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The Leonard Lopate Show

Thursday, August 23, 2007
  • UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow with refugees in Darfur
    UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow with refugees in Darfur (UNICEF)

    Trading Places

    Mia Farrow recently offered her own freedom in exchange for that of an imprisoned Darfuri rebel. On today's Underreported, she talks about why she thinks the rest of the world needs to pay more attention to the atrocities of Darfur. Also on Underreported: abuses against women migrant workers in Saudi Arabia. Then, Ethan Hawke talks about why it took ten years to adapt his debut novel for the silver screen. Plus: jazz musician Chico Hamilton, who's still going strong at age 85. And Tom Ricks shares his predictions for what General Petraeus will say to Congress about Iraq this September.

Underreported: Darfuri Women’s Stories, As Told By Mia Farrow

Mia Farrow, actor and UN Goodwill Ambassador, feels so strongly about ending the atrocities in Darfur that she recently offered her own freedom in exchange for that of an imprisoned Darfuri rebel. Ms. Farrow just returned from another trip to Chad, where she met with Darfuri women in refugee camps. On the first part of Underreported, she tells us about the women that begged her to tell the rest of the world their stories, in the hopes that hearing about the horrific abuses they've lived through would urge the rest of the world to bring an end to the atrocities in Darfur.

Underreported: Women Migrant Workers in Saudi Arabia

Approximately 2 million women from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and other countries work as migrant domestics in Saudi Arabia. They are routinely underpaid, overworked, confined to the workplace, or subject to verbal, physical, and sexual abuse. And two Indonesian women were recently killed by their employers. On the second part of Underreported, Nisha Varia of Human Rights Watch speaks with Leonard about her recent trip to Saudi Arabia where she interviewed some of these domestic workers, and how the Saudi government should reform immigrant sponsorship laws.

Ethan Hawke

Ethan Hawke Writes and Directs “The Hottest State”

Ethan Hawke joins Leonard to discuss writing, directing, and co-starring in the film adaptation of his own novel of the same name, “The Hottest State.” It’s a movie that distills all the emotional highs and lows of first love.

Events: “The Hottest State” opens on August 24 at the Landmark Sunshine Cinema and the Clearview Chelsea Cinemas

A Life Spent Playing with Jazz’s Greats

Chico Hamilton has played with Charles Mingus, Lionel Hampton, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie. At 85, Mr. Hamilton will be playing at this weekend’s Charlie Parker Jazz Festival – two days of free music in Marcus Garvey Park and Tompkins Square Park.

Events: Chico Hamilton will be playing Saturday, August 25
Marcus Garvey Park, 124th Street (at Mt. Morris Park)
Tickets are FREE

Learn more about the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival here

Fiasco in Iraq

Fiasco leaves no doubt as to how Washington Post military reporter, Thomas Ricks, feels about the war in Iraq. Released a year ago, the book’s damning history of the war was a force in transforming the public perception of US involvement in Iraq. Fiasco has just been released in paperback and it includes a new postscript looking back on the past year.

Fiasco is available for purchase at amazon.com

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?