Arts Audio/Video - NPR

Charles Dickens performed his famous story in public more than 150 times. Now the handwritten changes he made during those hugely popular readings are on display at the New York Public Library. Full Story »

Freelance writer Jimi Izrael, syndicated columnist Ruben Navarrette, civil rights attorney Arsalan Iftikhar and NPR Senior Producer JJ Sutherland discuss President Obama's call for a surge of U.S. troops to Afghanistan. The guys also debate who is to blame in "Crasher Gate," which centers on a Virginia couple who crashed a White House state dinner, and whether Tiger Woods can rebound from his recent "transgressions." Full Story »

Before Sam (Tobey Maguire) goes off to war, he and his brother Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal) live different lives. When Sam is reported lost in a helicopter crash, though, both men find their character tested — and director Jim Sheridan takes his time tracking the nuances, so that when emotional fireworks finally come, they're honestly explosive. Full Story »

The most exciting new art medium has actually been around for centuries: origami. In recent years, the paper-folding community has become obsessed with advancing the art and refining the math. A new documentary examines this cross section of science and art. Full Story »

Comedian Ed Helms came to attention of the comedy world as a correspondent on The Daily Show. Helms is now a regular on NBC's The Office and starred in the recent film The Hangover, which is now out of DVD. Full Story »

When you hear the perfect song play at the perfect moment during Mad Men, Twilight or Grey's Anatomy, you probably have Alexandra Patsavas to thank. As a Hollywood music supervisor, she works to find the "right musical point of view" for films and TV shows. Patsavas talks to Steve Inskeep about some of her favorite movies to watch at home. Full Story »

Bookstore owners are hoping the 2009 holiday season will be a little merrier and brighter than it was in 2008. So far, so good — booksellers say highly hyped books from big name authors are bringing more customers into stores. But online purchasing and e-books are still stealing away many potential customers. Full Story »

2009's top works of foreign fiction, as picked by critic Jessa Crispin, feature a geography as wide ranging as their topics: genetic research, civil unrest, sibling resentment, and fairy-tale depictions of government corruption. Full Story »

Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal are Sam and Tommy Cahill, one an upright Army captain on his way back to Afghanistan, the other a delinquent, newly paroled after a three-year sentence for robbery. But the real center of Jim Sheridan's movie isn't the brothers, but their whole teetering clan, which will collapse and rebuild itself in complicated new ways. Full Story »

When her husband (Timothy Hutton) spoils a romantic weekend by announcing that he's leaving her for a younger woman, a New York lawyer (Meg Ryan) decides to hold the cad hostage. Then the burglars arrive. Critic Jeannette Catsoulis says this misshapen hybrid of romantic comedy and home-invasion nightmare is a tone-deaf exploration of marital dysfunction, unbearable to watch and excruciating to listen to. Full Story »