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The Leonard Lopate Show

Friday, April 04, 2008
  • MLK
    Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (discoverblackheritage/flickr)

    King Remembered

    We honor the memory of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., on the 40th anniversary of his death. Also: Anika Noni Rose, now starring in the new revival of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." Elisa Albert on her debut novel, The Book of Dahlia. And Please Explain is all about crying!

Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr.

We honor the memory of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the 40th anniversary of his death. Civil rights photographer Bob Adelman and National Book Award winning novelist and essayist Charles Johnson have collaborated on several books about Dr. King, including Mine Eyes Have Seen and King.

Event: Rudy Dee will be reading Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Beyond Vietnam” speech at an exhibition featuring images of Dr. King by Bob Adelman
Friday, April 4 at 6 pm
Westwood Gallery
568 Broadway (corner of Prince Street)
To attend, call (212) 925-5700

Weigh in: Share your memories of Dr. King. Did you ever meet him? What do you remember about seeing him on TV or reading about him in the papers?

Slideshow: Images of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Anika Noni Rose in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”

Anika Noni Rose plays Southern seductress Maggie in the new revival of Tennessee Williams’ “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” James Earl Jones, Phylicia Rashad, and Terrence Howard co-star.

Event: “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” is at the Broadhurst Theatre
235 West 44th Street (between 7th and 8th Avenues)
For tickets, call (212) 239-2969 or (888) 268-2020; or go here.


If you can't see the video click here

“Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” website

The Book of Dahlia

Elisa Albert’s debut novel is The Book of Dahlia. The main character, Dahlia, is a 29-year-old pot-smoking underachiever who finds out she has brain cancer.

Event: Elisa Albert will be speaking and signing books
Sunday, April 6 at 7 pm
KGB Bar
85 East 4th Street (between 2nd Avenue and Bowery)

Please Explain: Crying

Get out your tissues - Please Explain is all about crying. What are tears made of? How did crying evolve? Is it a uniquely human phenomenon? Does it have health benefits? Vassar psychology professor Randy Cornelius has been developing an evolutionary theory of weeping that focuses on tears. Tom Lutz, director of the MFA in Creative Writing and Writing for Performance program at UC-Riverside Palm Desert, is the author of Crying: The Natural and Cultural History of Tears.

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?