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The Leonard Lopate Show

Friday, December 02, 2005
  • Ballet Russes
    Ballet Russes

    Painful Subjects

    On today's show, one man’s disturbing account of how he was wrongly imprisoned in Saudi Arabia—where he was beaten and tortured for 2 ½ years. Then, we'll hear about two new documentaries. The first is a look at the intrigues of the Ballet Russes dance company. The second explores the troubled life of singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt. And finally, on our regular Please Explain feature, we'll try to understand pain.

Confessions of an Innocent Man

William Sampson was recently freed from a Saudi jail. While working in Riyadh, the Canadian engineer was wrongly imprisoned for 2 ½ years. He tells his disturbing story of being beaten and tortured in a new book, Confessions of an Innocent Man: Torture and Survival In a Saudi Prison.

Ballet Russes

Filmmakers Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller tell us about their new documentary "Ballets Russes" about a dance company that some credit with changing the face of dance in the twentieth century. They're joined by Frederick Franklin, a former ballet master of the Ballets Russes.

» "Ballet Russes" film website

Music: EMI, Tchaikovsky Symphony 5: disc 2 track 3
Sony Classical, Leonard Bernstein and the NY Philharmonic: track 5

Be Here to Love Me

Bob Dylan and Steve Earle are fans. And Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard had a number one hit with Townes Van Zandt's "Pancho and Lefty." But the man that many musicians count as the best singer-songwriter of all time, never had a hit himself. A new documentary, "Be Here to Love Me," explores the life of the troubled artist.

» More on "Be Here to Love Me"

Music: Tomato records, Townes van Zandt, Be Here to Love Me: disc 1 track 5, disc 2 track 8

pain

Please Explain: Pain

What is pain? And why is it necessary? On today's edition of Please Explain, we'll find out what goes on in our brains and bodies when something hurts us. Joining us are Dr. Michael Salter, Director of University of Toronto Centre for Study of Pain, and Dr. Michael Weinberger, associate clinical professor of anesthesiology at Columbia University, and Director of the Pain Management Center at Columbia- Presbyterian Hospital.

» Please Explain series

Music: Sonatine track 1 and track 6

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.

Video Pick: Elizabeth Edwards

The Leonard Lopate Show

Elizabeth Edwards discusses how to best cope with lifes difficulties in her book Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Facing Life's Adversities.

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- Michael Pollan on Food Rules
- David Hare on Director Stephen Daldry
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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?