Entertainment

Cartoonist Matt Groening (pronounced GRAY-ning). He's the creator of the Simpsons, the all-too-real cartoon family featured on the Tracy Ullman Show. The Simpsons are starring in their own prime time Christmas special on the Fox network, and starting January 14th, "The Simpsons" will appear as a regular show...the first animated prime time series since "The Flintstones." Matt Groening also draws the comic strip, "Life In Hell," which appears in many alternative and college newspapers.

Actor Ed Begley, Jr. He's best known for his role as the bumbling Dr. Victor Erlich in the television show, "St. Elsewhere." Before that, he's appeared in "Spinal Tap," where he had a non-speaking role as a drummer during the "paisley period," in "The Accidental Tourist," and in "Scenes from a Class Struggle in Beverly Hills." He's also done stand-up comedy. He's starring in the new movie, "She-Devil," with Meryl Streep and Roseanne Barr.

A live stereo concert with Lenny Pickett and the Borneo Horns. Pickett says the Borneo Horns play rhythmically compelling music using wind instruments, not percussion, to track the rhythm. He formed the band with horn players he met in David Bowie's band. These days, in addition to leading his band, Pickett is an accomplished composer and arranger, and he plays in the band on Saturday Night Live.

Character actor Vincent Gardenia.

French actress Isabelle Adjani. Her most famous role was in the film "The Story of Adele H." Her latest film, for which she won the French equivalent of an Oscar for Best Actress, is about the life of Camille Claudel. Claudel was French sculptor Rodin's mistress and a sculptor in her own right.

Actress and comedienne Lily Tomlin. For years she's been doing her impressions of such characters as Ernestine, the nasal telephone operator on "Laugh-In." Now she's doing a whole cast of characters in the revival of her one-woman show, "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe."

Actor Jerry Orbach. Orbach has had a long career on Broadway, starring in shows such as "The Three Penny Opera," "Promises, Promises," and "42nd Street." More recently he's appeared on TV and in films. His latest role is in the new Woody Allen movie, "Crimes and Misdemeanors."

Brazilian singer/songwriter Caetano Veloso (kah-TAH-no vah-LOW-sah). He's revered as one of the primary architects of "tropicalismo," - a 1960's cultural and musical movement that reevaluated traditional Brazilian music and incorporated non-Brazilian musical styles. Leftist intellectuals denounced his music for it's use of foreign influences. In the late 1960's he was jailed and exiled from Brazil for his participation in the musical movement because the government feared the social force it might have.

John Fairchild, the publisher of "Women's Wear Daily," and "W." "Women's Wear Daily" is to the fashion industry what "The Wall Street Journal" is to the financial community. "W" is a glitzy fashion magazine. Fairchild has just written an insiders exposé of the fashion world, called "Chic Savages."

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews "Steel Magnolias," starring Dolly Parton, Olympia Dukakis, Shirley McLain, and Darrell Hannah as a group of friends in a small Southern town.

Writer Lawrence Grobel (pronounced gro-BEL). Grobel has just written "The Hustons," a profile of the film industry's most famous dynasty. The book centers around actor and director John Huston, but also follows the lives his father Walter and his daughter Anjelica, a trio that represents three generations of Oscar winners. For the book, Grobel conducted more than 200 interviews with the Hustons, the friends, enemies, and associates.

Actor and director Alan Arkin. Arkin began his career with Chicago's Second City improv group.

Actor and director Kenneth Branagh (rhymes with "Savanah"). Branagh has just made a new film adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry the Fifth," with himself in the title role. Branagh was born in Northern Ireland, studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, spent two years with the Royal Shakespeare Company, as well as acting, managing, and directing other groups and working on several BBC productions. The new "Henry the 5th" also stars Derek Jacobi, Paul Scofield and Ian Holm.

Singer Deborah Harry. She was lead singer of the group "Blondie," which started out in the late '70's as a punk band and by the early '80's was topping the charts. Since the breakup of "Blondie," Harry has gone on to a solo career and several film and TV roles, most recently in "Wiseguy." Her latest album is called, "Def, Dumb and Blonde."

Actor Matthew Modine. He plays an arrogant first-year medical student in the new movie, "Gross Anatomy." Modine's earlier films include "Birdy," "Full Metal Jacket," and "Married to the Mob."

Critic Owen Gleiberman reviews a new home-video documentary on actor, writer, and director John Houston.

Actor Harry Carey, Jr. He was a member of John Ford's stock company, with roles in such films as "Three Godfathers," "Rio Grande," and "Red River."

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."

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.

Egyptian-born poet Gregory Djanikian (ja-NIK-ee-ann) reads a poem about his early memories of moving to America and starting school.