Arts

Ryan Speedo Green as Young Emile Griffith in Terence Blanchard's Champion.

'Champion' is not your grandmother's Metropolitan Opera

8:02am April 08, 2023

by Tom Vitale

Terence Blanchard made history last season when his opera Fire Shut Up in My Bones was the first work by a Black composer staged by the Metropolitan Opera. And the Met has asked for more.

Bang Si-hyuk, chairman of HYBE, speaks during a debate hosted by the Kwanhun Club in Seoul, South Korea, on March 15.

Why K-pop's future is in crisis, according to its chief guardian

7:01am April 08, 2023

by Se Eun Gong

The chief producer behind BTS says K-pop is in crisis as global sales slow or decline — and BTS' taking a break is a big factor. But the industry is trying to pick itself back up.

Books
Arts

College dreams and teen love find common ground in 'Promposal'

7:00am April 08, 2023

by Alethea Kontis

In RaeChell Garrett's delightful YA book, a Black teen entrepreneur launches a start-up where she is paid to help conceive and execute elaborate prom date proposals for fellow classmates.

Harvey Weinstein and attorney Benjamin Brafman exiting State Supreme Court, June 5, 2018 in New York City where Weinstein pleaded not guilty on two counts of rape and one count of a criminal sexual act.

Arts

Former model accuses onetime Harvey Weinstein associate of sexual assault

10:12pm April 07, 2023

by Mandalit del Barco

Fabrizio Lombardo was head of Miramax Italy, an European branch of the film company cofounded by Harvey Weinstein.

Steven Yeun talks about 'Beef,' his new hate-fueled Netflix series with Ali Wong

5:24pm April 07, 2023

by Brittany Luse

NPR's Brittany Luse, host of It's Been a Minute, talks with actor Steven Yeun about his new Netflix series, a hate-fueled romp called Beef.

Queue Listen Now

Jennifer Aniston as Audrey Spitz and Adam Sandler as Nick Spitz in Murder Mystery 2.

What's making us happy: A guide to your weekend reading, listening and viewing

5:00pm April 07, 2023

Each week, the guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: Murder Mystery 2, If the Shoe Fits, and more.

Daisy Ridley arrives for the world premiere of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, on Dec. 16, 2019, in Hollywood, Calif.

Arts

3 new Star Wars live-action films are coming

2:05pm April 07, 2023

by Juliana Kim

The upcoming releases will span the dawn of the Jedi to the events after Rise of Skywalker and close out the interconnected stories told in The Mandalorian and other Disney+ series.

Remembering legendary music executive Seymour Stein, co-founder of Sire Records

1:56pm April 07, 2023

by Terry Gross

Stein, who died Sunday at 80, signed a wide range of pioneering artists: The Ramones, Madonna, Talking Heads, The Pretenders, k.d. lang and Ice-T. We'll listen back to two of his Fresh Air interviews.

Queue Listen Now

Arts

'Air' is an enjoyable, over-the-top love letter to the 1980s

1:56pm April 07, 2023

by Justin Chang

Ben Affleck's film is a dramatization of how Nike signed NBA rookie Michael Jordan in a legendary deal that would forever change the landscape of celebrity endorsements and professional sports.

Queue Listen Now

Denise Lajimodiere speaks at the Minnesota Children's Book Festival in Red Wing, Minn., on Sept. 18, 2021. This week, Lajimodiere became the first Native American state poet laureate in North Dakota's history.

Denise Lajimodiere is named North Dakota's first Native American poet laureate

1:40pm April 07, 2023

by The Associated Press

A citizen of the Turtle Mountain band of Chippewa Indians, Lajimodiere has written several award-winning books of poetry and is an expert on the history of Native American boarding schools.