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Culture

Sunday

Music Interviews

Geri Allen: A Life in Song... and Jazz

Pianist and composer Geri Allen knew she wanted to be a jazz musician after spending most of her childhood listening to her father's jazz albums. Allen tells NPR's Liane Hansen about The Life of a Song, her latest CD.

Geri Allen: A Life in Song... and Jazz

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Pop Culture

Hello Kitty: A Marketing Sensation Grows Up

She's worth billions, she has her own theme park and her face graces thousands of products. At 30, Hello Kitty is one of the great marketing phenomenons of all time... and she's just so darn cute. NPR's Susan Stone reports.

Hello Kitty: A Marketing Sensation Grows Up

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Opinion

Weekend Edition Sunday

Legacy of 1800 Election Informs that of 2004

Even before political parties were the bureaucracies they are today, the tenor and nature of political dialogue was scurrilous. In 1800, the election between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson marked the first peaceful transfer of power between political parties. Hear professor Richard Beeman and NPR's Liane Hansen.

Legacy of 1800 Election Informs that of 2004

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Books

Arkham House: Home to Horror, Sci-Fi Writers

After horror writer H.P. Lovecraft died in 1937, his friends founded a publishing house to preserve his legacy. Obscure but influential, Arkham House gave sci-fi writer Ray Bradbury and others their first big break. Wisconsin Public Radio's Brian Bull reports.

Arkham House: Home to Horror, Sci-Fi Writers

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Saturday

Music Interviews

Shaken and Stirred by the Music of Pink Martini

Pianist Thomas Lauderdale and vocalist China Forbes of the globe-trotting 10-piece band Pink Martini talk with NPR's Scott Simon. The group's music can be described as a kind of world cocktail music. Hang On Little Tomato is the ensemble's latest CD.

Shaken and Stirred by the Music of Pink Martini

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Movies

Bale's 'Machinist' a Gaunt and Gripping Thriller

The film The Machinist is a suspense film starring an emaciated Christian Bale as a dying insomniac. The actor turns in a harrowing physical performance in a movie drained of color. NPR's Bob Mondello offers a review.

Bale's 'Machinist' a Gaunt and Gripping Thriller

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Friday

Music

Charlie Clouser's Scary Soundtrack for 'Saw'

NPR's Rob Sachs profiles musician Charlie Clouser, who scored the soundtrack for the horror film Saw. Clouser has a history of writing provocative music as a former member of the band Nine Inch Nails.

Charlie Clouser's Scary Soundtrack for 'Saw'

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Movies

Film Reveals Iraqi Perspectives on Postwar Life

For the documentary Voices of Iraq, Iraqis received 150 video cameras and were asked to film whatever they wanted. The result is a rare look at daily life in Iraq -- the tragic, the joyful and the mundane. Filmmakers Eric Manes and Archie Drury talk with NPR's Michele Norris.

Film Reveals Iraqi Perspectives on Postwar Life

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Movies

Foxx Turns In Impressive Showing as 'Ray'

Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan reviews Ray, a new film about the life of Ray Charles. Turan says Jamie Foxx, in the starring role, gives a dominating performance that is at the heart and soul of the film's success.

Foxx Turns In Impressive Showing as 'Ray'

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Thursday

The Countess of Culture

Countess of Culture: Curing My Voting Anxiety

Day to Day Countess of Culture Jessica Seigel visits psychiatrist Justin Frank to get professional help for her voting anxiety. Frank is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, D.C. He's also the author of Bush on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President — an unflattering psychological profile of the nation's chief executive.

Countess of Culture: Curing My Voting Anxiety

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Cell Phone Ring Tones Top the Charts

Downloading popular songs to use as personal cell phone ring tones has turned into a $3 billion global industry. A growing revenue stream for songwriters and publishers, ring tones are now outselling digital downloads of music. NPR's Michele Norris talks to Geoff Mayfield, the director of charts for Billboard Magazine, which has just launched a "Hot Ringtones" chart.

Cell Phone Ring Tones Top the Charts

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