Arts & Life
John McCalleyBig And Beautiful: Best Gift Books of 2009
()Reviewer John McAlley selects gems from the worlds of fine art, fashion, photography, science, lit-crit and cartoons. These luxe volumes will be gracing coffee tables long after the lights and wrapping paper are gone.
- Hardcover Fiction:
#1 'The Lacuna' - Hardcover Nonfiction:
#1 'Open' - Paperback Fiction:
#1 'Olive Kitteridge' - Paperback Nonfiction:
#1 'Three Cups of Tea'
Movie Reviews
'Me And Orson': Welles, He's Quite A Character()
November 24, 2009 Zac Efron is the nominal draw in Me and Orson Welles, a backstage drama set during the iconic director's 1937 production of Julius Caesar. But while Efron might bring the audiences, it's Christian McKay's turn as Orson Welles that's the real crowd-pleaser.
Movies
For Disney's New Princess, Short Courtiers Swarm()
November 24, 2009 Lots of young fans — and many of their moms and dads — are excited about the arrival of Tiana, the heroine of The Princess and the Frog, the latest animated Walt Disney film. It's more than just a new movie to many: Tiana is Disney's first African-American princess, a role model many parents have been waiting for for a long time.
What We're Reading
What We're Reading: Nov. 24 - 30, 2009()
November 24, 2009 This week, Michael Crichton's last book, ever, sails the seas of pirate adventure. In story collections: Alice Munro's strong and subtly mysterious women; Ha Jin's immigrants caught between two worlds. And a space-program history finds surprising drama in the unmanned voyages.
Author Interviews
WTC Provides Back Story For Colum McCann's 'Spin'()
McCann's novel, Let the Great World Spin, won the National Book Award. He tells Steve Inskeep that his book — set in New York on the day a man walked on a tight-rope between the towers of the World Trade Center — is an attempt to reconstruct an event to find moments of grace and understanding in history.
Television
Go Ahead, Sing Along: When Television Is Karaoke()
Half a million people have bought the TV show Glee's version of Journey's song "Don't Stop Believing." The show's winning formula is to transform an original song without its reeking of a knockoff.
Movie Interviews
An Animated Chat With 'Up' Director Pete Docter()
Up, the smash-hit animated adventure about a grouchy elderly man, a chubby scout, a 13-foot bird and a house borne aloft by balloons, is now out on DVD. Director and screenwriter Pete Docter talks about the joys of researching and creating animated films.
Fiction
Bailey White: 'The Wedding Horse'()
November 26, 2009 Storyteller Bailey White continues her tradition of writing an original tale on Thanksgiving. She tells the tale of a relationship between a young house painter and an elderly woman. The young man is getting married, and his bride wants him to arrive on horseback — but he doesn't know how to ride a horse. The old lady suggests that he walk instead, which upsets the bride-to-be.
Fine Art
Cuba Was A Canvas For Artist Belkis Ayon()
November 26, 2009 When Ayon committed suicide in 1999, she was just 32 years old — and already a star in the Cuban art world. A major exhibit of her work now under way in Havana has revived an enduring mystery in Cuba — about art, African myths and the shadowy, all-male secret society known as Abakua.
Around the Nation
Chef's Global Foods Make Thanksgiving American()
November 26, 2009 Marcus Samuelsson was born in Ethiopia, raised in Sweden and now is a world-renowned chef in New York City. His Thanksgiving food traditions are as international as his life story. He sat down with NPR's Steve Inskeep to discuss what he's eating this year.
Best Books Of 2009
The 10 Best Cookbooks Of 2009()
November 25, 2009 If you're the kind of person who's always believed that a book can teach you to do anything, this year's crop of cookbooks will prove you right. Cooks lacking confidence will find comfort in detailed instructions and comprehensive how-tos.
