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15:43

Comedienne, Actress, and Writer Ellen DeGeneres.

Stand up comic Ellen DeGeneres, the star of the sitcom "Ellen." The show airs on Wednesday nights on ABC. Last year DeGeneres co-hosted the 1994 Emmy awards and received a People's Choice Award for Favorite Female in a New Television series. She now has a new book, My Point. . . And I Do Have One. (Bantam News).

Interview
16:58

Comedian and Director Rusty Cundieff on What Scares Him

Writer, director and co-star of the new horror flick "Tales From The Hood," Rusty Cundieff. He has been featured in such diverse projects as Spike Lee's "School Daze," and the daytime soap opera "Days of Our Lives." He broke into filmmaking when he teamed up with friend Darin Scott to write and direct "Fear of a Black Cat."

Interview
15:20

Actor and Comedian Richard Pryor on His Health and Career

This nationally acclaimed comedian has recently released his book Pryor Convictions and Other Life Sentences. Pryor's memoir takes readers on a journey through his successful yet struggle-filled life. A strong man who has overcome such ordeals as a drug addiction, self immolation, and six marriages, Pryor is determined to overcome his most recent battle with multiple sclerosis.

Interview
15:41

Stuart Smalley Debuts on the Big Screen

Al Franken is a writer and actor on "Saturday Night Live." His characters have included the one-man mobile uplink unit, Pat Robertson, Paul Tsongas, and Stuart Smalley, host of "Daily Affirmations with Stuart Smalley." In 1992, Franken published a book under Stuart's name; Stuart's new project is an upcoming movie called "Stuart Saves His Family."

Interview
15:20

Jim Morris Subs for Bill Clinton for a Fresh Air Interview

Political satirist and impressionist Jim Morris began lampooning the presidents around the time Reagan was sworn in to office. Since then he's impersonated Bush and Clinton, as well as presidential contenders, Michael Dukakis, Paul Tsongas, and Ross Perot. The New Yorker says of Morris, "Like an obsessive character actor, Mr. Morris doesn't just impersonate his subjects; he becomes them."

Interview
22:50

"Social Satirist" Tracey Ullman

Most people would call Ullman an actor and comedian. She was the star of "The Tracey Ullman Show," where she played characters including "girls half her age and matrons twice her age; ...

Interview
16:22

The "Sort of Love Story" of Alan Zweibel's and Gilda Radner's Friendship

Comedy writer Alan Zweibel discusses his 14 year friendship with Gilda Radner. They met working on the original Saturday Night Live and teamed up to create such memorable characters as Roseanne Roseannadanna and Emily Litella. Zweibel has written a new memoir about their friendship, called "Bunny Bunny: Gilda Radner: A Sort of Love Story."

Interview
22:38

Buckley Satirizes Lobbyists in New Novel.

Christopher Buckley has just written a new political satire, "Thank you for Smoking" (Random), which pokes fun at everything and everyone associated with the tobacco industry-- from anti-smoking advocates to tobacco company executives. Buckley was George Bush's speechwriter from 1981-1983 when Bush served as Vice President. The son of William F. Buckley, he is the author of other political and social satires, including "The White House Mess" and "Wet Work." He is the editor of "Forbes FYI" magazine.

16:18

David Sedaris Collects His Stories in a New Book.

Playwright, NPR commentator, housecleaner and former elf to Santa, Davis Sedaris. He launched his radio commentator career with his "SantaLand Diaries," broadcast during NPR's "Morning Edition in 1992. His humor has been described as a "caustic mix of J. D.

Interview
15:40

Rip Torn Discusses His Life and Career.

Actor Rip Torn, who now plays the Arty, the producer on the HBO comedy series, "The Larry Sanders Show". Torn has been a stage actor since the mid-1950's, when he left his native Texas (and his first name "Elmore") behind, for New York City and the Actors Studio. Described by one reviewer as "the good-looking no-talent with the ludicrously sinister name", Torn was often typecast as a heavy in television shows like "Dr. Kildare" and "Bonanza." (He also portrayed Henry Miller in an X-rated film version of "Tropic of Cancer.").

Interview
14:48

Henry Alford's "Comic Investigations."

Author Henry Alford. Newsday reviewer Adam Begley mused about what to call Alford. "New York prankster?" Manhattan Monkeyshine Maven?" "Gotham Caparist?" His publisher calls him an investigative humorist. Alford has chronicled his offbeat investigations in his new book "Municipal Bondage: One Man's Anxiety-Producing Adventures in the Big City." (Random House.) Alford writes of his efforts to enter professions for which he was completely untutored--cosmetologist, snack food creator, dog groomer, earlobe model.

Interview
22:41

Comedienne Roseanne Discusses Her Life and Career.

Comedienne and superstar Roseanne Arnold. Her show "Roseanne" debuted in 1988 and has consistently been a top TV series. She has often made news--she forced out the show's executive producer in a dramatic confrontation, she went public with accusations of incest, she performed a controversial rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" at a baseball game. In 1989, she published her first book, "Roseanne: My Life as a Woman" which became a best seller. Now she has written "My Lives" (Ballantine Books).

Interview

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