KVCR Arts News

Working Women On Television: A Mixed Bag At Best

Sat, 18 May 2013 08:47:00 -0700

When actress Geena Davis was watching children's shows with her daughter a few years ago, she became so troubled by the lack of female representation, she started a think tank on gender in the media. The Geena Davis Institute recently partnered with University of California, Los Angeles, professors to conduct a study analyzing gender roles and jobs on screen.

In Somalia, Surviving A Kidnapping Against 'Impossible Odds'

Tue, 14 May 2013 09:35:00 -0700

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In 2011, Jessica Buchanan was an aid worker in northern Somalia, helping to raise awareness about how to avoid land mines. The north was the relatively safe section of the country; that October, she traveled to the more dangerous southern region for a training. The night before she left, she texted her husband, Erik Landemalm, also an aid worker in Somalia. She asked him a question: "If I get kidnapped on this trip, will you come and get me?"

Armor And Anxiety: Tony Stark Is The New Captain America

Mon, 06 May 2013 09:06:00 -0700

Meet Tony Stark at the opening of Iron Man 3: insanely wealthy, possessed of every toy, and traumatized by an attack on New York that has left him restless, anxious, belligerent, and given to both hunker-down security measures and fate-tempting swagger. He declares his total lack of fear, then builds the fortress walls higher.

The Beyonce Experiment: How Far Can She Go?

Fri, 03 May 2013 09:02:00 -0700

Last week, a new Beyonce debuted a new song, "Standing on the Sun," in an online advertisement for the clothing company H&M. In the 90-second ad, she models bikinis while staring into the camera, dancing, splashing in the water and lip-synching the song. Apart from two bits of text on screen identifying the clothing maker, it looks like a Beyonce video.

Rapper Chris Kelly, Half of Duo Kris Kross, Dies

Thu, 02 May 2013 09:12:00 -0700

Chris Kelly, who rose to fame in the early '90s as half of the young rap duo Kris Kross, died Wednesday in Atlanta. He was 34.

The Associated Press reports that Kelly was pronounced dead "at an Atlanta hospital on Wednesday [after] an apparent drug overdose at his home, authorities said. ... 'It appears it may have been a possible drug overdose,' said Cpl. Kay Lester, a spokeswoman for the Fulton County police."

Two Indie Directors Go Confidently Mainstream

Wed, 01 May 2013 12:32:00 -0700

Studios are putting most of their eggs in $100 million baskets these days, even as American independent filmmakers go hungry from lack of mainstream attention. But two of my favorite American indie writer-directors, Jeff Nichols and Ramin Bahrani, have new films with bigger stars than they've had before — films they hope will break through to wider audiences. The results, at least artistically, are impressive.

How One Family Built America's Public Palaces

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 08:45:00 -0700

A Washington, D.C., museum wants you to spend some time looking up — to see soaring, vaulted tile ceilings built by a father-son team who left their mark on some of America's most important public spaces.

Country Star George Jones Dies

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 09:33:00 -0700

Country superstar George Jones, known for "He Stopped Loving Her Today" and a long string of other hits, has died.

He was 81.

'Modern Art Desserts': How To Bake A Mondrian In Your Oven

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 09:34:00 -0700

As an artist, Caitlin Freeman found her calling in cake.

Freeman started out wanting to be an art photographer. But one day, while still in art school, she came across Display Cakes, artist Wayne Thiebaud's 1963 painting of frosted confections, during a visit to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The image was so arresting, it stayed with her for years, and later inspired her to set off on a completely different career path: baking.

Will Lightning Strike Twice For K-Pop's PSY?

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 09:50:00 -0700

There was another big story on the Korean peninsula over the weekend, but it wasn't about the guy in the north with the missiles and the threats. No, this story was about the guy in the south with the shades and the goofy dance moves, South Korean K-Pop star PSY.

Trains, Punks, Pictures And Books You Maybe Shouldn't Read

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 12:47:00 -0700

Mike Brodie's life, when narrated by an outsider, seems a lot like free association — where one thing leads to the next, leads to the next, etc.

