. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [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 th

. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [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 developin

. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [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 i

with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economiernvtonti at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [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 app

. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station by viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] please welcome gary oldman to this program. he is receiving high praise for his latest project, "tinker, tailor, soldier, spy". the film is based on the classic john le carre novel. >> he told me a cigarette. >> the mother of all cigarettes. >> he had information concerning a double agent. -- the mother of all secrets. >> he had information concerning a double agent. we are not so very different, you and i. we look for the weaknesses in one another. tavis: i've yet to read a single person in this town or beyond who writes about the academy awards, who does not have them on the short list for a nomination. i do not want to jinx you. i want

. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economica nt ernv sation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: i am always pleased and honored to welcome harry belafonte to this program. despite of all of his attack alert -- accolade's we will roll in his commitment to justice in this country and around the world. if you have not seen the terrific documentary about his life currently playing every day on hbo, he is also allen now with a new memoir called -- out now with a new memoir called "my song: a memoir." are you doing all right? >> i say i am hanging on. better than hanging up. tavis: you will never do that. i am glad you said that syria did you give me these great segues into a conversation i wrote this down. i love this line in terms of how on

. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: pleased to welcome angelina jolie to the program. she is making her directorial debut with a project called "in the land of blood and honey." we are also delighted to have one of the stars of the film, zana marjanovic. the movie opens december 23 in new york and los angeles. more cities on the way in in january. scenes from "in the land of blood and honey." >> come out with your hands in the air. >> it is very complicated. one of your friends is in my scope. i wonder, would he kill me if she and the chance? >> she will betray you. she is not to be trusted. should i trust you? did i make a mistake? i think i did. tavis: a powerful

. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] the lighted -- tavis: and delighted to welcome roger corman to this program. he is responsible for more than 500 films the movie is called, exploits of a hollywood rubble. here are now scenes from his world. >> i started my own company for a variety of reasons. >> i said, i will make it myself. >> we shot it in seven days, including special effects. the budget was really love. >> for someone very square on the outside, he is a very had director. he said, you can fashion a car crash, d. if it was the fastest greenlight i ever got. >> it was out of the question, there is no need for taste. >> hollywood was desperate. >> i never lost money

with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy empowerment one conversation at because a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your you. thank you. [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 anoth

. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is e rovncna lfilaciaouerity s mp irove financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station by viewers like you. thank you. tavis: backed now with part two of our conversation with harry belafonte. the film is "sing your song". pick up a copy of his memoir, "my song." we left our conversation last night with me asking you about the path you had to take to find the good and how to win them to your side in this movement for civil rights in the country. you were talking last night about mccarthy and mccarthyism. pick up on the story on how you >> the credit-kennedys were not an option. there was a vast arena waiting for an opportunity to interface with us and our movement. these are people who were by destiny given these jobs of authority and power. they controlled so much of the gear box in which our movement had to go

. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: before his murder trial made headlines from the world, and robert blake was known for his starring role in the detective series baretta and the popular "our gang" series. in 2001 in his life was changed following the murder of his wife bonnie lee bakley. he was later acquitted. in 2005, and he was found liable of a wrongful death suit which resulted in a multimillion- dollar penalty. less than a year later he was a bankrupt. tonight he speaks about his murder trial and the civil judgment led left him bankrupt. he started by talking about his personal history with our historical and studio. >> you have no idea how weird this is. i

with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improvefinancial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment e nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] >> be more. pbs. and

. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is ce>> brought to yp foundation. >> and by contributions by viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: more evidence even today about how the turmoil in europe is affecting the worldwide economy as situations in italy and greece continued to spark a global fears. the news about china is a bit more positive as inflation fears start your receipt. this is the backdrop for a timely new text from neil ferguson. his latest is called civilization, the west and the rest. could have you back on this program. let me start with some news before we get to the text. anything that we should be celebrating out of this summit? >> that was a real washout. the europeans went into that hoping to get help from china and other emerging nations. they were s

with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: just a few notes about what is coming up, tomorrow night to conversation with harvey weinstein. he is front and center in the oscar discussion. for a number of acclaimed projects including "the artist's." gary oldman is here. he is also getting a lot of oscar buzz around his new film. on thursday night, tom brokaw will join us along with oscar- winner ben kingsley. on friday night, a conversation with director roger corman. he helped foster the careers of people like jack nicholson and francis ford coppola, so many more. he is the subject of a new documentary. one week from tonight, a conversation with angelina jolie. she has written and directed a new project called "in the land of blood and heinie." tonight, i am pleased to kick

. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [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

. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [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 know that it is a whole grab bag. my original copy printed

. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [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 certific

. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [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