Blind Items: In NPR's internal In Character wars, who said what about whom? And which fictional figure best embodies the In Character ideal? Read on ...

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Excuse me. Ahem. 'Scuse me. (Is this thing on?)

Austin Tichenor of the Reduced Shakespeare Company here.

Sorry to butt in here on the official NPR website. I've hacked my way onto the In Character blog because I ... I ...

I just need to share with you some shocking revelations. Revelations we uncovered back in mid-July, about the tensions and dissensions the In Character series has stirred up among NPR's most distinguished journalists.

Listen! To Madeleine Brand's startling Spinal Tap fetish!

Hear! Robert Siegel clam up about how he really feels!

Be shocked! When Peter Overby raises his voice!

And awed! At what David Kestenbaum is willing to say in front of a live mic!

Also: Check out this exclusive web-only interview I conducted with Scott Simon, in which the Weekend Edition host reveals everything his corporate masters at NPR wouldn't let him say!

Seriously: Click over and listen to the piece we did for In Character, which is finally showing up on the series homepage now that various technical difficulties have been overcome. (I'm lookin' at you, Trey Graham).

You'll hear some of your favorite NPR journalists as you've never heard them before. You'll hear what Nina Totenberg thinks about what we think about whether two fictional girl detectives are too many.

And you'll discover, toward the end of the piece, which fictional figure we at the RSC think best represents the In Character ideal -- a single character who embodies everything we are as Americans.

Then click over and listen to the Reduced Shakespeare Company Podcast. It's "All Things Reduced" at ReducedShakespeare.com.

Just be sure to come back here, and tell us what you think about In Character's choices. Your comments chariot awaits ...

-- Austin Tichenor

Illustrator Garth Williams told the author of The Annotated Charlotte's Web that E.B. White himself amended Williams' concept for Charlotte, which had originally been based on arachnological illustrations:

"He put two dots on the edge of her face looking down and put 3 strokes to suggest hair on the top of her head."

The effect worked, Williams conceded, and Charlotte became a likable heroine without being recognizably anthropomorphic -- "but I contend [White] cheated."

Garth Williams/HarperCollins

Baltimore, Md., librarian Fran Glick was the NPR.org user whose essay about Charlotte A. Cavatica caught our attention back in February.

Now, from All Things Considered host Melissa Block, comes this on-air appreciation of the elegant, if complicated, arachnid at the center of Charlotte's Web.

Block talks to the granddaughter and stepson of author E.B. White -- and to the author of The Annotated Charlotte's Web -- about how much painstaking research went into the creation of the character.

And about how adults and children differ in their reactions to her story.

The producer of the 1970 audiobook edition talks about White's own "ridiculous" reaction when he tried to record the book's infinitely sad closing sequence.

(What was your reaction as a kid? How does it affect you now? Share your Charlotte stories in the comments.)

And it wouldn't be an 'In Character' story without some extras, so you can hear White himself read a passage from the book. It's all over here on the story page.

Enjoy.

-- Trey Graham

"Life is a banquet": Rosalind Russell (in the 1956 Broadway production of Auntie Mame) made an irresistibly puckish boho queen.

Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Auntie Mame was one of the first characters you nominated when we launched In Character early this year.

From Auntie Mame. Book by Patrick Dennis
Play adapted by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee
Movie directed by Morton DaCosta
Nominated by Michael Whistler

My mother deemed one movie important enough for repeated family viewing: Auntie Mame, based on the novel by Patrick Dennis and starring the unforgettable Rosalind Russell.

Mame Dennis challenges her young charge Patrick to "Live! Live! Live!," presenting a world which is filled with miracles and not obstacles, hope instead of despair. Amid the chaos she creates, she ensures that he lives in a world filled with warmth, vivacity, charm, culture, adventure and beauty.

Sitting in that living room watching the movie, I could see the world my mother tried to offer me through Mame's - one where wit trumps power, charm overcomes fear, and generosity is the greatest act of human courage. Auntie Mame taught me the simple virtue of human love: the bravest person has the most to give, the most fearful has the least of all.

In short: Auntie Mame taught me to be a man.

Thursday at midnight, Heath Ledger will haunt thousands with his creepy portrayal of the Joker. The batty villain we all know was not always so menacing or significant, however. The creators of D.C. Comics killed him off after just two appearances in Batman #1. Later -- partly due to a puritanical group called the Comics Code Authority -- the Joker morphed into a silly alliteration-obsessed fellow on ABC's Batman TV show.

We want to know -- who was the best Joker of them all?

-- Heather Murphy

Alfred Hitchcock was a brilliant director, but he was probably equally skilled as a promoter. By the time Psycho was released in 1960, Hitchcock's rotund profile was well recognized by the American public, most immediately through his television show Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Hitchcock succeeded in creating initial buzz for Psycho by not offering preview screenings for critics. But that was just the beginning.

