Society & Culture

Writer Walter Mosley. His first book, "Devil In A Blue Dress," is a hard boiled detective story starring a black gumshoe up against white prejudice. It's published by Norton.

Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg explores how Shakespeare went from popular entertainment to highbrow culture.

Comic George Carlin.

Theatre director Peter Sellars.

Director Norman René and playwright Craig Lucas They collaborated on the film, "Longtime Companion."

Jazz drummer Tony Williams.

Women's health....Nancy Hawley and Esther Rome of the Boston Women's Health Collective, the authors of "Our Bodies Our Selves."

Byllye Avery of the National Black Women's Health Project.

Native American activist Mary Crow Dog (Mary Brave Bird). Her memoir's called "Lakota Woman."

Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg examines the current state of black english.

Critic Laurie Stone comments on two newsworthy comedy events from last weekend--comic Andrew Dice Clay's controversial appearance on Saturday Night Live, and the Comedy Relief special on HBO.

Mahoney, who died Sunday, was born in Britain and didn't start acting until he was 37. He went on to appear in films like Say Anything and Barton Fink. Originally broadcast 1990.

Actor John Mahoney. He started out in Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater. His film roles include "Tin Men," "Eight Men Out," the randy professor in "Moonstruck," and the father in "Say Anything."

Critic Maureen Corrigan muses on the complications of buying a wedding dress, and other pre-wedding arrangements.

Guest film critic Owen Gleiberman reviews "Longtime Companion." It's about how AIDS affected the gay community in New York in the 1980's. The film, written by playwright Craig Lucas, was originally produced for the PBS series American Playhouse.

Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg examines what has happened to underworld slang. He says it no longer thrives the way it did in centuries gone by.

Musicians Tom and Ian Spanic. Together, the pair form the rock and roll band, The Spanic Boys. The band plays a country-twang influenced type of rock and they just released their first album, also called "The Spanic Boys." It's on Rounder Records.

South African journalist Allister Sparks. He's been a correspondent for The Economist, the Washington Post, and The Observer. Sparks' new book, "The Mind of South Africa," is a historical study of that country, and an analysis of the roots of apartheid.

Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg explains Misapprehensions, a game for people who find Jeopardy too easy.

Biographer Deirdre Bair. Her latest book is a biography of French writer, intellectual and feminist Simone De Beauvoir. Bair has also written a biography of Samuel Beckett.