Tony Award-winning actor John Cameron Mitchell discusses his groundbreaking career.
John Cameron Mitchell is a screenwriter, director and actor whose cult rock musical “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” won Mitchell Best Director at the Sundance Festival. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Actor for that same film. His recent Broadway production of Hedwig garnered him Tony Awards for his performance and for Best Revival.
Mitchell has directed other films, including “How to Talk to Girls at Parties,” “Shortbus” and “Rabbit Hole.”
Chef Aarón Sánchez talks about “Where I Come From: Life Lessons from a Latino Chef.”
Aarón Sánchez is an award-winning chef, TV personality, cookbook author and philanthropist. He is the chef/owner of Mexican restaurant Johnny Sánchez in New Orleans and a judge on FOX’s culinary competition series “MasterChef.” He co-starred on Food Network’s “Chopped” and “Chopped Junior.” A third-generation cookbook author, Sánchez has written three books. His memoir is, “Where I Come From: Life Lessons from a Latino Chef.” An active philanthropist, Sánchez launched the Aarón Sánchez Scholarship Fund, an initiative empowering aspiring chefs from the Latin community to follow their dreams and attend culinary school. One of the world’s most distinguished Latin chefs, Sánchez is also passionate about preserving his family’s legacy through food and encouraging diversity in the kitchen.
Tim O’Brien, author of “The Things They Carried,” talks about his book, “Dad’s Maybe Book.”
Tim O’Brien’s acclaimed novels include “The Things They Carried” (an NEA Big Read, which the New York Times said belongs on “the short list of essential fiction about Vietnam”), “If I Die in a Combat Zone,” “In the Lake of the Woods” and “Going After Cacciato” (which won the 1979 National Book Award in fiction), among others. In 2013 he was awarded the Pritzker Military Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing. O’Brien was interviewed for Ken Burns’ 2017 documentary series, “The Vietnam War.” Most recently he was a co-writer on the Vietnam episodes of the NBC series “This Is Us.” His 2019 book is “Dad’s Maybe Book,” where he shares wisdom from a life in letters, lessons learned in wartime and the challenges, humor and rewards of raising two sons.
Filmmaker Ed Zwick discusses his celebrated Hollywood career and his film, “Trial by Fire,” starring Laura Dern.
Ed Zwick is an award-winning film and television director and producer. He co-created the television series “thirtysomething” and together with Marshall Herskovitz produced “My So-Called Life” and “Once and Again.” He also executive produced the series “Nashville.” Zwick began his feature film career directing “About Last Night.” He went on to direct the Academy Award-winning films “Glory” and “Legends of the Fall.” Zwick also directed the films “Courage Under Fire,” “The Siege,” “The Last Samurai,” “Blood Diamond,” “Defiance,” “Love & Other Drugs” and “Pawn Sacrifice.” Zwick and Herskovitz also produced the Academy Award-nominated film “I Am Sam,” as well as “Traffic” – winner of two Golden Globe Awards and four Academy Awards. Zwick also directed “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back,” starring Tom Cruise. Zwick has been honored with three Emmy Awards, the Humanitas Prize, the Writer’s Guild of America Award, two Peabody Awards, a Director’s Guild of America Award and the Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Award from the American Film Institute. He received an Academy Award as a producer of 1999’s Best Picture “Shakespeare in Love.”
Journalist and author Lawrence O’Donnell discusses the modern news landscape, his various writing endeavors and his show “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell.”
Lawrence O’Donnell hosts “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” on MSNBC. His background in politics, entertainment and news leads to lively discussions as he addresses the biggest issues and most compelling stories of the day. Among other political positions, O’Donnell served as Senior Advisor to Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan from 1989 through 1992. He is an Emmy Award-winning executive producer and writer for the NBC series “The West Wing,” and creator and executive producer of the NBC series, Mister Sterling. Born in Boston, O’Donnell is a graduate of Harvard College.
Timothy Simons talks about “Veep” and what’s next for his acting career.
Timothy Simons is an actor, comedian and writer who has gained notoriety for his work on HBO’s television series “Veep.” His role in the series has gained him both an EWwy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. He’s also appeared on “The Interview,” “Christine” and “Gold.”
Giancarlo Esposito talks about his film, “This is Your Death,” finding one’s passion and his experience on “Breaking Bad.”
Giancarlo Esposito is an Emmy-nominated actor best known for playing Gustavo “Gus” Fring on AMC’s “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul.” Esposito starred in movies and TV shows such as “The Usual Suspects,” “The Jungle Book” and “Revolution.” He won the 2012 Critic’s Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of “Gus” in “Breaking Bad.”
Chuck Todd discusses President Trump, balanced media and the future of journalism.
Chuck Todd is the moderator of NBC’s “Meet The Press.” He is also an on-air political analyst for “Nightly News with Lester Holt” and “TODAY” and serves as MSNBC’s go-to for all aspects of the network’s political coverage. In 2005 and 2009, Todd was named one of the Washingtonian’s Best Of Journalists. He has won numerous Emmy Awards for his reporting while at NBC.
Steve Kornacki discusses the role media plays in politics and the 2016 presidential election.
Steve Kornacki is a host and political correspondent for MSNBC. He has written for Salon.com, The New York Observer, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and many other publications.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor at Harvard University, as well as Director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research. Dr. Gates is also an author, cultural critic and filmmaker. He has produced numerous series for PBS including “Looking for Lincoln,” “Many Rivers to Cross: The History of the African American People” and “Finding Your Roots,” many of which he also hosts. His documentary series “Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise” aired on PBS stations in 2016.
