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Guest Picks

From religion professors to stand-up comedians, and from influential political figures to celebrated authors, The Leonard Lopate Show talks to the people that shape our culture. We decided to ask some of our guests about the books, films, and music that move them...

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Just saw Michael Clayton – finally, it was exactly what movies should do – entertain, baffle, move us out of our seats, wonderful

What are you listening to right now?

Chet Baker, Van Morrision, John Mayer, Shirley Horn

What’s the last great book you read?

Miller’s The Tropic of Cancer – always heard about it but never really read it – surreal, bitter, uncompromising, crazy, sad, like a sexy fever dream

What’s one thing you are a fan of that people might not expect?

I’m addicted to Survivor – the best produced show on television?

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

South Pacific

What are you listening to right now?

Tortoise, “Millions Now Living Will Never Die”

What’s the last great book you read?

Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson

What’s one thing you are a fan of that people might not expect?

Bollywood

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

"Atonement": More the book than the movie. Double Feature: Susan Stroman and full length ballet

What are you listening to?

Natalie Cole, Frank Sinatra, Yo Yo Ma, Costes mixed CDs, Pink Martini

What’s the last great book you read?

“The Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan

What’s one thing you are a fan of that people might not expect?

The Innocence Project, created by Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Györg Kurtág: Kafka fragments

What are you listening to?

Sciarrino: "The Death of Borromini”

What’s the last great book you read?

"Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar," by Simon Sebag Montefiore

What’s one thing you are a fan of that people might not expect?

Gypsy Music

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

"Slum Dog Millionaire," "Synecdoche, New York"

What are you listening to?

IPod shuffle, which has all types of musical genres.

What’s the last great book you read?

"Gilead," by Marilynne Robinson

What’s one thing you are a fan of that people might not expect?

Punk and New Wave Music from the 1970’s and 1980’s

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

“Billy Elliot” (the play)

What are you listening to?

Elton John because of “Billy Elliot” (he wrote the score) and Coldplay

What’s the last great book you read?

“Psychic Self Defense” by Dion Fortune (British author, written in 1930)

What’s one thing you are a fan of that people might not expect?

Slapstick comedy

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Pema Chodron.

What are you listening to?

-Maria Schneider’s Orchestra
Gjorgy Kurtag - Various pieces

What’s the last great book you read?

Interestingly (though, more, frustratingly), I have had trouble sticking with an entire book since going though cancer-related treatments during the last couple years, so I have read and so enjoyed a lot of SHORT stories…various writers: John Cheever, Anne Munro, Aimee Bender, many more

What’s one thing you are a fan of that people might not expect?

Bjork

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Last night I watched a documentary on Saddam Hussein and his sons. It was the most shocking and horrifying things I have seen in a while. It truly gave me a stomach ache.

What are you listening to?

Nothing because my iPod isn’t charged! Kanye West “Love Lockdown” is my most recent favorite. And I love Pink-I love “Sober”!

What’s the last great book you read?

I’m reading a book called “The White Masaii”-it’s about a European woman who falls in love with an African Masaii warrior. It’s a beautiful and fascinating love story.

What’s one thing you are a fan of that people might not expect?

Arranging flowers! I love beautiful floral arrangements and growing them in my yard. I love adding things to the vases-things you wouldn’t expect-rocks, fruit, anything I love to decorate my house with around Christmas.

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

I find everything interesting. My next book is on the ranch house because it’s the iconic American home. It’s the teardown for most people but it’s the most important mass developed house.

What are you listening to?

I’m a visual, not an auditory person. I like Cuban jazz, "The Buena Vista Social Club."

What’s one thing you are a fan of that people might not expect?

The ranch house.

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

''War and Peace'' – opera – Prokofiev, Canadian Opera Company
''Some Trace of Her'' – play (in London)
A Short History of Genocide – Barbara Caloroso (non-fiction)

What are you listening to?

A tango CD I was given in Argentina

What’s the last great book you read?

A Dream of Red Mansions – Chinese classic
The Idiot – Doestoevsky
Through Black Spruce - Joseph Boyden
Too Good to Be True - Monica Endicott

What’s one thing you are a fan of that people might not expect?

Country western music, because it has plots (older ones mostly, these days)

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Kramer’s Ergot #7 (avant commix, giant sized-AWESOME!), "Synecdoche, New York" (a great mess.)

What are you listening to?

NPR, of course. And Obama reading "Dreams from my Father" on audio disc.

What’s the last great book you read?

"Molloy," by Sammy Beckett. (Though it’s an awful airplane book, which is how I did it...)

What’s one thing you are a fan of that people might not expect?

"Mad Men" (sigh ... I’m thoroughly predictable . . .)

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Play, “The Quality of Life,” Boris Godunov (San Francisco Opera)

What are you listening to?

Old Records - Paul Horn in Taj Mahal and The Pyramid

What’s the last great book you read?

Mr. Pip

What’s one thing you are a fan of that people might not expect?

Gardening, yoga, hiking

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

No Country for Old Men

What are you listening to?

Old Nina Simone discs

What’s the last good book you read?

Wash This Blood Clean from My Hand, by Fred Vargas

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

The Challenge by Jonathan Mahler

What are you listening to?

An eclectic collection of old blues for a soundtrack to a movie I’ll direct in the summer of ’09 based on A Field of Darkness by Cornelia Read

What are you currently reading?

The Snowball – A biography of Warren Buffett

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Following the American general election was a pretty good start

What are you listening to?

Athlete, fantastic, miserable British rock n’ roll band
-Snow Patrol

What are you currently reading?

I’m dyslexic so I never finish a book, but the one I got the most though was Kitchen Confidential, which I loved

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

I love art and graffiti, jazz music, and transvestites

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Giants vs Philly (last night)
There Will Be Blood

What are you listening to?

