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Tavis Smiley kicks off season with Sandra Bullock, Tobey Maguire on Jan. 11

By April MacIntyre Jan 9, 2010, 5:36 GMT

Sandra Bullock having a laugh with pal George Lopez © Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos

Tavis Smiley kicks off his season with box-office champ Sandra Bullock, Tobey Maguire and veteran actor Alan Alda - all featured guests in the first week of "Tavis Smiley" Season 7 on PBS.

Smiley's talk show begins on Monday, January 11, 2010, with conversations featuring politicians, actors, artists, athletes and newsmakers.

During his premiere week, Smiley hosts Sandra Bullock, recently named the top box office draw of 2009 and the first actress in Hollywood history to take a film (The Blind Side) past the $200 million mark.

He will also interview TV icon Alan Alda, actor Tobey Maguire, recently nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best Actor category for “Brothers,” musician Rosanne Cash, who will perform music from her critically acclaimed album, “The List,” and Bob Newhart, who is celebrating 50 years in show business. 

Additionally, the show will engage a conversation assessing President Obama's first year in office as we approach his inaugural State of the Union address.

Smiley enjoyed big name guests and high ratings for his biggest-ever sixth season, which featured exclusive interviews with the musician Prince, comedian and talk-show host Jay Leno, and a broad range of guests including Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, rapper and entrepreneur 50 Cent, and the co-founder of Twitter, Biz Stone.

“We’re extremely proud to enter into our seventh season on PBS,” says Neal Kendall, executive producer of the series. “Tavis is renowned for going beyond sound bites and talking points to bring viewers fascinating conversations, and we look forward to continuing that tradition.”

“By going into deeper discussions and continually questioning assumptions, Tavis and his guests engage us in an evolving dialogue about the world,” said John F. Wilson, PBS senior vice president and chief TV programming executive. “PBS is eager to further these conversations with a seventh season of Tavis Smiley.”

In 2009, Smiley was named to TIME magazine’s list of 100 “Most Influential People in the World.”