BBC

this is a segment which is part of a ninety minute program that i do for the british broadcasting company each week.  the first live broadcast is at 8pm new york city time on saturday nights.  it is then heard at different times throughout the world.  the link for the live feed is  http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/networks/fivelive/wmp.shtml?9all

the main link for bbc five is http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive/

here are the archives for some of the latest broadcasts.  just click on the name and you will hear.  each interview runs about ten to fifteen minutes.

each week i am joined by a guest host.  some of whom are:  curtis sliwa (wabc morning host), bill huffman (new york post page six column), james traub (new york times correspondent), mark daniels (wbli host), martin dunn (editor in chief daily news), gersh kuntzman (editor of the brooklyn paper), steve mercinsky (international radio correspondent).

chistina seid is the co-owner of the chinatown ice cream factory. her ice cream is delicious. she is an attractive intelligent woman who can give you all the ice cream you could want. what a catch for some lucky guy.

david mitson is a second lieutenant in her majesty’s 4^th battalion parachute regiment. he was at fort dix, new jersey where he and his unit were mobilization training for afghanistan. his commanding officer lieutenant colonel ben baldwin suggested that david was an excellent example of the modern british officer. he was right.

marty markowitz is the brooklyn borough president and put quite simply he is quite a pro-brooklyn person. he loves his job but because of term limits, he has to move on. the big question is….will he run for mayor?

diannae ehler is the general manager of the newest greater new york city area international airport. it is called stewart and once upon a time it was only a military airport but now the port authority of new york and new jersey is making it into a world class civilian operation.

noah sapir runs a club in greenwich village called the fat cat. although the club is a nifty place to hang out in, noah is not a fat cat himself, but he does have a dog.

jeffrey menaged runs an airport in midtown manhattan. well, not exactly. he has a company that charters private jets for his clients who fly here, there, and everywhere. you can bet he doesn’t lose their luggage.

irene lebbad works with women who have been sexual assaulted. she shows a great deal of concern and compassion for ladies who have been attacked. a broadway show helped her to get the message across to the public.

leslie day is the person to meet if you want to go on a safari and you don’t have to go to africa. new york city has oodles of wild creatures and i am not talking about the folks in the subways.

gerald shargel has been called one of the best criminal defense lawyers in the country. one of his more famous clients was john gotti who was known as the teflon don. in addition to his court room work, he teaches at brooklyn law school.

marcia stepanek is the editor in chief of “contribute.”  it is a magazine that informs about the world of charity giving and charity getting.  there might be a recession at this time, but there are still plenty of people who have money to give away.

barbara kavanaugh is a very attractive lady from queens, new york.  by the way, she is also the principal of a catholic school, the mother of four and she had a direct connection to the pope on his recent visit to new york city.

john clifford has been arrested numerous times on the long island railroad because he confronts people who are making a great deal of noise contrary to the regulations of the railroad.  it is a novel approach to social change.  he is a retired new york city policeman.

majora carter was selected by the coca cola company to represent new york city as a torch runner for the olympics.  we chatted just before she left to go to san francisco for the actual run.  she makes the bronx real proud.

sara cedar miller is the official historian and photographer of the central park conservancy.  it would be hard to find a nicer job than that.  150 years ago the plan for central park was approved.

scott stringer is the manhattan borough president.  each of the five boroughs have a president.  when i interviewed him, i asked him if i should call him “mr. president.”  someday i know i will be calling him “mr. mayor.”

doug duda is the maestro of food.  he has had his own television series and he commands an international teaching center for food here in manhattan’s greenwich village.  he is known for creating food programs such as “taste of the world” which was part of the new york times travel show this year.  here is what he looks like.

khalil islam  is the man who spent 22 years in prison for allegedly murdering malcolm x.  it happened on february 21, 1965 in new york city while he was addressing his organization of afro-american unity at the audubon ballroom.   i asked khalil to first explain what the meaning of “x” was.

thomas rotondi jr. is a united states army colonel who is the leader and commander of the united states army band “pershing’s own.  although stationed at fort myers in virginia it makes annual trips to new york city to perform at the lincoln center for the performing arts.  i spoke with the colonel a number of weeks ago, but i played the interview on our presidents day weekend because of the close connection between patriotism and music.

robert gebbia is with the american foundation for suicide prevention and he is the executive director.  more than being just a discussion of an illness, he makes it clear that it is a major disease in the united states.  the first question i asked him was, “should we even be talking about this?  is it contagious?”                           

frank lucas is the “american gangster” as played by denzel washington.  a few weeks prior to this interview i had interviewed his daughter on another matter which can be listened to later down on this page.  this interview is the unedited version.  when played on air by the bbc, his references to me as a “white boy” which i actually enjoyed, and his explanation as to what a nigger is, were cut.

phil donohue is a director at the board of elections here in new york city.  he is one of the people who makes sure that the elections run smoothly and properly.  he rides a harley to work which is fairly unusual for a government official.

mark pomerantz is an important lawyer in new york city and he has promised to defend me every time i get arrested….well, not really, but i would much rather have him defend me than prosecute me.  when i was in college and working at a tennis club in the bronx, i used to play tennis (at 6am) with the federal judge, edward weinfeld, who mark talks about in the interview.

isaiah owens is a prominent funeral director in harlem.  he promised me that if he prepares me for my final resting, he will put a laugh on my face.  if you have to die, this is the man to go to.

eddie brill is a very funny comic.  he is the warm-up man for david letterman, some kid from the midwest who has a tv show.  he also performs on the show and he also hires the comics.  i will give you his home telephone number and then you can ask him for tickets to the letterman show.  (that is a joke).

