Terry Gross

The late American artist Roy Lichtenstein. He was one of the inventors of pop art in the 1960s, finding inspiration for his paintings in comic books and advertisments. Lichtenstein's work often replicates the heavy black outlines, bright colors and dots of a color comic strip found in a newspaper. Called by one critic the "supreme virtuoso of pop," his work is filled with constant references to high and low arts as well as to his own work. Lichtenstein died September 29, 1997. There's a new book about his work, Roy Lichtenstein: A Catalogue Raisonne 1948-1997.

He's written a new biography of blues legend Muddy Waters who is credited with inventing electric blues and creating the template for the rock and roll band. The book is Can't Be Statisfied: The Life and Times of Muddy Waters. (Little, Brown). Gordon also produced and directed an accompanying documentary of the same name which will be shown as part of the PBS American Masters series next year. Gordon's other books are It Came From Memphis, and The King on the Road. He also produced the Al Green box set, Anthology.

Paul Feig is the creator of the now-defunct TV comedy series Freaks and Geeks. He's just written a new book Kick Me: Adventures in Adolescence (paperback, Three Rivers Press). Feig was an actor before moving on to writing for TV and film.

Iraq expert Kenneth Pollack's new book is The Threatening Storm: The Case for Invading Iraq. He has studied Iraq and Saddam Hussein for 15 years. During the Clinton administration, Pollack served as director for Gulf affairs at the National Security Council, where he was one of the people responsible for implementing U.S. policy toward Iraq. Before that, he was a Persian Gulf military analyst in the CIA. In 1990, Pollack was among the very few analysts to predict the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. He is also the author of Arabs at War: Military Effectiveness, 1948-1991.

Actor Joe Pantoliano plays Ralph Cifaretto on the HBO series The Sopranos. He has appeared in more than 60 films, including Memento, The Matrix and The Fugitive. He has a new memoir called Who's Sorry Now: The True Story of a Stand-Up Guy (E. P. Dutton). Pantoliano talks about growing up in Hoboken, N.J., and his acting career.

Actor Christopher Reeve. A 1995 horseback riding accident left him paralyzed from the neck down. Recently, with intensive physical therapy, Reeve announced that he has regained motion and feeling in his fingers and in other parts of his body. This is incredible news to scientists, who assumed he would never move again. Reeve was totally paralyzed for five years. Then, one morning two years ago, he found he could move one finger. Reeve is still dependent on a wheelchair and respirator. He's just written a book, Nothing Is Impossible: Reflections on a New Life.

His new film Pipe Dream opens in New York this week. Donovan has also co-starred in The Opposite of Sex, Insomnia, and many films with the independent director, Hal Hartley.

Film director and choreographer Stanley Donen. He and Gene Kelly co-directed and co-choreographed Singin' in the Rain. There's a new 50th anniversary DVD edition of Singing in the Rain. Donen also directed On the Town, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Funny Girl and more. He collaborated with Gene Kelly as dance director on such films as Cover Girl and Anchors Away.

Classical pianist and conductor Murray Perahia has a new CD: Chopin Etudes: Opus 10, Opus 26. He also explored the music of J.S. Bach in recent recordings, including Bach's Keyboard Concertos vol. 1 which he recorded and conducted with the St. Martin in the Fields ensemble. And he recorded the Goldberg Variations and Bach's complete English Suites. In 1994 Perahia suffered a thumb injury that left him unable to play regularly for a year. He took up his first conducting post as principal guest conductor of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.

Journalist Keith Bradsher is the former Detroit bureau chief of The New York Times and the author of the book, High and Mighty: SUVs — The World's Most Dangerous Vehicle and How They Got that Way. Bradsher finds that sport utility vehicles are dangerous not only for their occupants but for those who share the road with them. He finds that they block the road and vision for smaller vehicles, are more prone to roll over and get poor gas mileage. Bradsher is currently Hong Kong bureau chief for The New York Times.