Arts & Life

Science Becomes 'Sexy' With Fast Cars And Gangsta Physics

6:19pm December 14, 2013

Can science be cool? This week, Ozy co-founder Carlos Watson tells NPR about a gangster-turned-astrophysicist and a race car driver working to making science "sexy" again. Plus, a look at the changing landscape of African art — no tribal masks allowed.

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A '70s con-artist couple (Christian Bale and Amy Adams) are forced to team up with an FBI agent (Bradley Cooper, right) in American Hustle, inspired by a real-life sting targeting corrupt politicians.

Arts

A 'Hustle' With Flow (And Plenty Of Flair)

2:46pm December 13, 2013

by David Edelstein

A pair of con artists and their FBI wrangler go after political corruption in American Hustle, inspired by the Abscam scandal of the '70s. Critic David Edelstein says the film, directed by David O. Russell, is "a bit of a hustle itself" — and still a hell of a ride. (Recommended)

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Books
Arts

Don't Hate The Players, Learn The Rules Of The Game (Theory)

6:44pm December 12, 2013

by Tim Harford

With Congress expected to pass its first bipartisan budget in years, renewed focus has fallen on the tactics that brought it about. These tactics may be puzzling (or alarming), but according to author Tim Harford, they're not new: They're rooted in game theory. He suggests reading Thomas Schelling's The Strategy of Conflict to learn more.

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In All Is Lost, Robert Redford plays an unnamed sailor, stranded at sea on a badly damaged yacht.

Arts

At 77, Robert Redford Goes Back To His Roots

6:23pm December 12, 2013

by NPR Staff

Redford says filming All Is Lost was a "pure cinematic experience — the way films used to be." He talks with Fresh Air's Terry Gross about how it's been "sort of weird" being known for his good looks, and about how he nearly wasn't cast in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

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Gov. Scott Walker Recounts First-Term Battles In New Book

12:51pm December 12, 2013

by NPR Staff

The Wisconsin Republican survived a recall effort last year after signing legislation that eliminated collective bargaining rights for most of the state's public employees. He writes about the political battle in Unintimidated: A Governor's Story and a Nation's Challenge.

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Browse more than 200 standout titles from 2013 selected by NPR staff and critics — including Maureen Corrigan.

Books
Arts

Need A Read? Here Are Maureen Corrigan's Favorite Books Of 2013

4:10pm December 11, 2013

by Maureen Corrigan

Fresh Air's book critic says it's just a fluke that 9 of the 11 titles she picked this year were written by female authors. Her favorites include a jumbo-sized Dickensian novel, a biography of Ben Franklin's sister, a comedy of manners, a stunning Scandinavian mystery and more.

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Michael Sheen plays Dr. William Masters, the senior member of a research team that conducted pioneering studies for more than three decades into the physiology of human sexuality.

Arts

Michael Sheen On The 'Accuracy And Invention' Of Real-Life Roles

2:25pm December 11, 2013

Sheen has made a name for himself playing real historical figures, including Mozart, Caligula, Prime Minister Tony Blair and British TV host David Frost. Now, in the Showtime drama Masters of Sex, he plays the part of groundbreaking sex researcher William Masters.

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Books
Arts

Frustrating Heroine Stars In Fresh, Feminist 'Nightingale'

3:33pm December 10, 2013

by John Powers

Nina Borg, the heroine of Death of a Nightingale, is a Red Cross nurse on a mission to save the dispossessed. But she neglects her own family as she rescues those in need in Agnete Friis and Lene Kaaberbol's elaborately plotted page-turner.

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Andre Le Notre pumped in water from the Seine River to create the Grand Canal at Chateau of Versailles.

Royal Gardener Planted The Seed Of Urban Planning At Versailles

10:45am December 10, 2013

by Eleanor Beardsley

Andre Le Notre helped turn an old hunting lodge into the Versailles we know today, taking his profession way beyond a trade. Experts say Le Notre's work was so groundbreaking, it continues to influence contemporary urban architecture. This year marks the 400th anniversary of Le Notre's birth.

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Delia Ephron is a novelist and playwright. Her essays have been published in The New York Times, O, Vogue and the Huffington Post. Her older sister, writer Nora Ephron, died in June 2012.

Books
Arts

Delia Ephron On The Closeness And Complexity Of Sisterhood

4:56pm December 09, 2013

Novelist Delia Ephron says that losing her older sister Nora was like "losing an arm." But for all their collaboration and closeness, Delia writes about the complications of sisterhood in her new collection of autobiographical essays, Sister Mother Husband Dog (etc.).

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