The House of SpeakEasy will set the cat amongst the pigeons tonight at its second annual gala, Runnin’ Wild. Below, a video collage of our splenderific guests by way of introduction.
Jim Dale is a Tony Award-winning actor, playwright, voice artist, and much more. He is the voice of the Harry Potter audiobooks in the States, the star of eleven films in Britain’s classic Carry On series, and a highly acclaimed Broadway star of both musicals and dramas. His one-man show Just Jim Dale is set to transfer to London’s West End in May. Read our interview with Jim about his seven decades in showbiz, and check out his 1966 hit song “Georgy Girl,” as performed by The Seekers, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award.
Simon Doonan is the Creative Ambassador for Barneys New York, and the writer of several hilarious fashion books and memoirs. Read our review of his latest, The Asylum: True Tales of Madness From a Life in Fashion, which comes out in paperback from Blue Rider Press next month. In this video, Simon talks about the time he was invited to design the holiday decorations for the White House during the first Obama administration.
A veteran of television production and writing, with a resumé that includes The Cosby Show, Suddenly Susan, and Linc’s, Susan Fales-Hill has more recently authored a memoir, Always Wear Joy, about her mother, and two novels — One Flight Up and Imperfect Bliss (click to read our review). Here, she talks to Isaac Mizrahi about the seductive power of reality TV and the men in her life.
A mainstay on the American stage and screen for more than thirty years now, Stephen Lang is perhaps best known as Colonel Miles Quaritch in James Cameron’s Avatar (2009). Read our interview with Stephen, in which he discusses the metaphysics of acting and the forthcoming Avatar sequels, here. In this fascinating TED Talk, he talks about the inspirations behind his one-man show Beyond Glory, which he has performed hundreds of times since 2003.
Susan Minot first appeared at the House of SpeakEasy last February, coinciding with the publication of her latest novel, Thirty Girls. Her other novels include Monkeys, Rapture, and Evening. In this video she reveals her feelings about the short-story form and the origins of her writing career. “I liked the purpose [writing] served,” she says; “which was, it helped me understand what I was thinking.”
P.J. O’Rourke has long held the unofficial title of America’s premier satirist. From his days at National Lampoon, through books including Don’t Vote, It Just Encourages the Bastards and Give War A Chance, to his latest comic triumph, The Baby Boom: How It Got That Way And It Wasn’t My Fault And I’ll Never Do It Again, and his work at The Daily Beast, he has acted as something of a one-man fourth estate. P.J.’s greatest Baby Boomer? It may surprise you.
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