Entertainment

He's best known for his cult films Tales From the Gimli Hospital (1998) and Careful (1992). In 1995, Maddin was the youngest person to receive the Telluride Medal for Lifetime Achievement. His short film The Heart of the World won a special award from the National Society of Film Critics and was voted one of the 10 best films of the year by J. Hoberman of The Village Voice and A.O. Scott of The New York Times. His new film, Dracula: Pages From a Virgin's Diary, transforms the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's interpretation of Bram Stoker's classic story into a silent film.

He won an Academy Award for his performance as John Laroche in the film Adaptation. His latest project is the HBO film My House in Umbria, starring Maggie Smith, which debuts May 25, 2003. Cooper is also in the soon-to-be-released Seabiscuit, and he had roles in American Beauty, The Bourne Identity, and The Horse Whisperer.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews Beneath This Gruff Exterior, the new album by John Hiatt and a new John Hiatt tribute album, The Songs of John Hiatt.

Actor John Malkovich is making his directorial debut with the new film The Dancer Upstairs. Malkovich has been nominated twice for an Academy Award for his work in the films In the Line of Fire and Places in the Heart. His other films include Heart of Darkness, Being John Malkovich, Shadow of the Vampire, Woody Allen's Shadows and Fog and Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun. Malkovich is also a founding member of Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company.

Film critic David Edelstein reviews X2: X-Men United.

Ravitch is the author of the new book, The Language Police: How Pressure Groups Restrict What Students Learn. In her book she chronicles the efforts of school boards and bias and sensitivity committees to edit and shape the textbooks that end up in classrooms. Some examples of this include: omitting the mention of Jews in an Isaac Bashevis Singer story about prewar Poland, changing the expression "My God!" to "You don't mean it," and recommending that children not be shown as disobedient or in conflict with adults.

He's currently performing in the Brooklyn Academy of Music's concurrent productions of Twelfth Night and Uncle Vanya. Beale is a member of London's acclaimed Donmar Warehouse company. He plays Malvolio in Twelfth Night and Vanya in Uncle Vanya. Beale has won a number of Olivier Awards and has appeared in several films, including An Ideal Husband and The Temptation of Franz Schubert.

He's a two-time Academy Award winner for his performances in The Usual Suspects and American Beauty. His other films include L.A. Confidential, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, The Negotiator and The Shipping News. On television he was a regular in the series Wiseguy. In 1997 Spacey formed Trigger Street Productions, which has produced films and Broadway plays. Recently Spacey launched TriggerStreet.com, an interactive Web site dedicated to nurturing and developing undiscovered talent. Spacey's new film, The Life of David Gale, hits theaters this weekend.

He began his career with Chicago's Second City improv group. He went on to win a Tony on Broadway, in Carl Reiner's play Enter Laughing, and to star in Glengarry Glen Ross, The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, Wait Until Dark, Catch-22 and The In-Laws. This interview first aired September 29, 1995.

He is starring in the new film Love In the Time of Money and recently starred in the movie The Grey Zone. He directed and produced the movie Animal Factory, a prison drama starring Willem Dafoe and Edward Furlong. He made his directorial debut with Tree's Lounge in 1996. Buscemi has acted in more than 60 movies over the past 20 years. He won particular praise for roles in cult favorites such as Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Fargo

His new book is Dice: Deception, Fate & Rotten Luck. It's a collection of essays about the history of dice and the many ways of cheating at the game. The New York Times says of Jay, "He's a master's master." His other books include Learned Pigs & Fireproof Women and Jay's Journal of Anomalies. He's appeared in a number of David Mamet films and his one-man shows include Ricky Jay & His 52 Assistants and Ricky Jay: On the Stem.

TV personality Tom Arnold hosts FOX television's The Best Damn Sports Show Period. Arnold is probably best known for his marriage to Roseanne Barr. He was a writer, actor and executive producer on Roseanne, and starred in three tv shows of his own including The Jackie Thomas Show. He has a new memoir, How I Lost 5 Pounds in 6 Years

Movie critic David Edelstein has seen all 20 James Bond films. Now he reviews the new one, Die Another Day, starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry.

British actor Jeremy Northam stars in the new CBS movie Martin & Lewis about Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis (he plays Martin) which airs Sunday. Northam recently starred in Gosford Park, Possesion and Enigma. In 2003 he stars in the new film The Singing Detective.

He has starred in the mock-horror vomitorium comedies: The Evil Dead, The Evil Dead Two and Army of Darkness, all directed by Sam Raimi. He also has had television roles in the popular series Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules. More recently Campbell appeared in Spiderman and Serving Sarah. Campbell's memoir, If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor, is now out in paperback.

Parker stars in two films in theaters now: Pipe Dream and Red Dragon. She's part of the The West Wing cast on TV. She starred in the Broadway hit Proof, for which she received the 2001 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress. Her other Broadway turns include Prelude to a Kiss, How I Learned to Drive and the revival of Bus Stop. Her film credits include Fried Green Tomatoes, Grand Canyon and The Client.

Singer/songwriter, guitarist Richard Thompson. He first became known for his work with "Fairport Convention." He's since gone solo and is known for his dark songs, which blend elements of British folk ballads and the blues. He's released a number of solo albums, including Mirror Blue and Rumor and Sigh. Rykodisc also compiled a retrospective of his work Watching the Dark: The History of Richard Thompson. Currently, Thompson is performing a show he calls "A Thousand Years of Pop Music," which includes British and American folk songs, jazz and pop.

Professor Raymond McNally, an expert on the many portrayals of vampires in folklore and film, died Oct. 2 at the age of 71. McNally traced the origins of the Dracula story in Transylvania. He wrote the book In Search of Dracula and taught at Boston College, specializing in Russian intellectual life.

Film critic David Edelstein reviews Red Dragon

Actor Joe Pantoliano plays Ralph Cifaretto on the HBO series The Sopranos. He has appeared in more than 60 films, including Memento, The Matrix and The Fugitive. He has a new memoir called Who's Sorry Now: The True Story of a Stand-Up Guy (E. P. Dutton). Pantoliano talks about growing up in Hoboken, N.J., and his acting career.