Earlier this week, Harold Nicolas, the younger member of the famous tap-dancing duo, The Nicholas Brothers, died in Manhattan. The Nicholas Brothers danced in vaudeville, on Broadway, in night clubs and on TV, but may be best known for their appearances in movie musicals of the 1930s and 40s. We’ll listen back to a 1985 interview with Nicolas.
The next installment of the Harry Potter series comes out tomorrow. Book Critic Maureen Corrigan reviews the Harry Potter books and the hype around them.
Doctor Mel Greaves, author of Cancer: The Evolutionary Legacy (Oxford University Press. Greaves is professor of cell biology and director of the Leukemia Research Fund Centre for Cell and Molecular Biology at the Institute of Cancer Research in London. Greaves places cancer in its evolutionary context, using examples from the 15th century to the most contemporary research. Greaves talks about the importance of looking at cancer through a Darwinian lens. He says there may be implications for research, prevention, and treatment.
Voice artist and animation historian Keith Scott has written the new book “The Moose That Roared: The Story of Jay Ward, Bill Scott, a Flying Squirrel, and a Talking Moose” (St. Martin’s Press) The book is about the creator (Jay Ward) and writer (Bill Scott) of the popular Rocky & Bullwinkle TV cartoon show of the late 1950s, early 60s. The new film “The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle” is based on the characters and stars Robert Deniro, Rene Russo, and Jason Alexander. Scott also is the voice of Bullwinkle in the film.
Guest film critic Henry Sheehan reviews “The Perfect Storm” starring George Clooney and Mark Whalberg. Sheehan is the film critic for the Orange County Register.
Senior vice president and editorial director of VH1, Bill Flanagan. He’s the author of “A&R” (Random House) a satirical novel about the music industry. Prior to this, Flanagan wrote extensively about the business for “Vanity Fair,” “Rolling Stone,” “Esquire,” and “Spy.” He’s also the author of “Written in My Soul” a collection of conversations with songwriters.
Associate curator at The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, Russell Ferguson He curated the exhibit “In Memory of My Feelings: Frank O’Hara and American Art,” (there’s also a companion book). Frank O’Hara was part of a small group of poets in New York City in the 1950s and 60s, influenced by the Abstract Expressionist painters of that time, including Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning. O’Hara died in 1966 after being struck by a jeep. Also, poet David Lehman (“LEE-man”), author of “the Last Avant-Garde: The Making of the New York School of Poets” (Anchor Books)
Actor Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson stars in the new film Shaft, a sequel/update of the 1970s blaxploitation films starring Richard Roundtree. Jackson’s performance in Pulp Fiction (1994) earned him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor. His other films include Rules of Engagement, Star Wars: Episode One- The Phantom Menace, The Negotiator, Jackie Brown, Eve’s Bayou, A Time to Kill, Die Hard With a Vengeance, and a number of movies by Spike Lee.
Chinese independent film producer and native New Yorker Peter Loehr. He became China’s first independent film producer. His film “Spicy Love Soup” in 1998 was the second only to “The Titanic” in box office receipts in China. Loehr’s third feature “Shower” is currently a hit in China, and is due in the U.S. next month. Loehr founded the company Imar to produce and distribute his films.
Editor Tom Kuntz and reporter Phil Kuntz. Their new book “The Sinatra Files: The Life of an American Icon Under Government Surveillance” (Three Rivers Press) excerpts and analyzes portions of the FBI’s massive file on Frank Sinatra. The file is 1,275 pages long and was begun in the mid 1940s and lasted until 1972. Tom Kuntz is the editor of “Word for Word,” a column in The New York Times Week in Review section. Phil Kuntz is a staff reporter for The Wall Street Journal.
Guest film critic Henry Sheehan reviews the new Farrelly Brothers comedy “Me, Myself & Irene,” starring Jim Carrey and Renee Zellweger. Sheehan is the film critic for the Orange County Register.
