John Updike. America's preeminent writer has written forty-six books, including 17 novels. His latest work is a four-generation saga, a historical novel, "In the Beauty of the Lilies." (Knopf).
Singer/songwriter/guitarist Dennis Brennan. His new album is "Jack-In-The-Pulpit" (Upstart Records). Brennan names Barry & the Remains, Howlin' Wold, Buck Owens, Otis Redding, and the Stones as his influences. Brennan is from Boston and a review in The Boston Globe calls him "one of the city's foremost melodic-rock songwriters. He has a raw survivor's voice, but he delves under the skin like Elvis Costello. . .then rocks with the populist abandon of Bruce Springsteen and the Stones."
Anthropologist Elizabeth McAlister is an expert on Haitian Vodou and she's studied Haitian Vodou in Brooklyn and in Haiti. She's compiled a new album of sacred and ceremonial music recorded in Haiti and in New York, "Rhythms of Rapture" and contributed to a new book "Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou." (Smithsonian Folkways).
Professor of Religion, and distinguished scholar Huston Smith. His book "The World's Religions" (formerly "The Religions of Man") has been the most widely-used textbook for courses in world religion for thirty years. There's now an illustrated version of his book, a companion to Bill Moyer's upcoming series featuring Smith. ("The Wisdom of Faith" premiers MARCH 26 - APRIL 23 on PBS.) "The Illustrated World's Religions: a Guide to Our Wisdom Traditions" is published by Harper.
Bruce Taylor, President and Chief Counsel of the National Law Center for Children and Families. His organization is a resource and education center which assists law enforcement and prosecutors in the enforcement of obscenity and child exploitation laws. He helped draft the legislation in the Communications Decency Act. (The National Law Center Children and Families is located in Fairfax, VA, (703) 691-4626.)
Jerry Berman is Executive Director of the Center for Democracy and Technology. Its mission is to develop public policies that advance democratic values and constitutional civil liberties in new computer and communications technologies. His group has joined a coalition of on line services, telecommunications companies, librarians, and others in filing a federal suit seeking less restrictive means to protect minors on the internet. (The Center for Democracy and Technology is located in Washington, D.C. (202) 637-9800.)
Two weeks ago Congress passed a sweeping new telecommunications bill, the biggest overhaul of telecommunications law in 62 years. The bill contains a provision (the Communications Decency Act) which makes obscenity on the internet illegal, punishable by fines of up to $100,000 and prison sentences to "knowingly" transmit to minors material deemed "indecent" on on-line services.
Dr. Fred Sheftell is the co-founder of The New England Center for Headache and the co-author of the book, Headache Relief. He's also co-authored the new book, Headache Relief for Women: How You Can Manage and Prevent Pain (Little, Brown & Co.) (The New England Center for Headache is located in Stamford, Connecticut).
Columnist for The Washington Post, E. J. Dionne, Jr. He's the author of the book, Why Americans Hate Politics. His latest book is They Only Look Dead: Why Progressives will Dominate the Next Political Era (Simon & Schuster). He'll talk with Terry about the book and the results of the Iowa Caucuses.
Nancy Sinatra daughter of Frank Sinatra. She's recorded a few hits of her own including "These Boots are Made for Walking," and "Something Stupid," the duet she recorded with her father. Nancy Sinatra has written a book about her father, Frank Sinatra: An American Legend (General Publishing Group). Nancy Sinatra has a new album too, (her first in 20 years) "One More Time." (Cougar records). (WE AIRED PART OF HER INTERVIEW 12/12/95 ON THE OCCASION OF HER FATHER'S 80TH BIRTHDAY.)
Actor, director & writer Simon Callow. He's written a new acclaimed biography of Orson Welles, Orson Welles: The Road to Xanadu (Viking). Callow has appeared on stage and in many films, including "Four Weddings and a Funeral." He's also written two books on acting and a biography of Charles Laughton.
Balkans correspondent for the Financial Times, Laura Silber. She's the co-author of the new book, The Death of Yugoslavia (TV Books/Penguin, with Allan Little). In the book they look at the decisions that led to war. They write that Yugoslavia did not die a "natural death" that it was "deliberately and systematically killed off by men who had nothing to gain and everything to lose from a peaceful transition from state socialism and one-party rule to free-market democracy." There is also a accompanying TV documentary series to the book.
We remember band leader and composer Mercer Ellington, the son of Duke Ellington. He perpetuated the big band tradition his father made famous as head of the Duke Ellington Band. When he was a young man, Mercer Ellington had hoped to break into his father's band on the saxophone. But after years of frustration, he could see that he would never crack the legendary Ellington reed section. He finally was accepted as a trombone player and later played french horn and trumpet. With the death of his father in 1974, Mercer Ellington took over his father's orchestra.
