Bob Edwards Weekend, February 25-26, 2012
HOUR ONE:
Los Angeles Times columnist Doyle McManus joins Bob to discuss the latest political news.
Next, Bob gets a preview of the 84th Academy Awards from Rich Juzwiak entertainment writer for The Daily. They’ll discuss the Oscar races for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Actor and much more.
Then, Bob chats with his old friend James Cromwell. He takes us behind the scenes of the surprise hit and Oscar favorite, The Artist. Cromwell plays Clifton, the silent film star’s chauffeur.
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series This I Believe, we hear the essay of Jodi Webb. We’ve all heard that you can’t just throw money at a problem, and hope it goes away. You also need some effort. Webb says a community is only as strong as its volunteers. Churches, after school programs, and all manner of service organizations rely on volunteers to complete their good works. And Webb’s family is always on the front lines. Webb says volunteering is something her mother taught, and now she thinks of it as a family trait, like blue eyes or bossiness.
HOUR TWO:
Dutch foreign correspondent Linda Polman has spent the last 20 years reporting from West and East Africa, Afghanistan, and Haiti. Her experiences covering humanitarian disasters have led her to be critical of aid agencies and non-governmental organizations, and she has spelled out her criticisms in books like War Games: The Story of War and Aid in Modern Times and The Crisis Caravan: What’s Wrong with Humanitarian Aid. Bob speaks to her about what she calls the “humanitarian aid industry.”
Michel Gabaudan is the president of Refugees International, and a former member of the United Nations High Commission on Refugees. His organization conducts field missions around the world to gather information about the basic needs of displaced people. He also refutes much of what Linda Polman has written about humanitarian aid in her books.
Bob Edwards Weekend is heard on Sirius XM Public Radio (XM 121, Sirius 205) on Saturdays from 8-10 AM EST.
Visit Bob Edwards Weekend on PRI’s website to find local stations that air the program.
It was oddly refreshing to hear Rich Juzwiak discuss the Oscars with a degree of candor you rarely hear. He was unapologetic about the awards being mostly about keeping the Hollywood celebrity machine in working order. It's really nauseating to hear some film critic's sanctimonious blather about artistry.
My favorite part of the interview was when Bob Edwards brought up the topic of best documentary and there was a short confounded silence, after which Juzwiak deftly batted aside the question, explaining that nobody cares about documentaries (he didn't even watch them).