Arts

The author, Dr. Gavin Francis, arrived at Halley base on Christmas Eve 2002, at the height of the Antarctic midsummer, when 24-hour sunlight illuminates the vast swathes of empty ice.

Antarctic Holiday: A Christmas Feast In The Loneliest Spot On Earth

5:17am December 20, 2014

by Gavin Francis

For Dr. Gavin Francis, Christmas Eve marked the start of a year-long stay in an icy research base 8,700 miles from home. In this "empire of ice and isolation," he says, food is essential to morale.

Timothy Spall finds beauty in the unlikeliest places as painter J.M.W. Turner.

Arts

'Mr. Turner' Is A Snuffling, Growling Work Of Art

6:58pm December 19, 2014

by Bob Mondello

Critic Bob Mondello says Mike Leigh's earthy new biopic about the famed British painter J.M.W Turner shows viewers the incandescent beauty of the world as Turner himself must have seen it.

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A woman prepares a Japanese Christmas cake at the Patisserie Akira Cake shop on Dec. 23, 2011. The sponge cake is drenched in symbolic meaning.

Japan's Beloved Christmas Cake Isn't About Christmas At All

2:32pm December 19, 2014

by Alison Bruzek

The Japanese Christmas cake takes its name from the Christian holiday, but it actually symbolizes building a life of prosperity from nothing. And it's ubiquitous (it's even in your smartphone).

Arts

The Strange World — And Life — Of 'Mr. Turner'

1:48pm December 19, 2014

by David Edelstein

The biopic of landscape painter J. M. W. Turner depicts a man whose mind is barely engaged by anything other than his work. He's a mystery, and his art is magically indefinite — just like the movie.

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Arts

Triad Arts Holiday Celebration: Part I

1:06pm December 19, 2014

by David Ford

This is Triad Arts Holiday Celebration, musical and spoken word sounds of the season by artists who call the Triad home.

Today's show features the following Piedmont artists:

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JoDi Andersen (R) and Robin Aubry came dressed to win, and were completely game for this ridiculous round.

Arts

Blaze Of Gloria

12:45pm December 19, 2014

We've rewritten the lyrics of the beloved Christmas carol "Angels We Have Heard on High" to be about things that begin with the "glo-" sound of its famous refrain: "Gloooooooooria [in excelsis Deo]."

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Arts

Season's Eatings

12:45pm December 19, 2014

Many countries and cultures around the world have their own festive culinary customs. We team up with Adam Rapoport of Bon Appétit Magazine to quiz you on some unusual food traditions.

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Arts

'Tis The Season For Corny Movies

12:45pm December 19, 2014

Nothing says "cheer" like a cheesy made-for-TV holiday movie. Can you tease out the real ones from the fake when it comes to The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation or Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever?

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A little friendly family competition between Rosie (R) and Jeremy Schaap.

Arts

We surveyed our loyal listeners on a wide range of holiday topics and quiz siblings Rosie Schaap (The New York Times Magazine) and Jeremy Schaap (ESPN) on the most popular answers, Family Feud-style.

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Arts

Reindeer Games

12:45pm December 19, 2014

If you spell "reindeer" by combining precipitation ("rain") and a loved one ("dear"), then you think in homophones. We give clues to two words whose homophones form a new word or phrase.

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