Film Critic Stephen Schiff reviews "When Harry Met Sally," the new romantic comedy by director Rob Reiner ("Stand By Me," "This is Spinal Tap") that stars Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan.
Writer Mary Kay Blakely. In 1984, shortly after a divorce, a recent diagnosis of diabetes, the suicide of a brother and a series of missed deadlines in her job as a journalist, Blakely collapsed into a coma. The coma lasted nine days, and when Blakely awoke, she saw the coma as a signal that the crush of commitments and societal pressures had overwhelmed her body, that "the life she planned no longer fit the woman she had become." Blakely writes about her journey back from her coma and her decision to redirect her life in her book Wake Me When It's Over.
Medical examiner Michael M. Baden. In his new book, Unnatural Death: Confessions of a Medical Examiner, Baden, the former chief medical examiner for New York City, reviews the record of famous autopsies of the last 30 years as evidence of a pattern of bungled investigations of unnatural deaths. Baden, who has been a medical examiner for 30 years, views his profession as a historian or anthropologist who revisits ruined or questionable autopsies in the hopes of correcting history. Baden is now director of the forensic sciences unit for the New York State Police.
On the eve of the 20th anniversary of man's first walk on the moon, commentator Stewart Brand shares his thoughts on space exploration and how it has changed us. Brand is founder of The Whole Earth Catalog.
Classical Music Critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new issue of a live recording of the opera "Adriana Lecouvreur" by the Italian composer Francesco Cilea. In this performance, Cilea's favorite soprano, Magda Olivero, sings the title role. This recording was made by a fan who snuck in a tape recorder to what turned out to be Olivero's farewell performance in the role.
Book Critic John Leonard reviews the novel Polar Star by Martin Cruz Smith, his sequel to his 1981 best-seller Gorky Park. Reappearing in Polar Star is Arkady Renko, the intrepid police investigator hero of Gorky Park.
Novelist Cynthia Kadohata. Her first novel, The Floating World, is a `road novel' about a second generation Asian American teenager who leads a nomadic life with her parents as her father travels the country from one job to the next. As her journey unfolds, the protagonist struggles to find her place in her family and in America. Kadohata's short stories have appeared in The New Yorker and the quarterly The Pennsylvania Review. (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)
Rock historian Ed Ward profiles Bobby "Blue" Bland, a blues performer who began as B.B. King's personal valet in the early 50s and who still performs today. His best-known hits include "I Pity the Fool," "Touch of the Blues," and his rendition of "Stormy Monday." Bland achieved his greatest success in the late 50s when he was teamed trumpeter and arranger Joe Scott.
Journalist Amy Wilentz. Her first book, The Rainy Season, Haiti since Duvalier, is an account of Haiti since the overthrow of President-for-Life Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, and of how the country's hope for reform gave way to despair when it was clear Haiti's new leadership couldn't, or wouldn't, reverse 40 years of chaos and stagnation. The book is also an account of how Wilentz was transformed by the story, of how the epochal change Haiti was going through, and its stunning contrast of poverty and corrupted wealth, overwhelmed her first assumptions.
Writer Jack Olsen. He's been called a master of the `true crime' genre, and in his new book, Doc, he tells the story of how Dr. John Story, one of the most respected citizens of Lovell, Wyoming, systematically raped his patients, and how, in this ultra-conservative, God-fearing environment, the women either couldn't speak up, or, when they did, were dismissed. Lovell is set in Mormon country, and many of the women the doctor victimized feared excommunication for "fornication" if they when to the authorities, who, invariably, were also elders in the Mormon church.
Writer Allan Gurganus. His novel, Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All, which is scheduled for publication later this fall, is the story of a blind 99-year-old widow, now confined to a nursing home, whose stories about her life and her husband's take in almost 150 years of American history. Mostly her stories focus on her husband and how his experiences in the Civil War, when he was only 13, haunted him, and her, until he died. Gurganus, a professor of writing at New York's Sarah Lawrence University, has written for The New Yorker, Harpers and The Atlantic Monthly.
Television Critic David Bianculli reviews the Arts and Entertainment Network's tribute to the 20th anniversary of man's walk on the moon. (The anniversary is on July 20th.) This special comes as most all the networks are airing a tribute to the event. But in this instance the program tries to re-create the sensations that accompanied the event by playing back, in real time, the live network transmissions as the story unfolded. Former NBC correspondent Edwin Newman is the host.
Jazz Critic Kevin Whitehead continues his review of "Private Collection," the ten-volume set of Duke Ellington compositions. In this review, Kevin focuses on one of Ellington's major suites - and a highlight of the collection - "Black, Brown and Beige."
Musician Lucinda Williams. She's been playing the folk and country scenes for most of the 80s, but her new album, titled "Lucinda Williams," is a type of straight-ahead story telling that crosses genres. Many listeners think of Williams as a folk singer, but in this album, Williams fronts a rock band.
Comic Andrea Martin. She was an original member of the Canadian SCTV comedy troupe and one of its brightest stars for seven years. Her co-stars included John Candy, Eugene Levy and Martin Short. Martin brought to life the neurotic talk show host Libby Wolfson, cleaning lady Pirini Scleroso, and, perhaps her best known character, the TV station manager Edith Prickley. Martin recently starred in her own cable TV comedy special on the Showtime channel.
Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the new albums from singer/songwriters Jackson Browne and Loudon Wainwright III. Browne, though he's recorded infrequently over the last eight years, is still very popular, while Wainwright, who plays in small folk clubs and on college campuses, is little noticed. Ken explains why it's Wainwright that deserves the attention.
Cartoonist Howard Cruse. He draws a comic strip called "Wendel" that follows the life of a young gay man. The strip is a regular feature in the gay and lesbian newsmagazine The Advocate. Recent "Wendel" strips have just been collected in the book Wendel On The Rebound, published by Saint Martin's Press.
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new release of piano works by the French composer Alkan. Although he's little known now, Lloyd says during the 19th century, Alkan reputation, both as a composer and as a performer, rivaled that of Liszt.
