Christopher Buckley was George Bush Sr.’s speechwriter from 1981-1983 when Bush served as Vice President. The son of William F. Buckley, he is the author of the political satire, "Thank you for Smoking" which poked fun at everything and everyone associated with the tobacco industry- from anti-smoking advocates to tobacco company executives. Buckley is the editor of Forbes’ FYI Magazine. He’ll discuss the presidential campaign from the perspective of a Bush supporter.
Former standup comic and creator and current host of ABC’s “Politically Incorrect,” Bill Maher. On his late-night talk show, Maher invites celebrity guests from all parts of the political spectrum to discuss politics and the issues of the day.
Satirist Al Franken. For 15 years he was a cast member of Saturday Night Live, creating such well-loved characters as Stuart Smalley (author of "I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!"). His bestselling satire, "Why Not Me: The Inside Story of the Making and Unmaking of the Franken Presidency" is now in paperback (Delta). He’s also coordinating producer of this Sunday’s “SNL Presidential Bash 2000.”
Former theater critic Frank Rich. He’s just published his memoir “Ghost Light,” (Random House). In it he examines the influence of his childhood on his adult career: his parents’ divorce and an early curiosity for theater. He was chief drama critic for the New York Times from 1980-1983 and has been an op-ed columnist for that paper since 1994. He lives in New York City.
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews original cast albums of Broadway musicals that have just been reissued. They include “Finian’s Rainbow,” “The Pajama Game,” “Bye Bye Birdie,” and “Kismit” (all on Sony) and “Guys and Dolls” (on Decca).
Producer-director Harold Prince. He’s the producer of “3hree”, three one-act musicals which opened last week in Philadelphia. And he directs one of the three musicals “The Flight of the Lawnchair Man”. In the 46 years of his career, he’s won 20 Tony Awards in music theater, as well as acclaim for his work in film, drama and opera.
Palestinian journalist Daoud Kuttab (“dah-ood koo-TAHB”) is the Director at the Institute of Modern Media at Al-Quds University in Jerusalem. He was the managing editor of Al-Fajr English weekly. He is the recipient of the Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists, and the PEN USA West Freedom to Write Award.
Israeli journalist David Horovitz is the editor of Jerusalem Report, has just released a new book “A Little Too Close to God” (Knopf). It chronicles the last 20 years he’s spent living in Israel. It also examines the ramifications of the country’s history on its culture. He was the recipient of the B’nai B’nai International Award for journalism in 1994.
Palestinian peace negotiator Hanan Ashrawi (“hahn-NAHN hah-SHROW-ee”). She is a member of the advisory board for the Council on Foreign Relations, the World Bank Middle East and Africa Regions and the UN Research Institute for Social Development. Ashrawi is the author of several publications supporting an independent and self-governing Palestine.
Israeli peace negotiator Uri Savir. He is the Director General at the Peres Center for Peace. A member of the Knesset, he was Chief Israeli Negotiator at the Oslo Peace Accord.
Historian Jules Tygiel. He gained recognition and critical acclaim for his first book on baseball history “Baseball’s Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson and His Legacy”. Now in his newly released sequel “Past Time: Baseball as History” (Oxford University Press), he examines the relationship between baseball and American society over the past 150 years. He gives his thoughts on baseball history and this year’s World Series. He is a Professor of History at San Francisco State University.
Journalist Elaine Sciolino. She covered Iran for some 20 years for Newsweek and the New York Times. Her new book “Persian Mirrors: The Elusive Face of Iran” (Free Press) was just released last month. It illustrates the culture of Iran: its press, its movie industry, its restaurants and homes. She speaks today on Iran’s political position during the Middle East crisis. She is a Senior Writer at the Washington bureau for the New York Times. She lives in Washington, D.C.
Singapore’s first prime minister and its current senior minister-- Lee Kuan Yew. A very controversial figure, Lee Kuan Yew formed the People’s Action Party, and won the first Singapore general election in 1959. Since it was granted independence in 1965, Singapore has gone from British colony to Asian economic powerhouse. Yet, its government is often criticized for being too authoritarian and weak on civil liberties. Lee Kuan Yew will talk about his country’s economic success, as well as the criticism about his government’s treatment of its citizens.
Journalist Stan Sesser. He covers the Pacific Rim for The New Yorker. His articles have appeared in the New Yorker, the New Republic and Mother Jones. Sesser has written extensively about Singapore and Lee Kuan Yew.
Journalist Robert Sullivan. His first book, “The Meadowlands” (now in paperback) an urban adventure in the wilds of the marshy dumping area between New Jersey and New York was praised for its wit, imagination and intelligence. His new book “A Whale Hunt” (Scribner) chronicles the two years he spent watching the Makah Indian tribe in Washington state as they prepared for and attempted their first whale hunt in over 70 years. But they didn’t do it alone: they were surrounded by angry protestors and hounded by the press.
Comedian and actor Tim Meadows. Meadows was a regular on TV’s Saturday Night Live for some 9 years. Leon the Ladies Man, a swingin’ politically incorrect radio love doctor that he played on the show, is now featured in the new film “The Ladies Man.” Meadow recently left SNL to co-star in the new comedy “The Michael Richards show” which premieres Tuesday, October 24th.
TV Critic David Bianculli reviews the season premiere of “Ally Mc Beal” and the premiere of the new show, Boston Public. Both shows air on FOX and both were created by David E. Kelley.
