by Michael Katzif

This week's Culturetopia podcast is hosted by Tell Me More producer Alicia Montgomery and All Things Considered producer Justine Kenin. And as always, it covers a lot of ground.

We first hear a great piece from our own Neda Ulaby about 'DJ Hero,' the latest music video game that lets you rock the club, but you know, from your couch. Find out how a real DJ and a gamer stack up against each other.

We hear part of an interview with scholar and author Cornel West, who discusses the differences between hip hop and rap.

Then, NPR's Melissa Block talks with cinematographer Roger Deakins -- best known for his work with the Coen Brothers -- about the use of CGI and the art of happy accidents.

NPR film critic Bob Mondello gives us his review of the Michael Jackson concert film This Is It. And finally, singer, songwriter and bassist extraordinaire Meshell Ndegeocello drops in to talk about her music and perform a song.

As always, you can hear the podcast right here, or become a subscriber and get a weekly dose of favorite NPR arts coverage.

by Linda Holmes

I hosted this week's Culturetopia with arts reporter Felix Contreras, and it's safe to say it covers a lot of territory.

We hear first about the fact that musicians hear better than other people -- scientists say so. Speaking of hearing, if you haven't yet heard the Fresh Air interview with Tracy Morgan, you'll hear part of that in the podcast, and rest assured, it is not your typical Tracy Morgan interview.

We check in on an interview with Lenny Kravitz, who discusses his relationship with Paris and the development of his unique sound on the 20th anniversary of his album, Let Love Rule.

Not resting in our efforts to cover every corner of the culture this week, we hear about the worldwide influence of soap operas (yes, really!), and RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan talks about his new book.

As always, you can hear the podcast right here, or -- and you know you want to -- become a subscriber and get a weekly dose of our favorite NPR arts coverage.

by Neda Ulaby

Digital News editor and not-so-shy-singer Tanya Ballard Brown guest-hosts this week's podcast of NPR's best arts and culture stories. And allow me to point out from the offset that it takes real guts to launch into a rendition of a Julie Andrews classic right after hearing the singer in an interview that aired on Morning Edition. (In it, Andrews discusses her contributions to children's literature.)

Come to think of it, I should have asked Tanya to also grace us with a Bun B song. The Grammy-nominated rapper, in a piece for All Things Considered, analyzes his roots in early Southern rap and his deep karmic debt to the group Goodie Mob.

We've also got an interview with author-cum-screenwriter Dave Eggers on collaborating with director Spike Jonze on his poetic new adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are and a look at a popular male belly-dancing teacher in China.

And finally, my linguistic nitpicking leads me to a discussion of the way the word "modern" is used on design-oriented shows like Project Runway.

by Neda Ulaby

There are track suits in NPR's weekly arts and culture podcast this week.

An endless supply of them.

Some adorn the six-foot frame of Jane Lynch, who plays scheming cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester in the new Fox musical comedy television series "Glee." ("It's like slipping into your pajamas when you go to work. I love it," Lynch confides to host Melissa Block.)

And you'll see tracksuits aplenty in the new British soccer film The Damned United, which looks at the ridiculously abbreviated coaching career of Brian Clough, who lasted with the Leeds team for only 44 days.

We've also got my piece about rapper Brother Ali, who has probably worn a track suit once or twice in his life. Less sure about the sartorial tendencies of Rosanne Cash, who's interviewed about her new hit album of songs recommended to her by her man-in-black dad.

We've got an excerpt from Talk of the Nation's conversation with Whitopia author Rich Benjamin. Yes, it's about the whitest places in the US, demographically speaking. And finally, a visit to the shop of the late, great hot dog purveyor Ben Ali. Ben's Chili Bowl is a favorite of DC residents ranging from the current president to yours truly, and it's long stood as a symbol of the city's diversity and resiliency.

Listen to the show, where I'm joined by Sonari Glinton, who's a producer at All Things Considered, right here.

by Neda Ulaby

Your podcast of NPR's best arts and culture stories brings you deep into the heart of a suburban mall movie theater this week, as roller derby girls roll out in force for the new movie Whip It. (Linda discusses her prediction that the movie will age gracefully into a beloved classic for thirteen year old girls of the future.)

