Arts

Books
Arts

These dictators are different. 'Autocracy, Inc.' explains how

3:44pm July 24, 2024

by Frank Langfitt

The dictators of today aren't united by ideology, writes Anne Applebaum: They operate like companies, focused on preserving their wealth, repressing their people and maintaining power at all costs.

'Wicked' director Jon M. Chu says creativity isn't magic — it's hard work

1:26pm July 24, 2024

by Terry Gross

Chu takes his inspiration from his dad, a Chinese immigrant who worked both the front room and the kitchen of their family-run restaurant: "The guy that in the back of the kitchen, that was my hero."

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'Someone Like Us' is a fresh, idiosyncratic novel about immigrating to the U.S.

12:44pm July 24, 2024

by Maureen Corrigan

Dinaw Mengestu's ingenuity and eloquence as a writer are on display in this novel about an Ethiopian American man who returns home only to learn that his father has just died.

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Sports
Arts

Your guide to keeping up with the Paris Olympics

12:12pm July 24, 2024

by Rachel Treisman

The 2024 Olympics kick off in Paris with a splashy opening ceremony on Friday and will run through Aug. 11. Here's how to keep up with the action, from primetime viewing to occasional scrolling.

Arts

'Presumed Innocent' finale: And the murderer is ...

11:26am July 24, 2024

by Linda Holmes

The verdict is in, and the ending is a dud: Rather than wriggling out of the original story’s sexism, the Apple TV+ series just makes the same mistakes in a new way.

John Mayall, tireless and influential British blues pioneer, has died at 90

12:12am July 24, 2024

by The Associated Press

Mayall is credited with helping develop the English take on urban, Chicago-style rhythm and blues that played an important role in the blues revival of the late 1960s.

Books
Arts

Director of 'Crazy Rich Asians' Jon Chu on his new memoir

10:10pm July 23, 2024

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with film director Jon Chu about his new memoir Viewfinder. Chu is best known for his 2018 film Crazy Rich Asians.

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Arts

Apple TV+'s delightful 'Time Bandits' is much better than the film that inspired it

4:35pm July 23, 2024

by David Bianculli

Time really does fly in this fun and charming adventure series, based on Terry Gilliam's 1981 film about a gang of thieves who steal treasures at different points in history.

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Expert on dictators warns: Don't lose hope -- that's what they want

4:35pm July 23, 2024

by Tonya Mosley

Autocracy, Inc. author Anne Applebaum says that today’s dictators — including Putin and Xi — are working together in a global fight to dismantle democracy, and Trump is borrowing from their playbook.

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Chasity Moore as Grizabella in 'Cats: The Jellicle Ball'

Arts

'Cats: The Jellicle Ball' gets 10s across the board

4:02pm July 23, 2024

In the latest revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats, there are no singing cats. The actors have basically ditched the furry ears and velvet tails and reimagined the characters as competitors in the ballroom scene, vying for trophies and a new chance at life. This week, host Brittany Luse talks to Cats: The Jellicle Ball star Chasity Moore and co-director Zhailon Levingston about ballroom, spectacles and memories.

Want to be featured on IBAM? Record a voice memo responding to Brittany's question at the end of the episode and send it to ibam@npr.org.

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