Arts

Saoirse Ronan plays Eleanor, an ancient (and uncharacteristically ethical) vampire in Neil Jordan's Byzantium.

Arts

Two Master Moviemakers, Two Singularly Fine Films

3:01pm June 27, 2013

by David Edelstein

Pedro Almodovar's ensemble comedy I'm So Excited is set on an airplane with mechanical problems; Neil Jordan's Byzantium centers on a pair of itinerant English vampires. The two films couldn't be more different, but the two filmmakers are very much in command of their craft.

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A table (Le Dejeuner), an 1892 oil painting by Edouard Vuillard, appears to show a quiet domestic scene. But Isabelle Cahn, the curator of a new show at the Musee d'Orsay, says this painting actually depicts a scandal-ridden household.

A Paris Vacation For Nashville Millionaires' French Art

12:05pm June 27, 2013

by Susan Stamberg

The Hays Collection, born of two Tennessee millionaires' love for French art, has come back to its home country: The pieces are currently on display at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris. NPR's Susan Stamberg speaks to the American lenders and the French borrowers about why these works inspire such passion.

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Arts

Claire Culbreath

9:22am June 27, 2013

by David Ford

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Books
Arts

In 'Sisterland,' Familial Fissures And A Pair Of Psychic Twins

5:34am June 27, 2013

by Sloane Crosley

Curtis Sittenfeld's Sisterland, about a pair of adult psychic twins in St. Louis, is more about sibling rivalry than the supernatural. Reviewer Sloane Crosley says Sittenfeld handles the psychic realm with a light and logical touch that keeps the book artfully within the bounds of believability.

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Paola Guanche debuted with Adele's "Turning Tables."

Arts

Telemundo's 'La Voz' Hands Latino Kids The Mic

5:34am June 27, 2013

by Mandalit del Barco

Telemundo's Spanish children's version of The Voice is the network's top-rated show, and the first of its kind to be produced in the U.S. Endearing scenes of children bursting into tears or getting hugs and kisses from their coaches help set it apart from other reality TV conversion attempts.

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Duke Ellington (1899-1974) at the piano at the Fairfield Hall, Croydon, during a British tour on Feb. 10, 1963.

'My Ellington': A Pianist Gives Duke Her Personal Touch

4:50pm June 26, 2013

by Kevin Whitehead

As a Japanese expatriate in Berlin, jazz pianist Aki Takase has an outsider's perspective on jazz and insider wisdom that comes from careful study. Her new album of Duke Ellington tunes reflects influences such as Thelonious Monk and Arnold Schoenberg, as well.

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Arts

Eric Ruske: award winning French Horn soloist

10:07am June 26, 2013

by David Ford

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Jason Holliday, born Aaron Payne, is demanding audiences' attention again in a new theatrical release of Shirley Clarke's Portrait of Jason, restored by Milestone Film and the Academy Film Archive.

Arts

A Revealing '60s 'Portrait,' Opening Eyes In Theaters Again

6:05pm June 25, 2013

by Howie Movshovitz

Shirley Clarke's 1967 film Portrait of Jason has returned to theaters after a meticulous restoration. As a historian and a documentarian tell reporter Howie Movshovitz, it's as remarkable in many ways today as it ever was.

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For octopus flesh to be tender enough to grill, it must be dried in the sun at least one full day.

Mastering A Sea Monster: From Greece, A Lesson In Grilling Octopus

3:09pm June 25, 2013

by Joanna Kakissis

The Greeks have been eating octopus since ancient times, but there's an art to grilling these tentacled sea creatures. An octopus has to be dried in the sun for at least a day first. Otherwise, the flesh just steams and turns into "a rubbery mass."

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Amy Schumer isn't afraid to talk sexting, dirty talk or even the fine line between rape and deeply troubling sex in her comedy.

Arts

'Inside Amy Schumer': It's Not Just Sex Stuff

2:35pm June 25, 2013

Amy Schumer talks a lot about sex — so much so that her Comedy Central special was called simply Mostly Sex Stuff. But her comedy is about much more than that. On her show Inside Amy Schumer, as well as in her stand-up, she tackles racism and awkward moments, and yes, sex, too. Also sex.

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