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Lata Mangeshkar recorded more than 25,000 songs for Indian movie musicals. She died in Mumbai, where she had been hospitalized with pneumonia and COVID-19.

Sammy Davis, Jr. made $50 million singing, dancing and cavorting with the Rat Pack but died impoverished and in debt to the IRS. Matt Birkbeck, author of the biography Deconstructing Sammy, discusses the entertainer's legacy.

Actor, comedian, composer and musician Michael McKean is best known for co-starring in the spoofs This is Spinal Tap, Best in Show and A Mighty Wind. He got his start playing Lenny in the 1970s sitcom Laverne and Shirley.

Nearly 500 protesters held a recent rally outside the Washington, D.C. home of Debra Lee, chairperson of cable network BET. The protesters expressed discontent with what they called the "derogatory images of black men and women" portrayed by the network. BET's most recent scrutiny stems from a controversial public service announcement (PSA). The creator of the ad, Bomani "D'Mite" Armah, responds to his critics.

Vocal coach Melissa Cross is known as the "Scream Queen" for her work teaching metal, punk and hardcore performers how to use their voice without ruining their vocal chords. She teaches them how to growl, bark, bellow and scream.

The Smithsonian Institution has named Kevin Gover the next director of the National Museum of the American Indian. Gover is a member of the Pawnee tribe and a former director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs during the Clinton administration.

The King Tut exhibition has drawn millions. But some African-American scholars believe the exhibition makes King Tut look too white. The debate over King Tut's race led the Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia, where the show is currently on display, to sponsor a conference on the subject.

Director Frank Oz started his career as the voice of Miss Piggy, the Cookie Monster and other Muppets. As a director, he had made star-powered movies such as Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. His latest film, Death at a Funeral, is a dark comedy with a cast not well known outside the U.K.

An actor in Shakespeare's Julius Caeser got a little too realistic on a stage in Aspen, Col. The character Brutus, played by Ken Hudson Reed, was using a real knife and cut himself in the leg. He nearly passed out before he excused himself from the stage.

Radamus, an alpine skier, is competing in Beijing for the U.S. during Tuesday's men's super-G race. His crazy hair is a standout.

Recent criticism of Smithsonian mismanagement and corruption has come to haunt its Board of Regents. But ineffective governance by the board of a nonprofit organization is not a problem unique to the Smithsonian.

Haven't had your swash sufficiently buckled? Cap'n Jack's back — three hours' worth of him this time. But Pirates isn't light and clever anymore; it's bigger, noisier and all about effects.

French actress Catherine Deneuve has long been thought of as an icon of international cinema. She's starred in films as diverse as Luis Buñuel's sensual Belle de jour, the musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and the colonial epic Indochine; her latest film is Andre Techine's Les voleurs, or Thieves. This interview originally aired on Oct. 3, 1996.

We can hardly believe it ourselves, but somehow Fresh Air has just reached its 20th anniversary as a daily national show. To celebrate, our producers have picked memorable moments that they want to revisit — from Sacha Baron Cohen to the Dalai Lama's brother.

Filmmaker and actor Christopher Guest, best known for This Is Spinal Tap and Waiting for Guffman, picks TV and film comedies as well as violent and serious titles as well among his favorite DVDs to watch.

Art and science are squaring off in a new play, Phallacy, in which an art historian and a chemist dispute the age of a famous bronze sculpture. The playwright, the lead actor, and the chemist who inspired the work discuss the play, which premieres in the United States this week.

As many as 20,000 people shed their clothes in the early morning hours in the center of Mexico City this week to pose for a giant naked photograph — all in the name of art.

Fresh Air went national in 1987, and we're celebrating that 20th anniversary by revisiting some classic interviews. First up: Jerry Seinfeld, who sat down with Terry Gross before Seinfeld made him a star. Rebroadcast from Sept. 2, 1987.

Fanny Ardant is not a household name here in the United States, but in France she is a superstar. The 58-year-old actress appears in a new film Paris, Je T'aime, which is comprised of 18 vignettes about life in Paris.

Guitarist, singer and songwriter Doc Watson is one of America's most revered folk musicians; he's often called the finest flat-picker in the country. This show originally aired Jan. 19, 1996; it contains material from a 1988 interview and a 1989 studio concert.

Fresh Air went national in 1987, and we're celebrating that 20th anniversary by revisiting some classic interviews. In this segment: Jackie Mason. His comic roots are planted firmly in the Borscht Belt, but he's conquered everything from HBO to Broadway. Rebroadcast from Sept. 29, 1987.

Director Emanuele Crialese is a neorealist with a touch of magical realism to him; he takes his cues from the great art films of the '60s. His gorgeous new coming-to-America picture offers up a feast of imagery to match the almost boundless optimism of its characters.

Queen Elizabeth II is recognized for her collection of hats. And her appearance at the Kentucky Derby will once again put her choice of headgear on public display.

The 60th Cannes Film Festival drew more than 4,000 journalists, so it's possible you've heard a little something about the hits and misses there. Michael Moore screened a damning documentary about the U.S. health-care system, while singer Norah Jones made her acting debut in a film from Hong Kong auteur Wong Kar-Wai. Critic-at-large John Powers reports on other high- and low-lights.

Two documentaries — one about big-budget Broadway musicals and one about a Brooklyn program aimed at high-school rappers — make it clear that art isn't easy.