Thomas Friedman is a Middle East correspondent for "The New York Times," and author of the Pulitzer-Prize winning book "From Beirut to Jerusalem." He'll talk about last week's pact between Israel and Jordan.
Schorr is the Senior News Analyst for National Public Radio. He was the CBS Chief Watergate Correspondent, and is now narrating a five-part BBC documentary, "Watergate." After ending up on Nixon’s "enemy list," Schorr resigned from CBS in 1976, and wrote a book about the Watergate scandal called "Clearing the Air." Before joining CBS, he was a foreign correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor and The New York Times.
Ken Tucker looks back at the career of the Irish rock band, who wrote brash songs about girls and boyhood. The Ryko label has recently reissued several of their album.
Cave and his band The Bad Seeds are best known for Cave's angry, twisted ballad-like lyrics. Their latest album, "Let Love In," is marked by a dark, bitter view of love and relationships. They've released eight albums to date, and have contributed songs to the last three Wim Wenders films, including "Far Away, So Close," and "Until the End of the World." Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds are performing in this summer's Lollapalooza concert.
Biographer Laurence Bergreen has just written a biography of Al Capone, called "Capone: The Man and the Era," which challenges many of America's popular beliefs about the famous gangster. Bergreen reveals the complexity of Capone's life by focusing on the personal details of his life -- his marriage, his role as a loving father, and generous giver. Bergreen has also written biographies of James Agee and Irving Berlin.
Hayes rose to the top of the charts in the 1970's on the Staxl record label. He released his first solo album, "Presenting Isaac Hayes," in 1968. His next album, "Hot Buttered Soul," became a gold record in the 1970's.
Television critic David Bianculli talks about the power of TV programs' opening theme songs. The president of ABC Entertainment wants to do away with them.
James Reston, Jr. has written a biography of Galileo, called "Galileo: A Life." In it, he explores how Galileo was publicly humiliated for supporting the theory that the Earth revolved around the sun. Reston recently wrote a cover story for "Time Magazine," on the comet crash into Jupiter, before the crash became national news.
Writer Shelby Foote has created a niche for himself as a civil war historian. He is best known for his three volume history of the Civil War, called "The Civil War: A Narrative." He has just written a new book, "Stars in Their Courses," which re-creates the three-day Gettysburg Campaign. He was also the narrator of the eleven-hour PBS series "The Civil War," which aired in 1990.
Commentator Maureen Corrigan reviews Thomas Mallon's new novel, "Henry and Clara," about a real life couple who was present at the Lincoln's assassination.
Karolyi coached Nadia Comaneci in the 1976 Olympics, where she was the first person to score perfect tens in Olympic history. Karolyi and writer Nancy Ann Richardson have collaborated on a biography of his life, called "Feel No Fear." The book tells of Karolyi's defection from Romania to the U.S., and how he brought the American gymnasts Mary Lou Retton and Kim Zmeskal into the public eye.
Last week, a cholera epidemic broke out in Rwanda, and the country now has limited medical facilities and few physicians. Dr. John Sundin worked during May and June at the Red Cross hospital in Kigali, Rwanda. He'll talk about the cholera epidemic, and about his experiences working as the only surgeon in Kigali.
Commentator Dagoberto Gilb reflects on how poverty in his Spanish-speaking community and a string unreliable coaches affected the morale and success of his son's Little League team.
Alsop is the music director of the Colorado Symphony. One of the few woman conductors in the world, she has also served as music director of the Lond Island Philharmonic, and has been the guest conductor for many orchestras, including the St. Louis Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Boston Pops Orchestra. Her new CD "Victory Stride," features the work of the African American composer James P. Johnson.
While new music from Shoes and Freedy Johnston may not be as heavy as what's popular today, critic Ken Tucker recommends rock fans check out their latest pop-oriented albums.
Ladd is a 24-year-old writer who has just published an autobiography, "Out of the Madness." He writes about growing up in the Dallas housing projects with his mother, who was a heroin addict. Ladd describes how he struggled to educate himself and eventually became a writer. His book started out as an article, written when he was 20, and published in "Dallas Life." Ladd currently writes for the "Dallas Morning News," and attends college.
We pay tribute to singer Dorothy Collins, who died yesterday at the age of 67. Collins was the star of the 1950's TV show "Your Hit Parade," and received a Tony nomination in1971 for her role in Stephen Sondheim's Broadway show "Follies." We will play "Losing My Mind," from that show.
Langella is the star of the new HBO Showcase film "Doomsday Gun," the true story of Dr. Gerald Bull, a brilliant arms designer who fulfills his lifelong dream of building a supergun. Langella also played Dracula in the Broadway revival of "Dracula" for which he received a Tony nomination, as well as in the 1979 film version of "Dracula." Most recently, he has appeared in the Broadway play "Booth," and in the movie "Dave," as Bob Alexander, the evil White House Chief of Staff.
