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The Leonard Lopate Show

Thursday, December 04, 2008
  • (www.frostnixon.net)

    Two Sides

    Not every actor can be seen in the same day portraying a Catholic martyr and a disgraced US President! Frank Langella talks about his current roles as Richard Nixon and Sir Thomas More. Also: soprano Dawn Upshaw and crime writer Patricia Cornwell. And on Underreported: find out about the physical scars torture leaves.

    What are your favorite Lopate Show segments from 2008? Vote here!

Frank Langella

Not every actor can be seen as a Catholic martyr and a disgraced US President in the same day. Three-time Tony Award winner Frank Langella currently stars as Richard Nixon in the new film "Frost/Nixon" (which opens Friday at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square, Broadway and 68th St.)and he also plays Sir Thomas More in "A Man for All Seasons" on Broadway.

Dawn Upshaw in "Ainadamar"

Soprano Dawn Upshaw, the first vocalist to receive a MacArthur Genius Grant, talks about her performance in Osvaldo Golijov's opera, "Ainadamar," at Carnegie Hall. It's based on the murder of Spanish poet Federico García Lorca by fascist Falangist forces.

Event:
Dawn Upshaw will be performing
Sun. Dec. 7 at 2:00 PM
at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage
Tickets and info here

Kay Scarpetta in New York City

The latest in Patricia Cornwell's best-selling crime series, Scarpetta, follows forensic psychologist Kay Scarpetta on an assignment in New York City that starts at Bellevue Hospital’s psychiatric prison ward.

Underreported: Forensics of Torture

Dr. Rajeev Bais and Dr. Lars Beattie describe the physical scars torture leaves, and how they use those scars to corroborate asylum seekers’ stories of torture. They're co-founders of Elmhurst Hospital’s Libertas Human Rights Clinic in Queens.

Underreported: What Happens to Released Guantanamo Detainees

President-Elect Obama plans to close the Guantanamo prison camp. What will happen to the detainees there? Find out what's happened to former Guantanamo prisoners after being released following years of detention. Eric Stover of UC Berkeley’s Human Rights Center is co-author of a recent study profiling former captives.

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.