Before he discovered trains, Brodie was bagging groceries in Pensacola, Fla., and really into BMX. Then he met a girl. She worked at the Chinese restaurant in the same strip mall and, he says, "she was like a punk rocker."

Is The Company Behind Rodman's Korea Visit The Future Of Media

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 10:18:00 -0700

How did Dennis Rodman end up having dinner with Kim Jong Un in North Korea? It was the idea of Vice Media, which has grown from a counterculture magazine into a full-fledged youth media conglomerate.

Friday night, it premieres a documentary series on HBO, a kind of coming-out moment into the mainstream.

For Pulitzer-Winning Critic Roger Ebert, Films Were A Journey

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:04:00 -0700

He won a Pulitzer Prize for his writing, but just as influential as his print essays were his "thumbs up" and "thumbs down" movie reviews. Film critic Roger Ebert died Thursday after struggling for years with cancer. He was 70 years old.

It's Set: Jimmy Fallon To Replace Jay Leno On 'Tonight Show' In Spring 2014

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 13:36:00 -0700

Here's the official word, courtesy of NBC News' tweets:

— "JUST IN: Jay Leno will depart NBC's 'Tonight Show' in Spring 2014; Jimmy Fallon to replace, NBC says."

— "MORE: 'Tonight Show' will return to New York City in 2014; Lorne Michaels will be executive producer."

You Can't Put A Headline On William Klein

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 12:51:00 -0700

Try to put him in a box and he'll find his way out. Still working at nearly 85 years old, William Klein has gone rogue in at least four different fields: abstract painting, photography, filmmaking and commercial copy writing.

Nora Ephron's 'Lucky Guy' And Tom Hanks Make Their Broadway Debuts

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 08:18:00 -0700

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Several years ago, when Nora Ephron handed Tom Hanks an early draft of Lucky Guy, her play about tabloid journalist Mike McAlary, he had a pretty strong reaction.

Phil Ramone, A Record Producer Who Made Simplicity Sound Sublime, Dies

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 15:10:00 -0700

In the course of his five-decade career, Phil Ramone helped create enduring masterworks by Bob Dylan, Stan Getz and Paul Simon. He produced big-hit records for Billy Joel, Chicago, Kenny Loggins, Barbra Streisand and top-shelf stars from every corner of the music world, while cultivating a reputation as a sound guru and difficult-talent whisperer.

Lamb For Four Sundays, Four Ways

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 13:28:00 -0700

It's 9 a.m. on a Sunday, and my bathrobe and hair already reek of garam masala — burnt garam masala, to be exact. Who'd have known that the key to this Indian-Pakistani recipe for lamb biryani would be the French cooking mantra of mise-en-place?

How Ellen DeGeneres Helped Change The Conversation About Gays

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 14:48:00 -0700

In 2008, during the brief window when it was legal for same-sex couples to get married in California, perhaps no couple drew more attention than Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi.

Stevie Nicks: 'When We Walk Into The Room We Have To Float In Like Goddesses'

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 09:48:00 -0700

The true rock legends change the game. Stevie Nicks, as a member of Fleetwood Mac, and later in her solo career, changed the game not only for women, but for what you could do in rock as a songwriter and a singer. While living in the male-dominated world of the very peak of the music industry in the 1970s, she wrote indelible songs that tell real, true stories, often about the bond between women, and about the life of an adventurer.

Skipping Out On College And 'Hacking Your Education'

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 11:08:00 -0800

The cost of college can range from $60,000 for a state university to four times as much at some private colleges. The total student debt in the U.S. now tops credit card debt. So a lot of people are asking: Is college really worth it?

Among Oscars Fanfare, Visual Effects Industry Faces Difficult Times

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 12:40:00 -0800

In a business where effects-laden movies helped Hollywood make a record-setting $10.8 billion last year, many of the studios that create those effects are barely staying afloat.

Visual effects have been a part of the movie industry ever since Georges Melies went on his famous Trip to the Moon in 1902. These days, VFX studios do everything from putting a tiger in a lifeboat on an ocean voyage to choreographing the destruction of a New York City being defended by Earth's mightiest heroes.