He came up with the notion that no one should be allowed into the theater once the movie had started. Incredibly, he got theater owners to go along with that stunt.

Also, in the lobbies of many movie houses were life-sized cutouts of the portly Hitch, admonishing audiences not to reveal Psycho's shocking ending.

Perhaps Hitchcock's greatest -- and certainly the most fun -- Psycho promotion was the six-and-a-half minute trailer for the film. It consists of the director's tongue in cheek tour of the Bates Motel, along with Norman and Mother's house behind it.

As he walks the grounds, the director gives hints of the crimes to come -- but before he can go into much detail, he stops himself, saying things like, "It's too terrible to talk about."

And then there is the final brilliant scene of the trailer: Hitchcock stepping into the infamous bathroom of Room Number 1 at the Bates Motel, where Janet Leigh as Marion Crane is dispatched early on in the film.

Except that when Hitch flings back the shower curtain, a la Norman in the movie, who is it standing there screaming? Not Janet Leigh.

It's Vera Miles, who plays Marion's sister in the movie. The stunt throws off viewers as to who is really going to get sliced and diced at the motel.

-- Peter Breslow

Pamela Sue Martin (left) as the teen sleuth and sidekick George Fayne, played by Jean Rasey, on the 1977-'78 The Hardy Boys Nancy Drew Mysteries TV series.

Universal Studios

With Renee Montagne's exploration of Nancy Drew we find the teenage sleuth is curious, freewheeling and, most importantly perhaps, independent.

It's the fact that she drove her Roadster over the speed limit that endeared her to comedian Fran Lebowitz and that she uncovered mysteries and did things only reporters were allowed to do that endeared her to Montagne.

Still, as cool as a maverick teenager could seem, Montagne tracked down a couple of fifth graders who found Drew's perfection grating. Just think how her car is always perfect or how polite she is to the criminals she's nabbed, says 11-year-old Zoe Dutton.

You can find the whole thing on the story page and leave your thoughts in the comments section.

-- Eyder Peralta

Not an illustration: The publicists at Penguin (parent of Grosset & Dunlap) are still digging up permission for us to reproduce the illustrations Lynn Neary blogs about below. Meanwhile, here's your alternate Jo -- actress Sutton Foster in the short-lived 2005 Broadway musical version of Little Women.

Bryan Bedder, Getty Images

 

When I started to work on this story I dug out the copy of Little Women that I read as young girl.

When I opened it up, there was an inscription on the front page. It was dated May 4, 1953 -- my oldest sister, Maureen's, confirmation day. The book was a gift to her from our Uncle Buddy, a favorite uncle because he was young and handsome and always gave us great presents.

I was not yet old enough to read when Maureen got this present, but it was this same book that I would read many years later. It passed down from Maureen, to Jeanne to Joann and finally to me.

At some point, Joann signed her name in the front of the book. The four "Neary girls," as we everyone called us, felt a close connection with the four March sisters, and we each wanted to claim ownership of the book.

I think it was a major oversight that I, the youngest, somehow managed to spirit this copy of Little Women away when my parents' house was sold.

Though it's now falling apart, the book's illustrations are as vivid as ever. And it's the pictures that really make this edition so special: There are full-page color illustrations interspersed throughout the book.

In one, the four girls and Marmee stand around a piano in a softly lit room, singing songs. In addition to such tableaus, there are also black and white sketches, including the famous scene of Jo and Prof. Bhaer "under the umbrella."

I brought the book with me when I interviewed my friend Mary for this story. We both sighed as we turned the pages, our eyes lingering on our favorite illustrations.

Mary said she always waited to look at the pictures, feeling that it was cheating to jump ahead in order to find out what was coming next in the story. But thinking back, I don't think I was so disciplined. I'm pretty sure I couldn't resist sneaking a peek.

-- Lynn Neary

Leonard Nimoy (right) as Spock and Jeffrey Hunter as Capt. Pike in the original Star Trek pilot episode.

 

Mr. Spock: You think he's smart, standoffish, and sexy. But at the very beginning, NBC didn't find him quite so appealing. In fact, as Neda Ulaby reports in her In Character profile for Weekend Edition Sunday, network suits told Gene Roddenberry to "lose the Martian."

We all know how that turned out.

In Neda's piece, Leonard Nimoy explains how Spock's signature line -- "Fascinating" -- came about. Plus expert commentary on the Vulcan's enduring appeal -- from a professor at MIT, no less -- and selected excerpts from your earlier conversation about Spock here on the blog.

It's all over there on the story page. Enjoy.

