Oh the People You'll Meet!

Thursday on DaySide:

We'll have the day's latest breaking news (Scott Peterson included), plus some interesting interviews:

Cuba Gooding Jr. — In an age when we see WAY too many pampered, whiny stars, here is one who is taking Thursday to do a good deed and give of himself. Radical! Too bad more celebs won't take up his challenge. Cuba will be with us live — I'm waiting til the show tomorrow to reveal his good deed.

Also on DaySide: The Smartest Person in the World — or so he thinks. AJ Jacobs, an "Esquire" magazine and NPR commentator, decided to read the WHOLE Encyclopedia Britannica (search) and lay claim to the title of "Smartest Person in the World". Along the way, he wrote a book about all the strange, often hilarious, obscure information he found — so I've invited AJ to the studio to download some of this trivia for all of us wannabe brainiacs. (He's bringing books for the studio audience, so c'mon over to the studio if you're in the New York area!)

Plus, on a more serious note, we'll have an interview with a person involved in the case of a Florida school teacher accused of sexually abusing her young student. Debra Lafave (search) is the teacher; she's accused of having sex with her 14 year-old student. Now Ms. Lafave's attorney has declared she will use an insanity defense — claiming Lafave was so upset over her sister's death that she engaged in a sexual relationship with her pupil. Do you accept this as a defense? Is it plausible? Or just an effort to avoid taking responsibility for abusing a child? (Each of the five felony charges against Lafave carries a maximum 15 year prison term.) Send your comments to dayside@foxnews.com

By the way, if you have questions, etc. for Cuba Gooding or AJ Jacobs, they're game to answer them on the air, so e-mail away to the above address!

See you on the air,

Linda

Watch "DaySide with Linda Vester" weekdays at 1 p.m. ET

Send your comments to dayside@foxnews.com.