My wife on The Today Show
Cody, my son, made a CD of what he thought was my kind of music he called it, “Old f*** music. It was right on – Doris Day, Tony Bennett etc.

What are you currently reading?

Epicenter: Why the current Rumblings in the Middle East will Change your Future by Joel Rosenberg

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Broadway Theater

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

The new life of Gerard Mauley Hopkins—very beautiful and unexpected Film—Rachel Getting Married—Anne Hathaway is transcendent

What are you currently reading?

White Heat—Emily Dickinson’s friendship with Higginson

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Tiny babies—young boys on bicycles—flocks of blackbirds at dusk, singing in the trees

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

The Blair Years by Adam Bowlton

What are you listening to?

Only the news!

What are you currently reading?

The boy with Striped Pajamas

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Baked beans on toast

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

The Memoirs of Hadrian, by Marguerite Yourcenar
“W,” directed by Oliver Stone
“Tell No One”

What are you listening to?

Leonard Lopate Show (radio)

What are you currently reading?

“Vanity Fair” by William Makepeace Thackeray

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Spiderman (comic strip)
Bette Midler (any thing)

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

1) Giorgio Morandi Exhibit at the Met
2) Gomorrah, an Italian film at the New York Film Festival (based on Roberto Saviano’s book)
3) “Man on Wire” (Documentary film)

What are you listening to?

1)Andrew Hill –Blue Note Sessions 1963-1966
2)Al Green’s new CD “Lay it Down”

What are you currently reading?

1)Lenny Michael’s Collected Stories
2) Lucette Lagnado “The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit: My Family's Exodus from Old Cairo to the New World”

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

David Brooks
Architecture

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

"50 Words" by Michael Weller (now playing in NYC)

What are you listening to?

Very early recordings of tango music.

What are you currently reading?

"The Good Soldier," by Ford Madox Ford

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Crop Circles

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

The Rest Is Noise by Alex Ross (which is SO wonderful)
Which led me to reread Dr. Faustus by Thomas Mann
Which is the most beautiful thing on earth

What are you listening to?

Ethan Iverson: The Bad Plus. All their CDs

What are you currently reading?

See above Q one

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Even after this terrible season I am still and always a Yankees fan.

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Harold Holzer, “Lincoln as President Elect”

What are you listening to?

Classical Music

What are you currently reading?

David Kennedy, “Freedom from Fear” (About the New Deal and WWII)

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Classical music

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Food Inc(About to be released)

What are you listening to?

Nina Simone

What are you currently reading?

“Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada's Quest to Change Harlem and America ,” by Paul Tough

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

I am going to be a judge this year at the Berlin Film Festival!

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

The Visitor

What are you listening to?

Randy Newman, “Harps and Angels”

What are you currently reading?

Mark Harris, “Pictures at a Revolution”

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

JackAss(TV show) and or David Brooks

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

"Elegy" a film based on a Philip Roth novel. The book wasn’t one of my favorites—but the film adaptation was moving, believable, emotional (but not soggy)—and so well acted I’m still thinking about it.

What are you listening to?

WNYC. Wherever I am (I live in Key West) it’s always NPR. (Unless it’s the Buena vista Social Club.)

What are you currently reading?

“The Story of Edgar Sawtelle” (before it was an Oprah pick—good choice—original and “unputdownable”)

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

"Desperate Housewives." But not as much as "Mad Men" (This is like a high school exam! I can feel my anxiety.)

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Happy-Go-Lucky (Mike Leigh film)
The Go-Between (novel by L.P. Hartley)

What are you listening to?

The Leonard Lopate Show

What are you currently reading?

War and Peace

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

The Mets (alas)

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Dave Eggers, “What is the What?”

What are you listening to?

Amy Winehouse

What are you currently reading?

Junichiro Tanizaki, “The Makioka Sisters”

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

The Yankees

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Beatles
Love in Las Vegas

What are you listening to?

Soul of Rock in Roll, Roy Orbison.

What are you currently reading?

"Buddha" by Deepak Chopra.

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Flea markets
Developing perfume

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

"South Pacific," in the theater
"Lost," on television
"Frozen River", on film

What are you listening to?

Bob Marley.

What are you currently reading?

"Song Yet Sung," by James McBride.

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

YouTube.

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Ron Suskind’s book "The Way of the World"

What are you listening to?

Pandora! Music on-line.

What are you currently reading?

See first question. Also Susan Gray’s "The Last Cigarette."

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Barack Obama’s autobiography

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

"Man on Wire," about the aerialist who strung a tightrope between the twin towers and walked for 45 minutes . . . fascinating story about the preparation and execution of this feat.

What are you listening to?

Al Green, "Lay it Down" Ryan Adams & the Cardinals, "Cold Roses" Cat Powers, "Jukebox""

What are you currently reading?

Sam Cooke bio by Peter Guralnick. Like his books about Elvis, it is as much about the tradition from which he emerged as about the man himself. Amazing!

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Silly stoner comedy movies . . . "Walk Hard" is a current favorite on the tour bus.

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

The thing that surprised me more than anything else was John McCain’s pick of Sarah Palin as his running mate. This was really a bolt out of the blue. We’ll see where it goes.

What are you listening to?

I have a fairly eclectic taste in music. I like Cole Porter and Delpert McClinton. I know that covers a wide swat, but I really do like country music. Having said that, Cole Porter may have been the best composer ever.

What are you currently reading?

The best book I read this summer is “Splendid Exchange,” which was a history of trade. Someone gave it to me. I thought “who in the world would write a book about that?” I read a few pages and was hooked. It was fascinating. I’m now reading a booked cold “A History of the Cold War.” I spent a good part of the summer reading Ken Follett’s “World Without End,” a 1000 pages, which caused me to go back and reread his earlier 1000 pager “Pillars of the Earth.”

