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The Leonard Lopate Show
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laughingsquid/flickrPolitical Idealism Lives On
Politics can be nasty, but many Americans still yearn for idealism in our elected leaders. The latest in our Political Projections film series takes a look at political idealism in Hollywood. Also: the rags-to-riches story of the bin Laden family. Kurt Vonnegut’s son, Mark Vonnegut, talks about his father’s life and work. And we hear about how Obama, McCain, and Clinton pop up in our dreams!
The Bin Laden Family
Mohamed bin Laden started as a bricklayer for an American oil company in the 1930s; he went on to build a family fortune as the official construction company of the Saudi Royal family. He also fathered 54 children, one of whom is Osama bin Laden. Pulitzer Prize-winner Steve Coll writes about the rags-to-riches bin Laden story in a new book, The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century.
Event: Steve Coll will be speaking and signing books
Wednesday, April 2 at 7:30 pm
Lincoln Square Barnes & Noble
1972 Broadway (at 66th Street)
Listen to Steve Coll talk about the history of the CIA in Afghanistan (Lopate Show, March 2004)
Kurt Vonnegut in Retrospect
Kurt Vonnegut’s son, Mark Vonnegut, talks about his father’s life and work. Armageddon in Retrospect is a new collection of twelve unpublished writings of Kurt Vonnegut on war and peace.
Event: Mark Vonnegut will be speaking and signing books
Tuesday, April 1 at 7 pm
Tribeca Barnes & Noble
97 Warren Street (at Greenwich Street)
Listen to Kurt Vonnegut talk about A Man Without a Country on the Lopate Show in September 2005
How to Save Money on Education
College tuition is getting more and more expensive. Neil Siegel, author of Don’t Save For College, Save Yourself, shares some tips on how to save money on your child’s education.
American Unity
It’s time to move beyond partisan politics, says Joseph Nilats, senior fellow at the American Unity Project. He has some ideas on how the U.S. electorate can become more unified.
Dream Presidential Candidates
Have Obama, McCain, or Clinton ever popped up in your dreams? A new blog project, the Metaphysical Poll, publishes readers’ dreams about the current crop of presidential candidates. Writer and Metaphysical Poll founder Sheila Heti tells us about some of the dreams, and whether she thinks we can read anything meaningful into the candidates’ cameos in dreams.
Read about and submit candidate dreams at the Metaphysical Poll website
More about Sheila Heti
Political Projections: Political Idealism in Hollywood
Politics is often a dirty business. But many Americans still yearn for political idealism. Tune in to our latest Political Projections on Tuesday, April 1st, when we look into how idealistic politicians have been depicted in film over the years. Joseph McBride is Assistant Professor of cinema at San Francisco State University and author of Frank Capra: The Catastrophe of Success. Kerry Tymchuk has worked for the past 11 years as State Director for United States Senator Gordon Smith of Oregon. He also worked for six years as Director of Speechwriting and Counsel to then-US Senate Republican Leader Bob Dole.
Also, you can watch the films we’ve selected and weigh in on the conversation by posting your reactions below. We may incorporate your comments into the on air discussion.
The three films are:
"Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1938) – Frank Capra’s classic comedy-drama came at a time when Americans were growing weary with government. Jimmy Stewart plays the quintessential good-natured hero who tries to overcomes backroom Senate politics.
"State of the Union" (1948) – Frank Capra directed this story of an aircraft tycoon who is coerced into seeking the Republican presidential nomination. After being corrupted by Washington power brokers, he recognizes his dishonesty and publicly apologizes to the nation.
"The American President" (1995) – Rob Reiner directed this earnest and idealistic story about an unabashedly liberal Democratic President who’s faced with Republican smear tactics and a conflict between his public and personal life.
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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.”
- Comments [1]
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.
Video Pick: The J.D. Allen Trio
The Leonard Lopate Show
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
