Arts & Life

Cover art to Songs from the Novel Greatest Hits, by Kathryn Williams

This 'Greatest Hits' Album Is Real. Its Artist Is Fiction

8:20am May 25, 2019

by Scott Simon

Laura Barnett wrote a novel about an aging singer-songwriter sizing up her life in 16 tracks. Then she approached musician Kathryn Williams, who created the book's original soundtrack.

Books
Arts

Sharp Satire And Dark Humor In 'Riots I Have Known'

7:00am May 25, 2019

by Michael Schaub

Ryan Chapman's debut novel opens in the middle of a prison riot as the unnamed narrator cowers in fear for his life — which doesn't seem like a setup for comedy, but it's packed with dark laughs.

Renee Zellweger plays the rich venture capitalist Anne Montgomery in the Netflix series What/If.

Arts

'What/If' You Were In Just The Right Mood For Some Good Bad Television?

7:00am May 25, 2019

by Linda Holmes

Netflix's ridiculous and over-the-top What/If features Renee Zellweger as a dangerous rich woman with terrible secrets. It's a little bit terrible and a little bit perfect.

Beanie Feldstein, left, and Kaitlyn Dever, play Molly and Amy, two star students who decide they need to cram four years of high school partying into one night in Booksmart.

Arts

'Booksmart' Director Olivia Wilde: Teen Movies 'Made Me Excited To Be Young'

6:13pm May 24, 2019

by Mary Louise Kelly

Wilde says her directorial debut is a "love letter" to the '80s and '90s movies that defined her adolescence. She hopes this film will help Generation Z "celebrate being young."

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Naomi Scott plays Jasmine in the new live-action Aladdin movie. The character was the first official Disney princess of color in the 1992 animated version of the film.

How Disney Princesses Influence Girls Around The World

4:49pm May 24, 2019

by Susie Neilson

A researcher wanted to see how girls of different nationalities perceived the idea of a princess.

Arts

'Booksmart' Tweaks Convention By Offering A Gentler View Of High School

1:32pm May 24, 2019

by John Powers

Olivia Wilde's lighthearted, female-centric film charts the adventures of two brainy best friends who embark on a quest to reframe their high school identities 24 hours before graduation.

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Arts

Alison Ledgerwood: How Can We Reframe Setbacks In A Positive Light?

1:30pm May 24, 2019

by NPR/TED Staff

Why do we fixate on the negative? Why do setbacks stick in our minds for so long? Alison Ledgerwood shares ideas on how we can change our thinking patterns to reframe setbacks in a positive light.

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Amy Poehler (center) is the director and producer of Wine Country and stars in the film along with friends Paula Pell (left) and Rachel Dratch.

Arts

Amy Poehler Leads A Girls' Trip With 'Some Of The Funniest People In The World'

11:21am May 24, 2019

by Rachel Martin

For Rachel Dratch's 50th birthday, Poehler gathered her friends and fellow SNL alumni for a vacation to Napa Valley. For her directorial debut Wine Country, she basically did the same thing.

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Arts

Charly Haversat: How Can We Let Go Of The Need To Be Perfect?

10:07am May 24, 2019

by NPR/TED Staff

As a former pro runner, Charly Haversat would fixate on an unattainable goal: perfection. She discusses the crippling effects of perfectionism, including how it can prevent learning from failure.

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Arts

Leticia Gasca: What Can We Discover When We Talk Openly About Our Failures?

9:18am May 24, 2019

by NPR/TED Staff

After her business failed, Leticia Gasca didn't talk about it for seven years. But once she finally shared the story with her friends, she realized failure is far more common than she thought.

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