Religion scholar and former nun Karen Armstrong. She’s the author of the bestselling book, “A History of God.” Her new book, “The Battle for God” examines the fundamentalist movement in Christian, Jewish, and Islamic faiths that began to emerge in the 1970s. She writes that today’s fundamentalist movements differ from previous ones, in that they are no longer throwbacks to the past, but are complex movements that are shaped by the modern culture they also decry.
Actor John Cusack He stars in the new film “High Fidelity” based on the novel of the same name. He plays a 35 year-old used record store owner who keeps top-five lists for everything, and can’t keep a relationship. By the time Cusack was 22 he had a number of films to his credit: “The Sure Thing,” “Eight Men Out,” “Say Anything,” and “Fat Man and Little Boy.” Later he went on to make “The Grifters,” “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” “The Thin Red Line,” and “Grosse Pointe Blank” which he cowrote.
Jerome Groopman, MD. His new book is "Second Opinions: Stories Of Intuition And Choice In A Changing World Of Medicine." (Viking) The Harvard Medical School doctor and researcher says patient and doctor should be working together, using intuition, cutting-edge science and personal values to make critical medical decisions. The book's case histories include Goodman’s infant son, who was misdiagnosed in a hospital emergency room and almost died.
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz profiles the work of Pierre Boulez (“pee-AIR boo-LEZZ”). Boulez recently played a four-concert series of 20th century music at Carnegie Hall. Lloyd, who attended the shows, says Boulez is not only a conductor, a composer and a theorist, but a cultural icon as well.
Actress Joan Cusack. She has received two best supporting actress Oscar nominations -- in 1988 for her role in Working Girl, and in 1997 for her role in In and Out. Her other movies include Broadcast News, Addams Family Values, Grosse Pointe Blank, Arlington Road, The Cradle Will Rock and Runaway Bride. She stars with her brother John Cusack in the new film High Fidelity, based on the novel by Nick Hornby. (High Fidelity opens March 31st)
Writer Ted Heller. His new book is “Slab Rat.” Heller was responsible for the famous “Separated at Birth” feature in Spy Magazine, a concept that has lived on long after the publication. His new book is a satire about a magazine staffer who will do just about anything to get ahead. Heller has also worked at a number of magazines, including Details, Premiere and Vanity Fair.
Writer Ernesto Quinonez His debut novel, “Bodega Dreams” (Vintage books), is set in Spanish Harlem. Like his narrator, Quinonez is half Ecuadorean, half-Puerto Rican. A reviewer in the Kirkus Reviews writes of the book, “Edgy, street-smart. . . An admirable debut, brimming with energy and refreshingly devoid of genre clichés.”
Tens of thousands of African-American men, women, and children were lynched by mobs in the United States between 1882 and 1968. Some of these lynchings were photographed, and the photos were saved as souvenirs, and were even sometimes used as postcards. Antique dealer James Allen came across these disturbing images and began to collect them. His collection is currently on display at the New York Historical Society. The book about Allen’s collection, called “Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography in America” (Twin Palms Publishers) was published earlier this year.
TV critic David Bianculli reviews “The Beat” the new cop drama by the Tom Fontana/Barry Levinson team that also created the series “Homicide.” The new show premieres on the UPN network tonight.
Lennard Davis talks about his new memoir “My Sense of Silence: Memoirs of a Childhood With Deafness” (University of Illinois Press), about Davis's experiences, growing up a hearing child with deaf parents. He'll talk about his complex and sometimes difficult relationship with his deaf, working-class Jewish immigrant parents. DAVIS is a professor and Graduate Director of the English Department at State University of New York, Binghamton. He has written several books and published essays in The Nation, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and other publications.
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews the performance of Elliott Carter’s new comic opera “What Next?” by Daniel Barenboim and the Chicago Symphony.
Dr. Andrew Weill specializes in holistic medicine. He's the author of the bestseller "Spontaneous Healing." His new book is "Eating Well For Optimum Health: The Essential Guide to Food, Diet, and Nutrition" (Knopf). Weill is the founder of the Foundation for Integrative Medicine in Tucson, Arizona. His website is www.drweil.com
Director/writer Kimberly Pierce and actress Hilary Swank from the film "Boys Don't Cry." The movie Is based on a true story about a Nebraskan teenage girl, Teena Brandon, who successfully passed herself off as a boy, Brandon Teena. When her true Identity Is discovered, she's raped by two men, and killed after bringing charges against them. SWANK has been nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal, so has her co-star Chloe Sevigny who plays Teena's girlfriend Lana.