Littler children of today may cherish the latest excursion to the Hundred Acre Woods. Lynn Neary talks with the creator of the first-ever sanctioned sequel to the story of Winnie the Pooh. You'll hear about some of the animals he considered -- and rejected -- as new characters.

Two of the more riveting characters filling movie screens this fall include a vicious abusive mother and her obese, near-illiterate daughter. They're the heart of the upcoming movie Precious, set in Harlem in the 1980s. I went to the Toronto Film Festival to interview the film's director -- and Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, both executive producers. A podcast exclusive: my regrets about what I didn't include.

We've also got a look at the Broadway play Superior Donuts, penned by Tracy Letts, who won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama last year with his August: Osage County. Finally, the Bicycle Diaries of former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne. The avowed cyclist describes bicycle riding as faster than a walk, slower than a train and slightly higher than a person. But is it as good as a big white suit?

You can subscribe to Culturetopia here, or listen right from this space.

by Neda Ulaby

Your weekly serving of culture-love from NPR includes an interview with Aziz Ansari, whose portrayal of a hilariously sleazy public servant in the new NBC comedy Parks and Recreation is one of the cool highlights of this fall TV season.

Another man we love, Forest Whitaker, talks about his decision to produce a five-part HBO documentary about Newark's city government. (Brick City focuses on its magnetic young mayor, Cory Booker, who could probably make that fictional parks department run more efficiently.)

We've also got immigrant TV talk show host Craig Ferguson chatting about his decision to become an American, and we'll learn how author Orson Scott Card really feels about the transformation of two of his science fiction classics into graphic novels.

Actor Juliette Binoche explains a few of her other gentle talents -- like dancing, painting and drawing -- and author James Ellroy shares his thoughts on rhythm. Finally, film critic Kenneth Turan questions the use value of Michael Moore's new movie, Capitalism: A Love Story.

by Neda Ulaby

In NPR's weekly podcast of our best arts and culture stories, we've got ... well, we've got an awful lot of boys this week. Matt Damon and Steven Soderbergh chat about their new dark comedy The Informant! And Neil Patrick Harris discusses the terrors and pleasures of hosting the Emmys and his not-so-Horrible career.

Ever wonder how exactly to push the edges of stereotypical humor? Comic Joey Medina explains how he draws on his Latino heritage for material on Talk Of The Nation. Then, an interview with publishing's eight-zillion-pound gorilla -- Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code. He chats about his new book, The Lost Symbol, with All Things Considered host Robert Siegel. Brown says he's come to consider Freemasonry "a perfect blueprint for universal spirituality." Wonder if he's a member.

by Neda Ulaby

We've got pieces on the dorkily delightful Fox musical comedy series Glee and Jay-Z's 11th solo album on our weekly roundup of NPR's very best arts pieces.

(By the way, Broadway star Matthew Morrison -- who's the lead actor in Glee -- gives an interview that may be the most adorable thing heard on NPR in recent memory.)

But tell more, you may be saying, about the odd pairings manifesting on the podcast this week:

How about a reflection upon Walt Disney's semi-surreptitious partnership with the U.S. State Department during World War II? Or an interview with a pro baller who happens to be a devout poetry geek? Fernando Perez, of the Tampa Bay Rays, discusses his recent essay in Poetry magazine.

Finally, a sister and an only child chew over the complicated -- and occasionally unholy --relationships between sisters. One is best-selling author Deborah Tannen. The other is NPR's original radio mama bear, Susan Stamberg. I'll let you figure out who's the sibling.

You can subscribe to the podcast here, or listen below.

by Neda Ulaby

Our esteemed film critic Bob Mondello joins the podcast this week for our weekly roundup for the very best arts stories on NPR.

We've got a look at the new dolphin doc, The Cove -- you can hear Bob explain why he picked this film to champion -- and a charming interview with musician Imogen Heap, who explains how Twitter helped inspire her new album.

A piece lifted from the science desk features music composed for monkeys, and we consider whether the word "retarded" should be retired. Finally, a look at the Los Angeles comedy scene of the 1970s and a kids' book about reality shows of the future devolved to a hideously violent extreme.

As always, you can subscribe to the podcast here, or listen to it right where you're sitting.

by Neda Ulaby

We've got a piping-hot new Culturetopia podcast, a collection of NPR's best arts stories of the week. (You can subscribe here.)