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

I’ve written six songs that have actually been recorded- sung by people who can actually sing a lot better than I.

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Phillip Glass' Opera Satyagraha

What are you listening to?

Bruce Springsteen.

What are you currently reading?

Jesus of Nazareth Benedict XVI

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Johnny Depp!

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

The Bible. Very moving.

What are you listening to?

John Coltrane.

What are you currently reading?

The Holy Bible.

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

I am a huge fan of peace.

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

The Long Road Out of Eden (The Eagles). I was very surprised that even though they have one of the greatest rock guitarists alive today in Joe Walsh, he is barely heard on the record.

What are you listening to?

Alicia Keys. She is one of the only artists today that can play, sing and write her own material. John Mayer. Best new guitarist in the last 20 years. Also sings, writes and plays.

What are you currently reading?

Heaven and Hell: My Life in the Eagles (1974-2001). It’s the most intriguing life story I’ve ever lived.

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Golf. I do a lot of charity events with my golf game. If I’m going to go out and lose balls someone might as well benefit from it.

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

The Emperor of Scent by Chandler Burr (Book)

What are you listening to?

Unfortunately, my own guide vocals.

What are you currently reading?

Cousin Bette by Honoré de Balzac.

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Agility training for dogs.

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright.

What are you listening to?

Bach; Mets Baseball.

What are you currently reading?

The Known World by Edward P. Jones.

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Dry Martinis.

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

"Iron Man."

What are you listening to?

Some Shostakovich (for the book I'm doing about Russia).

What are you currently reading?

Reading "The Body in Pain" by Elaine Scarry.

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Books about rap and hip-hop -- e.g., "It's No Secret" by Carmen Bryan.

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

I read "Our Story Begins" by Tobias Wolff and "The Bible Salesman" by Clyde Edgerton.

What are you listening to?

The audio of The Yiddish Policeman’s Union. I don’t listen to music much.

What are you currently reading?

See above.

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

I love Jesus!!!

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Junot Diaz, author of THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO.

What are you listening to?

Patti Smith.

What are you currently reading?

Roberto Bolano, THE SAVAGE DETECTIVES.

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

The New York Yankees.

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Nim's Island- The Book the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe

What are you listening to?

Tony Evans- Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship
The President Race

What are you currently reading?

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

I love Judge Judy- Love to write- Love to read

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Dexter- TV Show

What are you listening to?

They Might Be Giants
Here Come the ABC's 9 my 2 ∏ year old favorite)

What are you currently reading?

The Corrections

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Bee Gees- early catalogue rules

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

David Sedaris Christmas book. It talked about aim being an elf at Macy's/ It made me feel better about passing out our movie postcards to people on the street.

What are you listening to?

I went on a South by Southwest website and it had a sample MP3 of hundreds of new bands. I can't think of the site but it was great way to discuss new music.

What are you currently reading?

Absurdistan

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Falconry

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Reading an autobiography about Darwin. Thinking of writing a play about him. Saw “Syriana” the movie. Goal: Politically good.

What are you listening to?

As always: Bach. Also trying to get to know young jazz musicians.

What are you currently reading?

A book about the history of London, by Peter Ackroyd.

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Boxins, late night at Madison Square Garden!

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

The genuine interest & conern that people are having with our planet & the future well-being of the next generation.
Movie: Lord of the Rings. Brings back childhood memories of reading the books.

What are you listening to?

Depends on the mood: Jazz, Classical, Contemporary and even 70s punk. No Country music, though.

What are you currently reading?

Sixth Extinction: Gives and overall perspective of our global situation and what might be done to avoid some of the devastation.

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

I love working on vintage motorcycles. It gives me a rare zen moment in an otherwise life of everyday hustle.

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Play: Adding Machine
Movie: No Country for Old Men
Book: The Hand of the Devil (in French)

What are you listening to?

I’m learning about the harpsichord.

What are you currently reading?

The Go Player (in French)

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Classical Music
French
Italian painting

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

1. The acting in “August: Osage County” is marvelous.
2. Hearing Barbara Cook with the NY Philharmonic was so moving.
3. Patti Lupone’s “Roses Turn” in “Gypsy” was a knockout.
4. “On Chesil Beach,” MacEwan’s novel is so economical and real.

What are you listening to?

1. I’m listening to my Open University CDs. I have an exam in political philosophy on April 22 at Columbia University. Today it’s Hobbes. Locue next.
2. Also, Adam Guettel’s scores

What are you currently reading?

1. “The German Ideology”-- by Karl Marx. It’s part of my degree but he was a genius.

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

1. Clothes-- I just bought some great jeans on West Broadway.
2. "The West Wing" and "Six Feet Under"—on DVD. The best television ever!
3. Opera: Can’t wait for “Juan Diego Flores” and Natalie Dessay in “La Fille Du Regiment, “ at the Met.

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Fanstasia in "The Color Purple" - Amazing.
"In Treatment" - I love the young girl who plays Sophie. She's an incredible actress.
John Pizzarelli and his dad in concert at Birdland

What are you listening to?

Michael John La Chusa - "See What I Want to See"
Radiohead - "Kid A"
"Passion" - Stephen Sondheim

What are you currently reading?

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer - Brilliant!

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Bird watching in the rambles in Central Park
American idol - David Archeleta, wow!

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Mahida's Extra Key to Heaven (a play) by Russell Davis

What are you listening to?

Keith Jarrett – "Radiance"

What are you currently reading?

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hossein
Nine Ways to Cross a River by Akiko Busch

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

The new J. M. Coetzee novel
Volume 3 of John Richardson's Picasso biography
Exit Ghost by Philip Roth
Yasujiro Ozu films in a box set from Criterion

What are you listening to?

