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Leaders, and having it all in our June 30 show

This variety-show appearance of the Shangri-Las is problematic on several levels, by today's standards.

This variety-show appearance of the Shangri-Las is problematic on several levels, by today's standards. The prim and proper outfits for a bunch of roughneck young ladies from Queens; the rude interruption of the "leader of the pack" himself (who looks like Bob Hope, but I can't tell for sure) and his loud motorcycle which keeps revving throughout the performance. The Shangri-Las, who have much fiercer performances of this same song, seem like they're there more to be laughed at than to be appreciated.

At the risk of being anecdotal, this may be a sign that expecting to be able to perform your song, be yourself, and do so without a laugh track was asking too much for a ladies' group in the 1960s. Translate that roughly to the professional environment of 2012, and the question remains. In the July/August edition of The Atlantic, Princeton professor Anne-Marie Slaughter less asks that question than states the answer in her much-trafficked and tweeted article, "Why Women Still Can't Have It All":

I still strongly believe that women can “have it all” (and that men can too). I believe that we can “have it all at the same time.” But not today, not with the way America’s economy and society are currently structured. My experiences over the past three years have forced me to confront a number of uncomfortable facts that need to be widely acknowledged—and quickly changed.

Melissa will tackle that question, and many more as they deal with not only gender politics, but Washington politics -- seeing as she'll also air, right off the bat, her interview with the former Speaker of the House, House Minority Leader (of the pack) Nancy Pelosi. We'll also profile a very special Foot Soldier, tackle daddy issues in the campaign, and talk about being black on Broadway with the star of "A Streetcar Named Desire," actor Blair Underwood.

Other guests include:

We hope that you interact with us during the show here in the comments of this post, on Facebook, and on Twitter, using the hashtag #nerdland -- and encourage others to do the same. (If you're in one of the areas of the U.S. without power this morning, don't fret -- visit out blog shortly after the show to find the video.) We look forward to having you join us at 10am ET on msnbc!