Lauren Weedman turned heads with her scene-stealing role on HBO's "Looking" -- which earned her a Critic's Choice nomination. She's also turned her colorful life into nine one-woman shows and two books. The latest is "Miss Fortune: Fresh Perspectives on Having It All from Someone Who Is Not Okay." She tells us about the Paul Simon concert that saved her family life.
Lena Waithe was named one of Variety's 10 comics to watch in 2014. She's also a producer of films like the Sundance hit "Dear White People," and of a new drama series about her native Chicago, coming to Showtime. Right now, you can see her on Netflix playing Aziz Ansari's wisest pal Denise, in the series "Master of None." She shares how a general business meeting turned into something a little more serious.
Writer Amber Sparks has earned two Pushcart Prize nominations for her fantastical, offbeat stories. The New York Times just praised her "singular voice." She has a new collection of short stories called, "The Unfinished World And Other Stories," which hits bookshelves on January 25. She shares a piece with us from the collection called, "And The World Was Crowded With Things That Meant Love."
Best-selling author Janice Y.K. Lee was born to Korean immigrants in Hong Kong. In her new novel, "The Expatriates," she paints a rich portrait of expat life in the city. The book follows the lives of three different American women in a small expat community in Hong Kong, including a Korean-American recent Columbia graduate, a wealthy housewife who struggled to conceive a child, and a mother of three who questions her identity after a shattering loss. Janice shares an excerpt from the prologue with us.
Illeana Douglas has starred in films like "To Die For" and "Cape Fear." Her new book, "I Blame Dennis Hopper," is half memoir, half love-letter to the movies. She tells us how a chance encounter with a Hollywood legend inevitably led to the biggest show business regret. Bonus: She also tells us how to came to own Marlon Brando's driftwood collection.
Writer and director Nihar Patel has contributed to Vice, Bloomberg, and the TV series "The Rotten Tomatoes Show." He tells us about the many people who've asked him about "Master of None," which he'd rather never talk about again. Hear him tell the tale.
Comic Maz Jobrani has performed on stages from the Middle East to the Middle West. His debut book is called, "I'm Not a Terrorist, but I've Played One on TV: Memoirs of a Middle Eastern Funny Man." The comedian looks back at a time when his Iranian parents had little patience for a chubby, red-suited, white-bearded man from the edge of the earth.
Australian Josh Thomas created, wrote and stars in the comedy series "Please Like Me." In it, he tackles coming-out and coming-of-age. The season three finale airs Friday, December 11, 10 p.m. He recalls his mother's unfortunate night of swilling Prosecco and sightseeing.
Cindy Crawford is one of the most iconic supermodels in fashion history. In her new book, "BECOMING," she uses images from photo shoots as launch pads for stories about her life and career. She shares some of the scariest with us.
Try not to tear up a little as Mary-Louise Parker reads a letter from her debut book, "Dear Mr. You," to the grandfather she never met.