Arts

The Enigma of Arrival, by V.S. Naipaul, The Lover, by Marguerite Duras, Last Words from Montmartre, by Qiu Miaojin and Slow Lightning, by Eduardo Corral

Books
Arts

Immigration Doesn't Just Mean Coming To America. These 4 Books Are Good Reminders.

5:00am July 03, 2021

by Rachel Martin

Author Ocean Vuong recommends four books on the immigrant experience — but he wants to de-center America in these stories: "Immigration is a species-wide legacy," he says, and always has been.

The funk of "Shaft" came less from the plot, than from cool and commanding presence of its star, Richard Roundtree, who started his career as a model.

Arts

Looking Back On The Legacy Of 'Shaft,' 50 Years Later

4:45pm July 02, 2021

by Marc Rivers

"Shaft" was released 50 years ago this week. The film heralded what came to be known as Blaxploitation cinema, a genre with a chequered legacy that also created inspired, Oscar-winning music.

The Statue Of Liberty's (Very) Little Sister Is Coming To Town

4:31pm July 02, 2021

The Statue of Liberty has a little sister, a 9-foot casting from Bartholdi's original mold. It departed Normandy by boat and arrives in New York City soon for temporary installation on Ellis Island.

Min Kwon's America/Beautiful will be released July 4.

70 New Ways To Think About 'America The Beautiful'

4:31pm July 02, 2021

Pianist Min Kwon asked 70 artists to examine and interpret the patriotic standard on solo piano. "What they have in common is what they want America to sound like," she says.

Benicio Del Toro and Don Cheadle play low-level gangsters who get sucked into a into a major corporate conspiracy in No Sudden Move.

Arts

'No Sudden Move' Intrigues With Double-Crosses, Dirty Dealings In 1950s Detroit

2:02pm July 02, 2021

by Justin Chang

Benicio Del Toro and Don Cheadle play low-level gangsters who get sucked into a into a major corporate conspiracy in Steven Soderbergh's engrossing new film.

Queue Listen Now

Brad Simon (Adam Demos) and Billie Connelly (Sarah Shahi) in Sex/Life on Netflix.

Books
Arts

What's Making Us Happy: A Guide For Your Weekend Watching, Listening And Reading

12:02pm July 02, 2021

In our weekly roundup of shows, movies, books and music that brought us joy, Pop Culture Happy Hour recommends: Sex/Life, the Jean Smart renaissance and Arooj Aftab's album Vulture Prince.

A cardboard cutout of pop icon Britney Spears at a #FreeBritney protest held outside her conservatorship hearing on June 23 in Los Angeles.

Company Set To Co-Manage Britney Spears' Conservatorship Asks To Withdraw

4:52pm July 01, 2021

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

In a surprise filing Thursday, Bessemer Trust asked to be removed from its planned role as co-conservator of the pop icon's estate, citing her remarks in court last month.

The Harlem Cultural Festival in 1969 in the documentary Summer of Soul.

'Summer Of Soul' Celebrates A 1969 Black Cultural Festival Eclipsed By Woodstock

5:01am July 01, 2021

by Eric Deggans

The Harlem Cultural Festival was filled with stars from soul, R&B, blues and jazz and drew more than 300,000 people. Questlove directs this breathtaking chronicle of Black culture in a pivotal moment.

Books
Arts

Fierce Girls And Giant Robots Battle An Empire In This YA Adventure

5:00am July 01, 2021

by Caitlyn Paxson

In Zoe Hana Mikuta's new Gearbreakers, a talented pilot and a daring rebel have the same goal — take down a giant, evil empire. But first, they have to learn to trust each other — and maybe more.

Bill Cosby (center) approaches members of the media gathered outside his home in Cheltenham, Pa., with his spokesperson Andrew Wyatt. On Wednesday, Pennsylvania's highest court overturned Cosby's sex assault conviction, and he was released from prison.

Bill Cosby's Release Could Have A Silencing Effect On Victims, Advocates Say

11:01pm June 30, 2021

by Elizabeth Blair

Visceral reactions to the news that Bill Cosby has been released from prison include shock from victims' advocates and #MeToo activists to support from his friend and TV co-star Phylicia Rashad.