World music aficionado Milo Miles explores the world of the new tango, and reviews the latest album from the new tango's leading proponent, Argentinian accordionist Astor Piazzolla.
Critic-at-large Laurie Stone examines the role of women in two current offerings, the T-V sit-com "Anything But Love" starring Jamie Lee Curtis, and the movie, "sex, lies, and videotape."
Travel writer and essayist Jan Morris. In her 1974 autobiography "Conundrum," Morris talked about her search for sexual identity and her sex change operation. The sequel, "Pleasures of a Tangled Life," is a collection of personal essays describing the experiences and sensations that have brought Morris pleasure over the years.
Screenwriter William Link. With his partner Richard Levinson, Link created more than a dozen T-V series, including "Columbo" and "Mannix." They also wrote the books "Stay Tuned: An Inside Look at the Making of Prime-Time Television," and "Off Camera: Conversations with the Makers of Prime-Time Television."
Critic Maureen Corrigan reviews "The Reader's Catalogue." It's a listing of 40,000 books--fiction and non-fiction--in more than 200 subjects, complete with recommended editions and an "800" number for ordering the books.
Novelist Armistead Maupin. After moving to San Francisco in the mid-70's, Maupin became a gay activist and celebrated novelist. He's just completed the final book in his series, "Tales of the City," which began as a column in a San Francisco newspaper. The series of novels chronicles life in the gay and straight communities of San Francisco.
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz has a review of a never-before-recorded Kurt Weill (Vile) opera. Weill is best-known for his collaborations with playwright Bertolt Brecht, such as "The Threepenny Opera" and "The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahogany".
Computer expert Clifford Stoll. When Stoll discovered a 75-cent accounting discrepancy in his work as systems manager at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, he thought the intruder was a student prankster. But after tracking the hacker for almost a year, Stoll discovered an international spy ring, operating out of West Germany, which sold the data it collected to the Soviets. This is the subject of his book "The Cuckoo's Egg".
Buck Henry. He's best-known as a frequent guest host on Saturday Night Live. Henry's other accomplishments include writing the screenplays for "The Graduate" and "Catch-22," creating the TV series "Get Smart" in collaboration with Mel Brooks, and co-directing the film "Heaven Can Wait" with Warren Beatty.
Rock and roll historian Ed Ward talks about what happened to the blues from 1966 to the present. They were supposed to be dead during this period, but he says there are some eternals that keep going on no matter what.
British crime writer Ruth Rendell. She's written over 30 mysteries which fall into several categories--detective novels with main character Chief Inspector Reg Wexford, psychological thrillers exploring the darker side of the human mind, and a new series of "more feminine, less bossy" mysteries under the pseudonym of Barbara Vine. Her latest novel, "The Bridesmaid," continues in the tradition of the psychological thriller. It's about a young woman who informs her lover that he must prove his love to her by committing murder.
Television critic David Bianculli reviews the last of the new fall shows to premiere. Robert Loggia stars as an F.B.I. detective in a spin off of last year's NBC miniseries, "Favorite Son," called "Mancuso, F.B.I."
Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead tells us about a milestone in jazz history -- the 50th anniversary of tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins' recording of "Body and Soul." He says Hawkins was the best tenor saxophonist ever...and "Body and Soul" was his greatest masterpiece.
Commentator Owen Gleiberman (GLY-ber-man) reviews "Bloodsport," a 1987 martial arts film which has just been released on video. The film stars Jean Claude Van Damme, the successor to martial arts film star Bruce Lee. His current film, "Kickboxer," is currently being shown in theaters, but "Bloodsport" is the film that introduced Van Damme to martial arts audiences.
Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews a new David Bowie CD collection. The 46-song retrospective includes Bowie classics like "Space Oddity" and "Changes," as well as some music that's never been released before.
Dmitri Nabokov. Son of writer Vladimir Nabokov and a writer himself, as well as a translator of his father's works. He has just edited a volume of his father's letters dating from 1940-1977. The letters trace Nabokov's struggles beginning with his arrival in America from Russia, to his legal battles over censorship of his most famous novel, "Lolita."
