegut: "Like Shaking Hands with God: a conversation about writing" (Seven Stories Press)

We feature an interview with screenwriter/director David O. Russell. His movie Three Kings is being re-released for the holiday season. His other movies include Spanking the Monkey and Flirting with Disaster.

Director and Screenwriter Anthony Minghella. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for the 1996 film The English Patient. The movie also won the Oscar for Best Picture. His new film, The Talented Mr. Ripley opens December 25th, and stars Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Cate Blanchett. Its based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith

We feature an interview with singer/Hollywood legend Rosemary Clooney. She will talk about her life as a singer and performer. We will also listen to songs from throughout her career. Her new autobiography, called Girl Singer, reads like a who's who from the golden age of Hollywood. She has also released a CD companion to the book. Its called Songs from the Girl Singer.

From the band the Continental Drifters: singer/songwriters Vicki Peterson (formerly of the Bangles), Peter Holsapple (of the dBs) and his wife Susan Cowsill (formerly of the Cowsills). They've just released their second album, "Vermillion" (Razor and Tie label). They performed earlier this month in New York at a concert called "The Songs of the Century." They play and talk about some of their picks for the greatest songs.

Singer-songwriter Marshall Crenshaw performs some of the songs he did at the same Songs of the Century concert.

Actress Susan Sarandon. She's currently starring in the new film "Anywhere But Here," and "Cradle Will Rock." Over her 30 years in films she's starred in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" which became a cult classic, as well as "Atlantic City," "Thelma and Louise," "Bull Durham," "Dead Man Walking," and more.

Inventor and ex-magician David Levy. His inventions include a tiny keypad - the size of a credit card, a tattoo whose design can be changed at will, and a devise that seals severed arteries in one minute. In 1996, at MIT, he won the Lemelson-MIT Student Prize, which acknowledged him as one of the nation's premier young inventors.