Ken Tucker reviews home videocassettes with a Christmas flavor, starting with classics like "It's A Wonderful Life" and "White Christmas" and ending with "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians."
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.
Cartoonist Roz Chast, whose quirky pen-and-ink drawings appear in The New Yorker. She avoids the dry board-room humor typical of The New Yorker, preferring to draw dinosaurs, appliances with skirts, and cheese.
Film Critic Stephen Schiff reviews "Wall Street," the new film on ambition and greed in the world of high finance. The director is Oliver Stone, who won an Academy Award last year for "Platoon."
Film Critic Stephen Schiff reviews "Broadcast News," the romantic comedy that takes a satiric look television news. It stars William Hurt, Holly Hunter and Albert Brooks.
Poet Richard Hell. He moved to New York City in the 70s, intending to concentrate on poetry. But he was drawn to the emerging punk rock scene and quickly became one of its best known acts with his band Richard Hell and the Voidoids. He later landed roles in the films "Smithereens" and "Desperately Seeking Susan." He is writing poetry again, editing the new poetry journal Cuz, and running the poetry programs at the St. Marks Poetry Project.
Martin Williams, producer of the new six-record set for the Smithsonian Jazz Collection featuring singers and soloists from the Swing era. The set includes performances by Coleman Hawkins, Fletcher Henderson, Ella Fitzgerald and Johnny Hodges.
Jack Gillis, director of public affairs for the Consumer Federation of America and author of The Car Book. He will release consumer test results on how the 1988 cars scored for safety, fuel economy, comfort, etc.
Tony Hendra. His new book, Going Too Far, is a history of "Boomer (as in Baby Boomer) Humor." Hendra was editor of The National Lampoon for eight years. He directed the Lampoon play "Lemmings" and co-created and wrote the British TV series "Spitting Image." In addition, he has written several books of satire and appeared in the movie "This is Spinal Tap."
Jeana Yeager and Dick Rutan, who headed the six-year effort to fly a plane around the world without refueling. They completed their nine-day flight in their light-weight craft called The Voyager on December 23, 1986. They have written a book describing the adventure.
Classical Music Critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews the career of violinist Jascha Heifetz, who died last Friday. He was, by acclamation, the greatest violinist of this century.
Film director and actor John Sayles. His films include "The Return of the Secaucus Seven," "Baby It's You" and "Brother From Another Planet." His new film is "Matewan," about a coal miner's strike in West Virginia.