The Decemberists
Stephen Grappelli

What are you currently reading?

Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

I saw Werner Herzog's film about Klaus Kinski My Best Friend, and I was so moved by both Herzog's attachment to someone so abusive and also Kinski's utter self-absorption and self-destruction. It was also very funny.

What are you listening to?

Our Endangered Values, read on CD by Jimmy Carter

What are you currently reading?

The Trick is to Keep Breathing by Jamie Galloway.

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

I have a serious addiction to broccoli.

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Persepolis

What are you listening to?

Eclectic.

What are you currently reading?

Imperial Life in the Emerald City
Memoir – Glass Castle
The Abstinence Teacher

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Opera

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

The Chronicles of Narnia

What are you listening to?

Robert Plant and Allison Krause's "Rising Sand"
Bruce Springsteen's "Magic"

What are you currently reading?

Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Baseball

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Tritely, The Road, by Cornac McCarthy

What are you listening to?

Death in June- Noda, On The Media, 'The 27 Points'- The Fall, Roky Erikson, Gym It- Meg Christian

What are you currently reading?

A Confederacy of Dunces

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Capitalism

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Francis Ford Coppola's latest film

What are you listening to?

Podcasts about Francis Ford Coppola

What are you currently reading?

Francis Ford Coppola's autobiography

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Key lime pie

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

There Will Be Blood was simply magical. I'm also obsessed with The Wire (I wish I had something more obscure to recommend.)

What are you listening to?

Radio Lab. Seriously!

What are you currently reading?

Up In The Old Hotel

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Project Runway

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Wow! I'm old people! I liked "No Country For Old Men," "Juno." Watched "The Cat People" last night after Marty's doc on Val Lewton (good doc). "Cat People" scared me witless when I was a kid, still does.

My book Tyrone Power. Charles Boyer. Guy was beyond good. Surprised me. Guess my granddaughter's dance recital doesn't qualify! Huh?

What are you listening to?

Old Rosemary Clooney, Doris Day, Jo Stafford -- girl singer of the 1940s, 1950s and Mel Torme.

What are you currently reading?

Madame Bovary, now there's a great book. Plus like Matthew Kennedy's book on Joan Blondell. Mystery: the Janissary Tree. Davis Wishart.

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Basketball. Boston Celtics. UConn Women's Team.

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Recent biography of John Osborne by John Heilpern.

What are you listening to?

Arnold Schoenberg (as Always); A marvelous new recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations by Simone Dinnerstein; and the Pogues (As always)

What are you currently reading?

"BuddenBrooks," for the fifth or sixth time.

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Other playwright's plays.

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

August: Osage County, Great American Theater Company in a terrific modern American play.

What are you listening to?

The Mike Malloy Show on Nova-M radio.
Alan Broadbent (Lush jazz piano) "Whenever I Think of You"

What are you currently reading?

The "Pistol" Pete Maravich story, The American Dream and How!

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Modern dance

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

"There Will Be Blood," a film directed by P.T. Anderson that is based on a story by Upton Sinclair, an American writer who explores the hidden nature of good and evil, really moved me in a subtle and profound way. Not only was the film technically well done, and the acting stellar, the slow unfolding saga reminds us that just because a man is good in one area of his life doesn't mean he isn't evil in another.

What are you listening to?

Django Reinhardt.

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

The History Channel and old Norman Lear sitcoms from the 70s.

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

David Harvey's "Spaces of Global Capitalism" and Todd Haynes' "I'm Not There"

What are you listening to?

Bobby Short and Schubert's Winterreise

What are you currently reading?

"The Information" by Martin Amis.

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Standard Poodles

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

I always appreciate Steve Martin's funny side, but I'm always surprised about his serious side, like his play about Picasso.

What are you listening to?

I was just listening to Judy Collins' Christmas CD while driving through Colorado and was reminded how much I enjoy her singing, and her friendship.

What are you currently reading?

Suite Francais

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Girls ice hockey

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

"Tanner 88," "Primary Colors," "No Country for Old Men."

What are you listening to?

Stravinsky

What are you currently reading?

Haruki Marukami's ' Wind up Bird Chronicle
John Galt's Life of Byron

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Old jazz records, French pastry.

What have you read or seen recently that moved or surprised you?

"Savages" Wonderful performances
"No Country for Old Men" – great!
"Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" – Finney was wonderful.

What are you listening to?

Lots of Steve Terrell (saw him in cabaret, he’s a great performer)
Schuman/Mahler (in the dressing room)

What's the last great book you read?

Acting Up – David Hare’s account of his one man show
Dubliners James Joyce

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Track & Field – and in the 4th of January I will have been an actor for 50 years, never did anything else

What have you read or seen recently that moved or surprised you?

I read Atonement but never got to the end. I recently saw the movie and was completely surprised by the end and wonderfully moved. One of those times I am grateful I didn’t finish the book.

What are you listening to?

Soundtrack for the film “Once”
Sufjean Stevens Christmas music
Neil Young live at Massey Hall

What's the last great book you read?

I am reading eh Quaran (Koran) at the moment. The last book I was swept away by, great or not, was The Time Travelers Wife I thought it was great.

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

I am a fan of sleep which I get too little of. But aren’t most of us?

What have you read or seen recently that moved or surprised you?

LWIII: "No Country For Old Men"
LR: "No Country For Old Men," "Lucky" by Alice Sebold, "Hair" Production by 6th graders

What are you listening to?

LWIII: Bill Monroe and Doc Watson (bluegrass and country pioneers)
LR: Kate Rusby, The Weepies, Bruce Springsteen, Gene Pitney "Backstage", John Legend "I Can Change"

What's the last great book you read?

