Arts & Life

Books
Arts

Remembering Chinua Achebe And The Importance Of Struggle

12:39pm March 25, 2013

To remember Chinua Achebe who died last Thursday, Fresh Air listens back to an interview with the great African writer that originally aired on May 10, 1988. In it, Achebe talks about the literary trope of the white explorer or missionary living amongst the savages, and the importance of struggle.

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Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey in a scene from the 1987 movie Dirty Dancing.

Arts

The Movie Chris O'Dowd Has 'Seen A Million Times'

9:41am March 25, 2013

by Lily Percy

Actor Chris O'Dowd could watch the classic romance Dirty Dancing a million times. "I didn't know what romance was until I saw Dirty Dancing," he says," and nothing has come close since."

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Richard Breitman (left) and Allan Lichtman are distinguished professors of history at American University in Washington, D.C.

Books
Arts

'FDR And The Jews' Puts A President's Compromises In Context

9:17am March 24, 2013

by NPR Staff

President Franklin D. Roosevelt said little and did less on behalf of Jews trying to get out of Nazi Germany; but he also won Jewish votes by landslide margins and led the Allies to victory in World War II. A new history by Richard Breitman and Allan Lichtman revises FDR's performance upward.

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Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Ann Fowler.

Books
Arts

'Z' Tells The Fitzgeralds' Story From Zelda's Point Of View

8:13am March 23, 2013

F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald wed in 1920, and the two went on to have a famously turbulent literary marriage. Would Zelda have been better off without her husband? Novelist Therese Anne Fowler says, "They were two sides of one coin."

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Books
Arts

From One Author To Another, Letters Of Praise

8:13am March 23, 2013

Host Scott Simon reads some of the best fan mail to authors, written by authors.

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Justin Timberlake performs at Myspace Secret Show at SXSW on March 16 in Austin, Texas.

Timberlake On 'N Sync, Acting And Bringing Sexy Back

1:59pm March 22, 2013

Justin Timberlake rocketed to stardom as a teen heartthrob in the band 'N Sync. He has gone on to be a successful solo artist — and expanded his career into both comedic and dramatic roles on-screen. He discusses his long career in showbiz, his SNL digital shorts and his transition to film.

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Nathan Englander grew up in an Orthodox Jewish family. He now splits his time between New York and Madison, Wis.

Books
Arts

Nathan Englander: Stories Of Faith, Family And The Holocaust

1:59pm March 22, 2013

In What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank, Nathan Englander writes about his own faith — and what it means to be Jewish — in stories that explore religious tension, Israeli-American relations and the Holocaust.

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Aaron Eckhart and Ashley Judd as the president and first lady in Olympus Has Fallen.

Arts

With Vengeance And Violence, 'Olympus Has Fallen' Flat

1:59pm March 22, 2013

by David Edelstein

This macho action film starring Gerard Butler and Morgan Freeman is a vigilante fantasy about terrorists and turncoats invading the United States. It's a popular genre, but critic David Edelstein says he's tired of the American addiction to these tropes.

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Tina Fey stars as Princeton University admissions counselor Portia Nathan in the new comedy Admission. Fey says the movie's frankly manic depiction of the college application melee appealed to her.

Arts

Tina Fey, Movie Star? Not Quite Yet, She Says

10:55am March 22, 2013

by NPR Staff

The writer, actor and producer has a starring role in the new movie Admission. She speaks with Linda Wertheimer about comedy, being in control and — now that her long-running sitcom, 30 Rock, has ended — why she really means it when she says she's taking a pause to spend more time with her family.

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Print versions of Daily Variety, like this one from 2003, will no longer be available on L.A. newsstands. Variety will continue online and in a print weekly, but the daily print edition is being dropped.

Arts

Not Doing So 'Boffo,' 'Daily Variety' Drops Print Edition

10:55am March 22, 2013

by NPR Staff

Showbiz info is everywhere now, making it harder to sustain Hollywood's slang-filled must-read as a daily print publication. The magazine printed its last daily this week but will continue online and in a weekly edition. Cultural historian Neil Gabler explains why this shift is significant.

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