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This is a very exciting week for me for one guest in particular – Tom Hanks. My sister and I have loved him ever since Apollo 13 all those years ago. He always is so jovial, and I love it. I hope you are all still getting over Stephen “interviewing” Sean Hannity, and are looking forward to a new week of interviews.

Monday, March 8: Tom Hanks

When you think of Tom Hanks and Stephen, this should be the first thing that comes to mind. Now we will have some more to think about when we think of this pairing. Tom Hanks has starred in, directed, and produced countless movie and television hits during his more than 20 year career in the business. Hanks’ first hit was Big, about a boy who wishes to grow up and turns into an adult overnight. Tom went on to win back-to-back Academy Awards for his roles in Philadelphia and Forrest Gump. He has starred in popular movies like Cast Away and Saving Private Ryan, as well as Road to Perdition and Catch Me If You Can. He lent his voice to everybody’s favorite cowboy, Woody, in Toy Story, Toy Story 2, and the upcoming Toy Story 3. In addition, Tom has worked as a producer on many HBO projects including: Band of Brothers, John Adams, and his newest production, The Pacific, a 10 part miniseries about WWII, premiering on March 14. He received the American Film Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002, and is the #1 star in the world according to box-office draw, earning more than $3.5 billion between all his releases.

You can also follow Tom Hanks on Twitter here.

Fract: An avid supporter of NASA and manned spaceflight, the asteroid, 12818 Tomhanks, was named in honor of the actor.

Tuesday, March 9: Annie Leonard

Annie Leonard is the author of the new book, The Story of Stuff: How Our Obsession with Stuff Is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health-and a Vision for Change, which began as an animated documentary about the American materialistic consumer society. Leonard wrote and narrated the film which was released in 2007, but her work made the front page of The New York Times in May 2009. Ms. Leonard has spent years discovering just what happens to the waste we make by traveling to 40 countries and witnessing the effects of our mass consumption. She attended Barnard College as an undergraduate, but completed her Master’s at Cornell University in city and regional planning. Annie serves on the boards of the International Forum for Globalization and the Environment Health Fund, and has worked for Greenpeace International. She also testified before Congress about international waste trafficking in 1992.

You can check out the official website for The Story of Stuff here or follow The Story of Stuff on Twitter.

Fract: Taking up the cause? Not only does Annie do work related to The Story of Stuff, she is also the co-creator of the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, a worldwide organization that aims to create a toxic-free world without incineration.

Wednesday, March 10: Sean Carroll

Sean Carroll is a senior research associate at the California Institute of Technology’s department of Physics. His newest book, From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time, is about the origins of the Universe in relation to time. In his work, Sean specializes in dark energy and general relativity. Originally from Philadelphia, Carroll attended Villanova University for his undergraduate degree, and received his Ph.D. from Harvard. He has worked and researched at M.I.T. and the University of California, Santa Barbara, as well as at the University of Chicago. Carroll contributes to and co-created a blog for Discover Magazine called “Cosmic Variance,” and also has authored the textbook, Spacetime and Geometry: An Introduction to General Relativity. In addition, Sean has created a 24-part lecture series for The Teaching Company called, Dark Matter, Dark Energy: The Dark Side of the Universe. If you are interested in hearing Sean talk, he is giving a variety of upcoming lectures and presentations, if you are in the area.

You can also follow Sean Carroll on Twitter here.

Fract: Lost fans? Sean Carroll gave the feature interview for the Season 5 DVD.

Thursday, March 11: David Aaronovitch

David Aaronovitch is an English author, journalist, and broadcaster with a new book called, Voodoo Histories: The Role of the Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History. He writes a regular common for The Times, and has also written for The Guardian. Aaronovitch has won numerous awards for his work, including the 2001 Orwell Prize for Journalism. Before being expelled for failing the German part of his History exams, David attended Ballilol College at Oxford, but ended up receiving his degree from the University of Manchester. In 2000, he released the book, Paddling to Jerusalem: An Aquatic Tour of Our Small Country, and was named Columnist of the Year in 2003 by What the Papers Say. In addition to his work in print, Aaronovitch often appears on BBC’s satirical show, Have I Got News for You, but also on BBC News 24, BBC’s 24 hour news program. David is active in the National Union of Students, the main confederation of student unions in the United Kingdom.

Fract: Wikiality? For some time, Aaronovitch’s Wikipedia entry said that he was born in Serbia, which wasn’t true, but David publicly stated his amusement about the incorrect information.

Enjoy this week’s shows!

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