LWIII: The Secret Agent (Jospeh Conrad)
LR: Oracle Night by Paul Auster

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

LWIII: basketball, sailing
LR: Eminem - I'm a huge fan.

What have you read or seen recently that moved or surprised you?

The film- Repentance

What are you listening to?

New music I'm working on

What's the last great book you read?

The Bacchae by Euripides

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Home made pizza

What have you read or seen recently that moved or surprised you?

"Away From Her" based on the Alice Munro story.

What are you listening to?

I listen to classical music day and night.

What's the last great book you read?

Suite Française by Irene Nemirovsky

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Raising Angus beef

What have you read or seen recently that moved or surprised you?

"Saturday Night Fever"

What are you listening to?

The re-mastered reissue of Led Zepplin's The Song Remains the Same

What's the last great book you read?

Robert Bolano's The Savage Detectives

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Dunkin Donuts coffee

What have you read or seen recently that moved or surprised you?

Movie: "Into the Wild" directed by Sean Penn
Book: How to Know Higher Worlds: The Classic Guide to the Spiritual Journey by Rudolf Steiner

What are you listening to?

The Police

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Tennis

What have you read or seen recently that moved or surprised you?

The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein
The Road by Cormac McCarthy

What are you listening to?

Regina Spektor
Gram Rabbit
Steve Earle

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Questionnaires

What have you read or seen recently that moved or surprised you?

I saw three extraordinary movies in one week- "Into the Wild," "No Country for Old Men" and the "Diving Bell & the Butterfly." All three were so incredibly brave and bold, and they really restore one’s faith in the power and potential of the medium- but only when directors are given free rein.

What are you listening to?

I listen a lot to music people send me through the mail. Right now I’ve been loving new albums by Jay Bennet, and the Morning Bender, a band called The Bellows ( a couple albums by them), and someone gave me Andrea Schiff’s new album of Beethoven’s sonatas-pretty astonishing recording.

What's the last great book you read?

I was just re-reading Chris Abani’s book Graceland, which is just insanely well-done and unforgettable-lyrical and courageous and continuously surprising. Abani confounds and transcends all categories.

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Linda Rond Stadt

What have you read or seen recently that moved or surprised you?

Steve Martin's Born Standing Up

What are you listening to?

La Traviata, with Renee Fleming

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

The Yankees

What have you read or seen recently that moved or surprised you?

Movie: "Into the Wild"
Book: A Man in Full by Tom Woolf

What are you listening to?

Nothing.

What are you currently reading?

Look Homeward Angel by Tom Woolf
Nana by Emile Zola

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

TV. The Apprentice with Donald Trump

What have you read or seen recently that moved or surprised you?

Jersey Boys

What are you listening to?

Charlie Chaplin "Modern Times"

What are you currently reading?

Night by Elie Wiesel

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

architecture

What have you read or seen recently that moved or surprised you?

Spring Awakening

What are you listening to?

Artur Schabel's Beethoven Sonata recordings

What are you currently reading?

Peter Matthiessen's Men's Lives

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Boxing

What have you read or seen recently that moved or surprised you?

The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
"Thyestes" translated from Seneca by Caryl Churchill, directed by Joanna Akalitis
"Feast of Love" directed by Robert Benton

What are you listening to?

"Joni Mitchell" compilation by various artists. Prince is a knockout.

What are you currently reading?

The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Birds!

What have you read or seen recently that moved or surprised you?

Peeling the Onion by Gunter Grass
"The Rape of Europe"

What are you listening to?

I Like classical and jazz music

What are you currently reading?

Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Real Estate

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

I am reading a book about the Netherlands and was surprised about their early attempts at republic.

What are you listening to?

Leonard Lopate, etc. NPR is my constant friend. I don't have a television -- so the friendly voices and perceptive insights -- just enough perspective and distance from the immediate urgency of the news-- gives me awareness in an intelligent, helpful way without overloading my overloaded mind.

What are you currently reading?

The Great Gatsby -- I keep coming back to its rare lyricism and beauty.

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

I love solitary time. A rambling walk. Even the spartan silence of my apartment has a kind of rare appeal to me. Silence now for me is a kind of sacred oasis in what had become a crowded and complicated life. I have learned that any fool can complicate their life. Silence and solitary times rejuvenate me today.

What have you read that moved or surprised you?

The 7 Pillars of Wisdom
Churchill's Memoirs of WW1 & WW2
Lloyd George's War Memoirs

What are you listening to?

NPR

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Riding
Military History

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

"Superbad" – touching + too funny. SUPER GOOD + ridiculous! "McLovin" is my hero!

What are you listening to?

Pavarotti – I miss him.
My husband's band, the Cringe
Foo Fighters. They rule.

What are you currently reading?

Elizabeth Edwards - Saving Graces
She's a rock star. She really knows how to take a bite out of life.

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

I cannot make coffee.

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

"The Political Brain" by Drew Westen

What are you listening to?

John Adams, "On the Transmigration of Souls"
Elliot Smith, all the albums

What are you currently reading?

Susan Sontag essays

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Benito Mussolini - no, no
"Dancing with the Stars"
"Houses of the Holy" by Led Zeppelin

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

"Pan's Labyrinth" and "The Obscure Object of Desire."

What are you listening to?

Roberto Murolo, a Neapolitan singer

What are you currently reading?

"American Pastoral" by Philip Roth

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Ballet and opera

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

No, but everyday when I see someone helping another, I'm moved by that.

What are you listening to?

My wife

What are you currently reading?

"On Chesil Beach" by Ian McEwan

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

I build Web sites.

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

No, but everyday when I see someone helping another, I'm moved by that.

What are you listening to?

don't listen to music

What are you currently reading?

