Actor Steve Buscemi. He directed and produced his newest movie “Animal Factory,” a prison drama starring Wilhelm Defoe and Edward Furlong. He made his directorial debut with “Tree’s Lounge” in 1996. He’s acted in over 60 movies in the past twenty years; winning praise for roles in cult favorites like Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Fargo.
A look at the U.S. elections from abroad. Foreign editor Lloyd Doyle of the British paper the Independent tells us what people outside the United States think about the current controversy.
We remember Lea Rabin, the widow of assassinated Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. She died on Sunday at the age of 72. She had cancer. (REBRAODCAST from 4/9/97)
New York Times reporter and Prague Bureau Chief Steve Erlanger. He’ll talk to us about Serbia after the elections that ended the rule of Milosevic. And he’ll talk about the new president, Vojislav Kostunica. Erlanger will report to us from Belgrade. (
Literary forensics expert Don Foster. Named the first literary detective of all time, he uncovered the identity of Joe Klein as the Anonymous writer of 1996’s “Primary Colors”. His new book is “Author Unknown: On the Trail of Anonymous” (Henry Holt, Inc.) which details the techniques he uses to identify writers behind anonymous books and documents. He teaches English at Vassar College.
Journalist S.V. Date is based in Florida where he is Tallahassee bureau chief for The Palm Beach Post. He’ll discuss the recount in Florida for the Presidential election. Date is also the author of the new novel “Smokeout” (Putnam)
Satirist Harry Shearer. He’s the host of NPR’s Le Show. He’s also the author of "It's the Stupidity, Stupid: Why (Some) People hate Clinton and Why the Rest of Us Have to Watch." (The Library of Contemporary Thought, The Ballintine Publishing Group) which came out earlier this year. Today he speaks on the outcome of the presidential election.
Journalist Dana Milbank. A senior writer for the Washington Post, he covered the presidential election for that paper. He talks about the outcome of the presidential election and recounts the pivotal moments in the parties’ campaigns.
Rob Ritchie, Executive Director of the Center for Voting and Democracy. He’ll discuss non-traditional voting-- such as early voting which is now an option in 13 states. Many states have made it easier to get absentee ballots, and more people than ever are using that option.. In Oregon, all the ballots this year are mail-in.
Curtis Gans an expert on voter turnout and participation, and the director of the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate, a non-partisan group which analyzes the habits of voters. Gans supports the electoral process. Akhil Amar is Southmayd Chair of Consitutional Law at Yale Law School. He would like to see the electoral college system abolished.
Writer, director and exotic dancer Julia Query. Her new documentary is “Live Nude Girls, Unite!” about a group of strippers in San Francisco who fight to start a union. Now they have the only union of exotic dancers in the U.S. The women decided unite when they realized they were being illegally filmed by customers in special one-way mirrors. Using a consumer grade Hi8 camera, first time director Query filmed the actions of the workers. She is also a performance artist and stand-up comic, who started dancing as a way to pay the bills.
Actress and playwright Anna Deveare Smith. She’s best known for her one-woman plays based on hundreds of interviews she did with diverse people who experienced a crisis in their community. They include “Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992” about the Rodney King verdict, and “Fires in the Mirror” about the Crown Heights disturbances. Her most recent show “House Arrest” took her to Washington D.C.to interview politicians and pundits, and it involves a community not in crisis. Deveare Smith has also written a new memoir, “Talk to Me: Listening Between the Lines” (Random House).
Scottish actor Alan Cumming. He’s co-starring in the new film “Urbania,” a contemporary film noir. His previous film appearances include, “Get Carter,” “Eyes Wide Shut,” and “Emma.” He also starred in the recent revival of Cabaret.
Religion scholar Karen Armstrong. She’s the author of the bestselling books “The Battle for God,” “Jerusalem,” and “The History of God.” She’ll discuss the religious history of the Middle East, and the significance of the region to the people there. She’s also written “Islam: A Short History” (Modern Library Chronicles).
