Arts & Life

Prior to filming, director Paul Greengrass kept the pirate crew and the boat crew separate to make the hijacking scenes feel more authentic. "The hair did stand up on the back of our heads," says Tom Hanks, above.

Arts

Tom Hanks Is 'Captain Phillips' In High-Seas Hostage Drama

3:24pm October 07, 2013

The film tells the true story of Richard Phillips, whose container ship was hijacked by Somali pirates in 2009. Navy SEAL sharpshooters eventually freed the captain from the small lifeboat where he was held hostage for five days. Tom Hanks stars in the film, which is directed by Paul Greengrass.

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Books
Arts

In 'Egghead,' A New Shel: Burnham Takes On Silverstein

12:16pm October 07, 2013

by NPR Staff

Bo Burnham got his start in comedy on the Internet rather than in clubs. He found fame on YouTube and parlayed millions of views into a thriving career. Now, he's turned to the printed page with Egghead: Or, You Can't Survive on Ideas Alone, a collection of comedic poetry modeled on Shel Silverstein.

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Books
Arts

40 Years Ago, 'Fear Of Flying' Showed Women Like Sex, Too

9:31am October 07, 2013

by NPR Staff

Back in 1973, Erica Jong was tired of the silent, seething housewife, so she introduced a new kind of female protagonist: one who loved sex and wasn't ashamed to admit it. Jong joins NPR's Susan Stamberg to talk about hook-ups, Fifty Shades of Gray, and of course, the "zipless f - - - ."

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Rossellini is joining biologists in questioning conventional wisdom about mothers' interactions with their young.

Arts

Isabella Rossellini, Getting Animal Again With 'Mammas'

5:06pm October 06, 2013

by Pat Dowell

The star of Blue Velvet follows up her Webby-winning Green Porno series with another cheeky look at animal behavior. In Mammas, she channels mothers of many a species, challenges the belief that mothers are universally self-sacrificing — and eats an offspring or three.

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Composer Ben Prunty creates soundtracks and sound effects for video games.

Arts

Composing Game Soundtracks That Move 'Faster Than Light'

5:06pm October 06, 2013

by NPR Staff

Sound designer Ben Prunty integrates audio into some of the most popular independent video games. He figures out how to make sounds that match the feel of the game and build tension at the perfect moments in action-packed adventures.

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Books
Arts

How Reddit Emerged From A Rejected (And Very Different) Idea

6:36pm October 05, 2013

by NPR Staff

Alexis Ohanian is co-founder of the popular social news site Reddit. His new book, Without Their Permission, tells the story of the site, from startup to Internet giant.

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Many of the special effects in the action-adventure film Gravity were generated by computers — but star Sandra Bullock also had to put in a good deal of work, with choreographed movements simulating weightlessness.

Arts

Sandra Bullock, Boxed In On The Set Of 'Gravity'

5:24pm October 04, 2013

by NPR Staff

For her new film, the actress submitted to a singularly intense shooting regimen to achieve the movie's weightless visuals. She talked with NPR's Melissa Block about the filming process, which kept her alone inside a box for long stretches, listening to strange music and sounds.

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In Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity, Sandra Bullock plays Ryan Stone, an astronaut careening through space after an accident.

Arts

Houston, We Have A Space Flick: A Sentimental Mission In Zero 'Gravity'

2:51pm October 04, 2013

by David Edelstein

Director Alfonso Cuaron puts you in orbit with novice astronaut Sandra Bullock and veteran-on-his-last-mission George Clooney as their space shuttle gets demolished by debris from an exploded Soviet satellite. Critic David Edelstein says that you should watch this movie on the biggest screen you can find.

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Bryan Cranston (left) starred as chemistry teacher turned meth dealer Walter White, and Aaron Paul played former student and drug-dealing co-conspirator Jesse Pinkman in AMC's Breaking Bad, which wrapped up its fifth and final season on Sunday.

Arts

'Breaking Bad' Writers: 'This Is It; There's No More'

3:05pm October 03, 2013

The AMC show about a high school chemistry teacher turned meth dealer ended its fifth and final season on Sunday. Writers Peter Gould and Thomas Schnauz say there was "absolute sadness" in the writers' room as they put the last plot points into place.

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Thank You for Your Service, by Brian Finkel

Books
Arts

'Thank You For Your Service' Follows America's Soldiers Home

2:58pm October 03, 2013

by NPR Staff

Journalist David Finkel embedded with the 2-16 Infantry Battalion during the troop surge in Iraq, then recorded their stories in his first book, The Good Soldiers. Now, his new book chronicles the struggles of those who made it home, from their recurring nightmares and suicidal thoughts to the challenges of getting help.

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