The Bible

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Arthur Ashe

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

"Beyond Glory" – one man play with Stephen Lang, it was very compelling
Mad Men – TV show on Showtime; a TV show I actually like!

What are you listening to?

A new Willie Nelson album

What are you currently reading?

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Hotel shampoo bottles, as far as I know I’m the only person in the world who collects them

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

"Happy Feet"
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid

What are you listening to?

The White Stripes, The National, Battles
WPRB (Princeton radio station)

What are you currently reading?

The Lorax by by Dr. Seuss

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Juggling
Bird-watching

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Last Child of the Woods by Richard Louv
"Ratatouille"

What are you listening to?

iPod music picked out by my kids

What are you currently reading?

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
The Worst Journey in the World: Antarctic 1910-1913 by Apsley Cherry-Garrard

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Rap music
Eating bugs ("Entomophagy")
Cooking elegant, 5-course dinners for people I love
The Explorers Club

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

“United 93” – It moved me with the courage I saw in it.

What are you listening to?

Landon Pigg, LP – He has a great voice and lyrics that seem to ring true.

What are you currently reading?

Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox – His story is remarkable.

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Eminem

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

The Bible

What are you listening to?

Jackson Taylor and Todd Snider

What are you currently reading?

The Bible and Spell of The Yukon by Robert W. Service

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Hip Hop

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Stone Alone, Bill Wyman's autobiography

What are you listening to?

My own outtakes (doing a new album)

What are you currently reading?

The Tao of Health, Sex and Longevity

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Neuro Surgery

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

"Tell No One"(movie)

What are you listening to?

Iris de Ment

What are you currently reading?

The Dream of Scipio by Iain Pears

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Jay-Z

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Land of Lincoln: Adventures in Abe's America by Andrew Ferguson
The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression by Amity Shlaes
Nixon and Mao: The Week That Changed the World by Margaret MacMillan
"Hamlet" at Shakespeare Theater, Washington D.C

What are you listening to?

Military Channel
C-Span
History Channel
Fox News Channel

What are you currently reading?

The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression by Amity Shlaes

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

"Fargo" and other movies by the Coen Brothers

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Caught up with Alexander Payne’s "Sideways" – which was a total, total treat

What are you listening to?

Harry Potter Soundtrack for "Order of the Phoenix," written by Nick Hooper

What are you currently reading?

Stalingrad – book concerning the siege of the city which had extraordinary drama

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Premiership football, Arsenal Football Club

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

"What Is The What" by Dave Eggers

What are you listening to?

Best of Jimi Hendrix
The Score to "Talk To Her"

What are you currently reading?

Citizens by Simon Schama
What Is The What by Dave Eggers
History Of Love by Nicole Krauss

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

New York Knicks
Boxing

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

"Once" & "Journey’s End"

What are you listening to?

Prince, Joni Mitchell, Annie Ross

What are you currently reading?

Away by Amy Bloom

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Modern Dance

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

"La Vie En Rose" & "Journey's End"

What are you listening to?

K.D. Laing, Randy Newman, Joe Cocker (old stuff)

What are you currently reading?

The Maytrees by Annie Dillard

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

TV Golf

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

The Dead Girl

What are you listening to?

John Mayer

What are you currently reading?

Charlres Bukowski, South of No North

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Boxing

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"

What are you listening to?

Lucinda Williams

What are you currently reading?

The Logic of Sense, by Gilles Deleuze

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Baseball

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Movie: "Disturbia" -- clever and well made "take" on Hitchcock's "Rear Window"

What are you listening to?

A recording of Angela Lansbury's Broadway shows
ANY Mozart

What are you currently reading?

Doris Kearn's "Lincoln"

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Blossom Dearie and New York hot dogs (Gray's Papaya)

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

The Kite Runner
Tainted Blac

What are you listening to?

my wife

What are you currently reading?

Frank Rich, The Greatest Story Ever Sold

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

cross-country
motorcycle ridin

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

The Darling, by Russell Banks
Take This Bread, by Sara Miles

What are you listening to?

Orphans, by Tom Waits
Third Symphony, by Henryk Gorecki

What are you currently reading?

Snow, by Orhan Pamuk

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

cycle racing

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Pan's Labyrinth

What are you listening to?

"Die Tote Stadt" by Erich Wolfgang Korngold and "CY Walter- The Park Avenue Tatum".

What are you currently reading?

"George Gershwin" by Howard Pollack

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Nothing- I'm completely predictable.

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Jimmy Carter's Apology for Terrorism. Surprised? Well, I should say.

What are you listening to?

a C.D.

What are you currently reading?

"Intellectuals" by Paul Johnson

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

The Triangle, the Kimura, and the Oomaplata

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

"Funny Games" -- a film by Michael Haneke

What are you listening to?

The new Joanna Newsom record

What are you currently reading?

"Humbolt's Gift" by Saul Bellow

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

I wear my loves on my sleeve -- Westerns, baseball, etc. -- it is hard to imagine they would surprise anyone by now... perhaps Battlestar Galactica?

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Don DeLillo's forthcoming Falling Man

What are you listening to?

Songs: Ohia
"The Lioness"

What are you currently reading?

Paul Bowles, The Sheltering Sky

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Chicken Sashimi

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

books by Erik Larson
film -- "Thank You for Smoking"
musical, "Spring Awakening"

What are you listening to?

Diana Ross, "Blue"

What are you currently reading?

recently a lot of Greek mythology for "Xanadu"

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

cooking shows

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

I was very pleased with the latest James Bond movie

What are you listening to?

Depeche Mode's "Violator"

What are you currently reading?

