Arts & Life

2015 In Music: Playlist Refreshers

8:29am December 26, 2015

NPR's Linda Wertheimer likes Buddy Holly and Bill Haley, so Stephen Thompson brings her playlist up to the present day with songs from Leon Bridges, the Alabama Shakes, Elle King and Sleater-Kinney.

What if Santa ran for president in 2016?

Arts

Santa For President In 2016

8:41pm December 25, 2015

by NPR Staff

His resume is unimpeachable and he has great approval ratings. Santa Claus sounds like the perfect candidate — so what if he ran for president? That's the question in this radio drama by The Truth.

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Song From Broadway Musical 'Hamilton' Celebrates Founding Mothers

4:12pm December 25, 2015

by Jeff Lunden

As part of NPR's year-end series "One That Got Away", reporter Jeff Lunden tells us about his favorite song from the hit Broadway musical Hamilton. It's not about the founding fathers; it's about some founding mothers.

Books
Arts

'Our Gang' Chronicles Lives Of African-American Actors In 'The Little Rascals'

4:12pm December 25, 2015

NPR's Robert Siegel talks to author Julia Lee about her book Our Gang: A Racial History of The Little Rascals. She chronicles the story of the African-American actors in the films. They were hailed as heroes of the black community for a time but were later reviled for their roles.

Leonardo DiCaprio, as Hugh Glass, bears the elements in a scene from The Revenant.

Arts

'Revenant' Reveals A Breathtaking, Punishing Saga Of Survival And Revenge

11:47am December 25, 2015

by Bob Mondello

NPR film critic Bob Mondello reviews The Revenant, a harrowing survival tale from the director of last year's best picture Oscar winner.

The history of this sweet little drink traces back to Spain's conquest of Peru, and a drink called ponche de huevos, or egg punch.

In Peru, Sipping The Season With A Cocktail De Algarrobina

10:20am December 25, 2015

by Deena Prichep

This eggnog-like beverage contains pisco; sweetened, condensed milk and a special syrup from a tree Peruvians call "the tree of life."

At the end of Charles Dickens' 1843 classic, A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge and his long-abused employee, Bob Cratchit, enjoy a mug of Smoking Bishop. It's a drink loaded with English history, politics and class identity. Illustration by John Leech,

Smoking Bishop: A Boozy Christmas Drink Brimming With English History

8:57am December 25, 2015

by Anne Bramley

This clerically named quaff plays a starring role in Scrooge's transformation in Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Port, its key ingredient, also tells a story of English politics and class identity.

Arts

A Holiday Favorite: David Sedaris' 'Santaland Diaries'

4:30am December 25, 2015

by David Sedaris

Writer David Sedaris is back reading from his "Santaland Diaries." It's the story of his time as a Macy's elf.

The drama Room tells the story of a boy and his mother (played by Jacob Tremblay and Brie Larson) who are being held captive in a windowless room.

Arts

Film Critic David Edelstein Says 2015 Offered An 'Embarrassment Of Riches'

9:48pm December 24, 2015

by David Edelstein

Fresh Air's movie critic had no shortage of material to consider when it came time to make his top 10 list this year.

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La Caja China CEO Roberto Guerra. Guerra says his father first spotted the wooden cooking boxes in Havana's Chinatown in 1955. In 1985, the two decided to re-create the devices, and La Caja China company was born.

Why Miami Cubans Roast Christmas Pigs In A 'China Box'

7:33pm December 24, 2015

by Greg Allen

La caja China is a device inspired by Chinese rail workers in Cuba. And in Miami, it has become the de rigueur way to cook the traditional Noche Buena pig roast. Only in America.

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