Showing results by publisher "92nd Street Y" in Entertainment & Celebrities

Garrison Keillor, host of A Prarie Home Companion and best-selling author of The Book of Guys, Lake Wobegon Days, and Wobegon Boy, discusses the meaning of Lake Wobegon in his books.

Steve Martin is a celebrated writer, actor, and performer. His film credits include The Jerk, Father of the Bride, and Parenthood, as well as Roxanne, L.A. Story, and Bowfinger, for which he also wrote the screenplays. He has won an Emmy for his television writing and three Grammys for his recordings.

Joyce Carol Oates called Joan Didion "an articulate witness to the most stubborn and intractable truths of our time." Ms. Didion is the author of the novels Play It as It Lays and The Last Thing He Wanted, the essay collections Slouching Toward Bethlehem and The White Album, and the memoirs Where I Was From and The Year of Magical Thinking.

The recently passed award-winning author of the memoirs Angela'a Ashes and 'Tis discusses his writing, his life, and teaching as a profession. He reads from Teacher Man: A Memoir.

Gene Wilder, one of the great comic actors of our time, discusses the art of acting, the search for love, the experience of marrying Gilda Radner, and other personal events that have shaped who he is today. Wendy Wasserstein is a playwright and winner of the Pulitzer Prize and a Tony award for best play for The Heidi Chronicles.

This event took place on March 22, 2005.

Martin Short, one of today's most inventive and popular comic actors, is best known for his work on Saturday Night Live, SCTV, and in the films The Three Amigos and The Father of the Bride. The creator of such memorable characters as Jiminy Glick, Ed Grimley, and Irving Cohen, Short returned to Broadway in the "alternate autobiography" Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me. Here he talks with Dick Cavett.

As the founder of Righteous Babe Records, the award-winning recording artist Ani DiFranco has never let her career succumb to "business as usual". Her music - rhythmically percussive guitar playing, insistent vocals, and a willingness to address both sexual and social politics - defies neat categories.

When Dick Cavett became a talk show host in 1969, his keen intellect and unique wit infused the format with a new style. Cavett offered a forum for controversial opinions and issues ranging from women's liberation to Vietnam. The Dick Cavett Show also became a late-night home for top rock bands and such comedy legends as Groucho Marx, Jack Benny, George Burns, Bob Hope, Sid Caesar, and Lucille Ball.

Yogi Berra is a beloved American baseball personality. On the field, his exploits with the New York Yankees made him a vital part of the most successful sports franchise ever. Off the field, his wit and humor made him a legend. He is the author of the best-selling books It Ain't Over, The Yogi Book, and When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It! Here is inspiration and wisdom from one of baseball's greatest heroes.

Gene Wilder was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as Leo Bloom in The Producers. That led to a role in Blazing Saddles and to another Academy Award nomination, this time for writing Young Frankenstein. His memoir, Kiss Me Like a Stranger, was a best seller. Wilder has also written his first novel, My French Whore, an intimate love story set inside a classic spy adventure.

Carl Reiner - legendary comedian, actor, novelist, and director - was a creator, writer, and producer for The Dick Van Dyke Show. In 1999, he was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor by the Kennedy Center and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.

F. Murry Abraham speaks about Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and performs selections from Shakespeare's work with actress Kathleen Widdoes. The performance is followed by Q&A.

Recently passed, George Carlin was a comedian famous for his "Seven Dirty Words" routine. To his credit are nearly 20 albums, five Grammy awards, and two Cable Ace Awards, and more HBO specials than anyone. He authored several books, including The New York Times best seller Brain Droppings and Napalm & Silly Putty. In this interview, he speaks with Judy Gold about his life and his comedy, and answers questions from the audience.

A Grammy and Peabody winner, Garrison Keillor is the author of more than 15 books and is the creator, host and writer of A Prairie Home Companion and The Writer's Almanac, heard on public radio stations across the country. Keillor's new novel is Pontoon.

Actor and director Alan Alda played Hawkeye Pierce on the television series M*A*S*H and has acted in, written, and directed many feature films. He is also a best-selling author, most recently with his memoir, Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself. In this interview with Roger Rosenblatt, Alda discusses his opinions about public speaking and giving back to the community, his relationship with his wife, and his feelings on fame.

Join best-selling author A. J. Jacobs as he discusses his recent book, The Year of Living Biblically, in which he recounts his fascinating, enlightening and delightfully strange year trying to follow all 613 commandments in the Bible. This lecture is an eye-opening lesson in the wisdom of rabbis, religion in America today, Bible history, and the dangers of literal interpretation. Thou shalt not miss it!

Regarded as one of hip-hop's most insightful artists, Mos Def has shaped a career that transcends genres. His groundbreaking collaboration with fellow rapper Talib Kweli in Black Star; his distinctive and daring solo work, and his acting, both in film and theater, have earned him Grammy, Emmy, Golden Globe and NAACP Image Award nominations.

Barbara Walters was the first woman to co-host a network news program. An ABC News correspondent, she is also the host of The Barbara Walters Specials and the creator, co-host, and co-executive producer of ABC's The View. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

The creator and producer of Emmy Award-winning television series All In the Family, Maude, Sanford and Son and The Jeffersons, Norman Lear is a pioneer of a genre of programming that addresses pressing social issues with unusual candor. He is the founder and chairman of Act III Communications, a multimedia holding company with interests in the recording, motion picture, broadcasting, publishing and licensing industries.

Susie Essman, star of the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Joy Behar, co-host of The View, discuss Susie's career and personal life, all with a healthy dose of sarcasm, at New York's 92nd Street Y.