Arts

Comedy Central's Larry Wilmore speaks at the annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner.

Was It Good, Bad, Or Ugly? Takes On Larry Wilmore's Jokes At Correspondents' Dinner

7:30pm May 02, 2016

by Leah Donnella

Some say the Nightly Show host utterly bombed his routine at Saturday's White House Correspondents' Dinner. Others say he simply had a different crowd in mind.

Jesus (Héctor Medina) as the title character, Viva.

Arts

'Viva': Seeking A Spot In Havana's Spotlight

6:45pm May 02, 2016

by Bob Mondello

Viva is a father-son drama from Havana — one of the first from Cuba to be commercially released in the U.S. in decades.

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A platter of falafel, kafta, french fries and other fare at Al Ameer Restaurant in Dearborn, Mich. The Mediterranean eatery will be recognized by the James Beard Awards this year in the "American Classics" category.

At Food World 'Oscars,' Category Sneakily Redefines All-American Cuisine

5:32pm May 02, 2016

by Tracie McMillan

Most James Beard awards go to haute cuisine, but one prize recognizes classic neighborhood joints. And increasingly, the winners are immigrants whose cultures haven't yet dissolved in the melting pot.

Elizabeth Mayeux stops to smell flowers during a Philly Touch Tour of Philadelphia's Italian Market.

'Touch Tours' Help Blind Experience Philadelphia's Historic Food Scene

4:33pm May 02, 2016

by Neema Roshania

A hands-on tour of the city's landmark Italian Market includes time to appreciate the scents and sounds — and opportunities to sample the district's delicious chocolate, cheeses and fresh pastas.

Ballerina Misty Copeland poses with the Barbie doll that's based on her, in this promotional photo released by Mattel.

Misty Copeland Inspires A Barbie 'Sheroes' Doll

2:28pm May 02, 2016

by Bill Chappell

Misty Copeland says she played with Barbie dolls until she was 13 — the same year she started ballet.

Cairo's Tahrir Square (seen here in January) isn't actually a square — it's a traffic circle. And today, years after it was the site of anti-government demonstrations, it's a beautifully manicured, sterile space.

From Tahrir To Tiananmen, 'City Squares' Can't Escape Their History

12:07pm May 02, 2016

by Lynn Neary

Governments have tried to erase the evidence of some squares' troubled pasts, but that doesn't mean they've been forgotten. A new book gathers writers' thoughts about famous squares around the world.

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Arts

A Glimpse Of Listeners' #NPRpoetry — From The Punny To The Profound

5:06pm May 01, 2016

It was a simple idea: Would you, our listeners, tweet us poems for National Poetry Month? Your response contained multitudes — haiku, lyrics, even one 8-year-old's ode to her dad's bald spot.

Eric Bana and Ricky Gervais play an unethical radio journalist and his engineer in Special Correspondents.

Arts

Ricky Gervais On Controversial Jokes, Celebrities And 'Special Correspondents'

11:25am May 01, 2016

by NPR Staff

"I didn't go out there to ruin everyone's day or undermine the moral fabric of America. I was making jokes." Gervais talked with NPR's Rachel Martin about his new movie and how he approaches humor.

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Most of the poets who submitted to the Words Unlocked contest are between the ages of 14 to 18.

Arts

Poetry Behind Bars: The Lines That Save Lives — Sometimes Literally

11:22am May 01, 2016

by Colin Dwyer

Words Unlocked, a poetry contest for juveniles in corrections, has drawn more than 1,000 entries. Its judge, Jimmy Santiago Baca, says it was a poetry book that helped him survive his own prison term.

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Forget Talent, Success Comes From 'Grit'

10:04am May 01, 2016

Rachel Martin talks with Angela Duckworth, the psychologist who brought the idea of "grit" as a marker of success into the American mainstream. Her book posits that achievement is about persistence.

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