Arts & Life

The 2019 Scripps Spelling Bee co-champions hold up their trophy at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Md. After pausing in 2020, the competition is back on this year. The finals are Thursday night in Orlando, Fla.

After Being Sidelined By The Pandemic, The Spelling Bee Makes Its Great R-E-T-U-R-N

4:20pm July 08, 2021

by Alana Wise

The academic games were canceled last year, but the mental sport is back. First lady Jill Biden is attending the finals Thursday night in Orlando, Fla.

Julia Quinn, author of the Bridgerton novels, has lost her father and sister in a car crash.

Books
Arts

'Bridgerton' Author Julia Quinn Loses Father And Sister In Utah Car Crash

2:15pm July 08, 2021

by Neda Ulaby

The author of the Bridgerton novels shared news of the family tragedy in a social media post. "I have lost my father, and I don't have my sister with whom to grieve," she wrote.

Fox & I: An Uncommon Friendship, by Catherine Raven

Books
Arts

Friendship Between A Woman And A Fox Leads To Transformation In 'Fox & I'

8:02am July 08, 2021

by Barbara J. King

The very antithesis of a fox-taming tale, Catherine Raven's memoir shows us that we are surrounded by wild animals who make thoughtful decisions and experience joys and sorrows on their own terms.

Jimmy Jam, left, and Terry Lewis stand after being acknowledged by inductee Janet Jackson during the 2019 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, held at the Barclays Center on March 29, 2019 in New York.

Jimmy Jam And Terry Lewis, Legendary Hitmakers, Release Their First Album

5:58am July 08, 2021

After nearly three decades spent producing massive hits for a long list of (other) legends including Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey, the pair called in some favors for a long-belated debut.

How An Anti-Vice Crusader Sabotaged The Early Birth Control Movement

5:44pm July 07, 2021

by Terry Gross

The Comstock Act, which passed in 1873, virtually outlawed contraception. In The Man Who Hated Women, author Amy Sohn writes about the man behind the law — and the women prosecuted under it.

Queue Listen Now

Sunny (Sanjeev Bhaskar) and Cassie (Nicola Walker) head up a police unit in charge of cold cases in the series Unforgotten.

Arts

An Old Murder Is 'Unforgotten' In This Crime Drama's 4th And Finest Season

4:55pm July 07, 2021

by John Powers

The latest season of the British police series on PBS Masterpiece is twistily plotted and suffused with sadness. Unforgotten packs much more of an emotional punch than your ordinary cop show.

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Italian singer and TV host Raffaella Carrà being lifted by dancers in a 1983 performance.

Raffaella Carrà, Glittery Queen Of Italian TV, Has Died At 78

4:09pm July 07, 2021

by Neda Ulaby

The beloved entertainer is often credited with having sparked a sexual revolution in Italy with her spangled midriff-baring costumes and frank lyrics about initiating sex — and falling for gay men.

Netflix's I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson delights in depicting acts of thoughtless, entitled masculinity — but only to expose the desperation, defensiveness and hilariously fragile egotism that drive them.

Arts

'I Think You Should Leave' Season 2 Proves That It Never Should

5:09am July 07, 2021

by Glen Weldon

The new season of I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson finds the sketch comedian digging even deeper under the surface of toxic masculinity to reveal its soft, hilariously pathetic center.

#FreeBritney activists protesting outside a Los Angeles courthouse, sporting a sign that reads "Investigate Ingham!"

Britney Spears' Lawyer, Samuel Ingham III, Requests To Resign

8:13pm July 06, 2021

by Andrew Limbong

The court appointed lawyer has represented the pop star since the beginning of her conservatorship. At Spears' explosive hearing last month, she expressed wishes to hire her own lawyer.

The red carpet is rolled out at the 74th annual Cannes Film Festival on July 6, 2021, in Cannes, France.

Cannes Rolls Out The Red Carpet For An Expanded, More Inclusive Film Festival

5:15pm July 06, 2021

After the cancellation of the festival in 2020 due to COVID-19, the Cannes Film Festival returns to the French Riviera with an expanded program and a historic jury led by filmmaker Spike Lee.