Hayao Miyazaki is one of Japan's most beloved animation directors. In 2005 he was awarded the Venice International Film Festival's Golden Lion Award for Lifetime Achievement, and his Studio Ghibli received the festival's Osella Award for overall achievement in 2004. Miyazaki's films include Spirited Away, winner of the 2002 Academy AwardA(R) for Best Animated Feature Film, as well as Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, and Ponyo, all of which have received great acclaim in the U.S. Miyazaki's other achievements include the highly regarded manga series NausicaA of the Valley of the Wind and Starting Point: 1979-1996, a collection of essays, interviews, and memoirs that chronicle his early career and the development of his theories of animation. Both are published in English by VIZ Media. "

Claire Danes is a multiple Emmy and Golden Globe Award winning actress. Her many celebrated performances include Homeland s Carrie Mathison and starring roles in the films Romeo+Juliet, Shopgirl, and Temple Grandin. She shares a SAG nomination with the cast of The Hours. She narrated Michael Cunningham s "The Snow Queen "andMargaret Atwood s "A Handmaid s Tale", which won an Audie for fiction.

Billy Bob Thornton is an actor, screenwriter, director, and musician. In the early 1990s, he wrote, directed, and starred in the independent film Sling Blade, for which he won an Academy Award(r) for best adapted screenplay and was nominated for best actor. Thornton is a three-time Academy Award(r) nominee and his body of work includes A Simple Plan, Monster's Ball, The Alamo, Friday Night Lights, The Man Who Wasn't There, Bandits, and Bad Santa. Thornton began a career as a singer-songwriter in his early teens and has released seven albums. He is currently a drummer vocalist in the Boxmasters. He resides in Los Angeles.

Kinky Friedman is an author, musician, defender of strays, cigar smoker, and the Governor of the Heart of Texas.

Gillian Anderson is an award-winning film, television, and theater actor and producer, writer, and activist. She currently lives in London with her daughter and two sons.