NPR Music producer Frannie Kelley joins me to talk about songwriter and producer Ellie Greenwich, who's one of those secret-history-of-rock types. Until her death last week, few people had heard of Greenwich, even though she helped create countless wonderful 1960s pop classics -- from "Be My Baby" to "Doo Wah Diddy Diddy" to "Leader of the Pack." Her career started during her high school cheerleading days in on Long Island

The book Jaws is set on Amity Island (based on Montauk) and features a foul-mouthed Long Islander hunting his own, rather toothier, version of Moby Dick. We've got a great audio essay by writer Lizzie Skurnick about why it's her favorite literary guilty pleasure.

We also take a jaunt to Tijuana to hear the sounds of the Nortec Collective, learn how South Africans feel about the none-too-subtle political subtexts of the terrific new science fiction film District 9, and bid a fond farewell to the long-running PBS kids' show Reading Rainbow.

Finally, we've got an interview with the director behind a fascinating documentary about Vogue's chief editrix Anna Wintour, and its leviathan of a September Issue.

by Linda Holmes

On this week's Culturetopia: Patton Oswalt and writer-director Rob Siegel talk about the new film Big Fan and whether Oswalt took time off from mixed martial arts (it's a long story); Quentin Tarantino discusses his movie Inglourious Basterds and critic Scott Tobias expands on his review; Archie decides on Veronica (maybe); and Lovin' Spoonful singer John Sebastian carefully breaks down his favorite summer song -- The Beach Boys' "I Get Around."

You can subscribe to the podcast here and get all the delicious arts coverage you need.

by Linda Holmes

This week's Culturetopia podcast kicks off with a remembrance of guitar great Les Paul on the occasion of his passing. If you're a longtime fan -- or even if you're not -- don't miss the great music and the wonderful descriptions by NPR's Tom Cole, which help even the uninitiated understand what was special and unusual about the way Paul played.

From that poignant tribute, we move to a playful performance and discussion from musical duo Sam & Ruby, who dropped by Tell Me More to offer the lowdown on how they met and what they do. He's from Wisconsin; she's from Ghana; they met in Nashville. Beat that. Happily, my co-host this week is Alicia Montgomery, a Tell Me More producer, and she was able to offer some reflections having seen the performance for herself.

If you love animation, you're probably well aware that Hayao Miyazaki's new film Ponyo has just bowed, and Kenneth Turan's rave will undoubtedly make you even more determined to see it.

We've also got a story about a book that both is a fantasy novel and comments on fantasy novels: Lev Grossman's The Magicians.

And finally, speaking of the fine line between reality and fantasy, we have a fascinating look back at Woodstock from NPR's music librarian, who was there and has a few things to say about how to buy hot dogs for a crowd.

You can listen right here, or subscribe to the podcast and get our best arts and entertainment reporting delivered right to you every week.

by Neda Ulaby

This week's edition of Culturetopia, NPR's weekly podcast of our best arts and culture stories, has arrived. Listen right here, or subscribe to the podcast here.

This week: Nora Ephron talks about cooking up the new film Julie And Julia, and we hear a profile of a socially committed Senegalese rap pioneer.

We talk a little about John Hughes, the director of a number of classic 1980s teen comedies, who passed away last week at the age of 59.

We join Bob Mondello for a truly hilarious look back at a 1980s British TV series about Shakespearean acting. The series featured a bunch of unknown thespians who are some of today's biggest stars. We promise you will recognize them. The show has been released on DVD, and it makes the perfect present for the Patrick Stewart fan in your life.

You'll also hear a poignant interview with one of hip hop's first superstars, Kurtis Blow, on the occasion of his 50th birthday, and listen to professional ghostwriters expound upon the pleasures and perils of their profession. "I did anything," one says," to put ramen noodles in my bowl and a roof over my head."

Bon appetit!

by Neda Ulaby

This week, All Things Considered producer Sonari Glinton guest hosts on NPR's arts podcast, Culturetopia. He discusses working with host Melissa Block on an ongoing series about favorite summer songs. We'll play part of an interview with Adam Duritz, the lead singer and founder of the band Counting Crows, who tells us why he selected the English Beat tune "Save It For Later."

