Rock Critic Ken Tucker continues his review of new recordings with a Christmas theme. His survey begins with the punk band The Ramones and ends with Prince.
Father Michael Doyle. He's the pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Camden, New Jersey, which sits in the center of a rundown neighborhood in one of the most depressed cities on the East coast. A deeply religious man who over the years has had his differences with the church hierarchy, Fr. Doyle has committed his church to social change and helping the poor.
Classical Music Critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews two recordings of the Gershwin musicals "Of Thee I Sing" and "Let 'Em Eat Cake." They were both conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas earlier this year on the fiftieth anniversary of the composer's death.
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."
Rock singer and songwriter Bryan Ferry. In the 1970s, he was the lead singer and principal songwriter for the British band Roxy Music, the band that also launched the career of Brian Eno.
Food writer Mimi Sheraton. She is the food critic for Time Magazine. She has written for the New York Times Magazine and New York Magazine, and she's written several books on food and dining out and now publishes a newsletter.
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.
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.
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."
