Arts

Branagh Imagines Mozart's 'Magic Flute' In Wartime

4:41pm July 01, 2013

by Lloyd Schwartz

Director Kenneth Branagh has given us fresh Shakespeare and witty modern comedies of manners, and some years ago he turned to opera, with an adaptation of Mozart's classic set in World War I. It's finally available in the U.S., and critic Lloyd Schwartz says the results are disappointingly mixed.

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Tomi Ungerer's 1967 book Moon Man follows its lonely protagonist as he visits Earth for the very first time.

Books
Arts

From Kids' Books To Erotica, Tomi Ungerer's 'Far Out' Life

4:00pm July 01, 2013

The famed author and illustrator broke the rules of American children's literature in the '50s and '60s, but many Americans have never heard of him. A new documentary, Far Out Isn't Far Enough, looks at his life and work.

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Arts

Finding Home: Portraits of Courage

1:11pm July 01, 2013

by David Ford

Diana Greene makes multimedia stories that explore our sense of identity, place and memory. Chip Bristol is a Chaplain at Prodigals Community looking for ways to blend the creative with the spiritual in the context of twelve-step living, his writing, and painting. The traveling exhibit Finding Home: Portraits of Courage brought them together to empower the men recovering from addiction at Prodigals Community to share their decisions to live clean and sober lives.

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An ancient tablet contains records written in Linear B — a script that was discovered in the 19th century and remained undeciphered for decades.

Books
Arts

How One Woman Nearly Deciphered A Mysterious Script

12:17pm July 01, 2013

by NPR Staff

For decades, no one could crack the code to a mysterious ancient script called Linear B. In her new book, Margalit Fox tells the story of the forgotten woman who almost figured it out.

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From the Toronto Islands, one of many real-life Toronto locales in Robert Rotenberg's legal thrillers, visitors have a clear view of the city's skyline.

Books
Arts

Rotenberg's Toronto Thrillers Mix Canadian Courtesy With Murder

11:10am July 01, 2013

by Linda Wertheimer

Lawyer turned author Robert Rotenberg takes great pains to re-create the relatively calm atmosphere of Canadian courtrooms in his suspense novels. But not all of his characters play by the rules. "Well, they are murder mysteries," he says.

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For Carole King, Songwriting Is A 'Natural' Talent

10:55am July 01, 2013

Carole King wrote songs for others before becoming a performer and writing for herself. In her memoir, A Natural Woman, she details the stories behind some of her most famous songs and her relationships with songwriters like James Taylor, Gerry Goffin and Paul Simon.

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Michael C. Hall has played the serial killer Dexter Morgan for eight seasons on Showtime.

Arts

It's Showtime For Untested 'Ray Donovan' And Proven 'Dexter'

10:55am July 01, 2013

by David Bianculli

The cable network presents two drama series this Sunday — series at different ends of their life spans. In its eighth and final season Dexter, starring Michael C. Hall, is worth sticking with, while Ray Donovan, starring Liev Schreiber unveils its very impressive first episode.

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Arts

Casting Call: Hollywood Needs More Women

7:35pm June 30, 2013

by NPR Staff

Women make up half of movie viewers, and yet they are underrepresented on the big screen. Many more films are made by, for and star men, according to surveys by the Annenberg School. So as Hollywood changes and evolves, can this disparity be fixed?

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Arts

Girls' Legos Are A Hit, But Why Do Girls Need Special Legos?

9:55pm June 29, 2013

by Neda Ulaby

Lego introduced a line of characters and sets that helped the company reach girls successfully. But some question what's wrong with girls playing with plain old Legos, and what this line is telling them.

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Leitzel is remembered as the first true circus diva.

Books
Arts

Lillian Leitzel, The High-Flying 'Queen' Of The Circus

7:52pm June 29, 2013

by NPR Staff

In the golden age of the circus, aerialist Lillian Leitzel captivated crowds around the world with her effortless, high-flying stunts under the big top. Dean Jensen's new book, Queen of the Air, chronicles Leitzel's difficult but glamorous life, and the lives of her performing family.

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