"There's just something about the joy of the song," he tells Block. "Like, it just seems so Technicolor to me."

We've also got a hilarious interview with Italy's most influential pop star, a look back at hard-boiled African-American detective writer Chester Himes and a story about turning Ray Bradbury's science fiction classic Fahrenheit 451 into a graphic novel...with, mind you, the master's permission.

On top of that, we've managed to squeeze in some great tape of Australian actor Eric Bana (Munich, The Time Traveler's Wife) doing some acrobatics with various accents, a moving story about a guy who writes people's life stories on postcards, and the meaning of comedy -- from writer-director Harold Ramis, best known as the one with the glasses in "Ghostbusters."

You can subscribe or download the podcast here. Or you can listen right here.

Enjoy!

by Neda Ulaby

On the Culturetopia podcast, our weekly sampler that excerpts and highlights the very best of NPR's arts and culture reporting, we're pleased to present a couple of extra-fantastic interviews. You can subscribe to the podcast here and get hand-picked arts stories delivered every Wednesday, or you can listen right in this space.

Terry Gross talks with director Judd Apatow, who directed The 40 Year Old Virgin and a new movie, Funny People. Funny People stars Adam Sandler, and Apatow recalls their salad days rooming together when the two were young, hungry, undiscovered...and idiosyncratic when it came to releasing creative urges.

Then you'll hear an unexpected side to Diana Krall in her Morning Edition interview with Steve Inskeep. She's funny, she flubs up and you'll hear a veritable chocolate sundae of a jazz standard — a familiar tune that Krall recasts as "The Boy From Ipanema."

Also: a review of the snappy British political thriller In The Loop, the perils of last-minute obituaries and an aural snapshot of young singer Zee Avi. Born in Borneo, she's been described as "one part Billie Holiday, two parts Doris Day, with a little island, indie pop tossed in the mix." Which seriously doesn't even to begin to capture her allure.

by Michael Katzif

This week on Culturetopia, our weekly roundup of arts stories via podcast, you'll hear Sandman and Coraline author Neil Gaiman on his latest Batman project, Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader.

And then hear from Emmy award-winning actress Barbara Hale -- who played Perry Mason's capable assistant, Della Street -- as she describes the only case that Mason lost.

We'll hear Kenneth Turan's review of the latest Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, and we've got a great chat with author Aravind Adiga, who talks about his new collection of stories set in a small town in Southern India. Plus NPR's Bob Mondello finds out how Pepsi became known as "Pecsi" in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

And finally, you'll hear hardrocker Andrew W.K., who explains why he thinks the music of Bach -- that's Johann Sebastian Bach, not heavy metal singer Sebastian Bach -- stands among humankind's greatest accomplishments.

by Neda Ulaby

This week on Culturetopia, our weekly roundup of arts goodness via podcast, you'll hear the insightful author Jeff Yang on Asian-Americans and comic books.

And that immortal "Yoo-hoo!" echoing through your headphones emanates from rediscovered radio icon Gertrude Berg, who can fairly claim to have invented the sitcom with her serial The Goldbergs starting back in the late 1920s.

We'll hear Bob Mondello's review of the new Sacha Baron Cohen movie, Brüno. Plus, we've got a great movie chat with director Mark Webb, who talks about how making music videos influenced his new romantic comedy, 500 Days of Summer.

Best of all? You'll hear David Lynch, director of Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive, sing. And he talks about why the world isn't doomed, not just yet.

by Linda Holmes

On this week's Culturetopia, we start off with an examination of all things zombie, and of the splash the undead are currently making in popular culture. It may sound like an examination of culture, but it's also highly practical: I don't want to oversell the piece, but it will enable you to kill zombies. I'm just saying.

On a much more serious note, NPR's David Greene talks to the star and the director of the new film The Stoning Of Soraya M. about the film, the story that inspired it, and what makes it so important.

From the world of music, we look at Latin music migrations and how they're affecting the sound of music in California and elsewhere. NPR arts desk reporter Felix Contreras, who's co-hosting this week's podcast with me, adds a few thoughts about the piece, which he produced.

We visit the growing landscape of 3D film, hearing Bob Mondello's review of the new movie Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs, followed by a look at the evolution of 3D glasses. (Which still aren't every kid's favorite thing to wear, as we briefly discuss.)

