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Culture

Saturday

Chef Chang's Momofuku: A Romance With Ramen

David Chang's restaurants include the casual Momofuku Noodle Bar and Momofuku Ssam Bar, as well as Momofuku Ko, an upscale restaurant with only 12 seats. Gabriele Stabile hide caption

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Gabriele Stabile

Food

Chef Chang's Momofuku: A Romance With Ramen

A hip New York chef makes food inspired by his love for fresh, simple ingredients and classic Asian dishes. David Chang has four restaurants in his Momofuku empire and has just published a cookbook.

Chef Chang's Momofuku: A Romance With Ramen

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Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!

Director George Romero Plays 'Not My Job'

In honor of Halloween we're talking zombies with legendary horror movie director George Romero: how to recognize zombies, how to defend against them, and (since this is Public Radio) how to try to reason with them, and come to mutual understanding and respect.

Director George Romero Plays 'Not My Job'

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DeCarava's Photos Improvised The Music Of Life

From The Sweet Flypaper of Life, Howard University Press, 1984 Roy DeCarava/Courtesy of Sherry Turner DeCarava hide caption

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Roy DeCarava/Courtesy of Sherry Turner DeCarava

Photography

DeCarava's Photos Improvised The Music Of Life

In the 1950s, photography was hardly considered art. If you wanted to be taken seriously as a photographer, you snapped mountains and models -- not your neighbors. It also helped to be white. But Roy DeCarava, who died this week at the age of 89, turned all of that on its head.

DeCarava's Photos Improvised The Music Of Life

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Emma And Elena, Exposing The Sex Trade

"I Wasn't Me Anymore:" Emma Thompson tours Journey, an art installation she co-created with a woman who was victimized by sex traffickers. Viewers who look through this porthole see their own faces superimposed on the bodies of woman wearing "prostitutes' weeds" — tattered lingerie and other worn, used clothing. Simon Clark/Eyebox hide caption

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Simon Clark/Eyebox

Emma And Elena, Exposing The Sex Trade

Through a striking art installation, actress Emma Thompson chronicles a naive 18-year-old from a small Eastern Europe republic who was caught up in London's sex trade. Her name is Elena, and her story makes its debut in New York on Nov. 10.

Emma And Elena, Exposing The Sex Trade

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Author Interviews

A Terrifying Tour Of 'American Fantastic'

Author Peter Straub knows a bit about terror. As the editor of the new two-volume set American Fantastic: Tales, Terror and the Uncanny, he spent two years researching the best — and scariest — American stories, dating from the age of Edgar Allan Poe to the present.

A Terrifying Tour Of 'American Fantastic'

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Gardener Prunes A Topiary Paradise

A Waffle House in Bishopville, S.C., with topiaries created by Pearl Fryar. Bill Chappell/NPR hide caption

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Gardener Prunes A Topiary Paradise

WHQR

Pearl Fryar's yard in Bishopville, S.C., has made him something of an art-world star. He's trimmed 400 plants and trees into fantastical shapes — diamonds, mushrooms, hearts and even a square. At 69, Fryar mulls his legacy and is looking to pass on his clippers.

Gardener Prunes A Topiary Paradise

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Friday

Quoth The Raven: 'Baltimore'
Edouard Manet/Baltimore Museum of Art

Halloween Tricks And Audio Treats

Quoth The Raven: 'Baltimore'

The Halloween season has an extra chill factor in Baltimore, the adopted city of writer Edgar Allan Poe. This year, an exhibit at the city's art museum features work inspired by some of the author's scariest stories.

Quoth The Raven: 'Baltimore'

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Obituaries

Remembering Roy DeCarava's 60 Years Of Photos

Fresh Air

The photographer, who died Oct. 27 at age 89, dedicated his decades-long career to capturing images of African Americans. Roy DeCarava's subjects ranged from daily life in his hometown of Harlem to the Civil Rights movement.

Remembering Roy DeCarava's 60 Years Of Photos

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'House of the Devil,' Steeped In '80s-Gore Nostalgia

Rosemary's Baby Sitter: Samantha (Jocelin Donahue) agrees to baby-sit for a creepy couple on the night of a lunar eclipse — never mind that there's no baby in sight. In the best scare-flick tradition, it doesn't end well. Magnet Releasing hide caption

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Magnet Releasing

Review

Movies

'House of the Devil,' Steeped In '80s-Gore Nostalgia

Ti West's retro-horror film The House of the Devil looks back wistfully at the gory days of '80s horror. But its fond homage is considerably better than most of its inspirations, indulging in the sweet torture of unopened doors, shadowy staircases and the teasing menace of whatever might lurk around the next corner.

'This Is It' Offers Rare Peek At The King Of Pop

Lord Of The Dance: Michael Jackson may have been frail during the last few months of his life, but the rehearsal footage in This Is It shows he could still cut a rug with the best of them. Above, Jackson dons his classic fedora to show his crew what a "Smooth Criminal" really moves like. Kevin Mazur/Sony Pictures hide caption

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Kevin Mazur/Sony Pictures

Review

Movies

'This Is It' Offers Rare Peek At The King Of Pop

Fresh Air

What This Is It lacks in tactful timing, it makes up for with perspective on Michael Jackson's backstage life. Although Jackson's star persona stays front and center, critic David Edelstein says director Kenny Ortega makes a real effort to show us the performer's human side — a treat that makes the King of Pop all the more stellar.

'This Is It' Offers Rare Peek At The King Of Pop

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Thursday

Movie Interviews

Roger Deakins, Keeping An Eye On The Small Things

The noted cinematographer has shaped the visual vocabulary of films including The Shawshank Redemption and every Coen Brothers picture since 1991's Barton Fink. He talks to Melissa Block about the joys of the simple image — and takes us through two of his favorite scenes.

Roger Deakins, Keeping An Eye On The Small Things

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Theater

'Finian's Rainbow' Arcs Over Broadway Again

The 1947 musical gets its first full-scale Broadway revival starting Oct. 29. The production took 10 years to assemble, but producers say the timing is great: Yip Harburg's witty lyrics and the show's pointed political satire make it the perfect musical for a country still reeling from a major economic recession.

'Finian's Rainbow' Arcs Over Broadway Again

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