Terry Gross

Journalist David Kirkpatrick reports on the conservative movement's issues and leaders for The New York Times.

The Republican platform committee has approved a draft reaffirming the party's endorsement of a constitutional ban on abortion. We talk with Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), one of the Senate's staunchest abortion opponents.

Her new book is The War on Choice: The Right-Wing Attack on Women's Rights and How to Fight Back.

The comedic creation of Robert Smigel, the puppet with a cigar and an acerbic wit appears on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Triumph has also appeared on Hollywood Squares and on the MTV Video Music Awards, where one year he almost came to blows with Eminem. (Rebroadcast from Nov. 20, 2003.)

He was once crowned "The Pope of Trash" by William Burroughs. Waters started photographing video stills off his television screen that became the raw material for his artwork. Many of those are collected in his book John Waters: Change of Life. His 1988 film Hairspray was made into a Tony award-winning Broadway musical. Waters' new film, A Dirty Shame, opens next month. (Rebroadcast from Feb. 25, 2004)

Rakoff is a regular contributor to Outside, the New York Times Magazine and public radio's This American Life. One of his peers, writer Paul Rudnick, calls him "a comic saint... an ideal mix of the crabby and the debonair." Rakoff has a collection of essays, Fraud, and he's appearing in an off-Broadway show by Amy and David Sedaris. (Rebroadcast from May 14, 2001.)

During his first five years in Hollywood he appeared in 35 Roger Corman films, including Bucket of Blood and the original Little Shop of Horrors. While working with Corman, he hooked up with director Joe Dante, and has appeared in many of his films.

He was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in Ulee's Gold in 1998. The son of actor Henry Fonda, he's best known for his role in the cult classic Easy Rider. His memoir is Don't Tell Dad (Rebroadcast from March 19, 1998.)

Corman is known as the king of the B-movies, having made hundreds of the low-budget productions. He created classics such as The Little Shop of Horrors, The St. Valentine's Day Massacre and The Wild Angels. Many actors got their start acting in his films, including Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson. He tells the story of his filmmaking career in How I Made a Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never Lost a Dime. (Rebroadcast from Aug. 2, 1990.)

Victoria Price is the daughter of actor Vincent Price, who was best known as the "king of horror" for his performances in horror films. He starred in a number of Roger Corman's films including House of Usher, The Pit and the Pendulum, Tales of Terror, The Raven, and The Masque of the Red Death. Victoria is the author of the book: Vincent Price: A Daughter's Biography. (Rebroadcast from Oct. 28, 1999.)