bob esposito is the man who sees that new year’s eve in times square is a happy safe event for all.  i asked him to let me drop the ball, but he said no.  i still like him.

gordon mott is the man to go to when you want to know something about cigars.  he is the editor of the magazine cigar aficionado.  a cool guy with a hot cigar.

ruth reichl is the editor of gourmet magazine and we discussed the holiday/december issue of the publication.   i called her sexy.  are you permitted to do that on the bbc?

randy cohen writes a column for the new york times about ethics.  what a novel idea.  it is one of the most popular items in the newspaper.  boy, does he get mail.

richard koplin is a man to whom you can trust your eyes.  he is a prominent eye surgeon who has been in the “family” business for many years.  for a miracle worker, he is very down-to-earth.  he used to be an excellent tennis player also….when he was younger.

sara moulton is the second best cook in the world.  my wife is the first.  however, sara is far more famous than my wife, but you wouldn’t know that when you talk to her because she is a nice lady who is just like a real person.  also, she is cute.

francine lucas is the daughter of frank lucas who was a notorious drug dealer and just about the most dangerous person in harlem years ago.  the movie “american gangster” is about him and in the movie he is played by denzel washington.  francine is a lovely lady who has embarked upon a course of helping the children of people who have been incarcerated.  the first thing i asked her was “what is the name of your website?”

frank cangelosi has been fixing chairs and such things for more than a half century.  he is a classic workman who takes great pride in what he does and is definitely one of the last of a vanishing breed of craftsmen.  he has worked for the kennedy family for many years.

eleven is a young black man on his way up in the music business.  keep an eye on this lovable bear.  someday you will stand on line for hours just to get a ticket to  one of his shows.  there is a great deal of buzz about him.

abi fortey is a young lady who has come to new york city to find her fame and fortune.  she comes from mumbles in wales.  did she say mumbles?  wait a minute, isn’t that where michael douglas’ wife comes from?  maybe the forteys and the douglas wife know each other?

chet marcus is a citizen soldier, an employee of the defense department and a musician.  he finds no conflict in his three occupations.  the trouble with this guy is that he makes you want to join the army.  his address book of who is who in the army would knock your socks off.

avery jones is the clinical director of an addiction research and treatment organization in manhattan.  she has some pretty tough days, but she handles it quite well.  there are some aspects of her job which are sort of scary.

marco gazic was supposed to be a math teacher, but he decided to be a musician.  listen to one of his numbers as played by he and his fellow band members in greenwich village.  if you go to a club in new york city, you have probably heard him.

abe nassi is straight from the movies.  he is a very prominent gem merchant but more than that, he looks like one and he talks like one.  if they made a movie about him, he would be the only person who could play the part.  he has had clients like princess di. 

alice and michael halkias own the grand prospect hall in brooklyn which is a fabulous place.  not only do they own it, they love it.  have your next wedding here. i think al capone was married in the hall.  well maybe not, but i bet he was there.

muzzy rosenblatt is the executive director of the brc homeless outreach.  his occupation is helping people which is not a bad way to live.  if you ever wondered who was the guiding force of helping the homeless in this city, this is the man.

anna boiardi is the granddaughter of the famous chef boy-ar-dee (they changed the spelling for the cans). there probably isn't a person in the united states who hasn't eaten her family's foods.  look for her on a cooking show in the near future.  i can’t say more than that.

lee child is the author of the jack reacher books.  jack knows how to kill.  lee knows how to charm.  i met with him at a small place in greenwich village and it was like a scene in a movie.  he promised to give me a part in a jack reacher movie.

sara contreras is from brooklyn, new york.  she has a beautiful face, a great figure, fantastic legs and a wonderful shape.  by the way, she is also a very very funny lady.  she has done a number of tv specials and i think she is the next real star.

richard s. wortman is a full professor of russian history at columbia university. if you want to know about russian monarchs, he is the person to ask.  our children are nicholas, catherine and alexi.  i asked the professor if those were good a choice of names since they ruled russia at different time.s

ron noy is a leading orthopedic surgeon in manhattan and he handles sports and performance injuries.  if you are lucky, maybe he will play some of his music whilst he slices you up.  you may not know of him, but most athletes do.

elyse messuri is the lady to go to when you want to know what to wear with what.  she will tell you how to look.  one visit with her and you are ok.  have you ever heard of laila rowe?  just google that name.

victoria coronato is a veterinarian for some of the the doggies and the cats of new york city.  the pets love her and she loves the pets.  she takes care of our four cats and a dog.

david ramsay is a retired united states army reserve colonel and he is currently the commanding general of the vca about which he explains.  his family dates back to the revolutionary war which some people think they started.

lorinda lisitza is a gem in the big apple musical world.  if you read that she is appearing at some club or play, go straight to her.  she has appeared in many clubs and she recently won an award for being the best in nightclub acts in new york city.

harley is a man you do not want to meet.  his occupation is fixing your vehicle when it gets smashed up.  he will make your car look like it was knew and make your pocket empty.  he is the car fiddler to the stars in this town.

tal lifshitz is a physical therapist on madison avenue.  she is the person who will get rid of what hurts you.  the shakers and the breakers go to her for what ails them.

abdul ahmed is the general manager of polash, an indian restaurant in spanish harlem.  this is a new idea for this neighborhood known as “el barrio.”  how could someone put this type of restaurant in the middle of a neighbor that was not used to this type of food?  he did.

scott kreitzer is a musician and a composer.  he tells you what you need to do if you want to do more than whistle a tune.  he is your next jazz star and he tells you how you can be one.