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The Leonard Lopate Show

Friday, October 19, 2007
  • Rosie Perez in "The Ritz" (Joan Marcus)
    Rosie Perez in "The Ritz" (Joan Marcus)

    Putting on the Ritz

    Playwright Terence McNally and actress Rosie Perez discuss the new Broadway revival of his 1975 comedy hit "The Ritz." And on today's Please Explain, we'll take the pulse of the human heart.

Putting on the Ritz

Rosie Perez made her Broadway debut five years ago in Terence McNally's "Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune." The Academy Award-nominated actress and the four-time Tony-winning playwright are back on Broadway this season with a revival of his 1975 hit “The Ritz,” a farce about a garbage man who hides out from a murderous mobster in the last place he'd look: a gay bathhouse.

"The Ritz" is playing at Studio 54, 254 West 54th Street, through December 9. Find out more about the production and purchase tickets here.

Please Explain: The Human Heart

Our hearts beat about 100,000 times every day, pumping our blood nearly 12,000 miles: the equivalent of crossing the U.S. from coast to coast four times. Today we'll find out how our most vital organ works, why it sometimes fails, and what we can do to keep it healthy. Send us your questions for Dr. Peter Libby, Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Professor at Harvard Medical School, and the chief medical advisor for the PBS series “The Mysterious Heart."

Call us at 212-433-WNYC or post your questions and comments here.

“The Mysterious Human Heart” airs nationwide on Monday, October 22 at 9pm (check local listings).

Find more information, use interactive features, and view all the complete episodes of the series online here.

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.