Arts & Life

Richard Ford, 70, says he "went through life thinking that when you got to be in your 60s that basically you weren't good for much."

Books
Arts

Author Richard Ford Says 'Let Me Be Frank' About Aging And Dying

9:11am November 13, 2014

The Pulitzer Prize-winning writer's new book centers on Frank Bascombe, a 68-year-old man dealing with his aging body, a dying friend and his ex-wife, who has Parkinson's.

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Books
Arts

'Three-Body Problem' Asks A Classic Sci-Fi Question, In Chinese

7:03am November 13, 2014

by Jason Heller

Chinese sci-fi author Cixin Liu bridges the gap between East and West in his new novel, a tale of alien first contact influenced by Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke and Chinese history and mythology.

Phil Stanton (from left), Chris Wink and Matt Goldman are the founders of the theatrical performance troupe Blue Man Group.

Arts

Sacred, Sad And Salacious: With Many Meanings, What Is True Blue?

9:49pm November 12, 2014

by Mandalit del Barco

In medieval art, Virgin Mary was cloaked in blue. In Colonial America "blue laws" made it illegal to buy alcohol on Sunday. And more recently, irreverent blue humor made blue the most off-color color.

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What do you get when three Israelis, two Iranians and a German walk into a room? A Berlin-based world music ensemble known as Sistanagila, named after an Iranian province — Sistan and Baluchestan — and the popular Jewish folk song "Hava Nagila."

The Rare Place Where Israelis And Iranians Play Together

8:39pm November 12, 2014

by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson

Iran and Israel are sworn enemies, but Germany is neutral ground where people from those countries can collaborate musically. Sistanagila, an Israeli-Iranian ensemble, is doing just that.

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Randy Jackson performs with members of Journey at the 1987 Bay Area Music Awards.

Farewell To Randy Jackson, An Example Of All That Ails 'American Idol'

7:09pm November 12, 2014

by Eric Deggans

As founding judge Randy Jackson announces his departure from American Idol, NPR TV critic Eric Deggans says he embodies all that's wrong with a pioneering show that's become a pop culture cliche.

Books
Arts

After A Flurry Of Literary Awards, A Book On The 'Wonder' Of Words

6:01pm November 12, 2014

by Jason Sheehan

It's literary awards season. The Nobel, the National Book Awards shortlists, and the Man Booker Prize were all recently announced. Author Jason Sheehan recommends some reading on all this reading.

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Maurice Sendak's Book Collection At Heart Of Legal Dispute

5:10pm November 12, 2014

Robert Siegel talks with The Philadelphia Inquirer's Peter Dobrin about a dispute between a Philadelphia Museum and the estate of Maurice Sendak, over the late author's rare book collection.

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Books
Arts

An Artist Draws His Journey Away From War And Death, With Gratitude

4:36pm November 12, 2014

by Etelka Lehoczky

Shigeru Mizuki's Showa 1944-1953 is the third volume of his massive, autobiographical history of Japan and WWII, packed with anger at generals who ordered him to die, and gratitude for his survival.

Andy Warhol's Triple Elvis [Ferus Type] is set to be auctioned at Christie's, and expectations are high — but Warhol's estate won't see any of the money.

Arts
Economy

Famous Paintings Sell For Millions At Auction, But The Artist Gets Zero

2:02pm November 12, 2014

by Eric Molinsky

Unlike novelists and musicians, visual artists don't get royalties for their work. New legislation aims to fix this by taxing public sales, but auction houses Christie's and Sotheby's oppose the idea.

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Jean Jennings (left) and Frances Bilas set up the ENIAC in 1946. Bilas is arranging the program settings on the Master Programmer.

The Forgotten Female Programmers Who Created Modern Tech

12:35pm November 12, 2014

by Laura Sydell

The Innovators, Walter Isaacson's new book, tells the stories of the people who created modern computers. Women, who are now a minority in computer science, played an outsize role in that history.

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