Arts & Life

The third season of the Netflix anthology drama, Black Mirror, featured six different stories that centered on technology. It comes in at No. 2 on David Bianculli's list of favorite TV shows in 2016.

Arts

'A Lot Going On': Critic David Bianculli Picks The Best TV Of 2016

1:40pm December 22, 2016

by David Bianculli

Fresh Air's TV critic says that mini-series and anthology shows are expanding the types of stories that can be told on the small screen — and the benefits to the viewers "are huge."

Row upon row of marzipan trumpets at the Mazapanes Manzanero bakery in San Martin de Pusa, located about 75 miles south of Madrid. Marzipan is a highlight of the Spanish holiday season, and many say the best versions are made in convents and small bakerie

Marzipan, The Sweet Taste Of The Holidays In Madrid

11:58am December 22, 2016

by Margarita Gokun Silver

One legend has it that marzipan emerged during an epic 13th-century Spanish battle. Today, it is a highlight of the holiday season. And the best stuff comes from convents and small family bakeries.

Arts

Pop Culture Happy Hour: 2016 Favorites And Unfinished Business

6:00pm December 21, 2016

by Linda Holmes

Sam Sanders joins the PCHH roundtable for a conversation about some of our favorite writing, television and movies of the year.

Books
Arts

'Certain Dark Things' Takes Vampire Story In New Direction

4:43pm December 21, 2016

Silvia Moreno-Garcia took the genre of vampire novels to a different place this fall with the release of her book, Certain Dark Things. Set in modern day Mexico, the story tackles themes of immigration and otherness.

Books
Arts

Review: 'House Of Lords And Commons,' Ishion Hutchinson

4:43pm December 21, 2016

Poetry critic Tess Taylor reviews House of Lords and Commons by Ishion Hutchinson.

Billie Mochow's gingerbread sculpture was among the top 10 winners. Mochow says she is a self-taught baker.

These Elaborate Gingerbread Creations Prove That Baking Is An Art

12:34pm December 21, 2016

by Tove K. Danovich

At this national contest in North Carolina, these intricate and gravity-defying works of edible ingenuity might just make Hansel and Gretel think that warring with a witch was worth it.

Arts

How Red And Green Became The Colors Of Christmas

12:07pm December 21, 2016

by NPR Staff

Victorians used a lot of different color palettes, and even put Santa in blue and green robes. Thanks to Coca-Cola, things got a lot more uniform after 1931.

Queue Listen Now

The Sackler Gallery's Ming dynasty dish dates back to 1430 China.

Arts

See Red In A New Light: Imperial China Meets Mark Rothko In D.C. Exhibition

5:06am December 21, 2016

by Susan Stamberg

The Smithsonian show finds links between a 15th-century Ming dynasty dish and a 20th-century Rothko painting. Curator Jan Stuart says, "You almost weep with beauty of red."

Shinya Tsukamoto (right) plays Christian convert Mokichi and Andrew Garfield plays Father Rodrigues, a Jesuit priest who has traveled to Japan in search of his mentor.

Arts

The Modern Lessons Of Martin Scorsese's 17th-Century Epic, 'Silence'

6:49pm December 20, 2016

by NPR Staff

The director's new film follows a pair of Portuguese Jesuit priests in Japan. He says he's been trying to make it since the late 1980s.

Queue Listen Now

The Snow Angels, Ice Skating, Cookie Dough & Snuggles cocktail is served in a Santa Claus mug at Miracle on Seventh Street, a pop-up holiday cocktail bar in Washington, D.C. The cocktail contains butter-washed vodka, coffee liqueur, creme de cacao, hazeln

Arts

Christmas Cookie Cocktails: Nice, Naughty Drinks For (21+) Boys And Girls

6:24pm December 20, 2016

by Neda Ulaby

They sound completely disgusting. But cookie-dough-themed cocktails are a trend this holiday season, including at a D.C. pop-up where they're the most popular drinks.

Queue Listen Now