Kathie Russo

Lewis Lapham tells Alec Baldwin about being a rookie reporter at The Examiner and what it was like to go to India with The Beatles.

Paula Pell was singing and dancing at a Florida theme park when she got a call from SNL. She moved to New York, and two decades later, Pell became the show’s head writer.

Most people know Andrew McCarthy for his roles in "St. Elmo’s Fire" and "Pretty in Pink" as a member of the Brat Pack, but those movies were only one stop on Andrew McCarthy’s journey.

Photographer Peter Beard has documented the destruction of wildlife in Africa, including the plight of the African Elephant, the very topic of Richard Ruggiero’s doctoral dissertation.  

Alec talks with David Brooks on stage at Joe’s Pub. Brooks is known as a Conservative voice, but former Obama advisor David Axelrod described him as a “true public thinker.” 

Pulitzer-prize winner George Will's passion for politics began early: he remembers Truman’s election when he was just seven years old.

Fred Armisen has always been ambitious; when he was a punk rock drummer, he recalls, he always "wanted much more."

Zarin Mehta, former president and executive director of the New York Philharmonic, grew up in 1940’s Bombay before it became the booming city of Mumbai.

Anthony Baxter and Dylan Avery are responsible for two controversial political films: one about a golf course in Scotland and the other about whether 9/11 was a government cover-up. 

Alec sits down with fellow Long Islander Billy Joel—at the piano—for a conversation about life and the musical choices he’s made.

Grammy-winning guitarist Peter Frampton says, “Sound is very inspirational to me." And it always has been—Frampton started playing guitar before he was 8 years old.

According to Lustig, sugar is as addictive as cocaine, heroin and crack, and it is producing the fattest, least-healthy Americans yet.  

Late-night legend David Letterman describes his long journey to L.A. where, after three years at comedy clubs, he found himself on The Tonight Show.   

Baitz tells Alec about the origin of his Broadway play, his short-lived adventures writing for television in Hollywood, and the relief of coming back to the theater.

Renée Fleming talks about the challenges of singing opera and the pleasure of being in the audience where she has "literally been sobbing at the end."

Nobel Prize-winning economist, Joseph Stiglitz, talks about the financial crisis and about how growing up in Gary, Indiana impacted his decision to become an economist.

As host of Turner Classic Movies, Robert Osborne plays the role of ambassador to a bygone era. We hear the journey he took to get there—which could have been a classic movie itself. 

Kristen Wiig catered, did floral design, answered phones, and handed out samples at a farmer’s market—all before landing her gig as a cast member on SNL.

When legendary trumpeter Herb Alpert started playing with his band Tijuana Brass, Woody Allen and George Carlin were the opening acts.  

Turner talks about raising a daughter, dealing with arthritis, and her passion for performance: “If I couldn't act, I’d just curl up, shrivel up and die ... I can’t live without it.”