NPR Arts & Culture
Summer Movies: The Sweet, The Light And The Loud Trailer: 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' Trailer: 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' Trailer: 'The Hurt Locker' Trailer: 'Whatever Works' Trailer: 'Julie An
The summer-movie slate looks like a typically airheaded one, from Land of the Lost to the naughty new spoof Bruno. But fear not: We found a few dramas — even some foreign weepies — to help tide you over.
Cannes Diary: Delusions Of 'Gatsby' (And Dreams Of Notoriety)
All is Gatsbyish excess on the Croisette, where the Cannes Film Festival's early tone might well have been set by Baz Luhrmann's lavish film — and by Sofia Coppola's accomplished The Bling Ring.
Fictional 'Mothers' Reveal Facts Of A Painful Adoption Process
After years trying to conceive, novelist Jennifer Gilmore and her husband decided to adopt. What they thought would be a relatively simple process was instead a long and painful one. In her latest novel, Gilmore channels these autobiographical experiences into fiction.
China's Artist Provocateur Explores New Medium: Heavy Metal
In 2011, police detained Ai Weiwei for 81 days. Now, he's released a song that's turned the experience into a heavy metal protest song, along with a dystopian nightmare video. The lyrics are explicit and angry. Ai says his music is for the many political prisoners who remain jailed.
Styling The NBA
Basketball star Carmelo Anthony is known off the court for his signature fashion flare. Host Michel Martin speaks with his stylist, Khalilah Williams-Webb, about what goes into dressing Anthony and other high-profile clients.
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Tattoos Still Taboo?
America has a love/hate relationship with tattoos, but body ink is becoming more and more mainstream. Host Michel Martin speaks with Fatty, the owner of Fatty's Custom Tattooz in Washington, D.C, about America's fascination with tattoos, and the fading cultural taboos.
Book News: Newly Found Pearl Buck Novel To Be Published This Fall
Also: shameless book blurbs; new plays from Ayad Ahktar; and a first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone draws a record price at auction.
A Different Kind Of Immigrant Experience In 'Americanah'
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's latest, Americanah, follows the trials and tribulations of Ifemelu, a middle-class Nigerian immigrant to America. Reviewer Jennifer Reese calls Americanah a "rich and gloriously detailed tapestry ... hung on the sturdy scaffolding of a sweet love story."
Real Butterscotch: The Beauty Of Sugar And Dairy Transformed
When a few humble elements are combined in perfect balance, butterscotch is born. And food writer Deena Prichep says she turns this childhood favorite into a dinner-party star with counterpoints like flaky salt or crunchy nuts.
'Arrested Development' Leads The Charge For Old Brands In New Media
Brands that found their original audiences in traditional, old-media platforms are finding ways to keep going in the world of new media.
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China Builds Museums, But Filling Them Is Another Story
China has been building museums with abandon, opening about 100 annually in recent years. Two of the biggest opened on the same day last fall on opposite banks of Shanghai's Huangpu River. But filling these museums — with both art and visitors — is proving more challenging.
The Art And Science Of Motivation
Graduation season is upon us and that means a slew of uplifting commencement speeches trying to motivate young adults to greatness. Science and experience tell us that everyone is motivated differently, so how do speakers, coaches and business managers inspire people?
Soderbergh's Liberace, 'Behind The Candelabra'
In his new HBO film, the acclaimed director examines the five-year relationship between the flamboyant entertainer and Scott Thorson, who was 40 years Liberace's junior and still a teenager when they met. Michael Douglas plays Liberace and Matt Damon plays Thorson.
The Starfleet Divide: The 'Star Trek' Universe Revisits One Of Its Great Debates
J.J. Abrams isn't the first guy to bait Star Trek fans by messing with the brand.
The Starfleet Divide: The 'Star Trek' Universe Revisits One Of Its Great Debates
J.J. Abrams isn't the first guy to bait Star Trek fans by messing with the brand.
Book News: Stephen King's New Bogeyman? Digital Publishing
Also: the legacy of Kierkegaard; the creator of Lyle Crocodile has died; Aussie airliner Qantas commissions flight-length books.
American Voices On 'The Unwinding' Of America's Values
George Packer's The Unwinding explores the social and economic upheavals that have transformed the U.S. over the past 30 years. In a nuanced work of literary journalism, colorful characters from across the class divide tell their own stories of a social contract in tatters.
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Exclusive First Read: 'Big Brother' By Lionel Shriver
Read an exclusive excerpt of Lionel Shriver's latest, Big Brother. Shriver is no stranger to controversial topics, from school massacres to the American health care system. Big Brother is a comedic take on obesity and its effect on an Iowa family.
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After Crashing In Canadian 'Abyss,' Four Men Fight To Survive
On an icy night in 1984, a commuter plane crashed in the wilderness. Six passengers died, but four survived: the pilot, a politician, a policeman and a prisoner. Carol Shaben's Into the Abyss describes their fight to make it through that frigid night alive.
After Crashing In Canadian 'Abyss,' Four Men Fight To Survive
On an icy night in 1984, a commuter plane crashed in the wilderness. Six passengers died, but four survived: the pilot, a politician, a policeman and a prisoner. Carol Shaben's Into The Abyss describes their fight to make it through that frigid night alive.
