Arts & Life

Books
Arts

In 'Sisterland,' Familial Fissures And A Pair Of Psychic Twins

5:34am June 27, 2013

by Sloane Crosley

Curtis Sittenfeld's Sisterland, about a pair of adult psychic twins in St. Louis, is more about sibling rivalry than the supernatural. Reviewer Sloane Crosley says Sittenfeld handles the psychic realm with a light and logical touch that keeps the book artfully within the bounds of believability.

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Paola Guanche debuted with Adele's "Turning Tables."

Arts

Telemundo's 'La Voz' Hands Latino Kids The Mic

5:34am June 27, 2013

by Mandalit del Barco

Telemundo's Spanish children's version of The Voice is the network's top-rated show, and the first of its kind to be produced in the U.S. Endearing scenes of children bursting into tears or getting hugs and kisses from their coaches help set it apart from other reality TV conversion attempts.

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Duke Ellington (1899-1974) at the piano at the Fairfield Hall, Croydon, during a British tour on Feb. 10, 1963.

'My Ellington': A Pianist Gives Duke Her Personal Touch

4:50pm June 26, 2013

by Kevin Whitehead

As a Japanese expatriate in Berlin, jazz pianist Aki Takase has an outsider's perspective on jazz and insider wisdom that comes from careful study. Her new album of Duke Ellington tunes reflects influences such as Thelonious Monk and Arnold Schoenberg, as well.

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Jason Holliday, born Aaron Payne, is demanding audiences' attention again in a new theatrical release of Shirley Clarke's Portrait of Jason, restored by Milestone Film and the Academy Film Archive.

Arts

A Revealing '60s 'Portrait,' Opening Eyes In Theaters Again

6:05pm June 25, 2013

by Howie Movshovitz

Shirley Clarke's 1967 film Portrait of Jason has returned to theaters after a meticulous restoration. As a historian and a documentarian tell reporter Howie Movshovitz, it's as remarkable in many ways today as it ever was.

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For octopus flesh to be tender enough to grill, it must be dried in the sun at least one full day.

Mastering A Sea Monster: From Greece, A Lesson In Grilling Octopus

3:09pm June 25, 2013

by Joanna Kakissis

The Greeks have been eating octopus since ancient times, but there's an art to grilling these tentacled sea creatures. An octopus has to be dried in the sun for at least a day first. Otherwise, the flesh just steams and turns into "a rubbery mass."

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Amy Schumer isn't afraid to talk sexting, dirty talk or even the fine line between rape and deeply troubling sex in her comedy.

Arts

'Inside Amy Schumer': It's Not Just Sex Stuff

2:35pm June 25, 2013

Amy Schumer talks a lot about sex — so much so that her Comedy Central special was called simply Mostly Sex Stuff. But her comedy is about much more than that. On her show Inside Amy Schumer, as well as in her stand-up, she tackles racism and awkward moments, and yes, sex, too. Also sex.

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In Sofia Coppola's film The Bling Ring, about the excesses of Los Angeles materialism, Emma Watson plays narcissistic party girl Nicki.

Arts

'The Bling Ring': Celebrity Culture And Its Little Monsters

2:19pm June 25, 2013

by John Powers

A new film from Sofia Coppola, who made Lost in Translation and Marie Antoinette, is based on the real-life story of a group of Southern California teens who, in 2008 and 2009, began breaking into the homes of celebrities and stealing everything from designer clothing to watches and jewelry.

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At a San Jose, Calif. library, a young reader browses a shelf of books featuring a variety of main characters: ducks, hens, white kids, black kids. Libraries help drive demand for children's books with nonwhite characters, but book publishers say there ar

Books
Arts

As Demographics Shift, Kids' Books Stay Stubbornly White

11:14am June 25, 2013

by Elizabeth Blair

Nearly a quarter of all public school kids are Latino, but only 3 percent of kids' books are by or about Latinos. There's a similar dearth of Native American, black and Asian characters. Why? One editor says librarians, with their high demand for multicultural books, don't drive best-seller lists.

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In his new memoir, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson describes his life in music — and how he mimicked beats at just 10 months old.

Questlove's Roots: A 'Meta' Memoir Of A Lifetime In Music

4:55pm June 24, 2013

Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, the co-founder of and drummer for the hip-hop band The Roots, has been a musician since he was a teen. In Mo' Meta Blues, he explains how his musician father groomed him for a life in show business from an early age.

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Arts

'The Will To Adorn': What We Wear And What It Says About Us

3:57pm June 24, 2013

The fashion choices we make can say a lot about how we see ourselves, and can affect how others see us. The 2012 Smithsonian Folklife Festival includes a program called "The Will to Adorn," which explores the ways African Americans culture is shaped by fashion.

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