Michael Moore to headline UB speaker series, begins Sept. 29

Controversial and Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Michael Moore will open the 21st season of the University at Buffalo's Distinguished Speakers Series for 2007-08 on Sept. 29.

All lectures in the series will take place at 8 p.m. in Alumni Arena, North Campus, unless otherwise noted.

"Our Distinguished Speakers Series - now in its 21st year - has proven to be an ideal forum for addressing the ideas, questions and debates that shape our world, and this year's lineup is no exception," UB President John Simpson said. "Each of these lectures is an opportunity to engage these issues directly with the public intellectuals, artists, and civic leaders driving those conversations today, and each promises to be an unforgettable experience we're proud to share with our larger community."

Ishmael Beah, author of this year's UB Reads selection, "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier," will speak Oct. 24. Lecture sponsor is the Division of Student Affairs.

Economist Steven Levitt, who with journalist Stephen Dubner authored the bestseller "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything," will speak Nov. 14.

Harold Ford Jr., chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council, a nonprofit corporation promoting a moderate/conservative platform within the Democratic Party, will be the keynote speaker for the 32nd Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration Event, to be held Feb. 7 in the Mainstage theater in the Center for the Arts, North Campus. Lecture sponsor is the UB Minority Faculty and Staff Association.

Media maven Tina Brown will speak March 5 in the Center for the Arts. She is the author of the recently released "The Diana Chronicles," a biography of Princess Diana.

Tony and Emmy award-winning actor James Earl Jones will speak April 4 in the Center for the Arts. Jones is the UB Graduate Student Association "Choice Speaker". Lecture sponsor is Time Warner Cable Business Class.

Order forms for series subscriptions and individual lecture tickets may be downloaded at www. specialevents. buffalo. edu.

Subscriptions also may be purchased at the UB Alumni Arena box office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Individual lecture tickets will go on sale Sept. 4. Non-discounted tickets for Moore, Beah and Levitt will be available directly through Tickets.com, the Alumni Arena Box Office and at all Tops Friendly markets; non-discounted tickets for the Ford, Brown and Jones lectures will be available through Ticketmaster and the UB Center for the Arts box office.

For more information, visit www. specialevents. buffalo. edu.