Arts

"L-R: (Bottom Row) Bryshere Gray as Hakeem Lyon, Jussie Smollett as Jamal Lyon, Trai Byers as Andre Lyon (Middle Row) Grace Gealey as Anika, Kaitlin Doubleday as Rhonda Lyon (Top Row) Gabourey Sidibe as Becky, Terrence Howard as Lucious Lyon, Taraji P. He

Arts

Showrunner Hopes 'Empire' Is 'On The Crest Of A Wave Of Change'

2:48pm September 22, 2015

by NPR Staff

Empire — a drama about an African-American family, a rare thing on broadcast TV — has had stellar ratings. As Season 2 begins, Ilene Chaiken talks about entertainment value and cultural impact.

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Arts

'Olive Kitteridge' Emmy Wins Follow Debate On Roles For Women

2:19pm September 22, 2015

The HBO miniseries won six Emmys Sunday. Lead actress Frances McDormand explains how the show brought a complex, ordinary woman to life in a year of debate about roles for women in Hollywood.

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Arts

'Fresh Air' Remembers: Jack Larson, Who Played Jimmy Olsen On TV's 'Superman'

1:45pm September 22, 2015

Best known as the oft-kidnapped cub reporter on the original Superman TV show, Larson was also a poet, playwright and librettist. He died at his home Sunday. Originally broadcast in 1993.

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Books
Arts

'Fates And Furies' Offers A Tour-De-Force Plot, Minus Compelling Characters

1:45pm September 22, 2015

by Maureen Corrigan

Lauren Groff's new novel paints a portrait of marriage from the clashing viewpoints of a husband and wife. Critic Maureen Corrigan says Fates and Furies is "a marvel" — but that it could be better.

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Viola Davis accepts the Emmy for outstanding Best Actress in a Drama series for How to Get Away With Murder at the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday in Los Angeles.

Arts

Roundup: Some Of The Best Writing On Viola Davis' Emmy Win

1:24pm September 22, 2015

by Leah Donnella

Oh, and the musings of a daytime soap star who got a crash course in Black Twitter on Sunday night.

Remembering A'Lelia Walker, Who Made A Ritzy Space For Harlem's Queer Black Artists

11:03am September 22, 2015

by Hugh Ryan

Walker's Hudson River parties played a crucial role in the Harlem Renaissance: They provided a safe, welcoming space for queer black artists at a time when they were often pushed into the shadows.

Tom Bergeron goofs around amiably with Kermit The Frog on the first episode of ABC's new The Muppets, premiering Tuesday night.

Arts

'The Muppets' Get Good Help From The Live Humans

8:35am September 22, 2015

by Linda Holmes

Oddly enough, the best understanding of the best tone for a new Muppet project comes from Elizabeth Banks, Tom Bergeron and Josh Groban.

The Broad Museum, on Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles, opens Sunday. Admission is free.

The Broad Museum Is A Contemporary Art Collector's Gift To Los Angeles

10:36pm September 21, 2015

by Mandalit del Barco

Eli and Edythe Broad have been buying works for more than 40 years. They wanted a permanent home for their art — so they've established a museum where anyone can see it for free.

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Joyce Carol Oates, pictured above on Easter, 1949. It is strange, she says, to live so long that you are older than your own parents were when they died. She uses the word "vertiginous" to describe the dizzying sensation of looking back on your life from

Books
Arts

Joyce Carol Oates' Memoir Revisits The Farm And The Family That Shaped Her

10:35pm September 21, 2015

by Lynn Neary

Oates grew up on a farm in upstate New York. In The Lost Landscape, she describes how her parents, her grandmother, and her school experiences made her into the writer she is today.

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Viola Davis poses with her Emmy on Sunday night.

Arts

There's A Story There: Why The Emmys Rocked Even As HBO Rolled

9:40pm September 21, 2015

by Linda Holmes

Despite single-network dominance that could seem a little dull, Sunday's Emmys brought great stories and some very stirring speeches.

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