Arts

Weekly dose of wonder: The flavor and history of umami

6:04pm September 07, 2023

by Yuki Noguchi

The fifth taste: What is it, and how does it make food taste delicious? Umami means "delicious taste," and refers to the savory, meaty flavor often found in fish broths, mushrooms and tomatoes.

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Barbie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, is the top grossing movie of 2023, generating more than $1.3 billion at the international box office so far.

'Barbie' music producer Mark Ronson opens up about the film's 'bespoke' sound

4:18pm September 07, 2023

by Tonya Mosley

Ronson spent a year creating Barbie's music, with the help of artists like Nicki Minaj, Sam Smith and Billie Eilish. "Everyone ran with it and did something different," he says.

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Arts
Books

'Wednesday's Child' deals in life after loss

3:59pm September 07, 2023

by Michael Schaub

The stories in Yiyun Li's book focus chiefly on people trying to put themselves together after loss, dealing with anguish that takes its time and rises from its dormancy at unexpected moments.

Actor Danny Masterson leaves Los Angeles superior Court with his wife Bijou Phillips after a judge declared a mistrial in his rape case in 2022.

Actor Danny Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for rape

3:12pm September 07, 2023

by Andrew Limbong

The "That '70s Show" star was found guilty of two counts of rape in May, in a trial that involved the Church of Scientology.

SAG-AFTRA leader Fran Drescher has some choice words for Hollywood studio heads.

'You could be the hero': Fran Drescher tells NPR how the Hollywood strikes can end

10:10am September 07, 2023

Fran Drescher, president of the actors' union SAG-AFTRA, says the Hollywood strikes are at an inflection point.

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Books
Arts

Descendants of a famous poet wrestle with his vexed legacy in 'The Wren, The Wren'

5:01am September 07, 2023

by Maureen Corrigan

An acclaimed Irish poet deserts his sick wife and two young daughters. Anne Enright's new novel centers on the way that betrayal reverberates throughout the next generations.

Lauren Mayberry performs at the 9:30 Club in D.C. on Monday.

Chvrches' Lauren Mayberry goes solo — and we got exclusive backstage access

7:15pm September 06, 2023

At the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. on Monday, Lauren Mayberry announced herself as a solo star.

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Understanding the joy that many find in sadness

6:31pm September 06, 2023

by Jon Hamilton

Why are humans attracted to art that combines sadness and beauty? A brain scientist says sadness has benefits like helping elicit empathy and purging negative emotion.

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Remembering Tony Award-winning costume designer Franne Lee

5:45pm September 06, 2023

by Elizabeth Blair

From SNL's Coneheads to Killer Bees, Broadway's Sweeney Todd and Candide, we remember Tony Award-winning costume designer Franne Lee who died on Aug. 27.

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Minnesota is returning 1,400 acres of land to the Upper Sioux Community

5:02pm September 06, 2023

Minnesota is returning the Upper Sioux Agency State Park, once used for religious and communal ceremonies, to the Native people whose ancestors were killed on the land more than a century ago.