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Elizabeth Blair Elizabeth Blair is a Peabody Award winning, Senior Producer/Reporter on the Arts Desk of NPR News.
Elizabeth Blair 2010
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Elizabeth Blair
Strip Clubs: Launch Pads For Hits In Atlanta

Brook Carter, 29, tends bar at Kamal's 21, an Atlanta strip club. She used to work as a stripper herself at Magic City. She says typically she'll have heard a new track playing on the radio at least a month earlier at the club. John Poole for NPR hide caption

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John Poole for NPR

The Record

Strip Clubs: Launch Pads For Hits In Atlanta

When it comes to launching a hip-hop hit in Atlanta, "man's natural habitat" is a sure bet.

Strip Clubs: Launch Pads For Hits In Atlanta

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Smithsonian Under Fire For Gay Portraiture Exhibit
Peter Hujar

Fine Art

Smithsonian Under Fire For Gay Portraiture Exhibit

Christian leaders and Republican members of Congress are speaking out against the National Portrait Gallery's Hide/Seek exhibit. One work — a 1987 video about the suffering caused by AIDS — has already been removed from the show. Religious leaders objected to its depictions of a crucifix crawling with ants.

Smithsonian Under Fire For Gay Portraiture Exhibit

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Luther Vandross: The Velvet Voice

Luther Vandross' legendary voice has been called "flawless" and "as smooth as silk." Scott Harrison/Getty Images hide caption

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Scott Harrison/Getty Images

50 Great Voices

Luther Vandross: The Velvet Voice

The late soul singer's legendary voice has been called "flawless" and "as smooth as silk." It's been known to create an atmosphere of pure romance: For many years, Vandross was the go-to singer for when you wanted to get in the mood.

Luther Vandross: The Velvet Voice

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'Fiddler On The Roof' Composer Jerry Bock Dies

Jerry Bock in 1967 outside a theater where 'Fiddler On The Roof' was being performed. Hulton Archive / Getty Images hide caption

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Hulton Archive / Getty Images

The Record

'Fiddler On The Roof' Composer Jerry Bock Dies

The composer best-known for the sad, catchy music for 'Fiddler on the Roof' has died.

Jerry Bock, Composer of 'Fiddler on the Roof' and 'Fiorello!,' Has Died

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For Halloween, TV Scares That Are Still Kid-Friendly

Jordan (Victoria Justice) and Hunter (Chase Ellison) get a good scare in Nickelodeon's new feature The Boy Who Cried Werewolf. Michael Courtney/Nickelodeon hide caption

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Michael Courtney/Nickelodeon

Television

For Halloween, TV Scares That Are Still Kid-Friendly

The season is here for small-screen spookiness. And kids, especially, love to be scared. But where do writers and producers draw the line between fun-scary and too scary? Writers for Nickelodeon and PBS explain how they make sure "boo" doesn't turn into boo-hoo.

For Halloween, TV Scares That Are Still Kid-Friendly

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'Monica And David,' Building A Life On Their Terms

Monica & David follows a young couple with Down syndrome through the early days of their married life -- and turns a keen eye on their parents' struggle to let them live a life of their own. Ali Codina/HBO hide caption

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Ali Codina/HBO

Movies

'Monica And David,' Building A Life On Their Terms

In a new documentary, filmmaker Ali Codina follows the wedding of her cousin Monica Walters to David Martinez. Bride and groom both have Down syndrome but want to live independently, and the film is as much about their protective mothers' struggle to let them go as it is about the newlyweds.

'Monica And David,' Building A Life On Their Terms

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Digital Life

Public Humiliation: It's Not The Web, It's Us

A Rutgers University freshman killed himself after his sexual encounter with a man was secretly broadcast online. New technology means new and easier ways to publicly humiliate people. What draws us to do this to each other?

Public Humiliation: It's Not The Web, It's Us

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Remembrances

Crooner Eddie Fisher Dies At 82

Eddie Fisher, who gained fame crooning love songs to the bobby soxers who loved him in the early '50s, died Wednesday at 82. Perhaps overshadowing his singing career were his marriages and break-ups with Debbie Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor.

Crooner Eddie Fisher Dies At 82

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Movies

Decades Later, Is Greed Still Good?

More than 20 years ago, Gordon Gekko's mantra was 'greed is good.' The character and his philosophy were inspired by real men and real events. And even though Gekko is meant to be a villain, he became a hero on the "real" Wall Street. In the sequel to Oliver Stone's 1987 movie, Gekko is just getting out of prison and his personal life is in shambles.

Decades Later, Is Greed Still Good?

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National

Will People Ever Give Up Cable TV?

The number of people subscribing to cable and satellite TV dropped for the first time last quarter, according to the research firm SNL Kagan. It was a small decline, due mostly to the economy. At some point, the tech talkers insist, there will be so many options for entertainment that people won't want to pay their cable bills anymore, and will be satisfied with all the other options.

Will People Ever Give Up Cable TV?

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3-D Dance Flicks May Give Genre A 'Step Up'

Step Up 3D will be distributed in several 3-D formats across the country -- as well as in conventional 2-D. K.C. Bailey/Summit Entertainment hide caption

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K.C. Bailey/Summit Entertainment

Dance

3-D Dance Flicks May Give Genre A 'Step Up'

On both sides of the Atlantic, 3-D dance movies are making it big. But it's not yet clear if the third dimension offers a revolutionary new way to portray dance on screen -- or just a flashy gimmick.

3-D Dance Flicks May Give Genre A 'Step Up'

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Ansel Adams Or Not? The Answer's Worth Millions

One of the negatives discovered by Rick Norsigian. Courtesy Rick Norsigian hide caption

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Courtesy Rick Norsigian

Photography

Ansel Adams Or Not? The Answer's Worth Millions

It's an irresistible story. A building painter in Fresno, Calif., announces negatives he bought for $45 at a yard sale were taken by Ansel Adams. But the renowned photographer's family thinks the story is too good to be true, and the heat's on to prove the negatives' authenticity.

Ansel Adams Or Not? The Answer's Worth Millions

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The Week's Best Stories From NPR Books

Ramona Quimby: The Mischievous Girl Next Door

Ramona has been making trouble ever since the 1950s, when she first appeared in print. Now she's the focus of a new movie, Ramona and Beezus. In a revival of NPR's 'In Character' series, Elizabeth Blair takes a look at Beverly Cleary's most beloved creation.

Ramona Quimby: The Mischievous Girl Next Door

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Television

Right Launches Network To Fill Political Laugh Gap

A new, conservative entertainment channel launching later this summer is being promoted as having "pro-America, pro-business and pro-military sensibilities." So far, RightNetwork has three shows, including a stand-up comedy show making fun of the left, and a political reality show following six rookie conservative candidates.

Right Launches Network To Fill Political Laugh Gap

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