Arts

Neeson became a bankable action hero in 2008 after the thriller Taken. Now almost 62, he's still getting out of tight corners with his fists. His new film unfolds on a transatlantic flight.

The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is filled with superstar musicians.They rehearse and perform without conductor, and for the past 40 years the ensemble has been leaving audiences spellbound by the depth of their musical expression. Today we'll find out how they do it and explore the art of deep listening with Orpheus cellist and co-artistic director Jonathan Spitz and world-renowned violin soloist Ryu Goto. Then Carolina Film and Video Festival Director Keith Barber is here. Carolina Film and Video Festival is the state's longest running film festival don't ya know, and Keith chats it up with Eddie Garcia, joined by stop motion animated film director Austin Taylor. The film fun continues Behind the Scenes with film scholar Mary Dalton. She's got an aisle seat just for you and her Oscar picks to share. We wrap up today's show with and interesting arts combo. Renowned composer Kenneth Frazelle and acclaimed pianist Barbara Lister-Sink are also amazing visual artists. They share the joys, perils and parallels of painting and music-making.

The astrophysicist says that participating in a "great unfolding of a cosmic story" should make us feel large, not small. This spring, Tyson hosts a TV series called Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey.

Best known for Animal House, Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day, Ramis died Monday at 69. Critic John Powers says Ramis was like a favorite uncle who spices up the family reunion by spiking the punch.

As Hollywood and China grow closer, more roles are opening up for Asian-American actors to play Chinese-speaking characters. But before they can sound fluent on screen, some turn to dialect coaches.

A new edition of Bernard Malamud's classic baseball story, The Natural, was just released. NPR's Scott Simon talks to Howard Bryant of ESPN about how the 1952 novel is more relevant than ever.

It's been 15 years since acclaimed writer Lorrie Moore has brought out a new short story collection. Bark has some clunkers and some keepers, but critic Maureen Corrigan says it was worth the wait.

In Dark Invasion, Howard Blum explores the campaign of sabotage that Germany inflicted on an unsuspecting U.S. As ships and factories blew up, "no one really suspected a spy network," he says.