Rev. Thomas Breidenthal is dean of religious life at Princeton University. Breidenthal is a scholar, teacher and Episcopal priest. He is the author of the 1997 book Christian Households: The Sanctification of Nearness.
Matt Bennett is the founder of Christian Union, an organization of evangelicals at Ivy League schools whose goal is to reach those who will go on to become part of America's academic elite. The group operates ministry centers at Brown, Cornell and Princeton universities. Bennett, a graduate of Cornell, founded the organization in 2002. Rachel Blair is a student at Princeton and is a member of Christian Union.
Journalist and novelist Philip Caputo's new novel, Acts of Faith, is set in Sudan during that country's civil war. It depicts the consequences — intended and otherwise — the conflict has on aid workers and missionaries involved in relief work.
Billie Holiday: The Ultimate Collection, is a two CD/one DVD collection of Holiday performances. Included along with many of the singer's classic songs are some rarely seen appearances of Holiday on 1950s television.
Peter D. Kramer's new book is Against Depression. In it, the author of Listening to Prozac puts forth an understanding of depression as a modern scourge. Kramer argues that depression should be considered a disease — and treated as such. Kramer is a clinical professor of psychiatry at Brown University.
David Shore and Dr. David Foster combine to be the driving force behind the new medical series House, on FOX TV. Shore is the executive producer; Foster is the medical consultant and writes for the series. On the show, medical maladies play the role of villain. The hero is an irreverent and controversial doctor who trusts no one.
Husband and wife actors Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy have collaborated on the new offbeat feature Transamerica. Macy is the executive producer on the project, which features Huffman as a male-to-female transsexual who is contacted by the son she never knew she fathered.
Rock historian Ed Ward reviews a three-disc release of a Charlie Poole recording from the 1930s. The record, You Ain't Talkin' To Me, is from the Columbia Legacy label. Poole was a banjo-playing pioneer of country music.
Actress Brooke Shields has written a new memoir about what she experienced following the birth of her daughter: Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression. After struggling to become pregnant, Shields was faced with more difficulties.
Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the debut album by British 25-year-old Nic Armstrong and his band, the Thieves. The recording, The Greatest White Liar, has garnered attention with its mix of British rock and American blues.
Meg Wolitzer's new novel, The Position, is about a 1970s couple who write a Joy of Sex-style book, complete with illustrations of them making love. Their lives — and those of their children, who get their hands on the book — are never quite the same afterward.
Hackworth died on Wednesday at the age of 74 from bladder cancer. He was the youngest full colonel in the Vietnam War, and was reputed to the model for the Col. Kurtz character played by Marlon Brando in the movie Apocalypse Now. He later decried the American military effort in Vietnam. When he left the Army, he moved to Australia where he was active in the peace and disarmament movements. This interview was originally broadcast on April 26, 1989.
Film critic David Edelstein reviews Crash, a new film by writer-director Paul Haggis. The movie's ensemble cast includes Brendan Fraser, Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Thandie Newton and hip-hop artist Ludacris.
Former Army sergeant Erik Saar and journalist Viveca Novak, a correspondent for Time magazine have collaborated on the new book, Inside the Wire. Saar spent six months at the terrorist detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, from December 2002 to June 2003. He was a military intelligence linguist, translating Arabic for guards and interrogators. During that time, he saw female guards use sexual interrogation tactics on detainees as well as other disturbing practices.
Amy Sherman-Palladino is the creator and executive producer of Gilmore Girls, on the WB network. The show is about a single mother and her daughter who are best friends. Lauren Graham plays Lorelai Gilmore, the hip mom who does her best to keep teenage daughter Rory (Alexis Bledel) from repeating her own mistakes. Lorelai was a teenager herself when she became pregnant with her daughter. The popular show is now in its fifth season. Warner Brothers has just released season three on DVD.
