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The Leonard Lopate Show

Thursday, December 04, 2003
  • The Last Samurai, © 2003 Warner Brothers
    The Last Samurai

    Fight to the Death

    Edward Zwick, director of the recent release “The Last Samurai,” explains why he’s been fascinated by Japanese culture and films since he was a teenager. Maurice Tempelsman on combating AIDS in Africa. Colson Whitehead celebrates the day-to-day routines of life in New York City. And Mary Lea Bandy and Antonio Mondy talk about the idea of a hidden god in modernist art.

Edward Zwick

Edward Zwick talks about his film “The Last Samurai,” inspired by the true story of the life of Saigo Takamuri.

  • Music: The Last Samurai Soundtrack composer Hans Zimmer
  • Maurice Tempelsman

    Maurice Tempelsman, chairman of the International Advisory Council of the Harvard AIDS Institute, on the fight against AIDS in Africa.

  • Music: Philip Glass “Metamorphosis-5 and 2”
  • Colson Whitehead

    According to Colson Whitehead, "no matter how long you have been here, you are a New Yorker the first time you say, That used to be Munsey's, or That used to be the Tic Toc Lounge... when what was there before is more real and solid than what is here now." His new book is The Colossus of New York: A City in Thirteen Parts.

  • Music: Milt Hilton Laughing at Life “Jon John” “Just Friends”
  • Mary Lea Bandy and Antonio Mondy

    Mary Lea Bandy and Antonio Mondy are the organizers of “The Hidden God: Film and Faith.” It’s a film program opening at MoMA December 4, 2003, and running through February 27, 2004.

  • Music: Meet Joe Black Soundtrack composer Thomas Newman
  • Tributes: Jeanne-Claude

    The Leonard Lopate Show

    Jeanne-Claude created environmental works of art with her husband and fellow-conspirator/collaborator Christo. Together, they wrapped the Reichstag in Berlin, the Pont-Neuf in Paris, and created The Gates, with billowy orange drapes, in Central Park. Jeanne-Claude just died at the age of 74. You can hear Leonard Lopate’s last interview with them both, from July 19, 1999.

    Let’s Go Swimming!

    The Leonard Lopate Show

    According to the Centers for Disease Control, bacterial, viral, and parasitic organisms found in recreational water in the United States sicken thousands of people every year, and even result in deaths. We’ll speak with chemist and industrial hygienist Monona Rossol about the protozoa, amoebas and other things that love to go swimming with us. Monona is also founder and President of Arts, Crafts and Theater Safety.

    Frank McCourt

    The Leonard Lopate Show

    Frank McCourt has been a guest many times on this show over the years, starting in 1996 for the memoir, Angela’s Ashes, that would earn him a Pulitzer Prize. Fame came to him late in life, after he’d retired at the age of 65 from teaching English and creative writing at public schools here in New York. He was a sweet, eloquent man who spoke with grace and humility; he just died at the age of 78 after a battle with cancer. You can hear him speaking with Leonard Lopate for his Survival Kit in 2000, and in 2005, for his memoir, Teacher Man.

    Science and Faith

    The Leonard Lopate Show

    Earlier this week, Pres. Obama announced that he plans to nominate geneticist Dr. Francis Collins to lead the National Institutes of Health. You can listen to Leonard’s 2006 conversation with Dr. Collins about how he reconciles his personal faith with his professional scientific knowledge.

    FDA to Regulate Tobacco?

    The Leonard Lopate Show

    May 14, 2009
    Congress is getting ready to a vote on whether to make tobacco subject to FDA regulation. You can listen to a segment we did in May about the bill and what it would mean for the cigarette companies.

    Our 3-ingredient Challenge wins a James Beard Award

    The Leonard Lopate Show

    On May 3, the Lopate Show won its third James Beard Award for our 3-ingredient challenge. In August, we asked our listeners to call in and name 3 ingredients and then challenged New York chef and 3-ingredient expert Rozanne Gold to whip up a recipe! You can listen to the 3-ingredient challenge and get some inspiration for simple, delicious, and unexpected dishes.

    Leonard is on Facebook

    Now Leonard is on Facebook! We’re posting photos, status updates, links to notable interviews, and lots more. Check it out.

    Barack Obama, Circa 2004

    The Leonard Lopate Show

    Listen to President-Elect Barack Obama on the Leonard Lopate Show in November 2004. He had recently won a seat in the U.S. Senate, and only a few months before, his rousing speech during the 2004 Democratic National Convention catapulted him into the national spotlight.