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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.”
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.
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).
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.
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.
