Arts & Life

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Arts

Veronica Roth's 'Carve The Mark' Is A Fantasy Inspired By Chronic Pain

8:08am January 14, 2017

by NPR Staff

The Divergent author's new series takes place in a world where everyone has a gift that reflects their personality. One character has what Roth describes as "a supernatural form of chronic pain."

Books
Arts

In 'Cold Eye,' A Small Story That Packs A Big Punch

7:00am January 14, 2017

by Jason Sheehan

The second installment of Laura Anne Gilman's gritty, mythmaking Devil's West series follows Isobel, the Devil's Left Hand, as she learns the extent of her powers and battles an ancient, angry spirit.

William Peter Blatty, Author Of 'The Exorcist,' Dies At 89

11:20pm January 13, 2017

by The Associated Press

The novelist died from cancer on Thursday. Blatty was best known for writing the best-selling 1971 horror fiction about a 12-year-old girl, possessed by the devil, before the 1973 film became a hit.

Pasta puttanesca is perhaps the most well-known dish among Lemony Snicket fans, although Count Olaf would have preferred roast beef.

Books
Arts

Ring In 'Lemony Snicket' On Netflix With A Series Of Unfortunate Recipes

7:37pm January 13, 2017

by Kristen Hartke

In the children's books, food is practically a supporting character. So why not welcome the poor Baudelaire orphans with a delightfully miserable repast while binge-watching the new show?

Last Call: Send Us Your Commercials For 'Nicer Living' Project

4:41pm January 13, 2017

by NPR Staff

It's the last call for our commercials for Nicer Living. It's an update of a project NPR's Susan Stamberg ran 45 years ago, where listeners wrote commercials for the little joys that make life better.

Sky Arts Pulls Michael Jackson Episode of 'Urban Myths" Featuring Joseph Fiennes

4:41pm January 13, 2017

An episode of the Sky Arts show Urban Myths, featuring Joseph Fiennes playing the role of Michael Jackson, will no longer be broadcast.

In his new memoir, writer Greg Hens explores his relationship with cigarettes.

In 'Nicotine,' A Longtime Smoker Confronts His Old Habit

4:41pm January 13, 2017

by NPR Staff

Writer Gregor Hens doesn't smoke anymore, but he still thinks about it every day. He says he started writing his memoir as a way to deal with the longing.

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Khoshaba Jaber, an Assyrian living in West London, plays a tambura, a traditional instrument known as the "mother of strings," after singing an epic poem he learned in his boyhood village in northern Iraq.

In England, An Effort To Preserve Ancient, Epic Assyrian Poetry

4:41pm January 13, 2017

by Alice Fordham

Driven to save his culture, an ethnic Assyrian living in Britain is recording ancient tales of adventure sung by modern-day bards. The songs echo stories from ancient Greece to the Bible.

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A screenshot from the British TV show Urban Myths shows actor Joseph Fiennes portraying singer Michael Jackson.

Arts

'Urban Myths' Episode With Joseph Fiennes As Michael Jackson Gets Yanked

3:41pm January 13, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

The half-hour comedy had drawn criticism for months. But it was complaints from Jackson's family that finally led Sky TV to ax it.

Malina Weissman and Louis Hynes play the older Baudelaire children, and Presley Smith is their baby sister in The Series of Unfortunate Events on Netflix.

Arts

'Series Of Unfortunate Events' On Netflix Will Charm And Delight

1:53pm January 13, 2017

by David Bianculli

Daniel Handler has adapted his popular children's book series for Netflix. Critic David Bianculli says A Series Of Unfortunate Events is "one of the best new TV shows in a long time."

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