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Arts & Life

Music Interviews

'Ol' Man River': An American Masterpiece

NPR's Scott Simon and cultural commentator Murray Horowitz reflect on the impact of "Ol' Man River." It's the 75th anniversary of Paul Robeson's powerful recording of the hauntingly beautiful song from Show Boat.

'Ol' Man River': An American Masterpiece

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Review

Pixar's Fish Story: 'Finding Nemo'

The new animated movie Finding Nemo tells the story of a fish family learning life's lessons. The computer-generated film is from Pixar Animation, the pioneering force behind Toy Story, A Bug's Life and Monsters, Inc. Film critic Ken Turan of the Los Angeles Times offers a review.

Pixar's Fish Story: 'Finding Nemo'

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JFK, 'An Unfinished Life'

A new book on President Kennedy has attracted attention because of the disclosure that he had sex with a White House intern. But some historians dispute author Robert Dallek's assertion that Kennedy's presidency was not damaged by his risky sexual behavior and bad health. In an extended interview with NPR's Juan Williams, Dallek discusses Kennedy's medical history and his assassination.

JFK, 'An Unfinished Life'

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Review

Music Reviews

Music Review: 'Torch' from Various Artists

Torch is a new collection of "torch ballads" from contemporary artists such as Elvis Costello and Cassandra Wilson. The CD combines the sultry pathos of a torch song with electronic rhythms and sympathetic arrangements. Jim Fusilli offers a review.

Music Review: 'Torch' from Various Artists

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Bob Hope: 100 Years of Memories

On Bob Hope's 100th birthday, NPR's Susan Stamberg looks back at the man who entertained audiences for nearly every decade of the 20th century in a career spanning stage, radio, movies and television. See historic photos of Hope and hear samples of his comedy and music.

Bob Hope: 100 Years of Memories

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'Berga' Tells of Nazi Slave Camp, U.S. Captives

During World War II, American soldiers suspected of being Jewish were captured by the Nazis and sent off to a German slave labor camp. Berga: Soldiers of Another War was the final project for famed documentarian Charles Guggenheim, who lost an Army buddy in the camp. NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Grace Guggenheim about her late father's last film.

'Berga' Tells of Nazi Slave Camp, U.S. Captives

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Music News

'Pomp and Circumstance'

It's hard to imagine a graduation ceremony without Pomp and Circumstance. Music commentator Miles Hoffman stops by Morning Edition to explore the famous processional, which was by Sir Edward Elgar (left), and other marches of the season.

'Pomp and Circumstance'

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A Look at Philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson

May 25 marks what would be the 200th birthday of Ralph Waldo Emerson, a philospher, poet and essayist who helped define the Transcendentalist movement. NPR's Liane Hansen talks to historian Kenneth Sacks about Emerson's influence in the fields of writing, public speaking and pragmatic thought.

A Look at Philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Spy's the Bad Guy in 'Old Flames'

John Lawton's Cold War spy novel, Old Flames, is set in England in l956, during Nikita Khrushchev's first visit to Great Britain. In this story, as Lawton makes clear, the spy is anything but a hero. Lawton speaks with NPR's Scott Simon.

Spy's the Bad Guy in 'Old Flames'

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Playwright Wilson Turns Actor in 'How I Learned'

How I Learned What I Learned is the latest from playwright August Wilson. He's won two Pulitzer Prizes for Fences and The Piano Lesson. This time Wilson makes his acting debut in a one-man show. Marcie Sillman of member station KUOW reports.

Playwright Wilson Turns Actor in 'How I Learned'

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Beethoven's Ninth Manuscript Sells for $3.5 Million

An original, annotated manuscript of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony fetches $3.5 million in a Sotheby's auction. NPR's Jeffrey Freymann-Weyr looks at the place that this symphony, with its "Ode to Joy," holds in Western culture.

Beethoven's Ninth Manuscript Sells for $3.5 Million

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ChevronTexaco Ends Funding for Met Opera's Broadcasts

ChevronTexaco announces it will stop sponsoring the Metropolitan Opera's Saturday radio programs in 2004. The move ends the longest-running commercial sponsorship in American broadcasting, which began in 1940. Hear Will Berger, author of The NPR Curious Listener's Guide to Opera.

ChevronTexaco Ends Funding for Met Opera's Broadcasts

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'Mordecai': A Jewish Family History

The Mordecais were among the first Jewish families to settle in the South after the Revolutionary War. A new book tells the story of how they struggled to assimilate into American society while retaining their identity as Jews, a story that still resonates in today's America, author Emily Bingham says. Read an excerpt from the book.

'Mordecai': A Jewish Family History

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Music News

An MIT Prof's Toy Symphony Project

MIT professor Tod Machover's Toy Symphony project takes electronic instruments to cities in Europe and the United States, where local youngsters with no particular musical background compose their own tunes. One example: "Attack of the Headless Chickens." Independent producer Jon Kalish reports.

An MIT Prof's Toy Symphony Project

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