TV critic David Bianculli previews new programs on the Warner Bros. (WB) and Paramount (UPN) networks. He says they're strategies to attract viewers can't succeed with bad shows.
An excerpt from the NPR program "This American Life" produced by Ira Glass. This is the story of a Tom Jones impersonator produced by Jay Allison and narrated by Dan Gediman -- brother of the ersatz celebrity.
Economist Geoffrey Faux iss president of the Economic Policy Institute, and is a contributor to the New York Times, Harper's, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal. His new book is "The Party's Not Over: A New Vision for the Democrats."
In 1991, Turner was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. His 1951 hit "Rocket '88" is considered by some to be the first true rock n' roll recording. He discovered Tina Turner (then known as Anna Mae Bullock), and the two started performing together. Their stormy relationship was portrayed in the film "What's Love Got to Do with It." Turner spent 18 months in jail for drug charges in the early 1990s.
The former Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus was a five-term U.S Congressman for Maryland, and is of the most respected African American politicians. Earlier this year he was appointed the head of the NAACP. He has a new memoir, "No Free Ride: From the Mean Streets to the Mainstream."
Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews "She's the One," the soundtrack to the film of the same name and the first new album by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers in over five years.
In the late 1970s Rodger's band Chic was one of the most successful disco groups. Its hits included "Dance, Dance, Dance," "Everybody Dance," and "Le Freak." Rodgers' is featured in "VH1 Presents the 70's," a new five part documentary series by the cable channel VH1 on the music of the 1970s. As a record producer, Rodgers has worked with Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, and Madonna.
Segment of a reading by playwright and actor Sam Shepard. It took place at the 92nd Street Y Unterberg Poetry Center in New York on October 6, 1994. Shepard has a new short story collection called "Cruising Paradise."
Linguist Geoff Nunberg compares the different ways France and the U.S. covered the Olympics -- and what they say about these countries' attitudes toward their respective languages.
In the 1950s, Gelbart he was part of a team of television writers that included Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, and others who wrote for Sid Caesar's "Your Show of Shows" and "Caesar's Hour." Gelbart went on to develop and write for the television version of "M*A*S*H. Also, he wrote the screenplays for "Oh, God!" and "Tootsie," and the stage play for "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" There's a new PBS special about Sid Caesar's comedy team, "Caesar's Writers."
Peacock has devoted the last 20 years to saving the grizzly bear. Like many veterans, he had trouble adjusting when he returned from Vietnam. He sought a life of seclusion in the mountains and it was then that he first encountered grizzly bears. Now, he performs research alone through the mountains of Wyoming and Montana studying the behavior, social hierarchy, and communication methods of grizzlies in their natural habitat. In addition to his several books, he recently contributed to "Mark of the Bear: Legend and Lore of An American Icon."
Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg has completed a computer-generated summary of a large number of Republican convention speeches delivered this week. The software analyzed the frequency of key words and recurring themes and produced a five sentence platform for the party.
Music critic Milo Miles reviews the new CD "Funk Power," a collection of recordings by James Brown and the J.B.'s during the heydey of his 1970s funk period.
McKenna has just written "Manhattan North Homicide: The True Story of One of New York's Best Homicide Cops." In his 30 years with the NYPD, he's worked on some of the cities most infamous cases and he describes them in the book: The Central Park Jogger Case, The Preppie Murder Case, The Brooklyn Bridge Shootings, and The Baby Maldonado Case. McKenna worked his way up as a uniformed patrolman to detective first grade to Manhattan North homicide--an elite force within the NYPD.
