Producer
PROFILE
Alexandra Sif Tryggvadottir
Producer
FROM Alexandra Sif Tryggvadottir
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Drawing new attention to vulnerable animals through photography Joel Sartore takes simple, intimate photographs of vulnerable animals in a studio. He hopes the images will give people a new perspective on what we could lose if the animals go extinct. He’s shot more than 8000 portraits as part of his Photo Ark.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Immigrant in LA recreates Persian recipes of her youth When Naz Deravian was 8 years old, she and her family fled their home in Iran as the 1979 revolution threw their country into chaos. She spent most of her childhood in Canada. As an adult, she lived in LA, and yearned for her mother’s Persian home cooking. She turned her food -- and the memories it evoked -- into an award-winning food blog and new cookbook.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
MacArthur ‘Genius’ Vijay Gupta on trauma, choices, and excellence LA Phil violinist Vijay Gupta recently won a MacArthur “genius” grant. He’s known for launching Street Symphony, a nonprofit that brings classical music to Skid Row, homeless shelters, and the LA County jail. He explains that now, he can finally write his own rules and choose his own excellence. He didn’t have many choices as a kid, raised by Indian immigrant parents in New York.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
How 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' tackles mental health In the musical comedy “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” Rachel Bloom stars as a woman with Borderline Personality Disorder. Showrunner Aline Brosh McKenna talks about how humor can be used to address mental illness. She also says that in Hollywood, women are taught to sit quietly and not push back on bad behavior.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Who won the California governor’s debate? Democrat Gavin Newsom and Republican John Cox met today in what’s likely to be their only debate before the November election. The latest polls show Newsom with a comfortable 11-point lead over Cox, but that’s narrower than it was before.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Javier Bardem’s transformation into Pablo Escobar Javier Bardem played the real-life quadriplegic activist Ramon Sampedro in “The Sea Inside,” and psycho-killer Anton Chigurh in “No Country For Old Men.” Now he portrays notorious Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar in “Loving Pablo.”
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Stricter gun control among California’s 1016 new laws Governor Jerry Brown has signed more than 1000 new bills into California law. The bulk of them take effect at the start of next year. They include the nation’s toughest net neutrality law, stricter gun control measures, and a few bills inspired by the #MeToo movement.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
True stories of love driving people to literal madness A married woman was convinced her dentist was secretly in love with her and drove him out of the country. A married man squandered his giant fortune on 3000 prostitutes because he wanted them to fall in love with him. These are among the many patients of psychologist Frank Tallis. He explains the mental roots of lovesickness.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Press Play call-in: Kavanaugh and sexual assault As the FBI looks into sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, the nation is starkly and bitterly divided over last week’s hearings. Today, we take your phone calls about how the last few days have made you feel, changed your perspectives.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Brett Kavanaugh, the Senate and political fallout The Senate Judiciary committee voted to move Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination to a full Senate vote. But Arizona Senator Jeff Flake asked that there be a one-week FBI investigation that would delay that vote. Senate Republican leaders agreed to the investigation. We get the latest.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Analyzing the historical Kavanaugh-Ford hearing All eyes are on the Senate Judiciary hearing with Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who accuses Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her in the 1980s. Kavanaugh says it never happened. We talk about the guidelines for questioning someone who claims to have been sexually assaulted. And consider the psychological impact of this hearing on other women who’ve been assaulted themselves.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Hanging out with Quincy Jones and his daughter Rashida Quincy Jones has lived a long life, and accomplished more than most musicians. He’s earned tons of awards. He’s dealt with serious health problems. Now his daughter Rashida has made a documentary about him.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
What Bill Cosby’s sentencing means for rape victims? “The day has come. The time has come.” That’s what the judge in the Bill Cosby case said today as he sentenced Cosby to a minimum of three years in prison. We find out more about what happened in that Philadelphia courtroom.
Recommended
Opening the Curtain
Breaking free from Shakespeare's Ghetto What if “The Merchant of Venice” were told from Shylock’s daughter’s perspective? That’s the conceit behind Sarah Mantell’s play “Everything that never happened”.
Good Food
Raising the bar: a world of drinks in LA “You know, Sinatra drank here.” This week you’ll hear about the past, present, and future of Los Angeles’ bar scene: from history buffs to the mavericks shaking up the bar industry by making it a more equitable and just place for all. Plus: a Koreatown cocktail bar with a tasting menu, and a visit from a vermouth maker.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Immigrant in LA recreates Persian recipes of her youth When Naz Deravian was 8 years old, she and her family fled their home in Iran as the 1979 revolution threw their country into chaos. She spent most of her childhood in Canada. As an adult, she lived in LA, and yearned for her mother’s Persian home cooking. She turned her food -- and the memories it evoked -- into an award-winning food blog and new cookbook.