-- Trey Graham

Squirrel, a stray dog from A Dog's Life, is an important character because she represents kids like me. I have been a foster child for four years. She and I have been through the same things. We have both moved from house to house, family to family and life to life in hopes of a family. Squirrel and I have been separated from our big brother and mom.

We were hopeful with each family we moved in with but were then disappointed when we had to move again. Squirrel and I kept going because we knew there was a family waiting for us out there, somewhere in the real world.

Both of our stories have happy endings. Two months ago I was adopted into a loving family and at the end of the book, a nice lady adopted Squirrel.

Hear Mark read his essay:

Have you ever been like the Grinch? If you said no, you're lying.

One big thing in America is greed. It's not like the flu that you catch -- you're born with it. Everyone has a little Grinch in them. Sure, we haven't stolen Christmas, but we've all been greedy -- like kindergarteners fighting over blocks, or the world over money.

Most people act like the Grinch sometimes -- greedy, sad, alone, wanting a friend -- but we always seem to find ourselves. Sure our hearts aren't two sizes too small, and we don't live in a snowflake. But like the Grinch who changed and helped Whoville, we can make a change in our community.

We all must sacrifice to make a difference in our community. The Grinch sacrificed his own happiness for the Whovillens. We might have to sacrifice our happiness for the happiness of others.

Hear Morgan read her essay:

Cassie Logan is a 10-year-old African-American girl living in Mississippi in the 1930s. In her childhood, she has to look past skin color and racist actions to help improve her acceptance in society.

Throughout the book, Cassie experiences many different forms of racism. When she feels discouraged, her father affirms what she already believes: she must accept some things "the way they are" but fight to change those things most important.

Cassie is a great America fictional character because she perseveres and overcomes obstacles in her life. She conquers her doubt and is not afraid to fight for the values she believes in. Americans should do the same. This would make the world a more accepting place.

Hear Isabelle read her essay:

Bobby Pendragon is a 15-year-old boy. He mysteriously finds out he's a traveler (a person who goes to different places in different galaxies). His home goes from Stony Brook, N.Y., to nowhere.

One of his traits is bravery because he will do anything -- even if it is his worst fear -- to help others. Another trait is brains because he always is strategizing to avoid fights (though half the time they don't work). My favorite trait of his is his humor because it makes me laugh.

I really like Bobby because he has a lot of positive characteristics about him. He will usually take suicidal risks for others, if needed. He is also helpful in saving his friends.

I think it would be good for other students because it shows you what life is like. It also helps you by showing you that things die.

Hear Jacob read his essay:

My favorite character is Junie B. Jones because she is a character that expresses herself. Junie B. Jones is secretive -- she does not say out loud what she is thinking.

But the reader knows.

She uses her journal to express her true inner thoughts. Her inner thoughts are so hilarious -- so are mine.

My favorite book is Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouth because in the book, Junie opens her mouth a lot and keeps on talking (like me). She's not the type of person who cares what people think of her. She has lots of friends, she's a little goofball, and she likes to play around, have fun and do wild things.

Sometimes Junie B. Jones and I are misunderstood, but the best part is I bet she is really nice and a kind person -- like me!

Hear Jennice read her essay:

The psyche of the mid-twenties male seems to be no different now than it was in 1960 when John Updike's Rabbit, Run hit the shelves. At 26, I am the same age as Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom is as that novel opens, and like him I sometimes feel like escaping. The road goes for miles both ways and things just might be easier if I left it all behind.

The fact that Updike's seminal protagonist attempts this, though, is the wondrous thing about the work. When I immerse myself in Rabbit, I hate him and his selfishness, his indecision, and his fixation on past glory and present inconveniences.

But then I close the book, I can't help but feel a little dirty to realize that I have a little Rabbit in me. You can ditch those you're supposed to love, but they're going to get hurt -- and you're certainly not emerging unscathed, either.

Courtney B. Vance (left) and James Earl Jones played Cory and Troy Maxson in the original Broadway production of Fences.

The John Willis Theatre World/Screen World Archive

 

Troy Maxson is the protagonist -- you can't quite say "hero," unless you add "tragic" in front -- of August Wilson's play Fences. Here on the blog, we've got YouTube video of the cast and director from a production at Portland Center Stage, talking about the play's characters and themes, and Wilson's dramaturgy in general.

For the radio piece, James Earl Jones, who first played the part of Troy Maxson, sits down with NPR's Allison Keyes to explain why the character is so unforgettable. And I've got online-exclusive interview extras for you, plus video of Jones' performance from the Tony Awards ceremony in 1987 -- the year he took one home for playing the part.

It's all over here on the story page. And that YouTube video is below. Enjoy.

-- Trey Graham