Parker stars in two films in theaters now: Pipe Dream and Red Dragon. She's part of the The West Wing cast on TV. She starred in the Broadway hit Proof, for which she received the 2001 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress. Her other Broadway turns include Prelude to a Kiss, How I Learned to Drive and the revival of Bus Stop. Her film credits include Fried Green Tomatoes, Grand Canyon and The Client.

Joel and Ethan Coen's new black comedy sets its dim-bulb characters careening through a blackmail-and-infidelity plot. The cast is top notch, but the directors seem so little invested, they might as well be on autopilot.

Film writer and director Kevin Smith. His controversial new independent film "Dogma" is a comedy/parable about faith and the Catholic Church. It stars Ben Affleck, Linda Fiorentino, Alan Rickman, and George Carlin. Smith also wrote and directed the films "Clerks" and "Chasing Amy."

Rock Critic Ken Tucker reviews two recent releases: Jim Lauderdale's "Whisper," and Buddy Miller's "Poison Love". Both albums have been categorized as "alternative country" and Tucker says in a time of "overblown big stars" that label may be a marketing enhancement.

The Bay of Pigs invasion in which Cuban exiles trained by the CIA unsuccessfully tried to invade Cuba and overthrow Castro. A talk with Peter Kornbluh of the National Security Archives. He edited the new book Bay of Pigs Declassified (The New Press). Among the documents released is the agencys post-mortem on the disastrous invasion, written after a six-month investigation. It was one of the most closely guarded secrets of the Cold War. Recently Kornbluh organized an international conference in Havana on the Bay of Pigs.

Irabagon brings an infectious sense of fun to music-making, even when the playing is dead serious — as is the case on his "mildly subversive" new album.

Actress Annie Potts. She's becoming familiar to audiences for her role in TV's "Designing Women." But before that, she was cast often as quirky, off-the-wall characters in films like "Ghostbusters" and "Pretty in Pink."

Ken Tucker reviews "OC and Stiggs," the latest Robert Altman film that bypassed theatrical release and went straight to video cassette distribution. Altman's best-known films include "M*A*S*H," "The Long Goodbye," and "California Split."

Journalist James O'Shea is former chief economic correspondent for The Chicago Tribune. His book, "The Daisy Chain," is a case history of what went wrong with the Savings and Loans in this country. It looks at an S&L in Vernon, Texas owned by Don Dixon who was recently sentenced for defrauding regulators, illegally spending depositors' money, and other misdeeds.

Film critic David Edelstein reviews the films that are up for an Academy award under the Best Foreign Language Film category. They are: Paradise Now, Sophie Scholl: The Final Days, Don't Tell, Joyeux Noel and Tsotsi.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Linda Greenhouse says the new Court has given conservatives less than they'd hoped for, though critical cases on abortion and other issues are still pending.

For more than 30 years, the jazz pianist hosted one of public radio's most beloved shows. She died of natural causes on Tuesday at the age of 95. McPartland spoke with Fresh Air's Terry Gross in 1987.

Ricky Gervais appears in the new film Night at the Museum, in which insects come to life after a spell is cast at The Museum of Natural History. Gervais is the creator and star of the British TV comedy series The Office, which has been adapted into a hit show starring Steve Carrell. He's won an Emmy, a Golden Globe and three BAFTA Awards. Gervais also writes the Flanimals series of children's books.

The FOX newS host talks about her feud with Donald Trump, and her decision to come forward in the sexual harassment case against former FOX new CEO Roger Ailes.

A concert with singer and songwriter Loudon Wainwright III. He writes very personal, eccentric songs that take a darkly humorous, sometimes caustic view of life. He first gained fame with his hit song "Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road." His new album is titled "Therapy." (Interview with Sedge Thomson)

Attorney David Cole. Cole is a staff attorney for the Center for Constitutional Rights, and has recently taken part in court cases involving flag burning and controversial art exhibits.

Patterson's book Brown v. Board of Education: A Civil Rights Milestone and its Troubled Legacy looks at the historic Supreme Court case and its aftermath. Patterson also wrote Grand Expectations: The United States 1945-1974.

Will Smith is starring in the new film Ali as fighter Muhammad Ali. The film begins in 1964, the year that Cassius Clay became world heavyweight champion, announced his conversion to Islam, and took on the name Muhammad Ali. The film is directed and co-written by Michael Mann who also made The Insider. Smith also starred in the films The Legend of Bagger Vance, Men In Black, Independence Day, and Six Degrees of Separation. Smith got his start as a rapper, making his first record in high school.

Doctor Marcus Conant. In the early 1980's Dr. Conant was among the first doctors in San Francisco to treat AIDS cases. Now Dr. Conant heads the largest private AIDS medical practice in San Francisco. After his 1985 study on how condoms block transmission of the AIDS virus, condoms became a household word. Dr. Conant is the director of AIDS Clinical Research Center and the co-director of the Kaposi's Sarcoma Clinic at the University of California at San Francisco.

Television critic David Bianculli reviews "False Witness," a syndicated TV special that re-examines the facts surrounding the Jeffrey MacDonald murder case, the same case chronicled in the book "Fatal Vision," and the subject TV miniseries of the same name.