Arts & Life

Jonathan Banks' character Mike Ehrmantraut (left), a hit man and fixer, was a natural to bring back to Breaking Bad's prequel Better Call Saul. Co-creator Peter Gould says he was the right contrast with Saul Goodman, played by Bob Odenkirk (right).

Arts

'Better Call Saul' Breathes New Life Into 'Breaking Bad' Characters

7:58pm March 09, 2015

The new show's co-creator says it became a writers' room joke on Breaking Bad that if something didn't fit it would go on the Saul Goodman show, or what is now AMC's Better Call Saul.

Queue Listen Now

Happy Lovers (c. 1760-65) by Jean-Honoré Fragonard, is one of about 800 objects that American art collector Norton Simon purchased from Joseph Duveen. Over the years, Simon sold most of the collection off, but about 130 objects remain at the Norton Simon

Arts

Meet Joseph Duveen, The Savvy Art Dealer Who Sold European Masterpieces

3:52pm March 09, 2015

by Susan Stamberg

Duveen once observed: "Europe has a great deal of art, and America has a great deal of money." A new exhibit explores the relationship between Duveen and American mega-millionaire Norton Simon.

Queue Listen Now

Sidney Poitier smolders — and swelters — in In the Heat of the Night.

Arts

The Good, The Bad And The Hot: Movies To Warm Winter's Bite

3:18pm March 09, 2015

by Bob Mondello

As much of the country shivers in the grip of a nasty winter, NPR movie critic Bob Mondello ponders cinematic heat — the movies that smolder, swelter and sizzle no matter what the mercury says.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

Author Explores The Ripple Effects Of A Kidnapping In Mexico

9:52am March 09, 2015

by NPR Staff

In his collection Barefoot Dogs, Antonio Ruiz-Camacho offers varying perspectives on the kidnapping of a Mexican patriarch. He asks: "How do you reach closure when someone you love has disappeared?"

Queue Listen Now

Vatican Says Ransom Sought For Missing Michelangelo Letters

9:31am March 09, 2015

by Sylvia Poggioli

In a development reminiscent of a Dan Brown thriller, the Vatican confirmed a report that it has received a ransom demand for the return of two stolen letters written by the renaissance master Michelangelo. It's the first time the theft has been revealed. A spokesman said the Vatican refused to pay.

Queue Listen Now

Don't try this at home: Critic Juan Vidal experiments with reading on the roof.

Arts

Reading On The Roof? Now That's Punk Rock

10:46pm March 08, 2015

by Juan Vidal

In The Savage Detectives, Roberto Bolaño invented the "visceral realists," a group of wild writers who read anywhere and everywhere — causing critic Juan Vidal to ponder the weird places we read.

Arts

No Joke: Hollywood Comedy Producer Finds Career In Prison Reform

10:03pm March 08, 2015

by NPR Staff

Scott Budnick hit it big in Hollywood as an executive producer of the Hangover movies. Then, in 2013, he decided to leave it all behind and focus full time on helping young people in prison.

Queue Listen Now

Ellie Kemper, right, stars alongside Tituss Burgess in Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, which follows a former doomsday cult member as she adjusts to life in New York.

Arts

'Kimmy Schmidt' Finds Optimism (And Jokes) In Dark Premise

8:45pm March 08, 2015

by NPR Staff

The new Netflix comedy series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, co-created by Tina Fey and starring Ellie Kemper, offers a harrowing twist on the "small-town woman moves to the big city" story.

Queue Listen Now

Grace Hopper joined the Navy during World War II and served on and off until 1986.

Arts

Grace Hopper, 'The Queen Of Code,' Would Have Hated That Title

8:45pm March 08, 2015

by NPR Staff

Gillian Jacobs, known for her role as Britta Perry on Community, directed a short documentary on the computer programming pioneer. She says Hopper wasn't fond of the hype over her accomplishments.

Queue Listen Now

The Avery Ryan character is based on Mary Aiken (above) a real-life cyber psychologist and director of the RCSI CyberPsychology Research Centre.

Arts

Cyberpsychologist: Online, 'Every Contact Leaves A Trace'

8:25pm March 08, 2015

by NPR Staff

Mary Aiken, who examines digital fingerprints to help solve crimes, is the real-life inspiration for the lead investigator on CSI: Cyber. She says she works where "humans and technology collide."

Queue Listen Now