Photojournalist James Nachtwey. Ten years of his photographs taken around the world In areas of war, famine, and conflict are collected In the new book, "Inferno." (Phaidon Press). Nachtwey has been awarded the Robert Capa Gold Medal four times. The award is the highest honor among photographers and is given to those for the "best photographic reporting or interpretation from abroad requiring exceptional courage and enterprise," and it entails a deliberate decision to go in harm's way.
Writer and director Frank Whaley. He's making his debut as such with the semi-autobiographical film "Joe the King," which won this year's screenwriting award at the Sundance Film Festival. The film takes the viewpoint of a child who strives to contend with his lousy circumstances: raised by an alcoholic and abusive father and a withdrawn mother. The film Is produced by John Leguizamo who also has a part In the film, and It stars Val Kilmer.
Joyce Horman is the widow of Charles Horman, an American living In Chile at the time of Pinochet's 1973 coup which overthrew the Socialist government of Salvador Allende. Horman was executed for his support of the Allende government. His story was told In the 1982 film "Missing" and Is the subject of the book "The Execution of Charles Horman, an American Sacrifice." The U.S. government had denied any complicity In Horman's death, but the recently declassified documents indicate otherwise.
The 84 year-old former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet flew home to Chile today, after the British Home Secretary ruled against extraditing him to Spain where he would have faced trial for torture and human rights violations. He was found mentally unfit to stand trial. Pinochet had been under house arrest In England for over a year, as legal efforts were made to hold him accountable for the thousands of people who died or disappeared during his 17-year regime In Chile. We talk with Peter Kornbluh, ("corn-blue") Senior Analyst at the National Security Archive.
The 84 year-old former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet flew home to Chile today, after the British Home Secretary ruled against extraditing him to Spain where he would have faced trial for torture and human rights violations. He was found mentally unfit to stand trial. Pinochet had been under house arrest In England for over a year, as legal efforts were made to hold him accountable for the thousands of people who died or disappeared during his 17-year regime In Chile. We talk with Peter Kornbluh, ("corn-blue") Senior Analyst at the National Security Archive.
Actress Anne Heche. She wrote and directed a segment of the upcoming HBO film “If These Walls Could Talk 2” a look at the lesbian experience thru three different decades. The segment, set in the year 2000, stars Sharon Stone, and Heche’s real-life lover, Ellen Degeneres, who is also one of the film’s executive producers. The film debuts on Sunday, March 5th.
Singer/Actress/Performer Audra McDonald. McDonald has won three Tony Awards, for her performances in ‘Carousel,’ ‘Master Class,’ and ‘Ragtime.’ She recently performed on Broadway as the star of ‘Marie Christine,’ and just appeared in The Vagina Monologues at the Westside Theater in New York. She continues to appear on concert stages nationally. Her new CD is called ‘How Glory Goes’ (Nonesuch Records), and her PBS Special, ‘Audra McDonald at the Donmar, London,’ is airing nationally in March. (This interview continues in the second half of the show.)
Basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, talks about his new book, A Season on the Reservation: My Sojourn with the White Mountain Apache (William Morrow and co). In 1998, a member of the Native American tribe, the White Mountain Apaches, asked Abdul-Jabbar to coach the high school boys basketball team on the reservation. A Season on the Reservation tells the story of his time with the team. Since retiring from the NBA in 1989, Abdul-Jabbar has appeared on TV and in films, worked with numerous charitable organizations, and authored 3 other books.
Robert Moog is the Inventor of the Moog synthesizer, an electronic keyboard which makes unworldly sounding electronic music. He Invented It In 1965. Moog didn't invent, but he does manufacture the Theremin, the first electronic instrument. It was Invented 70 years ago by a Russian, and It's been used on many science-fiction films because of It's eerie, wavering tones.
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews new recordings of some of Stravinsky's early vocal music: Natalie Dessay singing Stravinsky's The Nightingale (EMI), and Stravinsky Conducts Stravinsky (box set on Sony).
Film critic John Powers reviews “Wonder Boys” the new film starring Michael Douglas, Frances McDormand, and Tobey Maguire based on the novel by Michael Chabon and directed by Curtis Hanson.
Executive producer of the TV show "Frasier", Christopher Lloyd. The show made Its debut In 1993 and since then has won many awards Including the Peabody. The new book, "The Frasier Scripts" collects 15 of the staff's favorite shows (Newmarket Press).
Dr. Mark Chassin ("cha" as In "CHAT"-sin) Is the co-author of a report on medical mistakes In our nation's hospitals. This week In response to that report, President Clinton ordered that all U.S. hospitals take measures to reduce their errors. The report, Issued by the Institute of Medicine late last year, shook up patients and practitioners alike. It estimated that between 44,000 and 98,000 Americans die each year as a result of medical errors. The study was based on two studies In three states: New York, Utah, and Colorado.
Attorneys Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld. They co-founded the Innocence Project, dedicated to freeing innocent people from jail using DNA tests to do so. Barry Scheck is best known for his DNA analysis on the OJ Simpson defense team. They've collaborated on a new book (along with columnist Jim Dwyer) about their efforts, "Actual Innocence: Five Days to Execution, and Other Dispatches From the Wrongly Convicted." (Doubleday).
Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews “The Complete Django Reinhardt and Quintet of the Hot Club of France Swing/HMV Sessions 1936-1948 (Mosaic Records of Stamford Connecticut, mail-order)
Writer and editor Dave Eggers. He’s the founder of the now-defunct cynical, satirical literary magazine, “Might” and the current editor of the literary journal “McSweeney’s.” He’s written a memoir (“based on a true story”) about being left to raise his 8 year old brother, after both his parents died. Eggers was 21 at the time. It’s called, “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” (Simon & Schuster).
Law Professor Alfred Brophy. In 1921, what many call the bloodiest race riot in US history took place in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Now 80 years later, a state commission has recommended reparations be made to the aged black survivors of the riots. Brophy, a professor at the Oklahoma City University Law School, researched the issue of reparations and the riot for the state commission.
