His 1955 film noir masterpiece RIFIFI was re-released last year. It was virtually unseen since its release because Jules Dassin was blacklisted. He met and married Greek actress Melina Mercouri, and went on to collaborate with her in the hit films Never on Sunday and Topkapi, the inspiration for Mission: Impossible. Mercouri is being honored by New York Film forum.
His new book is Warriors of God: Richard the Lionheart and Saladin in the Third Crusade (Doubleday). It's the story of the battle for the Holy Land in the late 12th century. It begins as a dual biography of Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt, Syria, Arabia and Mesopotamia, and Richard I, King of England, known as the Lionheart. The two men led the battling Islamic and Christian armies. James Reston is also the author of twelve books, including The Last Apocalypse and Galileo: A Life. He is currently a scholar in residence at the Library of Congress.
Actress Edie Falco plays Carmella Soprano, wife of Tony Soprano on the HBO drama The Sopranos. She too has been nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding lead Actress in a Drama Series. The role turned her from a relative unknown to a TV star. She had roles on Law & Order and Homicide: Life on the Street. She starred in the independent films Judy Berlin, Trust and Laws of Gravity.
Film critic John Powers reviews L.I.E., an independent film about a troubled teenage boy and the older man who steps into his life. L.I.E. stands for Long Island Expressway, where the boy's mother died in an auto crash.
Actress Jane Kaczmarek. She been nominated for an Emmy (for outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series) for her role on FOX Malcolm in the Middle. She plays the harried mother of four boys. Kaczmarek was a series regular on Equal Justice, Paper Chase: The Second Year, and has had recurring roles on Frasier, The Practice, and Cybill. Her film roles include Pleasantville, Uncommon Valor, and The Chamber.
Will Ferrell is a regular cast member of Saturday Night Live. Last weekend the show began the new season in a somber tone, opening the show with Mayor Giuliani surrounded by a group of New York fire fighters, police and EMT workers. Ferrell has portrayed President George Bush on the show as well as Janet Reno, Alex Trebek and Robert Goulet; his other send-ups include musical middle school teacher Marty Culp, and Spartan cheerleader Craig.
Shortly after the attacks of Sept. 11, Onion editor Rob Siegel and writer Todd Hanson produced two issues of the paper which featured articles including "U.S. Urges Bin Laden to Form Nation It Can Attack," and "Security Beefed up at Cedar Rapids Public Library."
Former Istanbul bureau chief for the New York Times, Stephen Kinzer. He written the new book Crescent & Star: Turkey Between Two Worlds, (Farrar, Straus & Giroux). He describes a country caught between the entrenched ruling elite and its younger, well-educated population who want democracy. He describes a country of talented –writers, thinkers, university professors and business executives— who have been excluded from positions of power. Kinzer is currently the Timesnational culture correspondent based in Chicago.
Nick Lowe brings his guitar to the studio for music and conversation. The British singer-songwriter and producer has had a long and varied career. In the late sixties, he played bass and sang for the pop band Kippington Lodge. In the seventies, he produced albums for Graham Parker and the Rumour, The Damned, Dave Edmunds and Elvis Costello. Lowe co-founded Stiff Records, one of the premier labels for punk rock. Then, his own solo career took off with the release of the single "I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass." He has continued to both produce and sing.
Lawyer and humanitarian aid worker John Sifton. He was working in Pakistan and Afghanistan earlier this year. He returns to Pakistan soon. His story about what he observed as a humanitarian worker in Afghanistan is featured in this Sundays (Sept 30th) issue of the New York Times Sunday Magazine.
Documentary film director Ric Burns. He directed the 7-part Emmy-awarded winning PBS series, New York: A Documentary Film. The last two episodes of the series air on most stations September 30th and October 1st. Also commentator Peter Quinn who appears in the film. Quinn is a novelist, essayist and third generation Irish-American. He is the author of the historical novel Banished Children of Eve.
Anthony Vidler discusses urban planning and architecture in the wake of the terrorist attacks. Vidler is Dean of the Cooper Union School of Architecture and professor of art and architecture at UCLA.
Professor of Politics with an expertise on the Arab World, Mamoun Fandy. He teaches at the Near-East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University. He written for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and regularly for The Christian Science Monitor. His latest book is Saudi Arabia and the Politics of Dissent.
