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The Leonard Lopate Show

Thursday, December 07, 2006
  • Darlene Love
    Darlene Love

    Pop Questions

    On today’s Underreported, we discuss Cuba’s foreign relations, and ask how investments from China and Latin America may affect Cuba after Fidel Castro's death. Then, Novelist Nick Hornby and playwright David Lindsay-Abaire talk about bringing High Fidelity—about the romantic struggles of a clueless pop music fanatic—to Broadway as a musical. Plus, Darlene Love, one of the bestselling pop singers from the 1960s. And we explore the real story behind “blood diamonds.”

Underreported: China’s Investment in Cuba

On the first part of today's Underreported, Frederik Balfour, BusinessWeek’s Asia correspondent, talks about the extent of China’s investment in Cuba, and what it may mean for Cuba after Fidel Castro’s death.

Underreported: Cuba and Latin America

On the second part of today's Underreported, Julia Sweig, the Nelson and David Rockefeller Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies and Director for Latin America Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, discusses Cuba’s relationship with other countries in Latin America, especially Venezuela and Nicaragua.

High Fidelity on Broadway

High Fidelity

Nick Hornby’s novel High Fidelity, about a clueless pop music fanatic’s struggles with love in the real world, became a bestseller. He’s here today with playwright David Lindsay-Abaire to talk about bringing High Fidelity to Broadway as a musical.

Love For the Holidays

Darlene Love, a singer responsible for some of pop music’s biggest hits in the 1960s, tells us about her upcoming show Love For the Holidays.”

Diamonds and Conflict

Blood diamonds (also called conflict diamonds) are gems that have been used to fund rebel groups in wars in Africa. Charmian Gooch from Global Witness and Amy O'Meara from Amnesty International USA's Business and Human Rights Program examine some of the most pressing issues surrounding the international diamond trade. Charmian Gooch’s work has helped to expose the role of diamonds in funding conflict, and led to the creation of an international diamond certification mechanism, the Kimberly Process. Amy O'Meara works to pressure governments and the diamond industry to address conflict diamonds.

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?