Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews Sylvester Stallone's new movie "Oscar," a 1930s gangster comedy that feels like a 1960s French stage play. Schiff says it lacks the over-the-top approach needed to make farce succeed.
Garbus recently defended Peter Matthiessen's controversial book, "In the Spirit of Crazy Horse," against two separate libel suits. Among many other projects, Garbus is currently helping to write a new constitution for Czechoslovakia.
Essmann is known for portraying an eclectic mix of characters in his performance pieces. He's currently performing his one-man show, "Artificial Reality," in New York City.
We examine the current craze surrounding low-fat and low cholesterol foods. First, nutritionist Jane Hurley of the advocacy group, Science in the Public Interest talks about recent marketing trends in "healthy" food...things like McDonald's "McLean" burger. Second, Wall Street Journal cultural writer Raymond Sokolov talks about America's obsession with food and fat. Third, cardiologist Thomas Graboys of the Harvard School of Public Health gives us some sane advice about diet and health.
Actress Daisy Eagan and her father, actor Richard Eagan. Daisy is starring as the young heroine, Mary Lenox, in the Broadway production of "The Secret Garden." Richard is working on a performance piece about stories from Coney Island. Guest host Frank Browning talks to them about pretending, acting, and how a Broadway career affects their family life.
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews "The Original All-American Sousa," a collection of marches by John Philip Sousa that includes both new recordings and rare clips of Sousa himself from 70 years ago.
Dobson travels the country with a collection of telescopes, setting them up in locations where people who have never looked at the heavens can get an opportunity to do so. He recently appeared on the PBS series, "The Astronomers."
Biologist William Jordan has a new book of essays that contemplates the similarities between the animal and human mind by looking at behavior. It's called "Divorce Among The Gulls: An Uncommon Look at Human Nature.
Nuyen played Susie Wong in the Broadway production of "The World of Susie Wong," was in the film version of "South Pacific." And she played the Vietnamese doctor on the television show, "St Elsewhere." She's now starring "China Cry," a new movie on the Christian Broadcasting network
Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the new album by REM: "Out of Time," which he says has a diffidence and reserve that sets it apart from the group's string of albums over the past ten years.
Television critic David Bianculli reviews "Larry King TNT Extra," a special interview show by TV talk show host that premieres tonight on TNT. Bianculli criticizes King's lack of preparation and softball questions.
Pollan is executive editor of "Harper's Magazine." He's written a new book, "Second Nature: A Gardener's Education," in which he examines the relationship between Americans and their lawns and gardens.
Anthropologist Richard Parker went to Brazil a decade ago to do field work. He's written a book about the fluid ideas of gender and sexuality in that country, called "Bodies, Pleasures, & Passions."
Kinzer has been covering events in Nicaragua since 1977, from revolution to economic collapse, and has lived in the country since 1980. His book about Nicaragua is, "Brothers & Blood."
Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews the re-release of the 1960 movie, "Spartacus," directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Laurence Olivier, Tony Curtis, and Kirk Douglas. It contains previously cut and censored scenes featuring sexually suggestive material.
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews composer Meyer Kupferman's new release, "Images of Chagall," which includes musical depictions of Chagall paintings and incorporates elements from folk and jazz music.
Journalist Robin Wright of the L.A. Times talks with guest host Frank Browning about the reconstruction of post-Gulf War Iraq and autonomy for the Kurds. Wright has written several books about the Middle-East.
Mira is a third-generation Japanese-American who, in 1984, visited Japan for the first time. His own grandfather left that country at the turn of the century, and during World War II Mura's parents were interned in a relocation camp. He's written a memoir about his heritage, called "Turning Japanese: Memoirs of a Sansei."
