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The Leonard Lopate Show

Monday, October 27, 2008
  • Cherie Blair
    (Photo by JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)

    Balancing Act

    Cherie Blair was the first British Prime Minister’s wife who also had her own serious career. Find out how she balanced work, family, and official duties, as well as friendships with the Bushes and Clintons. Also: a father on his daughter’s struggle with mental illness. A look at the work of Joan Miro, who once said "I want to assassinate painting." Plus, composer John Adams!

Cherie Blair Speaks for Herself

Cherie Blair was the first British Prime Minister’s wife who also had her own serious career. Find out how she balanced work, family, and official duties…as well as her friendships with the Clintons and Bushes! Her new autobiography is Speaking for Myself.

Mental Illness in the Family

Michael Greenberg’s daughter was 15 years old when she experienced her first major manic episode. His new memoir about her struggle with mental illness is Hurry Down Sunshine.

Joan Miro: Painting and Anti-Painting

Spanish painter Joan Miro once said, "I want to assassinate painting." A new exhibit at MoMA, "Joan Miró: Painting and Anti-Painting 1927–1937," looks at how that decade transformed and invigorated Miro’s work; Ann Umland is curator; Joan Punyet Miro is the artist's grandson and manager of his estate. The exhibit is at MoMA Nov. 2 2008-Jan. 12 2009.

Slideshow of images from "Joan Miro: Painting and Anti-Painting 1927-1937"

John Adams: Composing an American Life

Composer John Adams's opera "Doctor Atomic" (now at the Met) has been called a masterpiece, and it explores a momentous episode of modern history: the creation of the atomic bomb. He's also the author of a new memoir, Hallelujah Junction.

Event:
John Adam's opera "Doctor Atomic"
is at the Metropolitan Opera
Lincoln Center, between W. 62 and 65 Sts. and Columbus and Amsterdam Aves.
Through Thurs. Nov. 13
More info and tickets 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.