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>> bbc world news was presented by kcet los angeles. by kcet los angeles.george chattering excitedly) this program was made possible by: >> ♪ i'm a whirlibird... >> chuck e. cheese's, proud supporter of pbs kids, solutes all the parents who know staying active with their kids is fun and healthy for them. >> ♪ i'm a whirlibird. >> pbs kids, where a kid can be a kid. for over 90 years, stride rite's been there, from the first wobbly walk to the first day of school, helping you choose the right shoes. stride rite is a proud sponsor of curious george. rainforest cafe, proud sponsor of curious george, reminding you that anyone can make the world a brighter place by conserving our natural resources. when you're saving one can... both: you're saving toucans! (toucan squawks) funding for curious george is provided by contributions to your pbs station... ooh. ...and from: ) (lively drum intro) ♪ you never do know what's around the bend ♪ ♪ big adventure or a brand-new friend ♪ ♪ when you're curious like curious george ♪ ♪ swing! ♪ ♪ well, every day ♪ every day ♪ ♪ i

[captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: steven naifeh and gregory white smith are pulitzer prize- winning authors. their latest is easily one of the most talked-about books of the year. a new biography of a vincent van gogh. it is titled "van gogh: the life." good to have you here. >> thank you very much. tavis: let me start by asking what it is about a vincent van gogh that makes it worth giving 10 years of your life to do. we all make decisions and choices every single day. maybe you did not know it was going to be a decade when you started. why was it worth that? >> we did not know exactly what we were getting into. i think it was a realization that he was a unique cultural figure. you cannot name and another artist that is so loved. people go to hisraryve eve year. this is a level of appreciation that goes way beyond any other artist. >> it's almost has a religious feeling. half a million people go visit his grave. they write little notes. painters will bring their paintbrushes and put them on the grave. russians

[captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: it is an honor to welcome sonny rollins to this program, the iconic jazz saxophonist was recently named a kennedy center honorees for this year, a much deserved and extremely high honor. he also has sonny rollins road shows volume to. it is an honor to have you on this program. >> it is an honor to finally get a chance to meet you and be on the show. i watch it, i am with you. tavis: i have been waiting on this for a long time. i want to start with the click of something you have said to interviewer 20 years ago, maybe 1986. you might remember this, maybe not. >> i don't feel i am the greatest anything, i feel like i am developing. as far as i am concerned, i am still proving it to myself all the time. tavis: that was 1986, do you feel that same way? >> exactly the same way. tavis: at 81, you are still getting better? >> even though music is one of these things that which, fortunately, there is no and to music. if your the person that can absorb it, it can do more. i am that type of person. i have been with some great musician

[captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: donna britt is a former pulitzer nominated writer for the washington post. her first book is a look at her upbringing in segregated gary, indiana. it is called "brothers (& me)." she joins us tonight from washington. i was surprised, as long as i have known you, i did not realize that this is your first book. >> it has taken me a while. i waited until i had something to say. tavis: you waited until you had something to say. topline for me, what did is you felt you wanted to say or needed to say at this particular moment? >> the book is about two different things. it is about how the death of my brother affected me in ways that i had no idea. it is interesting for everyone who experiences a loss, you know how difficult it is to get through. most of us really do not want to go? that deep into pain. it forced me to go deeper and to understand what it meant. the other part is about women and giving. it is something that i have thought about. women i know give so much. i was just ta

[captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: juan gonzalez is here. "news for all the people," which he co-authors the book. you all right? >> fine. tavis: there is a lot of research to pull all of this data together. what made you think that there was worth, value, necessity in doing all of this about race and the american media? why does it matter? >> i think many americans are satisfied with what they are getting from the system, but it is especially among people of color, asian americans feeling almost assaulted on a daily basis by the kind of news and coverage that is especially in the mainstream commercial media. they are still denigrated. they feel marginalized. they feel that their struggle in america is not properly represented, and i have been in the commercial media for 35 years as well as being a dissident, with another at "democracy now!" we feel frustrated with the american press representing our people. from the very beginning of our press and why it has been so difficult to have a fair and representative press in the area. tavis: you u

[captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: always pleased to welcome tom brokaw to the program. he is a perennial "new york times" best selling author. his latest book is called "the time of our lives, a conversation about america." a pleasure to have you on the program. >> always a pleasure to be here. tavis: if the time of our lives will be defined by anything, it will be by the war in iraq or afghanistan. yesterday, president obama gave a talk to the troops in afghanistan talking about the end to the iraq war. how do you think that history will be defined vis-a-vis the war? >> we went to war on a false premise, that there was weapons of mass destruction. even president clinton thought there was weapons of mass destruction. should we have gone carter earlier in afghanistan? we had them in a box. then, we have decided to rearrange iraq and position it to be a different middle east. this will go beyond our lives, tavis. i do think at this juncture, now that it is coming to an end, domestically, we must remember that we

[captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: last night, i explored the details of robert blake's murder trial and the impact on his life cents. tonight in part to, he opens up about his life before the trial had a book he has written about his show business career. i want to go back to the very beginning, you reference to it earlier. but for the fact that your parents could not afford a $15 payment to the mother of frank sinatra to cover the had already paid her twice before that. >> if they had a $15 to pay frank sinatra's mother, you would have been aborted. >> twice she layton led -- laid in bed for two weeks bleeding. a coat hanger -- i don't even have a birth certificate. i was born sometime between september 10 and 30 days after that. i didn't get a birth certificate until two years later and it was a forgery. the truth, this very who briefed here, you can cut all this out, i don't know what kind of time we are on here. two brothers, tell me and jimmy. my mother was in love with tony. she was a virgin. if you marry me, we will have sex. he said, we're going to have

[captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: susan herman is the present of the aclu. after serving two decades on the board of directors, she teaches law at brooklyn law school. her new text is called "taking liberties: the war on terror and the erosion of american democracy." good to have you on this program. i want to jump right in. this book is released and the timing could not be more propitious. we are almost commemorating this is the 10th anniversary of the patriot act. it has now been extended until 2015. let me ask what your assessment is of the patriot act now. >> a lot of people -- what a lot of people do not know is that it is a whole grab bag. my original copy printed out at 300 pages. it is hundreds of amendments. most people are familiar with the surveillance issues. because there are so many different provisions, is it's a good or bad thing? there are so many different parts. you would have to break that down. what i could say to generalize is that although i think it was understandable in the fall of 2001

kcet public television] tavis: please welcome gloria estefan to this program. she has been a popular force in the music business now for 30 years. sounds strange, huh? was i not supposed to say that? >> new york city it is great. i love it -- no, i love it. tavis: the much-anticipated disk, i love the cover, it is called "miss little havana." it clouds special anniversary remix of one of her biggest hits. here now some of the video for the single. >> ♪ everybody has got a rhythm that will make you want to move it tavis: where have you been, gloria estefan? >> i haven't gone anywhere. tavis: 2003. we have been waiting on you. >> i've been enjoying life. i had a couple of albums in tour then, my last big tour. everybody got confused and thought i was retiring. i said i'm not retiring. i wanted to enjoy my daughter. that's what i have been doing, enjoying every second of her life. she is on the basketball team sand in the jazz band and i wanted to be seeing her and what she is doing and i'm enjoying it very much. tavis: as a mother, how have you personally over th

[captioning made possible by kcet public television] >> ha please welcome allison krause to this program, her 26 the grammy award is the most fertile in music history. her latest cd is called "paper airplane." it is up for best bluegrass album of the year. in just a few moments, she will join by her band and a couple of special guests. here is a video for the title track. ♪ ♪ ♪ tavis: good to have you on the program. i have been dying to ask you, what is it about bluegrass that everybody wants a piece of? my friend yo-yo ma was here, he has a project now. a number of artists are trying to get some of this bluegrass' thing. what is happening? it is like a magnet attracting people to try their hand at it. >> a couple of things. the musicianship and bluegrass is color when you see the folks with us today. sam bush, a jury, ron, dan, barry. the improvisation as celebrated like crazy in bluegrass music. but for me, the real draw is the message which is a very simplistic message. when days were simpler and you always love the girl next door, home was the best place to be, you never wanted to l

[captionmag de possible by kcet public television] >> it is hard to imagine in this age that anyone would bankroll a silent black-and-white film about a 1920's hollywood. his latest projects have made harvey weinstein one of the most important producers of our time. the new project is called "the artist." here now are some scenes from "the artist." ♪ ♪ tavis: harvey weinstein joins us from new york city. >> nice to be back. tavis: this is a gamble. why? >> the producer of this movie is a family friend in france. he is certainly defined by his own taste and his fantastic success in france. his relationshiwi ordi o the film's lead him to go to america and shoot a movie in los angeles that is black and white and silent. the gamble was his. i came in after the fact. in my case, when i said yes, i went back to my team and my brother and said you have to talk to the board of directors even though we support you. i did not know we had a board of directors. [laughter] after i got through that, i thought the king's speech gave me immunity. apparently not for a black-and- white silent movie. i went

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