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."
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.
Sweeney was elected in October 1995 and has been credited with revitalizing the labor movement. He's known for championing the cause of the poorest and least powerful members of the workforce. Last week John Sweeney spoke before the Democratic Convention. His new book is "America Needs a Raise: Fighting for Economic Security and Social Justice."
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.
Monk Dreams, Hallucinations and Nightmares, by the Finish-born pianist and composer, is a meditation on Thelonious Monk's "odd but catchy melodies," says jazz critic Kevin Whitehead.
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.
New York Times congressional correspondent Annie Karni says if Republicans choose to retaliate, and not pass spending bills, it could cause a government shutdown this fall.
Journalist, screenwriter and novelist John Gregory Dunne. In his new book, Harp, Dunne explores what it means to be Irish Catholic in America. Dunne explores his own history - "from steerage to suburbia in three generations" - his college days longing to be a WASP, his family's scarred history (suicides, murders), and what he calls his "insane desire to be assimilated." Dunne's earlier novels include The Red White and Blue, True Confessions, Vegas and Dutch Shea, Jr.
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."
Television Critic David Bianculli reviews a version of Harold Pinter's one-act play, "The Room", directed by Robert Altman. The cast includes Linda Hunt, Donald Pleasance, Julian Sands and Annie Lennox. It will air on ABC next Saturday.
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.
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."
Fresh Air book critic, Maureen Corrigan has more suggestions for summer reading: "A Little Yellow Dog" by Walter Mosely (W.W. Norton); "Cause of Death" by Patricia Cornwell (G.P. Putmans Sons); and "Lily White," by Susan Isaacs (HarperCollins).
TV critic David Bianculli calls the new sitcom, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Richard Lewis, has an intriguing premise and promising cast, but it follows a familiar, cookie-cutter formula, and its writing needs work.
In Fat Leonard, journalist Craig Whitlock tells the story of a defense contractor who plied Navy commanders with lavish meals, trips, cash and sex workers. In return they let him overcharge taxpayers.
Rock historian Ed Ward looks back at the birth of the country music industry, during the early days of Fiddlin' John Carson, A.P. Carter and his wife, Sarah, and the Tenneva Ramblers.
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.
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.
The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, forced many Americans to reshape their lives. For New Yorkers whose plans and priorities were cast loose, the shocking losses were followed by a challenge: what to do next. That dilemma is at the heart of Jay McInerney's The Good Life.
Frank Chin is critical of many other contemporary Asian American writers; their works, he says, rely too much on western forms, cater to white audiences, and misrepresent Asian culture. His new collection of short stories, The Chinaman Pacific & Frisco R.R. Co, reveals his own perspectives on the Chinese American experience.
