Comedy

Satirist and columnist Harry Shearer. He's the host of the syndicated NPR radio program, "Le Show," does several voices on "The Simpsons" and is a weekly commentator on ABC TV's World News Now. He talks about the Clinton sex scandal.

Former U.S. Senator and Presidential candidate Bob Dole. He ran opposite Clinton in the 1996 presidential campaign. He has a new collection of humor: "Great Political Wit: Laughing (Almost) All The Way To The White House" (Doubleday).

Standup-comic Bob Newhart. This Friday he performs at Carnegie Hall in New York City as part of the Toyota Comedy Festival. Newhart has been a part of the American comedy landscape since 1961 when his debut comedy album "The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart" became a surprise hit. (Now available on CD, on the Warner label) Since then he's starred in three TV shows, including the Peabody award winning original "The Bob Newhart Show." And appeared in numerous films.

TV critic David Bianculli previews the final episode of "The Larry Sanders Show" on HBO which airs this Sunday.

TV critic David Bianculli reflects on the end of "Seinfeld."

This week "Seinfeld" wraps up its nine-year run with it's final episode. We feature a new interview and several archive interviews:Actress Julia Louis Dreyfus. She plays Elaine in "Seinfeld." Elaine is otherwise known as the "Queen of Confrontation" for her ability to take on everyone from cab drivers to soap chefs. Before starring in "Seinfeld" Dreyfus was also a cast member of "Saturday Night Live."

The creator of the Simpsons Matt Groening talks with TV critic David Bianculli about the series. This month, TV's longest running animated series will broadcast its 200th episode. The Simpsons were first featured during episodes of the Tracey Ullman Show. The Simpsons own prime time series premiered in 1990. Groening has a new book called "The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to our Favorite Family."

British standup comic Eddie Izzard. The cross-dressing comic is a household name in England, but little known here. His new one-man show is "Dress to Kill" (at New York's Westbeth Theater, in the West Village). A New York Times review describes him as "a ticklingly entertaining hybrid of mainstream cultural influences and offbeat personal tendencies." (Interview by Barbara Bogaev)

Political satirist Al Franken. He was one of the original writers for Saturday Night Live. He won four Emmys for his writing on the show. His most popular character was Stuart Smalley, the new age cable TV host. He's also the author of "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations." His newest endeavor is the sitcom "Lateline" which premieres next Tuesday on NBC about the behind the scenes of a late night news show.

We remember comedian Henny Youngman with a 1991 interview. He died yesterday from complications from the flu. He was 91 years old. (Rebroadcast of 10/17/91)

T.V. critic David Bianculli reviews two new shows starring Ann Margaret and Tom Selleck.

Comedienne and actress Tracey Ullman. Earlier this week her HBO series "Tracy Takes On" (Sundays at 10 PM ET/PT) began it's third season. Each week she features a gallery of her characters talking about a topic, such as families, sex, money and crime. She also has a companion book "Tracey Takes On" (Hyperion), and there's a HBO home video release of her previous shows. Ullman is a native of England. She got her start in the U.S. with The Tracey Ullman Show, and has since won several Emmys and Cable Ace awards.

TV Critic David Bianculli previews tonight’s presentation of “South Park” on cable TV’s Comedy Central.

Playwright and NPR commentator David Sedaris. His "Santaland Diaries" which debuted on NPR's Morning Edition in 1992 is purported to be the network's most requested tape. His collection of short stories (now in paperback), "Barrel Fever" and this year's "Naked" (Little, Brown & Co.) a collection of autobiographical essays, are both bestsellers. Now he's got a collection of Christmas stories, "Holiday's On Ice" (Little, Brown & Co.)

Cartoonist Dan Piraro. Since 1985, his "Bizarro" cartoons have been featured in papers such as the Boston Herald, the Seattle Times, and the Toronto Globe and Mail. When his publicist would not pay for a promotional tour of his book "Bizarro #9" (Andrews McMeel). Piraro asked his fans if they might be able to provide him with lodging, transportation, and food as he traversed the country. He's since written a book about this experiences on the road: "Bizarro Among the Savages" (Andrews McMeel).

Actress Cybill Shepherd. Her TV sitcom, "Cybill," continues in its fourth season on CBS. She also has a CD : Talk Memphis to Me. Shepherd is known for her roles in the films The Last Picture Show,Taxi Driver, and Married To It, as well as her starring role opposite Bruce Willis in the TV series Moonlighting.

Actress and Comedian Alexandra Wentworth. She's the author of The WASP Cookbook (Warner), a collection of purposefully bland recipes (with nicknames such as Kiki’s Cupcakes and Nummies) and plenty of standard drinks. Wentworth has acted on Seinfeld,In Living Color,Jerry Maguire, and Trial and Error.

Comedian Drew Carey His ABC Wednesday night sitcom resides in the top twenty, a product of Carey's "every guy" humor. Carey has written a new book, "Dirty Jokes and Beer: Stories of the Unrefined" (Hyperion). It's his autobiography as well as a joke book.

Magician and trickster Teller of Penn and Teller. They've been performing for over twenty years, both on Broadway and around the world. The duo has just written "How to Play in Traffic" (Boulevard), an offbeat travel guide, and has also authored "Cruel Tricks for Dear Friends" and "How to Play with Your Food."

Film critic Leonard Maltin. His new book, "The Great American Broadcast: A Celebration of Radio's Golden Age" (Dutton) celebrates America's most popular form of entertainment in the years before television. Maltin also appears regularly on Entertainment Tonight and has written two movie guides.