The Science Of Being 'Top Dog'

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 09:22:00 -0800

"To compete well means to take risks that are normally constrained by fear," Po Bronson tells NPR's Michel Martin.

Following their best-selling book, NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children, Bronson and Ashley Merryman teamed up again for a new book, Top Dog: The Science of Winning and Losing.

I'd Like To Thank The Academy: 4 Books Stories On The Silver Screen

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 10:05:00 -0800

You may perhaps not have noticed, but the 85th annual Academy Awards are coming up this weekend. In Oscar's honor, we dug into the archives for some of the best books about the movies — and the books that became movies. And Cary Grant, because we love him even though Oscar didn't.

Be Prepared: Girl Scout Cookie Cooking May Surprise You

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 13:09:00 -0800

I'm not the first to develop recipes using Girl Scout cookies. About 20 years ago, I saw an article in a newspaper using Girl Scout cookies to make cakes. I made one of the recipes, and it came out almost as pretty as the paper's picture, and it tasted really good.

I was hooked. But before I could get started in the kitchen baking and cooking with Girl Scout cookies, I had a hurdle to get over.

Book News: New Bond, James Bond, Novel; Jane Austen's Love Lessons

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 15:49:00 -0800

The daily lowdown on books, publishing, and the occasional author behaving badly.

A new James Bond novel by William Boyd will come out in the U.S. in October. The novel will be a return to the "classic" Bond, and will be set in the 1960s. Ian Fleming, the original Bond author, died in 1964.

'Argo': What Really Happened In Tehran? A CIA Agent Remembers

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 12:25:00 -0800

The movie Argo, up for seven Oscars at this year's Academy Awards, is based on the true story of the CIA rescue of Americans in Tehran during the 1979 hostage crisis. Missing from most of the coverage of this movie? The actual guy who ran the mission, played by Ben Affleck in the movie.

'A Good Day': Wake Me Tomorrow

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 11:03:00 -0800

In a dark, dusty vault beneath a studio back lot, are there stacks and stacks of unproduced Cold War-era screenplays? A pile of untapped bad movie potential, like a hidden stockpile of enriched uranium, just waiting for a film crew that's looking to make a quick buck with a dirty bomb of a movie?

Mardi Gras Merriment Beyond Bourbon Street Festivities

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 10:41:00 -0800

It's Fat Tuesday, the final day of indulgence before the fasting and penance of Lent begins. While the revelry in New Orleans tends to grab the spotlight, you can find some fascinating Mardi Gras traditions elsewhere.

From chasing chickens in Cajun Country to catching MoonPies in Mobile, communities all along the Gulf Coast have their own way of marking Carnival season.

In A Fragmented Cultureverse, Can Pop References Still Pop?

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 10:25:00 -0800

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On a recent episode of Saturday Night Live when the comedian Louis C.K. played host, one skit parodied his eponymous show on F/X. It riffed on the theme song and the discursive style of his comedy.

But here's the thing: Fewer than 2 million people watch Louie. About 7 million watch Saturday Night Live. That means even optimistically, at least two-thirds of the audience is missing the joke.

In A Fragmented Cultureverse, Can Pop References Still Pop?

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 10:25:00 -0800

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What 'Lincoln' Says About Today's Congress

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 12:20:00 -0800

Lincoln may not be a political film for the ages, but it's certainly a movie that speaks to our own time.

Although the movie centers on the abolition of slavery, Lincoln taps into one of the deepest desires of our historical moment — the desire for politicians in Washington to get their acts together and compromise to succeed in passing major legislation.

"People like the idea of the system working," says John Powers, a critic for Vogue and NPR's Fresh Air. "In terms of the public fantasy, it's the perfect one for the Obama age because you have this tall, principled guy dealing with all these crazies who all come together to get important things done."