Finally, we wrap up with a heavy dose of good music as we mark the 20th anniversary of Merge Records, the home of The Arcade Fire, Spoon, and plenty of other artists.

Zombies, great music, and 3D glasses? If this sounds like it's right up your alley, you can listen below, or -- and really, this will save you all kinds of time -- you can subscribe to the podcast.

by Neda Ulaby

NPR's weekly arts podcast takes a turn towards the 1980s this week, with a couple of reflections upon important anniversaries. And you can listen right here.

Spike Lee's seminal film Do The Right Thing turns 20 this summer, and the classic Prince tune "Purple Rain" celebrates a quarter of a century. We take a moment to reflect on both, assisted when it comes to Prince by an appreciation from Maroon 5 members Jesse Carmichael and Adam Levine.

Meanwhile, Nate DiMeo helps us remember why exactly we should respect big cartoony movies designed around Hasbro toys. Sure, little about the new Transformers movie, or the upcoming G. I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra may appeal to aesthetes, but the two films will probably be among this summer's top moneymakers. The first Transformers movie made nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars at the box office. Boom!

(Linda also mentions a conversation that took place at Monkey See last week about potential new movies based on toys; you can find that one here.)

We'll also learn about a Princeton sociologist's sobering findings about the status of women playwrights in the American theater and hear a review of the gripping new movie The Hurt Locker.

And that tootle you'll hear comes from an instrument made of vulture bones and mammoth tusks. It's the oldest musical instrument ever found.

Finally, there's no denying that the most talked-about pop-culture event of the week was the death of Michael Jackson, and Linda talks this week about finding something to say about a guy who's so hard to talk about.

Check out Culturetopia right here, or subscribe to the podcast, to hear all of the pieces.

by Neda Ulaby

How can you enjoy Culturetopia, NPR's weekly roundup of our best in movies, music, books, television, and the occasional cultural oddity? You can listen right here, or if you are the kind of person who might enjoy having hand-picked radio stories delivered directly to you, you can subscribe to the podcast here.

This week, we look at what's sure to be one of the most talked-about movies of the summer. Sacha Baron Cohen has made a career trampling on delicate sensibilities, and we attempted to put together an exhaustive list of the groups of people who might possibly be offended by his new movie, Bruno.

(And if you missed the annotated trailer when we posted it here last week, be sure to check it out.) (Preview: We think he will offend both cows and Satan. The range is wide.)

Elsewhere in the podcast, you'll learn why the new Woody Allen movie stinks, and hear Pulitzer-prize winning columnist Leonard Pitts Jr. contemplate manhood, through a father's lens.

If the fate of the Elgin Marbles was left to Vanity Fair writer Christopher Hitchens, he'd repatriate them from the British Museum back to Greece. Here, he explains why.

The first White House jazz concert took place in 1962 under Jacqueline Kennedy's auspices; we hear how the current First Lady is encouraging jazz education under the presidential roof. And we've got a review of a breakthrough album by the smart young Brooklyn rock band Dirty Projectors. (A preview: our critic finds it a bit like "Destiny's Child teaming up with the Talking Heads.")

by Neda Ulaby

Our latest culture podcast has arrived, and it's a jolly good one, particularly if you happen to enjoy jazz and blues.

This week, the legendary Lonnie Brooks chats and performs with his son before an engaged Tell Me More audience.

If your tastes run to the piano or to unusual meter, we've got Dave Brubeck looking back over a life in jazz. That made our Dave Brubeck-loving producer, Michael Katzif, very, very happy. I bet you'll like it too.

(And if you are a Brubeck enthusiast, don't miss the bonus material, as they say, available at NPR's new-ish jazz blog, A Blog Supreme.)

Regular readers of this blog may know about my unabashed adoration of director Guillermo Del Toro, who's just co-written a horror novel about vampires. (I even wrote about the book as I read it.) So if you detect a faint squee or two during his interview, it wasn't WATC host Guy Raz. It was probably me.

On the podcast, we'll also play a sweet piece out of New York inspired by the new movie The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3. It's about the city's subways and how they've changed since the original Pelham came out over three decades ago. And don't miss the accompanying slideshow from NPR's Picture Show blog.

