Actress and playwright Anna Deveare Smith. She’s best known for her one-woman plays based on hundreds of interviews she did with diverse people who experienced a crisis in their community. They include “Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992” about the Rodney King verdict, and “Fires in the Mirror” about the Crown Heights disturbances. Her most recent show “House Arrest” took her to Washington D.C.to interview politicians and pundits, and it involves a community not in crisis. Deveare Smith has also written a new memoir, “Talk to Me: Listening Between the Lines” (Random House).
Scottish actor Alan Cumming. He’s co-starring in the new film “Urbania,” a contemporary film noir. His previous film appearances include, “Get Carter,” “Eyes Wide Shut,” and “Emma.” He also starred in the recent revival of Cabaret.
Religion scholar Karen Armstrong. She’s the author of the bestselling books “The Battle for God,” “Jerusalem,” and “The History of God.” She’ll discuss the religious history of the Middle East, and the significance of the region to the people there. She’s also written “Islam: A Short History” (Modern Library Chronicles).
Christopher Buckley was George Bush Sr.’s speechwriter from 1981-1983 when Bush served as Vice President. The son of William F. Buckley, he is the author of the political satire, "Thank you for Smoking" which poked fun at everything and everyone associated with the tobacco industry- from anti-smoking advocates to tobacco company executives. Buckley is the editor of Forbes’ FYI Magazine. He’ll discuss the presidential campaign from the perspective of a Bush supporter.
Former standup comic and creator and current host of ABC’s “Politically Incorrect,” Bill Maher. On his late-night talk show, Maher invites celebrity guests from all parts of the political spectrum to discuss politics and the issues of the day.
Satirist Al Franken. For 15 years he was a cast member of Saturday Night Live, creating such well-loved characters as Stuart Smalley (author of "I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!"). His bestselling satire, "Why Not Me: The Inside Story of the Making and Unmaking of the Franken Presidency" is now in paperback (Delta). He’s also coordinating producer of this Sunday’s “SNL Presidential Bash 2000.”
Former theater critic Frank Rich. He’s just published his memoir “Ghost Light,” (Random House). In it he examines the influence of his childhood on his adult career: his parents’ divorce and an early curiosity for theater. He was chief drama critic for the New York Times from 1980-1983 and has been an op-ed columnist for that paper since 1994. He lives in New York City.
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews original cast albums of Broadway musicals that have just been reissued. They include “Finian’s Rainbow,” “The Pajama Game,” “Bye Bye Birdie,” and “Kismit” (all on Sony) and “Guys and Dolls” (on Decca).
Producer-director Harold Prince. He’s the producer of “3hree”, three one-act musicals which opened last week in Philadelphia. And he directs one of the three musicals “The Flight of the Lawnchair Man”. In the 46 years of his career, he’s won 20 Tony Awards in music theater, as well as acclaim for his work in film, drama and opera.
Palestinian journalist Daoud Kuttab (“dah-ood koo-TAHB”) is the Director at the Institute of Modern Media at Al-Quds University in Jerusalem. He was the managing editor of Al-Fajr English weekly. He is the recipient of the Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists, and the PEN USA West Freedom to Write Award.
Israeli journalist David Horovitz is the editor of Jerusalem Report, has just released a new book “A Little Too Close to God” (Knopf). It chronicles the last 20 years he’s spent living in Israel. It also examines the ramifications of the country’s history on its culture. He was the recipient of the B’nai B’nai International Award for journalism in 1994.
Palestinian peace negotiator Hanan Ashrawi (“hahn-NAHN hah-SHROW-ee”). She is a member of the advisory board for the Council on Foreign Relations, the World Bank Middle East and Africa Regions and the UN Research Institute for Social Development. Ashrawi is the author of several publications supporting an independent and self-governing Palestine.
Israeli peace negotiator Uri Savir. He is the Director General at the Peres Center for Peace. A member of the Knesset, he was Chief Israeli Negotiator at the Oslo Peace Accord.
Historian Jules Tygiel. He gained recognition and critical acclaim for his first book on baseball history “Baseball’s Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson and His Legacy”. Now in his newly released sequel “Past Time: Baseball as History” (Oxford University Press), he examines the relationship between baseball and American society over the past 150 years. He gives his thoughts on baseball history and this year’s World Series. He is a Professor of History at San Francisco State University.
