|
 | ||||||||
|
|
| ||||||
| ||||||||
|
|
| ||||||
       | ||||||||
| ||||||||
Category Archive
Our Correspondents' Picks of 2009 December 8, 2009 |
As the year draws to a close, and critics everywhere are drawing up their "Best Of" lists, we thought we'd enlist the PBS NewsHour mindshare to give us their picks for their favorite books, films, concerts and plays of 2009.
Here's to a Year of Art Beat December 4, 2009 |
Hard to believe, but it's been a year since we launched this blog. After our first weeks, I wrote a thank you to our "first responders" -- the people who'd written in to say how much they appreciated and supported our goal of providing a place online for the arts and culture.
Conversation: Frederick Wiseman, Director of 'La Danse' November 20, 2009 |
Director Frederick Wiseman has documented a wide range of people's everyday routines and the goings-on inside institutions. A "big ballet fan," and a sometimes-resident of Paris, Wiseman recently turned his camera to one of France's most important cultural institutions: the Paris Opera Ballet.
Tonight on PBS, 'No Subtitles Necessary' November 17, 2009 |
Airing tonight on Independent Lens is "No Subtitles Necessary," the story of two Hungarian filmmakers who reconfigured the landscape of American film in the 1960s and 70s.
In Theaters Is 'Where The Wild Things Are' October 16, 2009 |
Opening in theaters nationwide today is the film adaptation of Maurice Sendaks' beloved children's book, "Where The Wild Things Are." Directed by Spike Jonze, the film has been years in the making and the reviews have been generally positive.
'Herb & Dorothy,' a Love Story About Art, Opens New Season of Independent Lens October 13, 2009 |
The story of a postal worker and his librarian wife, who with modest means created one of the most priceless collections of contemporary art in the world, is the subject of Tuesday's season premier of Independent Lens on PBS.
'The Good Wife' Makes the Political Personal October 6, 2009 |
On the new CBS drama "The Good Wife," Alicia Florrick (played by Julianna Margulies), is an attorney turned dutiful political wife whose husband's sex tape with a prostitute lands him in prison and her back in the workforce.
Patrick Swayze, Dancer and Actor, Dead at 57 September 15, 2009 |
After battling pancreatic cancer for 15 months, actor Patrick Swayze died Monday at the age of 57. An accomplished ballet dancer and classically trained Broadway performer whose physique landed him both romantic and action roles throughout his 20-year career, Swayze is perhaps best remembered for his heart-throb role as Johnny Castle in 1987's "Dirty Dancing."
Of Dollars and Spidey Sense: Disney Has Much to Gain by Purchasing Marvel September 3, 2009 |
Disney's plan to buy Marvel Entertainment, Inc. for $4 billion opens up the gates of the Magic Kingdom to a whole host of new characters and helps complete the evolution of comics from a dime-store fringe market to a global economic powerhouse.
Conversation: Whit Stillman August 25, 2009 |
Before the re-release of Whit Stillman's "The Last Days of Disco," obscure copies of the cult auteur's film were selling on the Internet for as much as $150.
Now Stillman's 1998 movie (and his latest to date) is now being re-issued by Criterion Collection in a deluxe edition.
Conversation: Remembering John Hughes August 7, 2009 |
With the early death of writer and director John Hughes at 59 yesterday, America lost one of the most vivid voices to come out of (and help define) the 1980s.
Conversation: Alex Prud'homme, Co-Author of Julia Child's 'My Life in France' August 7, 2009 |
For decades on PBS, Julia Child brought her infectious enthusiasm for French cooking into the kitchens of her rapt viewers, passing on the culinary lessons she had learned during the years she lived in France.
Writer-Director John Hughes Dies at 59 August 6, 2009 |
American film director and writer John Hughes died Thursday of heart attack, his spokeswoman said. He was 59. According to a statement from his spokeswoman, Hughes died suddenly while taking a morning walk in New York City.
'We Sent Music and Laughter There': Man and the Moon, 40 Years On July 20, 2009 |
Now re-released by the Criterion Collection, the new DVD version of "For All Mankind" is far superior to the original grainy images most watched for the first time on their TVs.