What 'Lincoln' Says About Today's Congress

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 12:20:00 -0800

'Downton Abbey' Cast: It's More Fun Downstairs

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 11:02:00 -0800

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With the third season of the sumptuously upholstered period drama Downton Abbey coming to PBS Masterpiece Classic on Jan. 6, Morning Edition's David Greene sat down with a half-dozen members of the cast to talk about what's in store.

For those who don't know the show, Downton Abbey is a grand English country house, a world choreographed by ritual and rank — where every person knows his place and everything is just so. It's home to an aristocratic British family headed by the Earl of Grantham, Robert Crawley, and his American-born wife, Cora.

'Downton Abbey' Cast: It's More Fun Downstairs

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 11:02:00 -0800

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The Secret Genius Of Taylor Swift

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 08:53:00 -0800

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Taylor Swift's new album, Red, sold more 1.2 million copies in its first week — the highest first-week sales total for an album in over a decade. She did it partly by answering a surprisingly complicated question: What's the best way to sell an album?

There are so many ways to release your music these days. You can sell it at Amazon, iTunes, Wal-Mart, and Starbucks. You can release it to streaming sites like Spotify. You can go on tour.

The American Pastime Fades In Popularity

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 08:46:00 -0700

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Jacques Barzun, the esteemed cultural historian, lived 104 years and wrote a multitude of words about the most important issues in society, but when he died last week, his one quote that was invariably cited was a pithy one that he wrote back in 1954: "Whoever wishes to know the heart and soul of America had better learn baseball."

Never mind that that is no longer even remotely true.

John Lennon Letters Reveal A Life As It Happened

Sat, 20 Oct 2012 08:30:00 -0700

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John Lennon loved word play; he wrote songs that have not only become standards, but also milestones, like "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" and "Strawberry Fields," which he wrote with the Beatles, and "Imagine" and "Give Peace a Chance," which he wrote on his own. For most of his life, he also composed letters to friends and family; then lovers, as he grew up; and strangers, as he grew famous. His notes, letters and postcards often contained small, funny drawings and self portraits.

Picasso Monet Paintings Among Those Swiped From Dutch Museum

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 08:43:00 -0700

At least the thieves had good taste.

Paintings by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Claude Monet and Paul Gauguin were were among seven stolen from a museum in the Dutch city of Rotterdam before dawn on Tuesday.

The thieves tripped an alarm at around 3 a.m. local time, but managed to make off with the works before police arrived just a few minutes later at the Kunstahl museum, The Associated Press reports. The alarm system was considered state-of-the-art and no guards were on duty at the time.

Gangnam Style: Three Reasons K-Pop Is Taking Over The World

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:19:00 -0700

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Gangnam Style is, among other things, a high-tech, sophisticated export.

Yes, the video is totally crazy and awesome. But this is not some viral fluke. South Korea has been building up to this moment for 20 years.

Click here for the video. PSY/YouTube

Here are three reasons South Korean pop music is taking over the world:

Alex Karras, Former NFL Star And Actor, Dies

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 12:27:00 -0700

Alex Karras, who was a star defensive lineman for the Detroit Lions in the 1960s and went on to gain other fame for his acting in Hollywood's Blazing Saddles and TV's Webster, has died, according to multiple reports.

He was 77 and had been suffering from kidney failure, as People magazine earlier reported. His death has been reported to The Associated Press by Karras' attorney, Craig Mitnick, and to USA Today by the Lions.

Mumford & Sons: Finding Balance In 'Babel'

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 12:57:00 -0700

With a name like a hardware store, Mumford & Sons is a British folk-rock band with a huge stateside following. Babel is the new follow-up to the band's breakout debut, Sigh No More, but its fans haven't had to wait to hear the new material. That's because Mumford & Sons' members have tested new songs at tour stops as they are written. For them, it's part of the creative process.

SEAL's Book On Bin Laden Raid, Woodward Book On Obama Due Sept. 11

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 09:48:00 -0700

Those old-fashioned things called books can roil campaigns, and two that are due to hit stores on Sept. 11 certainly have that potential.

