Comedy

Whether he's lancing boils, getting crabs from thrift-store trousers or sitting in a hospital waiting room dressed only in his underwear, one thing is clear: David Sedaris is not shy about sharing embarrassing, cringe-worthy moments.

Comic and actor Jerry Seinfeld's latest project is the animated film Bee Movie, which he wrote and starred in. Seinfeld is best known for his work on the self-titled NBC series, which ran for nine seasons, earning the actor a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award.

British comedienne and actress Tracy Ullman returns to American television Sunday with the debut of her new Showtime series, Tracy Ullman's State of the Union. Ullman plays fictional characters as well as a host of notable personalities, including Cameron Diaz, David Beckham and Nancy Pelosi.

Comedian Robert Schimmel has suffered tragedies, including the death of his child and his own battle with cancer. But throughout it all, Schimmel managed to find strength in humor. His recent memoir is Cancer on $5 a Day.

Canadian actor and comedian Mark McKinney joins Terry Gross to discuss his career, including Slings and Arrows, the critically acclaimed miniseries about a Shakespearean theater troupe. It's out now in a DVD box.

Our weeklong retrospective of the year's most entertaining interviews continues with writer-producer Al Jean — a guy who knows Marge, Homer, Bart and the rest of the Simpsons gang better than almost anyone. He's executive producer and writer for The Simpsons, and he's been with the show since it began. This year's Simpsons movie, he's been heard to say, is about "what happens when a man doesn't listen to his wife." The film is now available on DVD. Before The Simpsons, Jean worked on TV's A.L.F. and It's Garry Shandling's Show.

By the end of The 40 Year Old Virgin, the title character had lost his virginity — and actor Steve Carell had become a star.

The actor, who was a correspondent on Comedy Central's The Daily Show for several years, has gone on to films including Little Miss Sunshine and Evan Almighty, and next summer he'll star as hapless secret agent Maxwell Smart in a Hollywood adaptation of the vintage TV series Get Smart. And of course he's got a central role on NBC's The Office.

Rob Corddry left his Daily Show correspondent gig in 2006 to star in his own short-lived sitcom, The Winner.

He's also had roles in recent movie comedies, including The Heartbreak Kid, Failure to Launch and Blades of Glory.

He is also a regular performer on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

This interview was originally broadcast on March 8, 2007.