Accessibility links
Culture Art and entertainment commentary plus interviews, book reviews, movie reviews, music reviews, comedy, and visual art. Subscribe to podcasts and follow trends in music, painting, art, architecture, photography, and design.

Culture

RM of BTS performs during the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas in September.

RM of BTS performs during the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas in September. Ethan Miller/Getty Images hide caption

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Fine Art

BTS frontman RM is showing his art collection. Fans are flocking to see it

The pop superstar is showing art from his personal collection for the first time. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is packed with fans.

BTS frontman RM is showing his art collection. Fans are flocking to see it

Listen · 3:49
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5986317/nx-s1-9954966" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
The secret pain of your high school bully

If Beauty is skin deep, what is colorism? Matthew Murphy/Matthew Murphy hide caption

Matthew Murphy/Matthew Murphy

It's Been a Minute

The secret pain of your high school bully

Some of life's hardest lessons are learned in high school.

The secret pain of your high school bully

Listen · 26:22
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5993461/nx-s1-mx-5993461-1" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Florence Pugh in East of Eden.

Florence Pugh in East of Eden. Geoffrey Short/Netflix hide caption

Geoffrey Short/Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'East of Eden' brings a light modern touch to an epic literary classic

A new series on Netflix is taking a bold crack at the American classic. Maybe you read John Steinbeck’s East of Eden in school. Or maybe you’ve seen the very loosely-adapted film starring James Dean. Anchored by a fantastic Florence Pugh performance, this new adaptation follows multiple generations of the Trask family. The series is an epic retelling of their story that offers a fresh perspective for new audiences.

East of Eden

Listen · 22:50
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5992662/nx-s1-mx-5992662-1" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
On the Waterfront was Eva Marie Saint's first film job after years of theater and TV.

On the Waterfront was Eva Marie Saint's first film job after years of theater and TV. Columbia TriStar/Getty Images hide caption

Columbia TriStar/Getty Images

Obituaries

Actress Eva Marie Saint, who won an Oscar for 'On the Waterfront,' dies at 102

Saint won an Oscar for her portrayal of Edie, a Catholic schoolgirl whose longshoreman brother is murdered. She went on to star in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest.

Actress Eva Marie Saint, who won an Oscar for 'On the Waterfront,' dies at 102

Listen · 2:36
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/462030457/nx-s1-9954932" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Murray Hill

"If you don't see yourself represented, go out and represent yourself," Murray Hill says. His new memoir is Showbiz! My Life as a Middle-Aged Man. Don Spiro/Simon & Schuster hide caption

Don Spiro/Simon & Schuster

Author Interviews

'Here I am, my full, authentic self': Murray Hill charts his own course in 'Showbiz!'

Hill co-starred in HBO's Somebody Somewhere and has hosted drag king shows and queer cabarets. "This is my mantra … if you don't see yourself represented, go out and represent yourself," he says.

'Here I am, my full, authentic self': Murray Hill charts his own course in 'Showbiz!

Listen · 43:51
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5991916/nx-s1-9953848" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Workers stand on scaffolding outside the Kennedy Center.

In December 2025, President Trump's name was added to the exterior of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Less than six months later, it was removed, following a judge's ruling that only Congress can change the name of the performing arts complex, which was established as a "living memorial" to John F. Kennedy. Above, workers stand on scaffolding outside the Kennedy Center in June. Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images

History

A history of presidents naming things after themselves (It's short. They rarely do)

While Trump pushes to get his name on the Kennedy Center and other public sites, history shows that sitting presidents have almost always avoided putting their brands on government assets.

A history of presidents naming things after themselves (It's short. They rarely do)

Listen · 4:18
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5986321/nx-s1-9954385" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
David Ellison officially takes over as CEO of Skydance, the new mega merger combining Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery

David Ellison officially takes over as CEO of Skydance, the new mega merger combining Paramount and Warner Bros. David Becker/Getty Images for CinemaCon hide caption

David Becker/Getty Images for CinemaCon

Media

New Hollywood era begins with an epic mega merger between Paramount and Warner Bros.

The Paramount and Warner Bros. merger has survived court challenges, public protests and regulatory scrutiny. Now, the Hollywood heavyweight, named Skydance, begins operating.

New Hollywood era begins with an epic mega merger between Paramount and Warner Bros.