Conversation: Werner Herzog June 30, 2009 |
In 1982 in the Peruvian jungle, Werner Herzog was making a film about an opera fanatic who would do anything to bring music to his remote city: Fitzcarraldo and his small crew face deadly river rapids, indigenous tribes with spears and the impossible task of hauling a steamship over a mountain.
Actress, '70s Icon Farrah Fawcett Dies After High-profile Cancer Battle June 25, 2009 |
Actress Farrah Fawcett, best known for starring in the 1970s TV hit "Charlie's Angels," died Thursday in Santa Monica, Calif., following a battle with cancer. She was 62.
Forum: Submit Questions for Werner Herzog June 19, 2009 |
Due out at the end of the month is "Conquest of the Useless," a collection of Herzog's "Fitzcarraldo" journals (or, as he describes them in the book's preface, "inner landscapes, born of the delirium of the jungle.")
Conversation: Filmmaker Albert Maysles June 19, 2009 |
Albert Maysles has spent much of his life behind a camera catching intimate glimpses of the lives of others: politicians, rock stars, heavyweight champions, travelling salesmen, eccentric society mavens and everyday people.
SILVERDOCS Festival Opens With a Slam June 17, 2009 |
Called the "premier showcase for documentary films" by the Hollywood Reporter, the American Film Institute SILVERDOCS festival brings a full slate of documentary films and the International Documentary Conference to Silver Spring, Md.
Tonight on PBS: 'Hollywood Chinese' May 27, 2009 |
Wednesday night on PBS, WNET's American Masters presents the national premier of "Hollywood Chinese," the highly acclaimed documentary that tells the story of Chinese-American cinematic history.
Conversation: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck Discuss Their New Film, 'Sugar' May 15, 2009 |
The new film, "Sugar," is a dramatic telling of the story of a young Dominican-born baseball player as he learns some lessons about baseball and life at a training camp in his homeland and as a minor league player in Iowa.
Cinema and Shoplifting: John Waters at the Maryland Film Festival May 12, 2009 |
While movie stars are gathering on the Riviera for a splashy time at Cannes, moviegoers flocked last weekend to Charm City for the 11th annual Maryland Film Festival. Held at Baltimore's Charles Theater, one of the main attractions is always a film screening by writer-director (and native son) John Waters.
New David Simon Drama Will Depict Life in Post-Katrina New Orleans May 6, 2009 |
Fans of the groundbreaking TV drama "The Wire" can expect a new David Simon series about life in urban America next year. HBO has reportedly picked up "Treme," a new series about musicians in post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans.
Actor, Comedian Dom DeLuise Dies at Age 75 May 5, 2009 |
Dom DeLuise -- comedian, actor, chef -- passed away Monday night at the age of 75. His son, Michael DeLuise, told Los Angeles TV station KTLA and radio station KNX that his father died in his sleep at a Santa Monica hospital after a long illness.
An Evening With Mike Nichols April 23, 2009 |
The works of celebrated director Mike Nichols are on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York during a two-week retrospective that closes May 4.
'Sin Nombre': Strangers on a Train April 15, 2009 |
While all independent filmmaking could be considered dangerous in these economic times, what young American director Cary Joji Fukunaga did to make "Sin Nombre" is a more literal interpretation.
Can Hollywood Help Rescue Michigan? April 10, 2009 |
As Detroit's auto industry crumbles, leaving the state with the highest unemployment rate in the nation and substantial budget gap, state lawmakers are turning to alternative sources of revenue, notably from the film industry.
Conversation: Filmmaker Ramin Bahrani April 3, 2009 |
"Goodbye Solo" is the third film by 34-year-old director Ramin Bahrani. It film won the Critic's Prize at the Venice Film Festival in 2008, and is just beginning to be seen in selected theaters around the country.
Last Run: Historic Baltimore Theater Closes March 19, 2009 |
Hundreds of Baltimoreans grabbed seats Monday night at the historic Senator Theatre, but not to catch a movie. They were there to discuss the landmark's future. As of last weekend, the city's only single-screen movie house was forced to close its doors.
