Portman, Schreiber, Fisher & More Confirmed for NY Times Arts & Leisure Weekend 1/7 - 1/10

The New York Times announced today the ninth annual Arts & Leisure Weekend, Jan. 7 to 10. The Times's signature event is a four-day celebration of the arts featuring TimesTalks interviews between New York Times journalists and celebrated guests from film, media, music, television and theater.

This year's guests include: the star of the new film "Crazy Heart," Jeff Bridges interviewed by Lynn Hirschberg; the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash interviewed by Jon Pareles; best-selling crime novel authors Lee Child ("Gone Tomorrow") and Carol O'Connell ("Bone by Bone") interviewed by Janet Maslin; Tony Award-winning actor Alan Cumming interviewed by Patrick Healy; the director and star of the award-winning new indie film "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push' by Sapphire," Lee Daniels and Gabourey Sidibe interviewed by Lynn Hirschberg; NBC late-night talk show host Jimmy Fallon interviewed by Bill Carter; the author and star of the autobiographical Broadway show "Wishful Drinking," Carrie Fisher interviewed by David Carr; Pulitzer Prize-winning playwrights Beth Henley, Donald Margulies and John Patrick Shanley interviewed by Robin Pogrebin; the top talent from Bravo's hit television reality show "Top Chef," Padma Lakshmi, Eric Ripert and Gail Simmons interviewed by Frank Bruni; Academy Award-nominated actor James McAvoy interviewed by Melina Ryzik; "All My Children" creator and head writer Agnes Nixon, actors Rebecca Budig, Susan Lucci, Cameron Mathison, Debbi Morgan and executive producer Julie Hanan Carruthers discussing the 40th anniversary of the groundbreaking daytime drama with Jacques Steinberg; the star of Jim Sheridan's film "Brothers," Natalie Portman; the star of the upcoming Broadway revival of Arthur Miller's "A View From the Bridge," Liev Schreiber; the Grammy Award-winning musical director and band leader for the "Late Show With David Letterman," Paul Shaffer interviewed by Jon Pareles; performers from Cirque du Soleil "Banana Shpeel" with writer-director David Shiner and choreographer Jared Grimes interviewed by Jason Zinoman; and more to be announced.

"We are thrilled to be presenting Arts & Leisure Weekend for its ninth incredible year," said Yasmin Namini, senior vice president, marketing and circulation, The New York Times. "This four-day weekend comprises special one-of-a-kind conversations between many preeminent artists and our great journalists. Along with our sponsors, we welcome everyone to join us at TheTimesCenter for this year's celebration of the Arts."

For additional information or to purchase advance tickets, which are $30 for each interview plus a service fee, please call: 1.888.NYT.1870 or visit www.ArtsAndLeisureWeekend.com. All TimesTalks are held at The TimesCenter, 242 West 41st Street, New York City.

The Times will offer an Access Pass to a select number of New York City museums offering two-for-one admissions throughout the weekend. The Pass will be published in The New York Times and available along with a detailed list of participating museums at www.ArtsAndLeisureWeekend.com.

This year's Lead Sponsors are Viceroy Hotels and Resorts, Vaseline® Sheer InfusionTM and HBO. NYU School of Continuing Professional Studies is the Corporate Sponsor. WNYC Radio is the Media Sponsor. Companies interested in advertising opportunities for Arts & Leisure Weekend should contact their New York Times account manager or Cheryl DeSimone (212) 556-7408; desimc@nytimes.com.

Arts & Leisure Weekend was originally established in 2001 to mark The Times's 150th anniversary.

The New York Times Company, a leading media company with 2008 revenues of $2.9 billion, includes The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, 15 other daily newspapers and more than 50 Web sites, including NYTimes.com, Boston.com and About.com. The Company's core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news, information and entertainment.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / Retna Ltd.