5 Things We Learned From ShondaLand
We know that Shonda Rhimes doesn't want to talk about her legacy, that Olivia Pope is a questionable role model, and a few other things about Thursday nights on ABC.
Arts
Reflecting On Football And Addiction As 'Friday Night Lights' Turns 25
A quarter-century ago, Buzz Bissinger wrote about the big-time stakes of small-town high school football in Friday Night Lights. Now he talks about the impact the book had on the players and himself.
Need Fake Friends For Your Wedding? In S. Korea, You Can Hire Them
Baby showers, weddings, even meet-the-parent weekends don't have to include your actual loved ones, at least not in South Korea. A cottage casting industry exists to help fill your life-staging needs.
The Fiddle & Bow Society Presents Jon Shain
Jon Shain is a folk musician who combines great storytelling and lyrics with fiery guitar technique and a healthy dose of the blues.
How Percy Shelley Stirred His Politics Into His Teacup
In 19th century Britain, keeping sugar out of tea became a political statement against slavery. The sugar boycott was no easy choice for the radical poet, who hated slavery but loved tea.
The Bonds Of Friendship Stay Strong In 'Stranger'
Newbery Medal-winning author Rebecca Stead says her latest, Goodbye Stranger, is about love and how it helps a trio of seventh-grade girls stay friends through the challenges of middle school.
At Some Stores, Readers Can Go Get A Refund For 'Watchman'
Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman has sold millions of copies, but some feel it has not lived up to the hype. A bookstore owner in Traverse City, Mich., is giving readers a refund — and an apology.
Metropolitan Opera To Drop Use Of Blackface-Style Makeup In 'Otello'
The Met says it is committed to "colorblind casting" and that its production of Otello this fall will be the first without dark makeup since the opera was first seen at the company in 1891.
Complex, Generational Music In Lyrical 'Daughters'
Women are the blood and backbone of Adrienne Celt's debut novel, and at the heart is Lulu, who's revisiting family stories and legends as she comes to terms with her daughter's birth and an old curse.
'Dragonfish' Offers A Noir Vision Of An 'American Dream Gone Rancid'
The debut novel by Vu Tran is a crime drama involving a white cop, his Vietnamese-born ex-wife and her new husband, a violent crime boss. Maureen Corrigan calls Dragonfish a "haunting literary novel."