Search results for

The Walt Disney Concert Hall, designed by Frank Gehry, is one of the most talked-about new American buildings in decades. The first of three inaugural events took place Thursday night. NPR's Fred Child attended the concert and filed this report.

Before there was Saturday Night Live, young comedians including John Belushi, Chevy Chase and Gilda Radner dished up irreverent humor on The National Lampoon Radio Hour.

A coalition of scientists, villagers and Guatemalan agents recover a 1,200-year-old Mayan altar. The carved stone altar, weighing over 600 pounds, was looted from an archaeological site in 2000. NPR's Melissa Block talks to anthropology professor Arthur Demarest of Vanderbilt University.

Polish exile and philosopher Leszek Kolakowski is the first recipient of the John W. Kluge Prize. The $1 million prize is the first international award in the humanities and social sciences -- areas not recognized by the Nobel Prize committees. Hear Librarian of Congress James Billington, who chose Kolakowski from a worldwide list of nominations.

Carnivale is a fantastical epic set in 1930s Dustbowl America. The episodes are full of literary and Biblical imagery. The show is the latest project from the cable network HBO. NPR's Laura Sydell reports.

Singer and songwriter Deanna Varagona is a member of the eclectic orchestra Lambchop. She's also a guitarist who dabbles in free jazz and indie rock. But Varagona, a Tennessee native, formed a country trio to make her second solo album, The Goodbyes Have All Been Taken. Hello. Meredith Ochs has a review.

The far-flung friends, all in their 80s, use the Super Bowl to meet up, spend time together and reminisce. But in recent years they've come to grips with the fact it must come to an end one day

Director Wes Anderson is known for offbeat, relatively low-budget films such as Bottle Rocket and Rushmore. His latest, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou starring Bill Murray, is a bigger film in the same vein. Reviewer Bob Mondello says the film may leave viewers feeling lost at sea, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

A newly renovated Museum of Modern Art reopens in New York City this weekend with a new admission fee of $20, significantly higher than most museums across the country. Hear NPR's Robert Siegel, MoMA Chief Operating Officer James Gara and New Yorker staff writer Adam Gopnik.

Director Christopher Browne talks about his first film, A League of Ordinary Gentlemen -- a new documentary about the men who are leading a revival of the sport of professional bowling in the United States.

This election season, the American Institute of Graphic Arts asked members to design posters encouraging people to vote. The organization is now displaying more than 200 "get out the vote" posters on its Web site. NPR's Melissa Block speaks with some of the designers.

Arlen Escarpeta, co-star of NBC's American Dreams, talks about his passion for the arts, his acting career and how NPR's Tavis Smiley faired portraying Thurgood Marshall on a recent episode of the American Dreams series.

The original Star Wars film trilogy gets the box-set DVD treatment, complete with a separate DVD with making-of documentaries, and alternate commentary soundtracks from George Lucas himself.

Day to Day television critic Andrew Wallenstein reviews The Rebel Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best. It's a new reality television show that Wallenstein says tries to outdo NBC's hit Donald Trump vehicle The Apprentice.

Despite a fall during one of their qualifying runs, Shaun White and Chloe Kim were able to move on to the medal round of the men's and women's halfpipe events.

Slate advertising critic Seth Stevenson gives his assessment of the new ad campaign by America Online, which tries to promote the company's responsive customer service.

In the newest installment of our series "Scenes I Wish I Had Written," NPR's Susan Stamberg talks with award winning playwright Marsha Norman. Norman tells us about her favorite scene from another writer's play.

Several of the nation's African-American museums are having a difficult time raising funds and attracting a broader audience. Many rely heavily on public funding at a time when state governments are facing severe budget shortfalls. Recently, museums in Detroit and Philadelphia needed emergency city help to keep their doors open. Joel Rose of member station WHYY reports.

Zach Braff, of Scrubs fame, wrote directed and stars (with Natalie Portman) in Garden State, a film about 20-somethings in 2004. NPR's Michele Norris talks with Braff, who wrote, directed and stars in the film. And NPR's Bob Mondello offers a review.

Kathleen Bernhardt-Hidvegi, a Chicago art consultant, discovered an extensive art collection found within the Philadelphia Public Schools. The pieces were in closets, bicycle rooms, and on classroom walls. The 1,188 works are estimated to be worth $30 million. NPR's Melissa Block talks with Bernhardt-Hidvegi.

Stephanie Martin of member station WFDD in Winston Salem reports on an exhibition of 60 snapshots taken by local soldiers in Vietnam. Over 2,500 photos were submitted and those chosen reflect the wide experience of the troops there. The curator wanted to show the soldier's perspective on Vietnam.

The Stradivarius stolen from a cellist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic last month and later recovered is getting a makeover this summer. Each and every crack in the $3.5 million instrument is being repaired by a master craftsman, who says the owner won't notice the difference when the restoration is complete. Hear NPR's Renee Montagne.

A day before the much-heralded arrival of former President Clinton's new memoir, NPR's Tavis Smiley speaks about the Clinton factor in American politics with John Podesta of the Center for American Progress and Rich Lowry of National Review magazine.

Halle Berry's action movie Catwoman opens Friday, and the body-whipping, fluid style of fighting she uses in the film is inspired by the Brazilian martial art of capoeira. Day to Day producer Shereen Meraji reports on the martial art that's become the new hot thing in Hollywood.

Film critic David Edelstein looks at Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, starring Will Ferrell as a '70s local news man in San Diego.