Arts

Hugo Chavez, shown here in February 2012, was the president of Venezuela for over a decade. His career is the subject of a new book by Rory Carrolll.

'Comandante' Chavez Still Revered By Some, Despite Failings

9:42am April 10, 2013

by NPR Staff

As a journalist with Britain's The Guardian newspaper, Rory Carroll spent seven years living in Venezuela. His new book on Venezuela's recently deceased president explores Hugo Chavez's popularity with the poor and critiques his failures in governance and management.

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Twitter co-founder Biz Stone is one of five celebrity directors taking part in a Canon-sponsored experiment called Project Imaginat10n. His short film, the inspiration for which was crowdsourced via the Internet and social media, focuses on familial loss

Arts

Crowdsourcing Creativity At The Cinema

9:00pm April 09, 2013

by Laura Sydell

The Canon-sponsored Project Imaginat10n used social media to crowdsource images and ideas to produce five short films. It's an idea director Ron Howard says other artists would be foolish to ignore.

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Elliana Grace Hentoff-Killian is on tour with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey show Built to Amaze!

Arts

Catching Up With The World's Youngest Female Cannonball

3:00pm April 09, 2013

by NPR Staff

Elliana Grace Hentoff-Killian grew up in the circus. She mastered her first circus act at 6, when she learned the Spanish web — an aerial act performed on a rope. Now, at 20, she is currently the world's youngest female human cannonball and is touring with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.

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Shaz (Toni Collette), a hotheaded stranger new to the Australian town of Dolphin Heads, becomes the unlikely answer to a local politician's problems when she steps in to nanny his children.

Arts

Going 'Mental' And Enjoying The Ride

2:39pm April 09, 2013

by David Edelstein

P.J. Hogan's new movie is madder than madcap, a zany, nonconformist boundary-pusher whose offbeat manner makes for a rich and grounded film. Toni Collette plays the part of a modern-day Maria von Trapp as if she has nothing to lose — and Anthony LaPaglia shows his true Aussie accent.

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Arts

Remembering Annette Funicello, America's Mouseketeer

2:05pm April 09, 2013

Handpicked by Walt Disney to be one of the original Mouseketeers, Annette Funicello was America's girl next door. She spoke to Fresh Air in 1994 about Mickey Mouse ears and why she went public with her multiple sclerosis diagnosis. She died Monday at age 70 from complications of the disease.

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Arts

As Audiences Shift To Cable, TV Programming Changes, Too

1:20pm April 09, 2013

by Neda Ulaby

Broadcast TV used to have bigger stars, bigger audiences and bigger budgets. Cable shows were edgier, with more sex and violence than the broadcasters dared show. In the last few seasons, though, cable ratings have improved and broadcast shows have taken more risks. What's going on on TV?

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Arts

Piedmont Chamber Singers Perform Hebrew Psalms and Love Songs

11:04am April 09, 2013

by David Ford

The American actress and singer Annette Funicello, photographed here circa 1960, died April 8, more than two decades after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

Arts

A Tip Of The Mouse Ears To Annette Funicello, 1942-2013

9:59pm April 08, 2013

by Mandalit del Barco

The Mouseketeer and bikini-musicals actress became a pop star and made a generation of boomer boys swoon. Later she faced multiple sclerosis with equanimity — and raised awareness and money in the process.

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The 'Alchemists' Who Control The Purse Strings Of The Economy

3:03pm April 08, 2013

In a new book, Washington Post economics writer Neil Irwin looks at an elite group of policymakers from around the world who manage the money supply, and explains how money can come from — and disappear into — thin air based on the decisions of these influential men and women.

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Arts

RiverRun International Film Festival Executive Director Gives 2013 Preview

9:49am April 08, 2013

by David Ford

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