Arts & Life

Actor Chris Noth has faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct recently.

Arts

A New York singer accuses actor Chris Noth of sexual abuse and intimidation

6:03pm December 23, 2021

by Andrew Limbong

"I was afraid to come forward because of Mr. Noth's power and his threats to ruin my career," Lisa Gentile said in a press conference. The actor faces multiple accusations of rape and sexual abuse.

stills from Pose, Dune, Only Murders In The Building, Squid Game, Summer Of Soul, West Side Story, The Green Knight, Wandavision and Power Of The Dog

Arts

The best movies and TV of 2021, picked by NPR critics

4:52pm December 23, 2021

This past year was a tumultuous one for both the film and TV industries. With that in mind, here's our critics' guide to all the movies and television shows they loved this year.

Joan Didion arrives at the opening night of The Year Of Magical Thinking, a play based on her memoir by the same name, at the Booth Theatre on March 29, 2007, in New York City.

Books
Arts

Joan Didion: The NPR interviews

4:19pm December 23, 2021

by Tien Le

NPR's talks with Didion date back to 1977, where the author described what she meant when she wrote "writers are always selling somebody out" in the introduction of Slouching Towards Bethlehem.

Arts

James Franco breaks silence, admits to sleeping with students from his acting school

3:52pm December 23, 2021

by Rachel Treisman

James Franco said he believed the encounters to be consensual and was "completely blind to power dynamics." He also described his struggle with sex addiction and its impact on his relationships.

Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand play Shakespeare's famously murderous couple in The Tragedy of Macbeth.

Arts

This 'Macbeth' adaptation distills Shakespeare's tragedy to its furious essence

1:52pm December 23, 2021

by Justin Chang

Director Joel Coen's The Tragedy of Macbeth is a bewitching piece of craftsmanship, featuring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand as the murderous power couple.

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Books
Arts

For queer Seoulites in 'Love in the Big City,' pride and shame intertwine

10:31am December 23, 2021

by Thúy Đinh

Sang Young Park's novel can be read as an anthropological approach to Seoulite queer lives in the 21st century: Its four linked stories capture the experience of being both visible and unacknowledged.

Author David Sedaris shares his experience working as an elf in Santaland Diaries.

Arts

'Tis the season. David Sedaris reads 'Santaland Diaries'

6:09am December 23, 2021

It may not be your typical feel-good holiday classic, but it's an NPR tradition: On Morning Edition, the humorist again tells fantastical stories based on his real-life job as a Macy's Christmas elf.

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Illustration showing a person gazing into a glowing green Matrix. Their reflection smiles lovingly back.

Arts

'I, too, was living a double life': Why trans fans connect to 'The Matrix'

8:50pm December 22, 2021

by Connie Hanzhang Jin

Long before writers Lilly and Lana Wachowski confirmed that the original film was written as a trans allegory, fans connected to its themes of self-actualization.

Jazz legend Chick Corea, shown here in 2018, died on Feb. 9, 2021.

'Fresh Air' remembers the jazz notables who died in 2021

1:26pm December 22, 2021

by Kevin Whitehead

Earlier this year, Kevin Whitehead noted the passing of Chick Corea and Mario Pavone. Now he remembers a few more players who died in 2021, including Milford Graves, Ralph Peterson and Dave Frishberg.

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Arts

Penélope Cruz says just reading the script for 'Parallel Mothers' left her in tears

1:26pm December 22, 2021

by Terry Gross

In her latest film, Cruz plays a 40-something single woman who becomes pregnant unintentionally. While at the hospital, her character meets a pregnant teen who is very unhappy about having a baby.

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