So after listening to Ira Flatow interview Lisa Randall on Science Friday last week, I was a little annoyed. I was only listening with half an ear, to be honest, the other 3/4 of my ear capability being held in reserve. After all, I do like listening to my friends and colleagues talk about our field on the radio and television, but you don't really need to listen hard since I've heard everything there is to hear about how these concepts are explained.... I listen because I want to cheer them on when they do a good job; will them some suggested helpful words if they're struggling -caught off guard, etc, which happens in radio (remind me to tell you a story about that)- and generally be supportive of their efforts to tell the general public what we do, how we do it and why we do it. From what my 1/2 ear heard, it was pretty good. Lisa's a nice new fresh voice to hear in the media, and she's doing an excellent job. Both ears came on fully at one point when I suddenly realized that Ira was....openly flirting with Lisa! And it got a bit blushy and giggly. Unbelievable. I don't remember him flirting with Brian Greene. But, hey, I thought, in reasonable measure, why not? But then it went to another level! At some point the phrase:
This is a woman with both brains and incredible beauty...
pops up and I'm in full listen mode. What??!! Then I hear:
Don't you think - and I'm not trying to be chauvinist about this- you have a talent because of your looks to bring people into science who'd may be not pay any attention?
Waitaminute! Brian's no slouch in the good looks department.... did Ira ask him that question when Brian was on the show? I don't recall. Anyone? Anyway, amusingly at this point, Lisa valiantly struggles to avoid acknowledging the good looks thing, but then (after a touch more than a few Planck times) she gives in and just goes with the flow. (She does actually go on to give good answers despite the major curveballs - good job Lisa!) Another "gem" from Ira, by the way (I'm not making this up):
How do you make string theory as popular as string bikinis...?
(Lisa both chokes and laughs here...) But that's not what annoyed me, actually, you may be surprised to hear. Nope. Here it is: At some point -sort of a leadup to the flirt-fest above- he throws in something about Lisa being a "Jodie Foster Lookalike". Lisa defends by saying that both her and a friend of hers get this a lot, and she surmises that it is simply because Jodie Foster played a scientist in a movie. She may well be right.
Why am I annoyed? Because (in order for me to get away from later accusations that this exchange made me come up with the idea) this exchange forces me to reveal my impression of many years -long predating Jodie Foster's role in Contact- that we actually do have a Jodie Foster look-alike in the field (by which I mean if you part the hair differently on Foster, put on glasses, take away all the recent awful airbrushing in posters)... It's not Lisa Randall (and there's no slur intended), it is my string theory colleague and friend (I hope remaining so after this!) the phenomenal** Eva Silverstein. -cvj **Don't take my word for it: The MacArthur and Sloan Foundations think so too.
