Culture : NPR

Larry King is in the Guinness Book of World Records for hosting the longest-running show on the same network and in the same time slot. AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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The Future Of CNN, Beyond Larry King

June 30, 2010 • Larry King announced Tuesday that he's leaving his prime-time slot on CNN. His show was losing viewers at an alarming rate, as CNN itself has lost a lot of audience share to its cable news rivals. Now the network will try to find a fresh approach to its prime-time lineup.

The Future Of CNN, Beyond Larry King

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Review

'How Did You Get This Number': Dial W For Wit

June 30, 2010 • Sloane Crosley follows I Was Told There'd Be Cake with a new collection of sparkling personal essays. She serves up humorous observations and mordant opinions in carefully calibrated cocktails of self-absorption and self-deprecation.

Deborah Luster

After Mother's Murder, Artist Photographs Prisoners

June 30, 2010 • On April 1, 1988, Deborah Luster's mother was murdered in her bed by a contract killer who came in through her kitchen window, walked down her hall and shot her five times in the head. Luster, who was 37 at the time of the murder, says she was able to "dig out" of the "mess" she found herself in by photographing prisoners.

After Mother's Murder, Artist Photographs Prisoners

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Vered Guttman for NPR

Give Chickpeas A Chance

June 30, 2010 • In the Middle East, the origins of traditional dishes like hummus are the subject of contentious debate across cultures and borders. But Israeli food writer Vered Guttman suggests that these culinary similarities are reason for hope.

At The 'Love Ranch,' A Valentine Of Another Color

One Big Lothario: Sergio Peris-Mencheta plays Armando Bruza, a boxer who sparks an awakening in Mirren's Grace. Richard Foreman/E1 Entertainment hide caption

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Richard Foreman/E1 Entertainment

Review

At The 'Love Ranch,' A Valentine Of Another Color

June 30, 2010 • Helen Mirren stars and husband Taylor Hackford directs a long-gestating pet project about a husband and wife running a brothel -- the first legal establishment of its kind -- in 1976 Nevada. Joe Pesci returns to the screen as the husband; Spanish heartthrob Sergio Peris-Mencheta is the man who comes between them.

'Agony' Aunt: Phil Spector Gets A Sympathetic Ear

Unchained Melody: In his documentary The Agony And Ecstasy Of Phil Spector, director Vikram Jayanti casts the eccentric music producer in a decidedly kindly light. Vixpix Films hide caption

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Vixpix Films

Review

Movies

'Agony' Aunt: Phil Spector Gets A Sympathetic Ear

June 29, 2010 • In The Agony And Ecstasy Of Phil Spector, director Vikram Jayanti interviews the eccentric music producer in an attempt to unravel the man's contradictory reputation. Initially famous for his production work on such classic songs as "Be My Baby," Spector made headlines more recently when he was tried for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson.

'Eclipse': Love In The Time Of Lycanthropy

Want Your Bad Romance: Tortured lovers Bella (Kristen Stewart), still human for the moment, and Edward (Robert Pattinson), still a vampire, are at it again in the latest installment of the Twilight mega-franchise. Kimberley French/Summit Entertainment hide caption

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Kimberley French/Summit Entertainment

Review

Movies

'Eclipse': Love In The Time Of Lycanthropy

June 29, 2010 • In this, the third installment of the Twilight franchise, broody, beautiful Bella must choose between two hunky, supernatural beings: Edward the pasty vampire and Jacob the shirtless werewolf. What, again?

'Eclipse': Love In The Time Of Lycanthropy

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Opinion

Tell Me More

The White Washing Of 'The Last Airbender'

June 29, 2010 • Tell Me More’s Alicia Montgomery asks what difference, if any, does it make to have people of color star in the latest blockbusters?