Listen · 3:54
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5988283/nx-s1-9953637" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Angélique Kidjo

Bullseye host Jesse Thorn (left) and
Angélique Kidjo (right) at MaxFun HQ Daniel Speeer/Maximum Fun hide caption

Daniel Speeer/Maximum Fun

Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

Angélique Kidjo

In a career that’s spanned several decades, Angélique Kidjo has, through her music, personified what it means to be a citizen of the world. Earlier this year, she released Hope!! It’s her first record in five years, and it features guest appearances from Pharrell Williams, Quavo, Nile Rodgers, and more. Angélique joined us to talk about the album, moving to France at a young age to continue pursuing.

Angélique Kidjo

Listen · 45:30
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5991776/nx-s1-mx-5991776-1" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Mahershala Ali in Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother.

Mahershala Ali in Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother. Jaclyn Martinez/Amazon MGM Studios hide caption

Jaclyn Martinez/Amazon MGM Studios

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

In 'Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother,’ Mahershala Ali is a conflicted hero for the ages

Mahershala Ali’s new movie isn’t the Blade reboot, but it’s still worth your time. Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother follows a newly widowed hitman who wants out of the game. He's also a devout Muslim, and after his wife’s death, he is forced to adjust to being a single dad to three kids, while trying to balance his work and faith. But his boss (Laith Nakli) has other plans for him.

Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother

Listen · 25:29
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5991600/nx-s1-mx-5991600-1" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
(From left) Dora Winifred "D.W." Read, Allen "The Brain" Powers, Arthur Read, Muffy Crosswire, Jane Read, and Sue Ellen Armstrong celebrating Arthur's birthday.

(From left) Dora Winifred "D.W." Read, Allen "The Brain" Powers, Arthur Read, Muffy Crosswire, Jane Read, and Sue Ellen Armstrong celebrating Arthur and Muffy's birthdays from "Happy Birthday Arthur" in 1996. WGBH Educational Foundation, WildBrain and Marc Brown Studios hide caption

WGBH Educational Foundation, WildBrain and Marc Brown Studios

Moments in history

The iconic Arthur Read made his TV debut 30 years ago

The animated series "Arthur" premiered on PBS Kids on Oct. 7, 1996.

The iconic Arthur Read made his TV debut 30 years ago

Listen · 2:48
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/g-s1-146052/nx-s1-9952412" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Florence Pugh plays Cathy Ames and Christopher Abbott is Adam Trask in the Netflix miniseries East of Eden.

Florence Pugh plays Cathy Ames, and Christopher Abbott is Adam Trask in the Netflix miniseries East of Eden. Netflix hide caption

Netflix

Review

TV Reviews

Is our fate pre-destined? A new 'East of Eden' adaptation asks again

John Steinbeck's 1952 epic was first adapted to film in 1955 by director Elia Kazan. Now, Kazan's granddaughter Zoe has directed a new Netflix miniseries, starring Florence Pugh.

FA TV Review: East of Eden

Listen · 8:23
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5991642/nx-s1-9952335" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
When did it become OK to blast TikToks in public?

Who's to blame for public noise? Getty Images/Alona Horkova/Photo Illustration by NPR hide caption

Getty Images/Alona Horkova/Photo Illustration by NPR

It's Been a Minute

When did it become OK to blast TikToks in public?

There are deep roots behind the latest entry into public noise.

When did it become OK to blast TikToks in public?

Listen · 32:57
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5987760/nx-s1-mx-5987760-1" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Anne Hathaway in Verity.

Anne Hathaway in Verity. Alisha Wetherill/Amazon MGM Studios hide caption

Alisha Wetherill/Amazon MGM Studios

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Truth is elusive in the erotic thriller ‘Verity’

Verity stars Dakota Johnson as a struggling novelist who gets an unusual assignment. She's been asked to ghostwrite the final books by a superstar writer, played by Anne Hathaway. It’s an erotic thriller about marriage, manipulators, and (of course) murder. Based on Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, Verity is a story of deceit that wants you to keep guessing until the very end, and maybe even after that.

Verity

Listen · 23:31
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5987804/nx-s1-mx-5987804-1" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Sunday Puzzle

Sunday Puzzle NPR hide caption

NPR

Sunday Puzzle

Sunday Puzzle: 'In' at the Finish

NPR's Ayesha Rascoe plays the puzzle along with Weekend Edition Puzzlemaster Will Shortz and WVIA listener Mary Ann Paulukonis of Pittston, Pennsylvania.

Sunday Puzzle 100426

Listen · 6:39
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/g-s1-145972/nx-s1-9951351" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Browse archive or search npr.org