Arts

Books
Arts

Moving, Inventive 'Thing With Feathers' Is A Guide To Grief

1:00pm June 02, 2016

by Heller McAlpin

Max Porter's darkly funny, fiercely emotional new novel centers on a family — a husband and two sons — devastated by the loss of their wife and mother. And then the crow appears.

Books
Arts

'Possession' Charts The Tangled Paths Of Art And Antiquities

8:20pm June 01, 2016

by Genevieve Valentine

Art crime expert Erin Thompson digs into the dirt around antiquities in her new book — what motivates collectors, what justifications they give and the politics around their acquisitions.

Pears being harvested to make perry in an orchard at Acorn Bank, near Penrith, Cumbria, U.K. The drink has long been revered in England, South Wales and Normandy, France, and was a favorite of Napoleon's. Now the beginning of a U.S. perry revival may be u

Raise A Glass To Perry, Craft Cider's Pear Cousin

5:13pm June 01, 2016

by Jill Neimark

Cider made from perry pears is delicious. It rivals apple cider, but is sweeter. Long revered in England and Normandy, France (Napoleon was a fan), perry is now getting its due in the U.S.

Akiva Schaffer, Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone play the hip-hop trio The Style Boyz in the film Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.

The 'Best Fake Rappers Out There' Satirize Breakout Success In 'Popstar'

4:43pm June 01, 2016

Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer describe themselves as "frappers" — fake rappers. Working together as The Lonely Island, they created a comic film about pop-music documentaries.

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Martin Short and Maya Rudolph kicked off their variety show Maya & Marty on Tuesday night.

Arts

'Maya And Marty': NBC Tries A Lukewarm Summer 'SNL' In Prime Time

11:32am June 01, 2016

by Linda Holmes

What could have been a true variety show collapsed into a halfhearted version of late-night comedy where the bright spots only accentuated the weak ones.

Books
Arts

Neil Gaiman's Nonfiction, Seen From The 'Cheap Seats'

8:04pm May 31, 2016

by Jason Heller

Neil Gaiman is best-known for his fictional creations, but he is also a prolific producer of essays, album liner notes, speeches and introductions — now collected in The View From the Cheap Seats.

Why is it so hard to talk about whiteness?

The Code Switch Podcast, Episode 1: Can We Talk About Whiteness?

5:06pm May 31, 2016

by Gene Demby

On our inaugural episode, we're digging into how we talk about whiteness — or, really, how we don't talk about it — and hear from some folks who say it's really important that we figure out how.

From Medical Maggots To Stench Soup, 'Grunt' Explores The Science Of Warfare

4:14pm May 31, 2016

When it comes to curiosity, science writer Mary Roach describes herself as someone who is "very out there." Her new book, Grunt, looks at some scientific developments that help keep soldiers safe.

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Anton Raphael Mengs left some key details out of his Portrait of Mariana de Silva y Sarmiento, duquesa de Huescar, 1775.

Arts

You Gonna Finish That? What We Can Learn From Artworks In Progress

11:38am May 31, 2016

by Susan Stamberg

Nearly 200 great works of unfinished art are now on display at The Met Breuer Museum in Manhattan. Spanning six centuries, the works offer a glimpse into the creative process — from Titian to Warhol.

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Arts

In 'The Dresser,' Anthony Hopkins Brilliantly Comes Undone

4:29pm May 30, 2016

Anthony Hopkins says his turn as an aged and increasingly faulty actor performing King Lear in a small theater during World War II is one of his favorite roles in a career full of memorable ones. He stars in the BBC adaptation of the play, The Dresser, along with Ian McKellan. Hopkins, who seized pop culture fame in 1991 for his portrayal of the psychopathic psychiatrist Hannibal Lector, started his career in the British theater and has no sense of lingering romance about it.