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The hit TV show "Glee" is taking a page from the "American Idol" playbook. It's embarking on a live tour -- featuring the cast from the show. As NPR's Ted Robbins reports, it is part of a broader strategy to open up revenue streams outside of TV.

They say there are 8 million stories in New York City, and artist Jason Polan wants to sketch all of them. He's trying to draw every single person in the city -- even if it takes him the rest of his life.

A group of women who are close friends get together and regularly share intimate details about their dating lives, career ambitions and frustrations with everyday life. Although the concept sounds similar to the blockbuster movie and former television series "Sex and the City," the group is the focus of a new web series called "The Real Girls Guide to Everything Else." Host Tony Cox talks with the show's stars -- Nikki Brown, Robin Dalea, Reena Dutt and Carmen Elena Mitchell.

The new series "Dollhouse" premieres on Fox Friday. This marks Joss Whedon's return to television. From "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" to the Internet sensation "Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog," Whedon has crafted one sardonic sci-fi project after another. They all inspire incredibly devoted fans.

The man behind Charlton Heston's sandals in The Ten Commandments is 91-year-old Willie Rivera, who began making shoes at the age of 13 in Mexico City. He moved to Los Angeles in the 1950s and has dressed the feet of legends such as Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, Lily Tomlin and Bill Cosby.

At 7'1" and 325 pounds, Shaq was one of the biggest players in basketball history. In a recent episode of his podcast, Shaq revealed that anytime he goes to a zoo, gorillas are intimidated by him.

Any guy will gladly give up his life for her. She's "Angelina, Angel of Death." This Two-Minute Noir was produced by Thomas Lopez and comes to us from the NPR series "Hearing Voices."

The Associated Press has threatened to sue the artist who created the iconic "Hope" poster of Barack Obama for copyright infringement, but Shepard Fairey says his work is protected under the principle of "fair use."

HD makes it possible for viewers to see every last bead of sweat on the face of a baseball slugger, but it will also allow us to see every wrinkle on the ingénues face. A growing number of makeup artists and cinematographers are getting work by smudging out the pimples, pocks and wrinkles.

And the best part? The annual passes are free.

What would happen if all of the Latinos in California, the world's fifth-largest economy, suddenly vanished? NPR's Tavis Smiley has a conversation with Sergio Arau, the director and co-writer of the "mockumentary" A Day Without a Mexican. Arau's wife, Yareli Arizmendi, joins the conversation. She co-wrote the film's screenplay and plays the role of the last Latina left in California.

Actor Tony Randall died Monday night; he was 84. Randall, best known for his role as Felix Unger on the 1970s sitcom [The Odd Couple, had] developed pneumonia following heart bypass surgery in December. Randall's career spanned decades on both screen and stage, where he often worked with theater director John Tillinger. Hear NPR's Melissa Block and Tillinger.

Although he died almost 80 years ago, Harry Houdini is still one of the world's best-known escape artists. This week, a new exhibition about Houdini opens in Appleton, Wis. But some modern day conjurers want part of the show to disappear. Harriet Baskas reports.

In the French film Since Otar Left, a mother and daughter conspire to hide tragic news from 90-year-old grandmother Eka. The film, which won the Grand Prize at Cannes in 2003, explores the poignant interplay between the three generations of women in the former Soviet republic of Georgia. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan has a review.

NPR's Tavis Smiley talks to NPR's Rick Carr about the flap over the new method Nielsen Media Research is using to calculate local television ratings in New York City.

When the game of chess spread from the Middle East to Europe, there was no piece representing a queen. When the icon emerged around the year 1000, it was the weakest piece on the board. But by the time Queen Isabel of Spain became more powerful than her husband in the 1400s, the chess queen's power was unmatched. Hear NPR's Robert Siegel and Marilyn Yalom, author of Birth of the Chess Queen.

In Las Vegas, close to 2,600 hopeful card sharks have entered the World Series of Poker, playing rounds of a game called Texas Hold 'Em. Older poker players are marveling at the new crop of players, and the loads of fresh money at stake: The winner stands to rake in a $5-million jackpot. NPR's Mike Pesca reports.

For country music fans, this year's hot summer hit is 'Redneck Woman' from newcomer Gretchen Wilson. It's No. 1 on the charts and shows no signs of losing steam. Melissa Block talks with XM radio's Jessie Scott about the song and the reasons for its popularity.

In the last years of the Depression, government photographers traveled the country to capture images of America: at play, at work, and struggling to survive. The black-and-white images that emerged became emblems of the time. But many photographs were also taken in full color -- and those images are now being released in a book, Bound for Glory: America in Color 1939-43. Hear NPR's Melissa Block.

The new HBO film Something the Lord Made tells the story of the interracial medical collaboration behind the first successful open-heart surgery in 1944. At a time of strict racial conventions, Dr. Alfred Blalock, a wealthy, white Southern surgeon, formed a remarkable partnership with his black assistant, Vivien Thomas. NPR's Renee Montagne speaks with Joseph Sargent, the film's director.

NPR's Alex Chadwick speaks to Roland Emmerich, director of the summer blockbuster The Day After Today Tomorrow, which looks at what would happen if global warming caused a cataclysmic climatic event.

When the animated ogre Shrek became one of the biggest box-office stars in history, Hollywood was bound to bring him back for a sequel. Shrek 2 now attempts to duplicate the cross-generational appeal that drew audiences to the original. NPR's Bob Mondello has a review.

Tough-guy cop Lucas Davenport returns in John Sandford's latest thriller: Hidden Prey. The author speaks with NPR's Linda Wertheimer about his hard-boiled detective, who seems to be a little older and wiser in his 16th outing.

Writer and critic Luc Sante has edited a true-crime series of books. The Library of Larceny has republished the stories of bank robber Willie Sutton (Where the Money Was, pool room hustler Danny McGoorty (McGoorty) and pyramid schemer Charles Ponzi (Ponzi). Sante speaks with NPR's Linda Wertheimer.

Former NBA star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar tells the story of a little-known black tank battalion in World War II. He was inspired to write a book after learning a family friend had been a member of the unit.