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Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Movie Reviews

A Poignant Voyage On 'The Pirogue'

More than 30 men set out to sea in the titular boat of The Pirogue. With that many actors and only an hour of time, not every character gets fleshed out — but the director's eye for singular faces helps.

January 22, 2013 The third feature by director Moussa Toure, the danger-at-sea drama distinguishes itself with richly authentic detail and a deep understanding of West African culture.

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Author Interviews

A Historic Arrival: New York's Grand Central Turns 100

Beams of sunlight stream through the windows of Grand Central Terminal, circa 1930.

January 22, 2013 Born from a deadly underground train crash, Manhattan's historic transit hub is credited with inventing the ramp and bringing electricity to both train tracks and terminal. Author Sam Roberts marks its centennial in Grand Central: How a Train Station Transformed America.

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Movies

Sundance Subsidy Stirs Conservative Pushback

Robert Redford's annual Sundance Film Festival draws thousands of filmgoers and millions of dollars to snowy Park City, Utah. But a state subsidy contributing to the event is drawing controversy from some conservatives, who say films screened at the festival don't reflect the values of the state.

January 22, 2013 KUERRobert Redford's annual Sundance Film Festival draws thousands of filmgoers and millions of dollars to snowy Park City, Utah. But a state subsidy contributing to the event is drawing controversy from some conservatives, who say films screened at the festival don't reflect the values of the state.

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Movies

Disney, Debauchery Are Big Hits At Sundance

A scene from director Ryan Coogler's Fruitvale, an entry in this year's U.S. Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival. It dramatizes the 2009 shooting of an unarmed man by a Bay Area transit police officer.

January 22, 2013 Melissa Block talks with Steven Zeitchik, arts and entertainment writer for the Los Angeles Times, about the Sundance Film Festival. They discuss the buzz-worthy movies and emerging trends from this year's festival.

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The Salt

The Inaugural Food Scene In 12 Bites

The restaurant Equinox served a Sunday brunch on Jan. 20 featuring courses inspired by President Obama and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s favorite foods, including this salad of citrus cured arctic char with watermelon radish, mache leaves and lobster vinaigrette.

January 22, 2013 Hundreds of thousands of people turned out in Washington, D.C. for the inauguration festivities. And boy, were they hungry. We tracked down the good stuff for you in pictures.

Summary

Book Reviews

Missing Out: On The Uses Of Dissatisfaction

Cover of Adam Phillips' Missing Out.

January 22, 2013 Writer and psychoanalyst Adam Phillips explores the paradox of dissatisfaction: Although not getting what we want may cause us pain, Phillips concedes, we should think of frustration as a natural part of existence, and one that can provide us pleasure if we let it.

Summary

Tina Brown's Must-Reads

Tina Brown's Must-Reads: Hidden Lives

Longtime CIA agent and counterintelligence agent Jeanne Vertefeuille, pictured at center, was instrumental in uncovering undercover agents, or moles, within the organization in the 1980s and '90s.

January 22, 2013 The Newsweek editor returns with a list of new reads about people with surprising lives — a CIA investigator, a successful businesswoman who started life as a child soldier, and a private-equity pioneer whose domineering personality drove his loved ones away.

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Monday, January 21, 2013

Monkey See

The Inaugural Ball: Thousands Of Dresses Searching For An Experience

President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama attend an inaugural ball at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Monday night.

January 21, 2013 The inaugural ball is sort of a strange event — it's not really fancy, but everyone treats it like it is. People are determined to have the experience be special, even if the surroundings aren't.

Summary

Television

Kevin Bacon, Seeking A TV 'Following'

Jeannane Goossen and Kevin Bacon star as FBI special agents tracing a network of serial killers in Fox's new crime drama The Following.

January 21, 2013 The actor stars in a new Fox series about a former FBI agent asked to help apprehend a serial killer he once put behind bars. The series is well done, but the violence in it is alarming — especially for network television.

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Author Interviews

'Double V': The Fight For Civil Rights In The U.S. Military

The fight to integrate the U.S. military began with the Revolutionary War, says author Rawn James, Jr.

January 21, 2013 In his new book, The Double V, Rawn James Jr. argues that to understand race in America one must understand the history of African-Americans in the military. While the turning point came between the world wars, the struggle began with the American Revolution.

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New In Paperback

Jan. 21-27: A Robbery, An Assassin And A Writer's Pilgrimage

The Expats cover detail

January 21, 2013 In softcover fiction and nonfiction, Richard Ford tracks the fallout of two unlikely criminals robbing a bank, while Chris Pavone tells the story of a woman's transition from assassin to stay-at-home mom and Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts explores Harlem's mythic and modern sides.

Summary

You Must Read This

Urban Oases: Getting Lost in 'Invisible Cities'

Scenes around the city of Venice, Italy, during the 61st Venice Film Festival on Sept. 5, 2004.

January 21, 2013 Marco Polo sits in the garden of Kublai Khan and weaves tales of spider cities, gold cities and dream cities. Author Eric Weiner explains why the best travel book he has ever read isn't about a real place. What's your favorite book about an imaginary journey? Tell us in the comments.

Summary

Aretha Franklin Was Already Famous, But Her Hat-Maker Wasn't

At the Jan. 20, 2009, inauguration of President Obama, Aretha Franklin's hat nearly stole the show. Her chapeau became a sensation, and made its creator, 36-year-old Luke Song, famous overnight.

January 21, 2013 When Detroit milliner Luke Song made Aretha Franklin's now-iconic 2009 inaugural hat — you know, the one with the big bow? — he had no idea he'd be making thousands more.

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