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The Leonard Lopate Show

Friday, June 24, 2005
  • March of the Penguins (Jérôme Maison)
    March of the Penguins (Jérôme Maison. © 2005 Bonne Pioche Productions / Alliance De Production Cinématographique)

    The Perils of Love

    Comedian Robert Klein exposes the humorous side of his adolescent adventures in the Bronx in The Amorous Busboy of Decatur Avenue. Then, The Great Throwdini and Ekaterina describe the trust and skill needed to perform their knife-throwing act. Luc Jacquet, the director of “March of the Penguins,” tells us about the harrowing annual journey emperor penguins make across a very harsh stretch of Antarctica in order to mate. Finally, in our weekly Please Explain feature, we turn our attention to airplanes.

The Amorous Busboy of Decatur Avenue

Comedian Robert Klein has made a name for himself with his own patented brand of observational humor. He shares some of his most amusing observations from the first 25 years of his life, learning about sex, relationships, and work in the 1950s and 1960s. His memoir is The Amorous Busboy of Decatur Avenue.

Events:
Robert Klein will be performing on:
Saturday, June 25th at 8pm
White Plains Performing Art Center
11 City Place, White Plains, NY
Tickets: $40-$45
Box Office: 888-977-2250
» WPPAC website

Music: Music from “Jump Start and Jazz,” two ballets by Wynton Marsalis, tracks “Tick-Tock” and “Slow Drag”

Maximum Risk

The Great Throwdini and target girl Ekaterina discuss the intricacies of impalement arts—from throwing backhanded and blindfolded, to trying to break the world record for fastest knife-throwing.

» The Great Throwdini's website
» More about the Maximum Risk show at the Soho Playhouse
» The Great Throwdini's knives are handmade by Harry Monroe
» The Great Throwdini is a member of the Knife Throwers Hall of Fame

Events:
The Great Throwdini and Ekaterina perform in the variety show Maximum Risk each Monday night in the SoHo Playhouse, at 15 Van Dam St., at 8 pm.
Fellow performers include Chris McDaniel, bullwhip artist and Texas Skip World Champion.
For tickets and info, call 212-691-1555 or go to maximumriskonline.com

Music: “The Elephant Man” Soundtrack, composed by John Morris, tracks “Train Station” and “The Belgian Circus Episode”

March of the Penguins

Every year emperor penguins travel across hundreds of miles of icy terrain in Antarctica to mate and raise their young. Director Luc Jacquet documents their arduous journey in a new film: "March of the Penguins."

» "March of the Penguins" website

Music: “Oscar and Lucinda” soundtrack, track “One Obsessive”

Please Explain: Airplanes and Flying

In today’s Please Explain feature, Patrick Smith, author of Ask the Pilot, demystifies commercial flight—from what it’s like for pets in the hold, to what turbulence is, to why you have to turn off electronic devices during take-off.

» Please Explain series

Music: “Sonatine” Soundtrack, track #6 and 1

Patrick Swayze

The Leonard Lopate Show

Patrick Swayze mixed grace with athleticism in his movies – and rose to stardom with roles in “Dirty Dancing” and “Ghost.” He died just recently after a battle with pancreatic cancer. And you can hear his interview with Leonard Lopate from July 16, 2002, when he came by to discuss appearing in the film, “Green Dragon.”

The Silver Anniversary of the Silver Palate

The Leonard Lopate Show

Sheila Lukins was one half of a partnership that helped popularize gourmet cooking throughout America – first, through their gourmet food shop in New York City and then with the cookbook, The Silver Palate, which remains one of the top-selling cookbooks of all time. She collaborated on 2 other cookbooks that simplified gourmet cooking for the home cook. She died recently from brain cancer at the age of 66, and you can listen to her 2007 conversation with Leonard Lopate and her business partner Julee Rosso about the 25th Anniversary of the publication of The Silver Palate.

Dominick Dunne

The Leonard Lopate Show

Dominick Dunne was a famous novelist and Hollywood producer. But he may be best remembered for covering trials of the rich and famous – from Claus von Bulow to O. J. Simpson. He died just recently at the age of 83. But you can still hear his interview with Leonard from November 23, 2001, when he was discussing crimes, trials, and punishments.

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.

Guest Picks

The Leonard Lopate Show

Find out surprising facts about some recent guests on the Leonard Lopate Show. Check out our Guest Picks section! Did you know that football star Herschel Walker loves Judge Judy, Laurie Anderson is a big fan of agility training for dogs, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi likes Johnny Depp?