Re-discovered "Where the Wild Things Are"

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

I'm a sucker for Top 40 Radio

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

I'm on a bit of a Bill Bryson kick. His passion for a place not his natural home or final destination speaks to a farmboy passing a few years in the big city before going back.

What are you listening to?

I don't think it will surprise anyone to hear that I've soldered my CD player shut with the Flanks inside. The whole county's gone apey.

What are you currently reading?

"Sometimes a Great Notion" and "A Fan's Notes" are running neck-and-neck in my recent recollection.

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Pottery and Hip-Hop, specifically my stepmother and Talib Kweli, in that order

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

"The Life Aquatic" for the 10th time

What's in your CD player right now?

I don't use a CD player. The new Bob Dylan album Modern Times is on my iPod

What's the last great book you read?

"The Wounded Healer," by Henri Nouwen

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

"Sex and the City"

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

One Night with the King

What's in your CD player right now?

Christmas music

What's the last great book you read?

Always Music in the Air

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Classical music

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

The movie, "Lady in the Water"
A group of apartment dwellers banded together to help be special parts of rescuing a water girl, and were helped themselves, in seeing what was in themselves and what it meant and was worth.

What's in your CD player right now?

Chuck Bordsky - baseball stories. True stories, some very unfamiliar, some with a very human look at the stories.

What's the last great book you read?

I believe it was "Tyranny of Best Intents" -- a documentary of human rights adn their abuses in the U.S. (cracks in the dam that prosecutors take advantage of)

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Barry Manilow. His music is not even "my type" but he has so much respect for his audience - the sets, his presence, etc. One time I saw him invite a woman onstage to sing with him and right after the song a staffer ran from the wings to present her with a videotape of it.

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Melinda Mayne's Mother of Pearl and Daniel Alarcon's Lost City Radio.

What's in your CD player right now?

Books on tape

What's the last great book you read?

Lynne Tillman, "American Genius"
The Shadow of the Wind by Ruiz Safon

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Dogs

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Godfather II, which I re-watched with my 12 year old.

What's in your CD player right now?

The Goon Show (BBC Comedy Series from the 50s)

What's the last great book you read?

Lynne Tillman, "American Genius"
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold.

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Architecture

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

I went to Colmar France to see the Isenhiemmer Alter and the Bode Museum in Berlin, Germany

What's in your CD player right now?

Ryan Bingham, Bach

What's the last great book you read?

Lynne Tillman, "American Genius"
Susanna Moore, "Big Girls"

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

I collect Pre Colonial Currencies and coins people have put holes in
I love doing demolition

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

I'm seeing 4 plays in the next 4 days -- but I've been working so hard I haven't seen anything recently

What's in your CD player right now?

I've got Bach in my head

What's the last great book you read?

Right now I'm reading Fagle's translation of The Aeneid

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

I have a motorcycle. I like to work on it

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Once Upon a Time in the Midlands (British film)

What's in your CD player right now?

Mark Knopfler and Emmy Lou Harris

What's the last great book you read?

Experience by Martin Amis
The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Ballet

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

the Martin Short play, "Fame Becomes Me" -- surprised me with its non-stop funniness and brilliant execution

What's in your CD player right now?

Rosa Passos

What's the last great book you read?

The Storm, by Ivor van Heerden

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Paul Harvey

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

"Fur" and "The Departed"

What's in your CD player right now?

Mozart's Requiem Mass

What's the last great book you read?

Elia Kazan's "A Life"
The Gift: poetry of Hafiz, translated by Daniel Landinsky

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

tennis, ice skating, basketball, classical music, cooking, dog shows

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Wilkie Collins's Armandale, a strange, action-packed puzzle of a novel

What's in your CD player right now?

Tabarro, Fanciulla del West, Turandot, because I have to learn new roles. In my free time, I am listening to old Italian songs

What's the last great book you read?

Chris Adrian's The Children's Hospital

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Law and Order reruns

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Between Two Worlds by Zainabl Salbi

What's in your CD player right now?

"Hello Darlin"

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Steak Tartare

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

I'm always concentrating on the new score and studying about the period when the opera was written. Also, about the character I'm singing.

What's in your CD player right now?

Tabarro, Fanciulla del West, Turandot, because I have to learn new roles. In my free time, I am listening to old Italian songs

What's the last great book you read?

Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

I really like it when people ask me to fill out a questionaire right before I do a radio interview.

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

I loved the novelization of "Snakes on a Plane"

What's in your CD player right now?

Kevin Federline's astonishing new CD

What's the last great book you read?

The Yellow Book

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

I really like it when people ask me to fill out a questionaire right before I do a radio interview.

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

I'm a huge P+P fan, but I had never seen and finally just saw Powell + Pressburger's "Canterbury Tales" -- an unlikely but thoroughly gripping story set during WWII -- I won't give it away but sign onto IMDB and more importantly, pick this up. There's a new box set of 9 Poweel + Pressburger films. This one is a gem!

What's in your CD player right now?

Nick Drake (introducing Nick Drake)
His voice haunts me. I listen to "The River Man" over + over + over + over + over

What's the last great book you read?

I just finished Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go Beautiful! Broke my heart.

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

All things healthy! My house is a "juice bar"!!! People tend to think musicians (and jazz musicians) stay up late + hang out in bars...

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Jersey Boys

What's in your CD player right now?

Sting -- The Police

What's the last great book you read?

How to Know Higher Worlds by Rudolf Steiner,

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

jazz

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

One film seen recently that I found extraordinarily well done is Cinderella Man.

What's in your CD player right now?

I rarely use CD players.

What's the last great book you read?

Before the Dawn by Nicolas Wade,

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Track

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Capote - the movie

What's in your CD player right now?

Don't own one

What's the last great book you read?