Both No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama bin Laden, by a Navy SEAL writing under the pseudonym Mark Owen, and The Price of Politics, Bob Woodward's latest look into the inner workings of the Obama administration, will be published that day, according to The New York Times' Media Decoder blog.

Composer Marvin Hamlisch Dies; He Was 68

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 10:55:00 -0700

"Marvin Hamlisch, who composed the scores for dozens of movies including The Sting and won a Tony for A Chorus Line, has died in Los Angeles at the age 68," The Associated Press reports.

According to the wire service:

"Family spokesman Jason Lee says Hamlisch died Monday after a brief illness. Other details aren't being released. Hamlisch's career included composing, conducting and arranging music from Broadway to Hollywood. His movies included The Way We Were and Sophie's Choice. He won three Academy Awards, four Emmys and a Tony."

In Troubled Times, A 'Dark Knight' Returns

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 10:48:00 -0700

Before a hero can rise, he must suffer a fall, and fall the Dark Knight quite spectacularly did the last time around, taking the rap for crimes he didn't commit, marking himself as a vigilante pariah and even letting Heath Ledger steal the reviews. No way that's happening in this last installment. A comic-book tale that has gotten darker than anyone thought possible is now careening toward a burst of light - possibly a nuclear blast - at the end of the tunnel.

Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy has always focused on the psychology of evil, and this time the director is looking more at evil's sociological implications. Bat gizmos or no, this new movie has both feet planted firmly in the real world.

'Oklahoma!' Actress Celeste Holm Dies At 95

Sun, 15 Jul 2012 11:01:00 -0700

Academy Award-winning actress Celeste Holm has died. A star on both stage and screen, Holm was best known for roles in Gentleman's Agreement, All About Eve and Oklahoma! She was 95.

Holm died early Sunday morning in her Manhattan apartment with her husband, family and close friends by her side. She had been hospitalized a couple weeks ago following a fire in actor Robert De Niro's apartment in the same building.

Looking For The Megabucks? Think Megapixels

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 13:00:00 -0700

magine you're a movie producer, and you've got a couple of hundred million dollars to gamble on a single massive blockbuster. Which genre do you suppose will be your safest bet - superhero? Action-adventure? Sci-fi? All of those have had huge successes, but they've also all had hugely expensive failures.

There's one genre, though, that's hardly a gamble at all. It's been almost foolproof since it first came into being in 1995: computer animation.

Coachella Fest Moving?

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 09:45:00 -0700

The Coachella Valley city of Indio is trying to repair its relationship with the producers of the world-famous Coachella Music and Arts Festival, after Coachella’s promoters threatened to move its giant music festival weekends out of Indio.

Andy Griffith Dies, Was TV's Sheriff Taylor And Matlock

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 11:01:00 -0700

Andy Griffith, who played the wise sheriff of Mayberry, N.C., in one of American television's most beloved situation comedies, has died, according to a family friend and a real-life sheriff in North Carolina.

He was 86.

WITN-TV in Washington, N.C., says an ambulance was called to Griffith's home on Roanoke Island around 7 a.m. ET this morning. Former University of North Carolina President Bill Friday, a friend, was the first person to report the death in an interview with the station. In the past hour, local Dare County Sheriff Doug Doughtie has released a statement saying that "Griffith passed way at his home on Roanoke Island. The family will be releasing more information, but no more information is available at this time."

Lessons For Europe From 'The Second World War'

Sun, 24 Jun 2012 11:00:00 -0700

For most people, the start of World War II means German soldiers marching into Poland. Historian Antony Beevor begins and ends his new book, The Second World War with something different: the story of a German soldier who was actually Korean, was captured in Normandy, and wound up living in Illinois.

In 1938, 18-year-old Yang Kyoungjong was conscripted by the Japanese - who then controlled Korea - and was sent to fight in Manchuria. "He was taken prisoner, put in a labor camp, then forced into the Red Army, captured again by the Germans, and then forced into the German Army, when he was finally captured by American paratroopers," Beevor tells NPR's Scott Simon. Yang's story "emphasized the global nature of the war," he adds. "And it underlined how the average individual had no control over their own fate."