Monday, August 6, 2012: Frank Partnoy is the director of the Center for Corporate and Securities Law at the University of San Diego and a well-respected expert on financial regulation. His new book Wait is a departure from his finance background, but was inspired by the behavior of policy makers that he observed during the financial crisis. Partnoy argues that most of our decisions in life are made too quickly and that for most choices we face, slowing down our response time almost always means better results. Then, Rodriguez is an American folk singer discovered in Detroit in the late 1960s. His music received praise from critics, but sales bombed and he dropped off the scene mysteriously. Filmmaker Malik Bendjelloul captures that story, and how the music of Rodriguez became the soundtrack for justice in South Africa throughout their struggle with apartheid. Searching for Sugar Man is now in theaters.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012: Novelist Colson Whitehead has written books on almost every topic: race, gender…elevators. Now he’s written about the end of the world. Bob talks to Whitehead about his latest book Zone One. Then, Steve Prothero is the author of The American Bible, an examination of the texts that he argues have defined and re-defined what it means to be an American.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012: The Brothers Grimm were the cause of much sensation in the early nineteenth century and today is hardly any different. Grimm, NBC’s popular television show entertains adults and children with tales of creatures — human and supernatural— who battle the forces of good and evil. Actor Russell Hornsby plays Hank Griffin, the unsuspecting partner of Nick Grimm (aka Nick Burkhardt) the closeted evil-slayer. Some of Hornsby’s television credits include Grey’s Anatomy, The Good Wife, Shameless and Law and Order. He also has a long list of film and theatre credits. Bob talks to Hornsby about his career and this contemporary iteration of German folklore. Then, contemporary jazz musician Marcus Miller has performed and recorded with some of the biggest names in music: Miles Davis, Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, Roberta Flack, Frank Sinatra and others. Bob talks to Miller about his career and his latest album Renaissance.
Thursday, August 9, 2012: Writer Uzodinma Iweala follows up his critically acclaimed novel Beasts of No Nation with a nonfiction account of the AIDS crisis in Nigeria titled Our Kind of People: A Continent’s Challenge, A Country’s Hope. He interviewed scores of people whose lives have been touched by the disease. Then, this summer, director and screenwriter Tony Gilroy delivers The Bourne Legacy, the fourth film based on Robert Ludlum’s internationally best-selling Bourne series. Loosely based on the novel of the same name by Eric Van Lustbader, The Bourne Legacy is a spin-off from Jason Bourne’s story and focuses instead on agent Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner). Gilroy received Oscar nominations in directing and screenwriting for his 2007 film Michael Clayton. The Bourne Legacy opens tomorrow.
Friday, August 3, 2012: Doyle McManus, Washington columnist for the Los Angeles Times, joins Bob to discuss the latest political news. Next, documentary filmmaker Anthony Baxter turned his camera on one of his native Scotland’s nationally protected wilderness area when the Scottish Government sidestepped laws and sold the land to celebrity real estate mogul Donald Trump. Baxter followed The Donald as he pushed forward his plans for a high-end golf course and resort on the rare sand dunes. Baxter’s award-winning film You’ve Been Trumped opens today in New York. Then, in this week’s installment of our ongoing series This I Believe, we hear the essay of Maria Zapetis. Compared to the rest of the world, Americans live pretty well. As a child, Zapetis parents provided everything she could have wanted. She went to expensive private schools, enjoyed ski trips in the winter and cruises in the summer, and never gave a thought to her next meal. A high school summer camp changed her perspective. For two weeks, she lived like a villager in Africa, and the experience showed her the day-to-day struggles that billions of people experience every day. Now, Zapetis is doing her part to help people who are less fortunate.