Comedy

Comedian and actor Jerry Stiller. He's currently playing George Costanza's father on this season's "Seinfeld" show. Stiller got his start in standup comedy with his wife Anne Meara as The Stillers, the befuddled jewish guy and the heart-of-gold Irish girl. They performed for nine years on the Ed Sullivan Show, and did popular radio spots for Blue Nun wine and other TV shows and specials.

Television Critic David Bianculli on the new season opener of the Simpson's show, which begins tonight; and also the season's end of the Larry Sanders's Show, which stars Gary Shandling.

Writer Cynthia Heimel is a columnist for The Village Voice, and a witty observer of what goes on between men and women in this society. Her books include, "Sex Tips for Girls," "Enough About You," and "If You Can't Live Without Me, Why Aren't You Dead Yet?" Her latest book is "Get Your Tongue out of my Mouth, I'm Kissing You Goodbye!" (Atlantic Monthly Press). The book begins with an intro by her son, Brodie, who Heimel has written about in her columns. Terry will talk with Cynthia and Brodie Heimel.

TV critic David Bianculli reviews the debut of David Letterman's new talk show which premiered last night.

Morris has always done impressions: he began lampooning the presidents when Reagan was sworn into office. Since then he's impersonated Bush, and Clinton, as well as presidental contenders, Michael Dukakis, Paul Tsongas, and Ross Perot. He brought his act to the White House Correspondents Association Dinner and comedy clubs around the country.

TV critic David Bianculli reviews a new mystery-comedy series NBC seems eager to kill -- once called Smoldering Lust, it's now in a bad time slot with the title "Black-Tie Affair."

Delaria says don't call her a lesbian: she's a dyke who does standup and jazz singing. She has a new recording of songs, "Bulldyke in a China Shop."

Palin is best known for his comedy work with England's legendary Monty Python troupe. But his new movie, "American Friends," is a romance based on the life of his great-grandfather. Edward Palin was a 35 year-old tutor at Oxford University when he met 17-year-old Brita, an American girl touring Europe. Oxford tutors in the Victorian era were sworn to chastity, so Edward Palin left his job to marry Brita. Michael Palin found the story in his great-grandfather's journal.

Lesbian, feminist comic Kate Clinton. Last night she hosted a gay ball in Washington D.C., celebrating the inauguration. She tackles social taboos and politics without putdowns, name-calling, or abusive behavior. Her subjects include menstruation, men-bashing, and people in wheelchairs. She's been doing comedy since the early 1980s. Before that she was a high school English teacher.

Some reactions to the inauguration and thoughts about the new administration from satirist and voice actor Harry Shearer, language commentator Geoffrey Nunbert, and Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Middle East expert Geoffrey Kemp.

TV critic David Bianculli reviews two new FOX programs, a youth drama, "Class of 96," and a comedy drama, "Key West."

TV critic David Bianculli reviews reruns of one of his favorite shows from the 1960s. It's being rebroadcast on the cable channel E! Entertainment Television.

In the new animated movie Aladdin, Gottfried plays an evil parrot. His stand-up style can best be described as "cranky," with a high-decibel delivery. He's also done a stint on Saturday Night Live and was in the movie Beverly Hills Cop II.

Comedian and actor Garry Shandling stars in HBO's television parody, "The Larry Sanders Show." It features Shandling as a veteran talk-show host. His guests have included Mimi Rogers and Robin Williams, playing themselves. Starting December 7, "The Larry Sanders Show" will compete with late-night talk-shows by presenting a different episode each night for ten days.

O'Hara is one of the co-founders of the comedy series, "SCTV," and started her acting career with Toronto's Second City comedy troupe. She's best known for her role as the distraught mom in "Home Alone." There's now a sequel, "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York," in which O'Hara reprises her roles as the mother.

The comedian plays the sensitive twelve-stepper Stuart Smalley on "Daily Affirmations with Stuart Smalley" -- a Saturday Night Live skit based on Franken's own experience with a 12-step group. Franken is a co-producer of SNL and works on the cable network "Comedy Central," where he anchored the Democratic and Republican Conventions for "Indecision '92." He has a new book (written by Stuart Smalley) called "I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me."

Part two of our Al Franken interview. He talks about his roles with Saturday Night Live, and his work with the Comedy Channel paroyding the presidential campaign.

After nine years of stand-up comedy, Reynolds wrote a one-man show based on his life, called "Only the Truth is Funny." After ten months of sold-out shows, he was discovered by the agents to Woody Allen and David Letterman. He then moved his show to New York City. His new book is based on his solo show.

Stiller is the son of the comedy team of Jerry Stiller & Anne Meara. He's acted in the Lincoln Center's revival of "House of Blue Leaves," and appeared in the films, "Fresh Horses," "Stella," and "Empire of the Son." He's got a new comedy show "The Ben Stiller Show," which grew out of his work as a writer-performer with "Saturday Night Live."

Essman will be one of the hosts on the new HBO comedy show, "One Night Stand." She appeared in the 1988 HBO comedy special, "On Location: Women of the Night II," and in the films, "Punchline, and Crocodile Dundee II."