A Fine Line between Stupid and Clever

About the Author

Rob Reiner, a two-time Emmy–winning actor for his role in the landmark television series, All in the Family, is also the acclaimed director of This Is Spinal Tap, Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Misery, A Few Good Men, The American President, Ghosts of Mississippi, and The Bucket List. He recently directed the Emmy–nominated documentary Albert Brooks: Defending my Life, and the sequel to This Is Spinal Tap. As a dedicated political activist, he spearheaded a tobacco tax initiative in California to fund early childhood development and chaired the state commission to oversee its implementation. In 2008, he cofounded The American Foundation For Equal Rights, which paved the way for marriage equality nationwide. Christopher Guest is a director, actor, and musician. His films include This is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, The Big Picture, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration, and Mascots. For the National Lampoon his albums include Radio Dinner, Gold Turkey, Goodbye Pop, That’s Not Funny That’s Sick, and Lemmings. He has appeared as a cast member on Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell and the other Saturday Night Live. He has one Emmy, one Grammy, and one Grand Clio award. He is a recipient of an honorary doctorate from The Berklee College of Music. Michael McKean is an accomplished artist with a career spanning six decades as an actor, musician, songwriter, screenwriter, director, producer, and television host. His theater credits on Broadway and elsewhere include Hairspray, The Pajama Game, The Homecoming, Superior Donuts, The Best Man, All the Way, The Little Foxes, and currently on Broadway in Glengarry Glen Ross. His television credits include Laverne & Shirley, Saturday Night Live, Good Omens, Breeders, The Diplomat, The X-Files, and more, as well as Better Call Saul, for which he was nominated for an Emmy. His many film credits include Young Doctors in Love, Used Cars, Clue, Light of Day, The Brady Bunch Movie, True Crime, Best in Show, This is Spinal Tap, its upcoming sequel Spinal Tap: The End Continues, and others. Michael and his wife, Annette O’Toole, were nominated for an Academy Award for their song  “A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow” from Christopher Guest’s A Mighty Wind, and he won a Grammy alongside Guest and Eugene Levy for the film’s title track. Michael lives in Los Angeles and New York and wherever his next adventure takes him. Known to millions for his voices on The Simpsons, Harry Shearer is an actor, author, director, musician, broadcaster, humorist, and voiceover artist. His films include This Is Spinal Tap, The Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration, The Fisher King, and The Truman Show and, as a writer and director, The Big Uneasy and Teddy Bears’ Picnic. His TV appearances include The Jack Benny Program, Saturday Night Live, and Nixon’s the One. His long-running radio program Le Show recently became part of The Library of Congress archives. He also has a musical, Here Comes J Edgar; a novel, Not Enough Indians, and five albums of satirical songs to his name.