Comedy

Street performer turned film actor Rick Aviles (a-VEEL-us). Aviles started out doing comedy on the streets of Manhattan, and was named "Comic of the Year" by the Village voice in 1980. He's since appeared in the movies "Mondo NY," "Street Smart," and "Spike of Bensonhurst." Aviles has a part in Jim Jarmusch's new movie, "Mystery Train."

Comedy writer Eddie Gorodetsky. He's written for SCTV, Saturday Night Live, and Late Night with David Letterman. His latest gig is with HBO's newly-launched Comedy Channel, where his job title is "head writer and original programming consultant," but his role is all-encompassing.

Writer Stefan Kanfer. Kanfer's latest book is called "A Summer World: The Attempt to Build a Jewish Eden in the Catskills, from the Days of the Ghetto to the Rise and Decline of the Borscht Belt." The Borsht Belt nurtured a generation of comics and defined a culture. Kanfer talks about the lives of the people who frequented the Catskill resorts, and the reason those resorts are now in decline.

For the last word on the 80s, comedian Al Franken looks back on the Al Franken decade. It's from an interview Terry did with Franken on March 22, 1988.

Writer Randy Cohen. He's an Emmy award-winning writer for "Late Night With David Letterman." A collection of his pieces, "Diary of a Flying Man," has just been published.

Television critic David Bianculli reviews three new Christmas specials. He says their irreverent twists on traditional Christmas stories represent a refreshing trend this year away from the flood of "Charlie Brown" type Christmas specials.

Cartoonist Matt Groening (pronounced GRAY-ning). He's the creator of the Simpsons, the all-too-real cartoon family featured on the Tracy Ullman Show. The Simpsons are starring in their own prime time Christmas special on the Fox network, and starting January 14th, "The Simpsons" will appear as a regular show...the first animated prime time series since "The Flintstones." Matt Groening also draws the comic strip, "Life In Hell," which appears in many alternative and college newspapers.

Actor Ed Begley, Jr. He's best known for his role as the bumbling Dr. Victor Erlich in the television show, "St. Elsewhere." Before that, he's appeared in "Spinal Tap," where he had a non-speaking role as a drummer during the "paisley period," in "The Accidental Tourist," and in "Scenes from a Class Struggle in Beverly Hills." He's also done stand-up comedy. He's starring in the new movie, "She-Devil," with Meryl Streep and Roseanne Barr.

Commentator Laurie Stone reviews Home Box Office's "Comedy Channel." The channel is the brainchild of Eddie Gorodetsky.

Actress and comedienne Lily Tomlin. For years she's been doing her impressions of such characters as Ernestine, the nasal telephone operator on "Laugh-In." Now she's doing a whole cast of characters in the revival of her one-woman show, "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe."

Critic at large Laurie Stone reviews comic Billy Crystal's new HBO special, "Midnight Train to Moscow." The premise is that Crystal has been invited to be the first American stand-up artist to perform in the Soviet Union. In addition to his act, there are cameo appearances by a flock of Crystal characters.

Columnist Mike Royko. For 26 years, Royko has written a daily column on happenings in his native Chicago and throughout the world, and he's just released his 6th collection of his writings. Along the way, Royko has earned the Pulitzer, the Mencken, and Pyle Award. His column is now carried in more than 500 papers. Royko also wrote "Boss," a best-selling portrait of Chicago mayor Richard Daley.

Television critic David Bianculli reviews the new season of the PBS series "Trying Times." The 6 episodes this season continue "Trying Times" tradition of taking a comedic look at modern life. Among the stars this season are Stockard Channing, Sally Kirkland, Judge Reinhold, and Christopher Guest.

Buck Henry. He's best-known as a frequent guest host on Saturday Night Live. Henry's other accomplishments include writing the screenplays for "The Graduate" and "Catch-22," creating the TV series "Get Smart" in collaboration with Mel Brooks, and co-directing the film "Heaven Can Wait" with Warren Beatty.

Television critic David Bianculli has an appreciation of "Saturday Night Live." The ground-breaking comedy show is celebrating its 15th anniversary.

Director, screenwriter, musician and actor Christopher Guest. Guest makes his feature directorial debut in the new film "The Big Picture." Guest co-wrote the rock parody "This Is Spinal Tap," and he was a writer and regular performer on Saturday Night Live.

Television Critic David Bianculli previews two new shows on ABC that debut this Tuesday night (September 12). "Chicken Soup" is a sitcom about a middle-aged Jewish man and Catholic woman who fall in love, in spite of their differences and in spite of his meddlesome mother. "Chicken Soup" stars comic Jackie Mason and actress Lynne Redgrave. "Life Goes On" is a drama about how a family deals with a child with Down Syndrome. Patti Lupone stars as the mother, Bill Smitrovich as the father.

Robert Kaplow and The Punsters return to Fresh Air with advice on how to get through the new school year. The Punsters are Kaplow, Tim Korzun, Carmen Presti, Michael Townsend, Marc Lanzoff, Ken Cohen, and Lou Ippolitio. (Produced by Tim Korzun)

Television critic David Bianculli looks at "FM," the new NBC series about the on-the-job and at-home travails of a public radio program director.

Critic-at-large Laurie Stone, just back from the "Just for Laughs Festival," a stand up comedy festival in Montreal, assesses the current state of standup.