3D Boot Camp: A New Dimension For Live-Action Film

Cinematographers practice shooting live-action 3-D at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, Calif. Beth Dubber/Sony Pictures Entertainment hide caption

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Beth Dubber/Sony Pictures Entertainment

Movies

3D Boot Camp: A New Dimension For Live-Action Film

June 29, 2010 • With the technology on the rise, more and more cinematographers are looking to become proficient in three-dimensional moviemaking. But clunky cameras mean that many are harboring reservations.

3D Boot Camp: A New Dimension For Live-Action Film

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How To Succeed In Showbiz: The Frank Loesser Story

Actor Danny Kaye (left) clowns around with composer Frank Loesser while rehearsing a song for the 1952 film Hans Christian Andersen. Gjon Mili/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images hide caption

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Gjon Mili/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images

Theater

How To Succeed In Showbiz: The Frank Loesser Story

June 29, 2010 • Today marks the hundredth anniversary of the famed composer's birth. Loesser penned some of Broadway's best-known musicals, including Guys and Dolls.

How To Succeed In Showbiz: The Frank Loesser Story

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Best Of The Bestsellers: Wisdom Of The Crowds

Chris Silas Neal

Critics' Lists: Summer 2010

Best Of The Bestsellers: Wisdom Of The Crowds

June 29, 2010 • Bestsellerdom doesn't necessarily bring with it a promise of quality, so we've hand-selected five titles from the NPR Bestseller List: an acutely observed first novel with satiric punch, three works of fiction from established authors at the top of their game, and a startlingly powerful science thriller from a nonfiction newcomer.

Fresh Air Celebrates Frank Loesser's 100th Birthday

Frank Loesser won the Academy Award for his song "Baby It's Cold Outside." Stroud/Express/Getty Images hide caption

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Stroud/Express/Getty Images

Theater

Fresh Air Celebrates Frank Loesser's 100th Birthday

Fresh Air

June 29, 2010 • Frank Loesser wrote the musicals Guys and Dolls and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying -- in addition to over 700 other songs. On today's Fresh Air, musical anthropologist Michael Feinstein discusses Loesser's musical legacy and plays some of his favorite Loesser tunes -- including several rare archival recordings.

Fresh Air Celebrates Frank Loesser's 100th Birthday

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Technology

U.S. Broadband Numbers Don't Lie, Just Confuse

June 28, 2010 • In the face-off between the FCC and Internet providers, both claim the data are on their side. The Federal Communications Commission has an ambitious National Broadband Plan, but Internet providers argue that government regulation isn't necessary.

U.S. Broadband Numbers Don't Lie, Just Confuse

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Kurt Cobain's Journals: The Writer Behind The Rock Star

The cover to Journals by Kurt Cobain. Courtesy of Riverhead Books hide caption

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Courtesy of Riverhead Books

Review

My Guilty Pleasure

Kurt Cobain's Journals: The Writer Behind The Rock Star

June 28, 2010 • Page after page of terrible handwriting is reproduced in faithful facsimile — covering forthcoming gigs, favorite songs, prophecies of fame, janitorial wages and the firing of drummers.

Kurt Cobain's Journals: The Writer Behind The Rock Star

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Review

Book Reviews

Jenny Hollowell's 'Lovely' Debut

June 28, 2010 • Everything Lovely, Effortless, Safe follows Birdie Baker, an aging actress from an evangelical family, as she navigates the ups and downs of life in Hollywood. Birdie is either on the verge of great success or a complete breakdown, but Hollowell tells her story with compassion and humor in this beautifully executed debut novel.

Wednesday June 30, 2010

The Future Of CNN, Beyond Larry King

Review

After Mother's Murder, Artist Photographs Prisoners

Review

Tuesday June 29, 2010

Review

Review

'Eclipse': Love In The Time Of Lycanthropy

3D Boot Camp: A New Dimension For Live-Action Film

How To Succeed In Showbiz: The Frank Loesser Story

Fresh Air

Fresh Air Celebrates Frank Loesser's 100th Birthday

Monday June 28, 2010

U.S. Broadband Numbers Don't Lie, Just Confuse

Review

Kurt Cobain's Journals: The Writer Behind The Rock Star

Review