Television

Jazz Critic Kevin Whitehead reviews "Repercussions," the British documentary series on African and Afro-American music. One segment features American jazz drummer Max Roach; another highlights the Los Angeles rhythm-and-blues scene and "highlife" musicians from Ghana. The series is now available on home video.

Television Critic David Bianculli talks about the effect video cassette recorders have had on the way his kids watch TV.

Television Critic David Bianculli previews the HBO spoof of political campaigns, "Tanner 88: The Dark Horse." Unlike earlier fabricated campaigns like "Pat Paulsen for President," "Tanner 88" takes its politics seriously. The script is written by "Doonesbury" cartoonist Garry Trudeau, and the direction is by Robert Altman.

Rock Critic Ken Tucker. It's another in the continuing series of interviews with Fresh Air's contributors. Ken tells us how a frustrated college poet found himself in crowded clubs listening to punk bands and being paid for it.

Part II of an interview with filmmaker and writer John Waters.

Television Critic David Bianculli previews "The Man Who Shot John Lennon," the "Frontline" documentary on Mark David Chapman. The program relies on audiotaped psychiatric interviews with Chapman, and on a close analysis of the novel The Catcher in the Rye, which Chapman followed as though it were a script for Lennon's murder.

The first part of a two-part interview with filmmaker and writer John Waters. His new film - "Hairspray" - follows a long line of wildly eccentric films like "Polyester," "Pink Flamingos," and "Female Trouble." Like those films, the setting for "Hairspray" is Baltimore. The cast includes Divine, Debbie Harry, Pia Zadora and Sonny Bono.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the No Speak record series, all-instrumental albums brought out by the producer Miles Copeland. The artists are Pete Haycock, formerly of the Climax Blues Band, William Orbit, Stewart Copeland, guitarist for the Police and the group Wishbone Ash.

Television Critic David Bianculli previews the 20th anniversary reunion of "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour." While the show features some clips from the original programs, it is composed mostly of updated skits featuring comics from including Steve Martin, Leigh French and Pat Paulson. The musicians include Glenn Campbell, John Hartford, Jennifer Warnes and Mason Williams.

Ken Tucker reviews the home video release of "The Adventures of Tintin," a European comic strip that featured a boy reporter accompanied by a wire-haired terrier. The strip, which first appeared in 1929, captivated children and adults alike, winning the praise of Winston Churchill and Charles DeGaulle. In 1962, the strip was made into animated cartoons by the American producer Charles Shows.

Television Critic David Bianculli previews the eight-hour PBS series "Television." The series is composed of clips from vintage and recent television programs as well as interviews with the creative people behind some of the best news and entertainment shows.

Critic-at-Large Laurie Stone previews a 5-hour NBC miniseries on the 1913 hanging of a Jewish factory manager in Atlanta, Georgia following the murder a 13-year-old employee of the factory. The case hinged on racial hatred, in this case the prevailing enmity toward Jews, and Laurie praises the production's exploration of how racial divisions have been exploited for political effect. The miniseries is titled "The Murder of Mary Phagan."

Fresh Air's Television Critic David Bianculli. Bianculli has worked as television critic at several metropolitan papers, including The Akron Beacon Journal, The Fort Lauderdale News and The Philadelphia Inquirer. His writing has also appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone and the Washington Journalism Review. He is currently the television critic for The New York Post.

Actor Ray Sharkey. He starred last season in the television series "Wiseguy." His feature film credits include a fast-talking rock promoter in "The Idolmaker," a romantic dreamer in "Love and Money," and a sadistic killer in "Who'll Stop the Rain." Sharkey won the Golden Globe award as best actor in 1982 for his performance in "The Idolmaker."

Television Critic David Bianculli reviews "Strange Interlude," the first offering of American Playhouse's seventh season. The play was written by Eugene O'Neill. This production stars Glenda Jackson, David Dukes and Ken Howard.

Greg Ford and Terry Lennon, the writer and director of "The Duxorcist," the first "Looney Tune" to feature Daffy Duck since 1964. The cartoon will play before Warner Brother's theatrical releases. It comes on the 50th anniversary of Daffy Duck's debut.

Ron Reagan, Jr. He's a special correspondent on "Good Morning America" and is also a contributing editor at Playboy Magazine. He has a comedy special debuting soon on the Cinemax Comedy Experiment. It's titled "Ron Reagan is the President's Son."

Comic Dennis Miller. Miller does the Weekend Update segment on "Saturday Night Live." He's now working on an HBO special.

Television critic David Bianculli reviews a new syndicated series featuring Mr. T. It's called "T & T," but Bianculli says it's not as dynamite as the title suggests.

Fresh Air's language commentator Geoffrey Nunberg.