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The Leonard Lopate Show

Friday, December 17, 2004
  • Beyond the Sea
    Beyond the Sea

    In Search of...

    Kevin Spacey discusses his reincarnation of Bobby Darin in the new film "Beyond the Sea." Then, Martin Kemp takes a close look at the many interests of Leonardo da Vinci, and attempts to unlock the motivations behind his work, in a new biography: Leonardo. Michael Lomonaco, who has served as executive chef at 21 Club and Windows on the World, pays tribute to the art of spontaneous cooking with Nightly Specials. And in our weekly Please Explain feature, we’ll explore the world of search engines: how do they work, and how are they evolving?

The Life of Bobby Darrin

Kevin Spacey on playing Bobby Darin in "Beyond the Sea."

» Visit the film's website

Music: Soundtrack to Beyond the Sea, Kevin Spacey with John Wilson & the Orchestra: "Beyond the Sea" / "Mack the Knife" / "Simple Song of Freedom" / "Hello Young Lovers"

Renaissance Man

Martin Kemp on the great Leonardo.

Music: La Favola di Orfeo, Huelgas Ensemble: "Intomessa," Anonymous / "Intomessa," Filippo de Lurano

Inspired Cooking

Chef Michael Lomonaco on the art of preparing Nightly Specials.

Music: Jump Start & Jazz, Wynton Marsalis: "Slow Drag" / "Habanera"

Please Explain Search Engines

Our weekly feature, Please Explain takes on the subject of search engines. Dr. Elizabeth Liddy, a Professor in the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University and Director of its Center for Natural Language Processing, is considered to be one of the pioneers in search engine research. She’s joined by Michael Specter, a New Yorker staff writer since 1998, who has written about search engines for the magazine.

» More on Elizabeth Liddy
» More on the Please Explain series

Music: Soundtrack to Sonatine, music by Joe Hisaishi

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.