Arts & Life

Arts

'The Last Man': An Odd Premise, Says Its Creator, But Oddly Relatable

3:07pm March 03, 2015

A new comedy series, The Last Man on Earth, features your average guy who becomes humanity's last hope. NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with Will Forte, the creator, writer and star of the show.

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Arts

4 Out Of 5 Puzzlers Say These Things Are The Same

3:07pm March 03, 2015

by Will Shortz

Rearrange the letters in a four-letter word and a five-letter word to get a pair of synonyms. For example, given "time" and "night," you would say "item" and "thing."

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Books
Arts

'Welcome To Braggsville' Isn't Quite 'Invisible Man,' But It's Close

2:19pm March 03, 2015

by Maureen Corrigan

T. Geronimo Johnson's latest follows four Berkeley students who take an American history class that leads to disaster. It's an ambitious book about race that wants to say something big about America.

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Books
Arts

'Beholder' Has An Eye For The Absurd, And A Smirk Beneath Its Beard

4:18pm March 02, 2015

by Colin Dwyer

Francis Falbo, sad sack hero of Know Your Beholder, hasn't shaved in weeks. His wife's left him, his mom's died, his band's fallen apart. Good thing his author, Adam Rapp, has kept his sense of humor.

Arts

'Maps To The Stars': Either The Funniest Horror Movie, Or The Most Horrific Comedy

3:43pm March 02, 2015

by David Edelstein

In the film about a toxic Hollywood, John Cusack plays a self-help guru whose clients include Julianne Moore. It's full of anxious shoptalk and name dropping, druggy kids and druggier grown-ups.

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Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock in the Star Trek episode "Plato's Stepchildren" in 1968.

Arts

Leonard Nimoy's Mr. Spock Taught Us Acceptance Is Highly Logical

3:20pm March 02, 2015

by Eric Deggans

The Star Trek actor died Friday in Los Angeles, and NPR TV Critic Eric Deggans says Nimoy's signature role taught fans the power of accepting their differences rather than fighting them.

Viewers have criticized the lack of characters of color in Marvel's Agent Carter -- K. Tempest Bradford says it's just one of a long line of properties that overlook the presence of African-Americans outside of slavery, Reconstruction and the civil rights

Books
Arts

Uncovering Hidden Black History, On Screen And On The Page

2:02pm March 02, 2015

On TV and in the movies, it can sometimes seem like black people only existed during slavery or the civil rights era. K. Tempest Bradford recommends some books that bring hidden history to light.

A 'Show Boat' With An Asian-American Cast Hits The Rocks

1:45pm March 02, 2015

by Kat Chow

Racial tensions between blacks and whites are at the heart of the "Ol' Man River" musical. Asian-American actors say it doesn't make sense to get onboard.

ISIS Video Shows Extremists Smashing Priceless Artifacts

1:41pm March 02, 2015

by Alice Fordham

Bearded men wielding sledgehammers are seen shattering ancient statues and friezes in the Iraqi city of Mosul. One of the militants says God commanded them to remove the idols and statues.

Books
Arts

Chris Offutt Reveals A Family Secret In 'My Father, The Pornographer'

1:20pm March 02, 2015

Offutt's late father went from running a small insurance agency to writing more than 400 books, mostly pornography. The writer tells Fresh Air his dad believed he would be "extremely famous" for it.

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