Terry Gross

Exum's new memoir, Man's Army: A Soldier's Story from the Front Lines of the War on Terrorism, recounts his experiences fighting in Afghanistan. In 2002, Exum fought with the 10th Mountain Division in Afghanistan, where soldiers were often fighting a brutal guerilla war against the Taliban and al Qaeda.

Diamond is a professor of political science and sociology at Stanford University and an expert on democratic development and regime change. He is the coordinator of the Democracy Program of the new Center for Democracy, Development and Rule of Law at Stanford's Institute for International Studies. Diamond spent three months earlier this year advising the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq.

Trippi was the campaign manager for Howard Dean during his bid to be the democratic presidential nominee. Using the Internet, Trippi turned a little-known candidate into a frontrunner. His new book is The Revolution Will Not be Televised: Democracy, the Internet, and the Overthrow of Everything. Trippi worked on his first presidential campaign for Sen. Edward Kennedy in 1980. He also worked with the presidential campaigns of Walter Mondale, Gary Hart and Richard Gephardt.

He's the founder of the Newport Folk Festival, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and the Newport Jazz Festival, which turns 50 this year. A new three-CD set, Happy Birthday Newport: 50 Swinging Years, celebrates the milestone. In the early 1950s, Wein founded the jazz clubs Storyville and Mahogany Hall in his hometown of Boston, where jazz giants Art Tatum, Sidney Bechet, Charlie Parker, Stan Getz and Miles Davis played. In 1954 he launched the Newport Jazz Festival, where he presented Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Dave Brubeck and others.

Weide is executive producer and writer of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm. The show stars Larry David as himself. David is the co-creator of Seinfeld. One reviewer calls Curb Your Enthusiasm "a comedy of hostility, resentment, paranoia and obsessiveness." The show completed its fourth season this spring. The second season is now out on DVD.

David is co-executive producer, star, and writer of the HBO show Curb Your Enthusiasm. He was also the co-creator, former executive producer, and one of the writers of Seinfeld. The character of George — Jerry Seinfeld's neurotic best friend — was based on David. Original airdate: January 2, 1992.)

Burdon fronted the British band, The Animals — the 1960s group that created hits including "House of the Rising Sun," "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," and "We gotta Get Out of this Place." In 2002, Burdon published his autobiography, Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood. His new CD is My Secret Life.

His new film is Baadasssss! It's the story of the making of 1971 classic Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song. In the film, Mario Van Peebles plays his father, director Melvin Van Peebles. Mario got his start directing and starring in the film New Jack City. Other acting credits include the role of Malcolm X in the film Ali, and a role in Ten Thousand Black Men Named George, about the unionization of Pullman train porters.