Also from the world of the movies, the makers Food Inc. discuss their new documentary -- which, I hear, promises to do for the supermarket what Jaws did for the beach.

You can listen to this week's Culturetopia right here, or you can subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss a Brubeck-loving, subway-exploring moment.

It's Wednesday, which means it's again time for Culturetopia, NPR's podcast highlighting some of our favorite stories in books, movies, music and all things arts and culture.

Remember, to hear it, you can subscribe to the podcast here or simply hit the the "play" button below to listen.

This week's roundup begins with an interview from Tell Me More with Bartlett Sher and Roger Robinson. Robinson won a Tony Award for featured actor earlier this week for his role in August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come And Gone.

Then, NPR contributor Anthea Raymond takes a look at the world of Hollywood extras. The economy being what it is, more and more people are trying to get a foot in the door of this little-noticed line of work.

On the music front, we get a sneak first listen to one of the most anticipated and sought-after of archival releases: The Neil Young Archive, a ten-disc box set that documents Young's musical career from 1963-1972. Will Hermes says it was worth the wait.

Then, we'll hear a bit of a conversation with a guy who took his fandom to an extreme: he liked a poet's work so much, he created his own retrospective -- sort of. Author and critic Daniel Mendelson spoke with NPR's Jackie Lyden about his work translating every known work of Greek poet Constantine Cavafy.

And last, but not least, we have an interview with Carmela -- er, Edie Falco, star of Showtime's new show, Nurse Jackie.

by Neda Ulaby

It is once again Wednesday, and that means it is once again time for Culturetopia, NPR's podcast highlighting some of our favorite stories in books, movies, music, and the rest of the culturetopian landscape we hope you're all enjoying.

How can you join us and devour a hand-picked selection of some of NPR's finest arts and culture stories? Certainly, you can subscribe to the podcast. But if you just can't bear having any more buttons to push, we'll narrow it down to just one: the "play" button right here.

This week's round-the-world roundup kicks off with a truly incredible Susan Stamberg piece about Broadway orchestrators. (It's the sort of piece that NPR staffers were forwarding to each other all last week with subject lines ordering, "You've got to hear this.")

On the books beat, we have a moving interview with Luis Alberto Urea. A product of Tijuana and San Diego who was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 2005, Urrea has a new novel out called Into The Beautiful North. The story considers what happens in those little Mexican villages where everyone's moved to the U.S. Urrea brings a devastatingly observant eye to his post-NAFTA epics, as he does to his interview with Tell Me More. (Happily, you can find the first chapter of Into The Beautiful North at that link as well.)

Bob Dylan! A Japanese movie! Linda's Pixar letter in her very own voice! And, believe it or not, even more, after the jump...

Continue reading "Culturetopia: Must-Listen Arts & Entertainment (Global Edition)" >

by Neda Ulaby

We're very into memoirs in this week's Culturetopia.

Screen legend Sidney Poitier recounts a heartbreaking story about his father's parting gift when Poitier left his family in the Bahamas behind to beat the odds and find success in a pre-civil rights USA.

And the irrepressible essayist Clive James talks about what he describes as "the weaknesses and indeed, the horrors of being a little boy" growing up in the Australian suburbs.

Decide for yourself if the hated elevator entity known as Muzak has indeed evolved into something "almost hip," and feel free to decode the complicated cultural identity of the Hip Hop Hoodios, a duo of Jewish-Latin rappers.

Reporter Elizabeth Blair has the skinny on some of the hilariously uptight brand-control battles that took place behind the scenes of this week's hit movie, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. We also have Bob Mondello's review of Terminator Salvation, the movie that Museum beat at the box office last weekend.

And we'll hear new scholarly speculation about William Shakespeare. His secrets, evidently, are in his sonnets.

Last and probably least, we even give you a glimpse at the ending of America's most ubiquitous pop-culture phenomenon, American Idol.

by Neda Ulaby

We take a turn towards the cryptic in Culturetopia this week.

(If you haven't been paying rapt attention, that's the newish podcast featuring NPR's best arts and culture stories that Linda and I host every week.)

If you're not a podcast-subscribing type, you can listen right here.

From the twisty mind of J.J. Abrams springs such tenebrous television as Lost and Fringe, as well as the fabulous new Star Trek movie. You'll hear some cuts from his appearance on Talk Of The Nation about his affection for brainteasers and how consideration of genre plays into his oeuvre.

