Arts

Books
Arts

'Funny Girl' Is A Book Made For Binge-Watching

9:59am February 03, 2015

by Heller McAlpin

Yes, you read that right. Nick Hornby's charming, light yet thoughtful tale of the creative team behind a fictional BBC sitcom in the 1960s takes the pejorative sting out of the word "heartwarming."

Arts

Stained Glass Playhouse Tackles Race Issues, Past and Present, in "Clybourne Park"

8:52am February 03, 2015

by David Ford

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Poet Amiri Baraka, pictured above in the 1970s, died in 2014 at the age of 79.

Books
Arts

Amiri Baraka Didn't Worry About His Politics Overpowering His Poetry

10:14pm February 02, 2015

by Tom Vitale

"The real hallmark of an effective political artist is that the politics is accepted with the art," said Baraka. A new career-spanning anthology collects his work from 1961 to 2013. He died in 2014.

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Katy Perry dances with a couple of sharks during the Super Bowl halftime show.

Sports
Arts

The Super Bowl, Shark Attacks And Monday Morning Quarterbacks

3:37pm February 02, 2015

by Linda Holmes

Linda Holmes and Stephen Thompson of Pop Culture Happy Hour sit down for a chat about the game, the halftime show and the adorable, adorable puppy.

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Bradley Cooper gained 40 pounds of muscle to play Navy SEAL Chris Kyle in the film American Sniper. "It wasn't at all like a costume," he said. "It was like ... this sort of transformative experience to me because there was no going home from it."

Arts

Bradley Cooper: 'Sniper' Controversy Distracts From Film's Message About Vets

3:17pm February 02, 2015

As the film's depiction of the Iraq War has come under scrutiny, Cooper, who portrays Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, says the discussion is moving away from "the fact that 22 vets commit suicide each day."

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Oprah Winfrey and director Ava DuVernay, seen here in November of last year, are collaborating on a new drama series for Winfrey's network, OWN.

Arts

Oprah Winfrey And 'Selma' Director Ava DuVernay Team Up For A Series

2:39pm February 02, 2015

by Linda Holmes

One of the most powerful people in television is teaming up with a top-notch film (and TV) director to create a new series based on the novel Queen Sugar.

Arts

Sandwich Monday: Meow Parlour

2:01pm February 02, 2015

by Eva Wolchover

For this week's Sandwich Monday, we visit a cat cafe in New York. That's like a regular cafe, but with cats — and the people who love them.

Arts

Fast-Sprouting Acorn Challenges PBS' British TV Dominance

1:16pm February 02, 2015

by David Folkenflik

The niche digital portal Acorn holds rights to some of the best-known British TV shows. David Folkenflik reports it's now streaming some of those shows on its own, in competition with PBS and the BBC.

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Excerpted from A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina's Dream by Kristy Dempsey, illustrated by Floyd Cooper. Text copyright 2014 by Kristy Dempsey. Illustrations copyright 2014 by Floyd Cooper. Excerpted by permission of Philomel Books.

Books
Arts

8 Picture Books You Don't Have To Be A Kid To Love

1:12pm February 02, 2015

by Nicole Cohen

Here at NPR Books, we may be grown-ups, but we still enjoy channeling our inner 7-year-old. And this week, we have the perfect excuse: Monday's Caldecott Medal announcement for picture book artistry.

As America Grays, A Call For Dignity In Aging And Elder Care

11:42am February 02, 2015

by NPR Staff

In The Age of Dignity, Ai-jen Poo says getting older should be viewed not from a place of scarcity and fear but as an opportunity. And, she writes, the U.S. must fix its flawed care system.

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