Arts & Life

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Arts

Lemony Snicket Dons A Trenchcoat

1:17pm April 12, 2013

In Who Could That Be at This Hour?, a prequel to A Series of Unfortunate Events, Daniel Handler satirizes pulp mysteries and uncovers the parallels between detective fiction and childhood. In both, he says, an outsider is trying to make his way in a mysteriously corrupt world.

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Venezuelan author Romulo Gallegos (1884-1969), circa 1950.

Oil, Chavez And Telenovelas: The Rise Of The Venezuelan Novel

10:55am April 12, 2013

by Marcela Valdes

Although Venezuela has a rich literary culture, its writers remain largely unknown outside of the country. Marcela Valdes traces the intersection of literature and politics in the large Caribbean nation, showing the forces that have kept Venezuelan writers from getting the praise they deserve.

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The Broadway cast of Matilda the Musical, including Olivier Award-winning actor Bertie Carvel as the barbaric headmistress Miss Trunchbull.

Arts

'Matilda' Brings Beloved Book To Broadway

5:49pm April 11, 2013

by Jeff Lunden

Roald Dahl's beloved children's novel is set to hit the stage as a Broadway musical. The musical's creators say the show skews closer to the beloved book than to Danny DeVito's 1996 movie, leaning more on the original's naughty charm.

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Living With Chronic Pain 'In The Kingdom Of The Sick'

3:28pm April 11, 2013

In the United States, an orphan disease is one that affects fewer than 200,000 patients. These conditions often involve chronic pain or fatigue, and can be controversial and difficult to diagnose. Yet they affect around 30 million Americans. Author Laurie Edwards is one such patient.

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At 24, Silas Hansen left his birth name, Lindsay, behind.

Arts

The Prickly Process Of Changing Your Name

2:00pm April 11, 2013

by NPR Staff

Names are possessions that we carry with us all our lives. But we seldom think about what goes into choosing the right one. At 24, Silas Hansen decided to change his birth name — Lindsay — as he told his family and friends that he's transgender.

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In director Gilles Bourdos' biopic Renoir, Christa Theret plays Andree Heuschling, who served as a muse for both the aging Impressionist master and his young filmmaker son.

Arts

Painting 'Renoir' In Finely Detailed Strokes

10:59am April 11, 2013

by Susan Stamberg

The biopic Renoir plots the final years of the impressionist master Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and creating the film's sumptuous imagery took a special eye for detail. NPR's Susan Stamberg explores the inspirations behind the film.

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Hugo Chavez, shown here in February 2012, was the president of Venezuela for over a decade. His career is the subject of a new book by Rory Carrolll.

'Comandante' Chavez Still Revered By Some, Despite Failings

9:42am April 10, 2013

by NPR Staff

As a journalist with Britain's The Guardian newspaper, Rory Carroll spent seven years living in Venezuela. His new book on Venezuela's recently deceased president explores Hugo Chavez's popularity with the poor and critiques his failures in governance and management.

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Twitter co-founder Biz Stone is one of five celebrity directors taking part in a Canon-sponsored experiment called Project Imaginat10n. His short film, the inspiration for which was crowdsourced via the Internet and social media, focuses on familial loss

Arts

Crowdsourcing Creativity At The Cinema

9:00pm April 09, 2013

by Laura Sydell

The Canon-sponsored Project Imaginat10n used social media to crowdsource images and ideas to produce five short films. It's an idea director Ron Howard says other artists would be foolish to ignore.

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Elliana Grace Hentoff-Killian is on tour with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey show Built to Amaze!

Arts

Catching Up With The World's Youngest Female Cannonball

3:00pm April 09, 2013

by NPR Staff

Elliana Grace Hentoff-Killian grew up in the circus. She mastered her first circus act at 6, when she learned the Spanish web — an aerial act performed on a rope. Now, at 20, she is currently the world's youngest female human cannonball and is touring with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.

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Shaz (Toni Collette), a hotheaded stranger new to the Australian town of Dolphin Heads, becomes the unlikely answer to a local politician's problems when she steps in to nanny his children.

Arts

Going 'Mental' And Enjoying The Ride

2:39pm April 09, 2013

by David Edelstein

P.J. Hogan's new movie is madder than madcap, a zany, nonconformist boundary-pusher whose offbeat manner makes for a rich and grounded film. Toni Collette plays the part of a modern-day Maria von Trapp as if she has nothing to lose — and Anthony LaPaglia shows his true Aussie accent.

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