On Demand
The Leonard Lopate Show
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Brussels, Belgium (mambo1935/flickr)A Country With No Government
Belgium has been without a government since June. We discuss how that's affecting the ethnically divided country, and whether Belgians can expect to see a new government anytime soon. Also: a look at the events that shaped America's earliest years. The life of filmmaker Otto Preminger. And celebrated sculptor Martin Puryear!
We want your favorite holiday cookie recipe! On Dec. 11, we're hosting a Christmas cookie recipe swap. Dig up your favorite recipe and submit here.

Sculptor Martin Puryear at MoMA
Sculptor Martin Puryear is one of America’s most celebrated contemporary artists. John Elderfield curated the current survey of Martin Puryear’s work, now at MoMA until January 14, 2008.
Slideshow of Martin Puryear's work
Website for the Martin Puryear exhibition now at MoMA
The Events that Shaped the Formation of America
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Joseph Ellis looks at the events that shaped the United States’s earliest years, from Valley Forge to the Louisiana Purchase. Ellis’s new book is American Creation.
Event: Joseph Ellis will be in conversation with Richard Brookhiser
Thursday, November 29 at 6:30 pm
New York Historical Society
170 Central Park West (at 77th Street)
To purchase tickets and for more information, call (212) 868-4444
American Creation is available for purchase at amazon.com
The Life of Filmmaker Otto Preminger
Viennese-born filmmaker Otto Preminger (Porgy and Bess, Exodus, among others) earned a reputation for being temperamental and even abusive. But he had a surprisingly gentle side too. Foster Hirsch’s new biography is Otto Preminger: The Man Who Would Be King.
Event: Foster Hirsch will be in conversation with Margo Jefferson and Robert Kimball
Friday, November 30 at 7 pm
Lincoln Triangle Barnes & Noble
1972 Broadway (at 66th Street)
Otto Preminger is available for purchase at amazon.com
Update on Riots in France
After two nights of deadly rioting in Paris’s suburbs earlier this week, the situation seems to have calmed down for now. Michael Deibert, Paris correspondent for the Inter Press Service, tells us more about what caused the riots, and whether we can expect more.
Underreported: Why Belgium Has No Government
Belgium has been without a government since June. And there’s a movement afoot to split Belgium apart, into the Dutch-speaking Flanders region and French-speaking Wallonia. Journalist Robert Lane Greene of the Economist joins us for today’s Underreported.
Stairway to Health
Researchers in England recently posted cheery signs in a shopping mall encouraging shoppers to take the stairs instead of the escalator…and it worked. Dr. Francis Eves of the University of Birmingham explains how making stairwells look more inviting increases usage.
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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.
Video Pick: David Chang on Momofuku
The Leonard Lopate Show
Recent Videos:
- Arthur Schwartz on The Southern Italian Table
- David Plouffe on The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama’s Historic Victory
- Ken Auletta on Googled: The End of the World as We Know It
- Paul Shaffer on We’ll Be Here for the Rest of Our Lives: A Swingin' Show-Biz Saga
- George Steel on the New York City Opera’s new season
- Gail Collins on When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of Women from 1960 to the Present
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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.
- Comments [33]
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.
- Comments [1]
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.
- Comments [9]
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.
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