Arts & Life

Books
Arts

Zadie Smith Has Something For Everyone In 'Grand Union'

7:00am October 07, 2019

by Heller McAlpin

Smith's first short story collection is wide-ranging, covering everything from politics to murder to drag queens. Some of the slighter stories feel like footnotes, but many show off Smith at her best.

A life size cut out of Bob Ross stands up against the wall where the historical tree of the Franklin Park Arts Center is painted. Bob Ross Inc. is located in Herndon, Va., which is only 27 miles from the exhibit. According to managing director, Elizabeth

The Lasting Legacy Of Bob Ross And His Colorful World Of 'Happy Accidents'

1:16pm October 06, 2019

by Kat Lonsdorf

The bushy-haired former Air Force sergeant with the soothing voice rose to fame in the 1980s and '90s with his PBS show The Joy of Painting. Bob Ross died in 1995, but his popularity endures.

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Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne, his co-director and co-writer on the new show Why?

Arts

At 94, Director Peter Brook Is Still Asking The Deep Questions

11:43am October 06, 2019

by Jeff Lunden

The iconic British director has a new work on stage in New York; Why? asks exactly that question about the purpose of theater in society. Brook says he'll carry on as long as he can find the energy.

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Books
Arts

'Ninth House' Keeps Watch Over Bloody Mysteries

10:00am October 06, 2019

by Jason Sheehan

Leigh Bardugo's new stand-alone thriller is set at a dark, twisty alternate version of Yale, where the famed secret societies practice world-manipulating magic — with sometimes deadly results.

Natalie Portman plays an astronaut whose life begins to come undone following her spaceflight in Lucy in the Sky.

Arts

Natalie Portman Is 'Lucy In The Sky,' With An Existential Crisis

8:02am October 06, 2019

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

The star of a new movie and director Noah Hawley say that their film — based on the life of astronaut Lisa Nowak — aims to keep a woman in psychological decline from becoming a punchline.

In Dolemite Is My Name, Eddie Murphy leads the star-studded biopic about Rudy Ray Moore whose iconic alter ego became a Blaxploitation legend.

Arts

A Breezy Look At The Making Of A Blaxploitation Classic: 'Dolemite Is My Name'

7:01am October 06, 2019

by Chris Klimek

In this 'buoyant but slight' Netflix film, Eddie Murphy plays comic Rudy Ray Moore, who found blaxploitation stardom in the persona of the swaggering Dolemite.

Books
Arts

Finding Love On A Charming 'Royal Holiday' — And Bringing It Back Home

7:00am October 06, 2019

by Denny S. Bryce

Jasmine Guillory's new novel follows 54-year-old Vivian on a vacation across the Atlantic with her daughter. When Vivian meets the man of her dreams in England, can she keep love alive at home?

Why so serious?: In Joker, failing stand-up comedian Arthur Fleck, played by Joaquin Phoenix, is done being the butt of the joke.

Arts

'Joker' Is Wild ... ly Dull

5:16pm October 05, 2019

by Glen Weldon

Todd Phillips' film features a bravura central performance and a style that, while dutifully imitative, engenders a claustrophobic sense of dread. But it's all in service of precisely nothing.

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Danica Patrick poses at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 10, 2011 in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Arts

Not My Job: We Quiz Race Car Driver Danica Patrick On Slowing It Down

12:37pm October 05, 2019

Before she retired from professional racing, Danica Patrick lived life in the very fast lane, so we've invited her to answer three questions about going suuuper slooowly.

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Books
Arts

Christmas Comes Early (And That's Just Fine) In 'Ten Blind Dates'

10:00am October 05, 2019

by Alethea Kontis

It might seem early for a Christmas-themed book, but Ashley Elston's novel — about a girl whose overly involved family sets her up on a series of blind dates — is so delightful you won't mind.