Arts

Books
Arts

In 'Head On,' Killer Robots, Dogged Gumshoes ... And A Very Important Cat

7:00am April 22, 2018

by Jason Sheehan

John Scalzi returns to the world of Lock In -- where people incapacitated by a strange disease can reenter the world through robot avatars — for a murder mystery that turns on a cat named Donut.

Edie Falco poses for a portrait during the 2010 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

Arts

Not My Job: We Ask 'Sopranos' Star Edie Falco 3 Questions About Tenors

9:03am April 21, 2018

Falco gained fame and a boatload of awards playing Carmela on HBO's The Sopranos. She followed that up by creating the iconic role of Nurse Jackie on Showtime. Her new movie is Outside In.

"How To Suppress Women's Writing" by Joanna Russ

Books
Arts

'How To Suppress Women's Writing:' 3 Decades Old And Still Sadly Relevant

7:00am April 21, 2018

by Genevieve Valentine

This collection of essays by novelist and scholar Joanna Russ was first published in 1983 — but it reads as if it might've come out last week. "Get angry; then get a reading list," says our critic.

The AMC cinema in Riyadh hosted the first film screening in more than three decades on April 18. Movie theaters open to the wider public next month after Saudi Arabia lifted a 35-year ban on cinemas as part of a far-reaching liberalization drive.

As Saudi Arabia's Cinema Ban Ends, Filmmakers Eye New Opportunities

7:00am April 21, 2018

Allowing cinemas is part of a modernization drive by the Saudi government, which hopes to create more business opportunities and become a regional film hub. But it's a tough place to be a filmmaker.

Queue Listen Now

Arts

Magician David Copperfield Forced To Reveal Secret To Trick

5:55pm April 20, 2018

Magicians don't usually reveal their secrets — but one of the world's most famous magicians — David Copperfield — just did.

Queue Listen Now

Arts

How To Watch 'Westworld' Even If You've Never Seen An Episode

5:55pm April 20, 2018

It's impossible to watch all the good TV out there. But that's no reason to shy away from the conversation around the buzziest small-screen delights. David Chen and Joanna Robinson host the podcast Decoding Westworld, and join NPR's Ailsa Chang to talk about HBO's Westworld.

Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope on Scandal, which aired its series finale Thursday night.

Arts

The 'Scandal' Finale: Last Shocks, Loose Ends And Lots Of Lust

4:12pm April 20, 2018

by Linda Holmes

After seven seasons, Shonda Rhimes' roller-coaster of a drama screeches to a final halt as Olivia and the team try to get out of one last scrape and Olivia tries to make it to Vermont.

Queue Listen Now

Arts

Remembering Milos Forman, Director Of 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest'

2:20pm April 20, 2018

by Terry Gross

The Academy Award-winning filmmaker, who died on April 13, spoke to Fresh Air in 1994 about growing up in the former Czechoslovakia, first under the Gestapo, then under communist rule.

Queue Listen Now

Arts

Before He Became The 'Night Court' Judge, Harry Anderson Was A Con-Man Magician

2:20pm April 20, 2018

by Terry Gross

Anderson, who died April 16, began his career as a street performer specializing in elaborate pranks. He spoke to Fresh Air in 1989 about an illusion in which he pretended to chop off his own hand.

Queue Listen Now

Mozart And Sonatas

1:05pm April 20, 2018

The word 'sonata' simply means 'sounded', but when it comes to the classical period in music, there's a lot more to it than that.

Queue Listen Now