Smallscreen News

Maher hosts Brooks, Brown, Page and Rendell on Real Time, Friday

By April MacIntyre Mar 24, 2011, 1:10 GMT

07/13/2010 - Ellen Page - "Inception" Los Angeles Premiere - Arrivals - Grauman\'s Chinese Theatre - Hollywood, CA, USA © Chris Hatcher / PR Photos

Bill Maher's Friday night chatter continues as March 25 features some excellent guests.

The roundtable guests this week are New York Times columnist David Brooks, editor Tina Brown and former Pa. Gov. Ed Rendell.  Actress Ellen Page is an interview guest.

David Brooks' new book "The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character and Achievement" (Random House) is about the human unconscious. Brooks concludes that the unconscious has an image problem - rather than a deep dark place where even therapists fear to tread, the unconscious is our ablest ally on the battlefield of life.

Ellen Page co-stars with Rainn Wilson and Liv Tyler for their new film 'Super,' a super-hero film, directed by James Gunn, screened earlier this month at the South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. It hits theaters April 1.

Former Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA) spoke out about cutting the budget given to schools as an "assault on public education."

"We're not increasing business taxes to share the pain, but we're cutting business taxes. We're giving corporations, many of whom don't need it, tax breaks and we're punishing children," Rendell said.

The Daily Beast's Tina Brown recently assumed the helm of Newsweek.

Brown is also hosted (March 10) her second Women in the World summit in New York City, featuring a guest lineup of female "world shakers."

The show continues on Friday March 25, (10:00-11:00 p.m. live ET/tape-delayed PT), exclusively on HBO, with an instant replay at 11:00 p.m. following the live presentation.  Allowing Maher to offer his unique perspective on contemporary issues, the show includes an opening monologue, roundtable discussions with panelists, and interviews with in-studio and satellite guests.

Other HBO playdates:  March 27 (noon, 3:20 a.m.) 28 (8:00 p.m.) and 30 (11:00 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates:  March 25 (1:55 a.m.), 26 (9:00 a.m., 12:05 a.m.), 27 (7:00 p.m.) and 29 (10:00 p.m.)

A favorite of subscribers since his first special on the network in 1989, Maher has starred in nine solo specials on HBO, including the hour-long presentations “Bill Maher…But I’m Not Wrong,” “The Decider” and “I’m Swiss” (both nominated for an Emmy® in the Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special category), “Victory Begins at Home,” “Be More Cynical,” “The Golden Goose Special” and “Stuff That Struck Me Funny,” and two half-hour stand-up specials, plus the HBO specials “30 Seconds Over Washington” and “Comic Relief VI™.”

His most recent book, “New Rules:  Polite Musings from a Timid Observer,” made the New York Times best seller list, as well as best seller lists across the country.  He is also author of the books “When You Ride Alone You Ride with Bin Laden:  What the Government Should Be Telling Us to Help Fight the War on Terrorism,” “Does Anybody Have a Problem with That?  The Best of Politically Incorrect” and the novel “True Story.”  Maher also starred in the 2008 feature film “Religulous,” the seventh most successful documentary of all time.