Arts & Life

William Knoedelseder spent 12 years as an investigative reporter at the Los Angeles Times. He lives in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Books
Arts

The 'Bitter' Tale Of The Budweiser Family

9:05am December 24, 2012

by Acacia Squires

That trademark brew, Budweiser, is known to the world as the "King of Beers," and the Busch family was once considered practically royalty. Their early success led to a reign that lasted 150 years, but the end, when it came, wasn't so glorious.

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Laura Dern and series creator Mike White, shown together on the set of Enlightened, first worked together on White's 2007 film Year of the Dog.

Arts

HBO's 'Enlightened' Take On Modern Meditation

2:00pm December 21, 2012

Laura Dern is Amy Jellicoe, a health and beauty executive who returns from a post-meltdown retreat to pick up the pieces of her broken life in the HBO series Enlightened. Series creator Mike White talks about the tone of the show, and whether it's possible for people to really change.

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Director David Chase and Executive Producer and Music Supervisor Steve Van Zandt on the set of Not Fade Away.

'Not Fade': Rock 'N' Roll, Here To Stay

12:58pm December 21, 2012

In his new film, Sopranos creator David Chase tells a coming-of-age story about Jersey boys in the 1960s who dream of riding the wave of the British invasion all the way to stardom. Chase teams up with Steven Van Zandt — of the E Street Band and The Sopranos — to make the movie's music rock.

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Lou Nasti runs a factory in Brooklyn that makes animatronic Christmas displays. He's been at it for almost 44 years.

Arts

At A Real-Life Santa's Workshop, Christmas Comes Early

3:16pm December 20, 2012

by Neda Ulaby

An unassuming brick building in Brooklyn houses a factory that makes animatronic puppets, elves and polar bears for the holiday season. NPR's Neda Ulaby drops by Mechanical Displays Inc. to talk with Lou Nasti, who's been at it for almost 44 years.

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Books
Arts

Self-Publishing: No Longer Just A Vanity Project

5:44am December 20, 2012

by Lynn Neary

It used to be called the "vanity press," a name that carried a sniff of derision. But Lynn Neary reports that self-publishing has become a booming business, spawning best-sellers, and attracting the interest of Amazon and the major publishing houses.

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Books
Arts

In 'Red Pyramid,' Kid Heroes Take On Ancient Egypt

5:43pm December 19, 2012

by NPR Staff

Our latest pick for NPR's Backseat Book Club is The Red Pyramid, a tale of two kids who must rescue the world from Egyptian gods. Author Rick Riordan, a former schoolteacher, combined his obsession with books with his passion for mythology to write this book about ordinary kids doing heroic things.

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During World War II, "Canteen Girl" Phyllis Jeanne Creore spoke and sang to the troops and their loved ones for 15 minutes every week on NBC radio.

Arts

WWII 'Canteen Girl' Kept Troops Company From Afar

6:07am December 18, 2012

by Susan Stamberg

For 15 minutes each week, Phyllis Jeanne Creore spoke and sang to the servicemen and their loved ones in her NBC radio broadcast. Now 96 years old, the beloved "Canteen Girl" shares her memories — and some personal wartime letters, too.

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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was No. 1 at the box office this past weekend. But a No. 1 ranking means less about whether a movie will be profitable â and more about a fleeting cultural moment.

Arts

No. 1 At The Box Office? Four Reasons Why It Doesn't Matter

5:19pm December 17, 2012

by Sami Yenigun

Every weekend, movies compete to be No. 1 at the box office. But a No. 1 ranking means less about whether a movie will be profitable — and more about a fleeting cultural moment.

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Barbra Streisand is Joyce Brewster in The Guilt Trip. The multitalented performer has won an Oscar, an Emmy, a Grammy and a Tony — a feat achieved by fewer than a dozen artists.

Arts

'Guilt Trip': Streisand On Songs, Films And Family

12:27pm December 17, 2012

In her new movie, singer, actor, writer, director and producer Barbra Streisand plays a well-meaning if overbearing Jewish mom. The star says her own mother both encouraged her talents and was jealous of them.

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The Beatles look out of the Magical Mystery Tour coach skylight, on location in England in September 1967.

Behind The Scenes Of The Beatles' 'Magical Mystery Tour'

3:01pm December 14, 2012

by David Bianculli

A new documentary on PBS about the making of the Beatles' 1967 film Magical Mystery Tour features outtakes from the original and new interviews with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. TV critic David Bianculli calls the film "wonderfully thorough."

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