Mary Lavin - Stories, Stories from Bective Bridge

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

The court shows on television, especially The People's Court

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Book: Whiteman by Tony D'Souza
Plays: Shining City by Colin McPherson, Faith Healer by Brian Friel

What's in your CD player right now?

Nothing, but recently it was Verdi's I Lombardi

What's the last great book you read?

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Billy Wilder movies, Tom Ford movies

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Rivers and Tides, a film about Andy Goldsworthy.

What's in your CD player right now?

Regina Spektor's new album, Begin to Hope.

What's the last great book you read?

Anything by Roberto Bolano

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Project Runway

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

"Supersize Me"
"The Terminal"

What's in your CD player right now?

Dave Matthews, U2, Sting, Best of the 80's

What's the last great book you read?

Freakonomics

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Huge sports fan especially NFL and NBA

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Cotton Kingdom, by Frederick Olmsted

What's in your CD player right now?

Schubert's waltzes
Soul Rebels
Keene
Sia
Ashford & Simpson

What's the last great book you read?

The Known World by Edward P. Jones

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Bullriders in the rodeo

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

"An inconvenient truth"

What's in your CD player right now?

Brazilian Cartola

What's the last great book you read?

The adventures and misadventures of Maqroll Martes Pnin is next.

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

The feeling of what happens- Antonio dimasio

What's in your CD player right now?

Clem Snides

What's the last great book you read?

The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Candid camera's stuff

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Garbageland by Elizabeth Royte: where does all that trash go?

What's in your CD player right now?

The Mars Volt, "Francis the Mute"

What's the last great book you read?

Pale Fire and Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov -- I'm on a Nabokov kick right now. Pnin is next.

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Dirt. Most of my free time is spent digging holes and filling them back in.

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Crash, the movie

What's in your CD player right now?

test pressing of my latest recorded CD

What's the last great book you read?

N.Y. Times daily
Sunday book review

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

baseball
N.Y. Times crossword puzzles

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Martin McDonagh's "The Lieutenant of Inishmore"

What's in your CD player right now?

The Ike Reilly Assassination,
Sparkle in the Finish,
Chicago Rock

What's the last great book you read?

Black Mischief, Evelyn Waugh
Please Don't Come Back From the Moon, Dean Bakopoulos

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

The Futurist loves, um. History. Local. U.S. World. I live in a house built in 1820 Just read the JW Booth book Manhunt

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

I just finished "John Adams" by David McCullough. I was surprised that such a long book could hold my interest, but wow! McCullough painted such a detailed and itneresting picture of Adams and the real unsung hero of the book, his wife, Abigail. Before that, "Devil in the White City" and "Shadow Divers." Both great books.

What's in your CD player right now?

"The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers. I love books on tape. Other than that, for music, I'm stuck in the 80s.

What's the last great book you read?

See above

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Heavy Metal when I'm working out. The harder the better. But only in the gym. I'm also a lover of historic fiction -- very specific genre, but a great one.

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

"The Constant Gardener"

What's in your CD player right now?

Rosetta Stone French Lessons

What's the last great book you read?

Memoirs of a Geisha The Da Vinci Code

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

solitude

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

The last thing I read that surprised me was a website

What's in your CD player right now?

Oumu Sangare

What's the last great book you read?

Power Of Now

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

That I would admit that that was the last great book I read

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Everything is Illuminated

What's in your CD player right now?

Brahms Fourth Symphony

What's the last great book you read?

Hawaii

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

gardening

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Wooster Group, Emperor Jones

What's in your CD player right now?

Miles Davis, Walkin', Glenn Gould Well-Tempered Clavier

What's the last great book you read?

Leonid Tsipkin's Dostoyevsky at Baden Baden, Genghis Khan biography

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Rice Krispies

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

The Known World, by Edward P. Jones

What's in your CD player right now?

La Lupe, Nina Simone & Ghostface Killah

What's the last great book you read?

The Known World

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Books: Roberto Clemente's biography

What's in your CD player right now?

It's an iPod... Fania All Stars

What's the last great book you read?

Clinton's biography

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

LOVE watching dog shows, although I don't own a dog

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Books: Everyman, Philip Roth
1491 -- historical view of North and South America before Columbus, by Charles C. Mann
Movies: Russian Ark

What's in your CD player right now?

Mark Knopfler/Richard Thompson/Rudy Vallee

What's the last great book you read?

Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Italy

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

Everyman, Philip Roth

What's in your CD player right now?

Art Tatum

What's the last great book you read?

"A Writer's Life," Gay Talese

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Rembrandt

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

BBC series, Rocketman
episode of The West Wing dealing with John Spencer's death

What's in your CD player right now?

The Cody Carpenter Band
James Blunt's "Goodbye My Lover"
Tyrone Wells "All That I Can Do"

What's the last great book you read?

Valley of Bones by Michael Gruber

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

hour-long BBC series television
mystery novels

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

A Life in the Theater, by David Mamet, at the Goodman Theater in Chicago

What's in your CD player right now?

Side by Side by Sondheim

What's the last great book you read?

Challenger Park, by Stephen Harrigan

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

country music

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

"Take the Lead" -- I've heard that Antonio Banderas' new film is terrific! I look forward to seeing it.

What's in your CD player right now?

Nigel Kennedy, Beethoven Violin Concerto
Fred Astaire film music
Duets with Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald

What's the last great book you read?

I'm Not the Boss -- I Just Work Here by Howard Jonas

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Mongolian throat music

What have you read or seen recently (book, play, film, etc.) that moved or surprised you?

The History Boys, by Alan Bennett
"Untold Stories" by Alan Bennett

What's in your CD player right now?

"Ten Easy Pieces" by Jimmy Webb

What's the last great book you read?

Moab is my Washpot by Stephen Fry

What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect?

Bagpipes!

What have you