You'll hear a hilarious review of this week's number one hit film, Angels and Demons, from our critic Bob Mondello. (No, Virginia, there is no such thing as a Harvard symbologist.) You can find the Tom Hanks Daily Show clip we talked about here.

We've got a great piece from San Francisco about the surprisingly robust economics of the used CD trade. I'm just glad those things aren't ending up in landfills.

Finally, you'll meet a little lady who's headless, three inches tall and 35,000 years old. She's the newly discovered First Lady of Found Art -- possibly the oldest representation of a female figure ever found. It's always nice to have a science desk reporter doing a cultural piece, and Chris Joyce -- who not long ago did a bang-up profile of Indiana Jones -- was the perfect person to file this report.

by Neda Ulaby

Admit it. You want to know what Monkey See blogger Linda Holmes sounds like.

This is where Culturetopia comes in.

Every week, Linda and I work with NPR arts producers and editors to curate our new-ish podcast. You can subscribe to the podcast, or if you're more of an instant-gratification person, you can listen here.

Culturetopia is a collection of some of our favorite NPR stories about music, movies, art, TV and more. This week, we hear about a potential "sonic musical social castration." That's how one Detroit musician describes the possible closing of one of the oldest continuously operating jazz clubs in the world.

Location scout Kokayi Ampah tells host Michelle Norris about his search for the perfect beach for the movie Flags of Our Fathers and the most poignantly lonely tree in Ohio for The Shawshank Redemption.

And have you ever wondered exactly how to use the expression "Dag?" Novelist Colson Whitehead explains, as he brings us into the world of his latest book, Sag Harbor, about black teenagers summering in the Hamptons.

And we learn another new word: "bookaneers." They were the scurvy book pirates who brawled for the first manuscripts of Charles Dickens' writings when they first arrived from England. Matthew Pearl lightly fictionalized the author's trip to America in 1867 in his new book, The Last Dickens, and he describes Dickens as the era's biggest rock star.

We also return to the post you saw right in this space a week ago to talk about superhero fan films.

Finally, film critic Ken Turan is no different from most other earthlings, in that he adored the new Star Trek movie. You can hear his thoughts about its complicated humanism by beaming Culturetopia into your MP3 player.

by Linda Holmes

If it's Wednesday, this must be Culturetopia we're in. Yup, it's time for NPR's weekly arts-etcetera podcast, a roundup of our favorite NPR arts and entertainment stories from last week.

In this week's installment, arts reporter (and jazz enthusiast) Felix Contreras and I talked about:

• the Hunt For Gollum fan video released this past weekend;

• Anika Noni Rose's upcoming gig as a Disney princess;

• Terry Gross's Fresh Air interview with Gabriel Byrne of HBO's In Treatment;

• author Colm Toibin's new novel Brooklyn, about a journey from Ireland to ... well, Brooklyn;

• a recent installment of the NPR Music jazz-sampler series Take Five, in which NPR editor Tom Cole talks about the recordings that introduced him to the genre;

• a commemorative ride on New York City's fabled A train, to celebrate the 110th anniversary of the birth of "Take The A Train" composer Duke Ellington; and

• from right here at Monkey See, the amazing kids of the PS 22 chorus, with their performance of "Eye Of The Tiger."

Sound good? Have a listen right here, if you like:

Or if automation is your thing, subscribe to Culturetopia from its podcast home page.

If you have reactions to the new podcast, please let us know below. What works for you, what doesn't?

Culturetopia: This is how it looks in the land of the new podcast. iStockphoto.com

 

by Linda Holmes

Podcast listeners, unite! NPR has launched a new podcast called Culturetopia, which will be a roundup of the best NPR arts stories of the previous week. Books! Movies! The beauty of the dance! Furthermore, in an effort to practice my inside voice, I'm co-hosting with NPR's own Neda Ulaby.

In the first installment, we've got movies, we've got bizarre death coincidences, and we've got Turkey -- the country, not the food. (Mmm, turkey.)

We may even chat up some blog content in the future, so add it to your iPod or the free-thinking MP3 player of your choice, and enter Culturetopia, where the grass is green, the sun is always shining, and they play really good music in all the restaurants.