Actress Natasha Richardson Dies at Age 45 March 19, 2009 |
British actress Natasha Richardson, who graced both screen and stage, died Wednesday from head injuries suffered when she fell Monday on a ski slope in Canada. She was 45.
At SXSW, Swanberg Mumbles Loud and Clear March 18, 2009 |
An orderly but eager crowd snakes along Congress Avenue wearing South by Southwest Film Festival badges, a large percentage bespectacled and smoking cigarettes as the film's young and unknown cast poses and smiles.
Writer Horton Foote Dies at Age 92 March 5, 2009 |
Horton Foote, who captured the dignity, depth of character and frequent hardship of American life for the stage and screen, died Wednesday in Hartford, Conn., at the age of 92.
Academy Awards Update February 23, 2009 |
Over the last several weeks, we spoke with some people who were involved in one way or another in films nominated for an Oscar. We figured we should update you on how they did.
Jeffrey Brown Previews the Academy Awards With the AFI's Todd Hitchcock February 20, 2009 |
Jeffrey Brown previews the Academy Awards with the AFI's Todd Hitchcock.
For Documentary Filmmakers, Prestige of Oscars Helps Put Spotlight on Issues February 20, 2009 |
For documentary filmmakers, the reward of an Oscar nomination is twofold: It raises awareness around the film's subjects or issues and generates interest in a genre that ticket buyers don't generally flock to.
'Wendy and Lucy' Explores Landscape of Loss February 11, 2009 |
The new film, "Wendy and Lucy," co-written by Jonathan Raymond, is a quiet reflection on personal catastrophe, and is especially relevant now, as real families and individuals are struggling through hard economic times.
Richter's Scale: Scoring 'Waltz With Bashir' February 5, 2009 |
It was not accidental that Ari Folman asked composer Max Richter to create a score for his film, "Waltz with Bashir." "I wrote the script...in six days, listening only to Max Richter's albums," explained Folman.
Ghetto Film School: a Bronx Tale February 4, 2009 |
An old piano factory in the South Bronx might not be the first place you'd look for a movie studio, but that's just where you will find the Ghetto Film School and a group of aspiring teenage filmmakers putting the finishing touches on their first movie.
'Slumdog' Attracts Controversy, Awards February 3, 2009 |
It's been a week of mixed blessings for the makers of "Slumdog Millionaire," a rags-to-riches love story set in Mumbai, India.
Three Gems From a Quiet Sundance January 28, 2009 |
It was a tough time for filmmakers at this year's Sundance Film Festival, that annual nexus for lesser-seen cinema in Park City, Utah. Thanks to the recession, changing technology and an industry struggling to catch up, less than a dozen movies have found distributors, with many high-profile films leaving the festival without a buyer.
The 'True' Hollywood Story: Rudolph December 24, 2008 |
It was the Sixties -- a time of counter culture and social revolution, radical trends and liberal attitudes. And in 1964, an unlikely iconoclast for the times was born: the "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" Christmas special.
Conversation: David Thomson on Film December 23, 2008 |
For more than 30 years, film critic and scholar David Thomson has been asked one question over and over again: "So, what movies should I see?" His latest book, "Have You Seen....?," is an extended romp of an answer, with short essays on 1,000 films.
Conversation: 'Milk's' Cleve Jones December 19, 2008 |
The new film, "Milk," by director Gus Van Sant tells the story of Harvey Milk, who in 1977 became the first openly gay elected official in the United States as a member of the San Francisco County Board of Supervisors.
The Voice of Harvey Milk December 19, 2008 |
The "Hope Speech" became Harvey Milk's stump speech. He gave a skeletal version when he declared his candidacy in 1977 and an expanded version in 1978 for the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade, later known as the Gay Pride Parade.
|
Broadcast Reports
  Search this Blog
Arts Correspondent
Correspondent Jeffrey Brown covers all things art and
entertainment in these online
exclusive reports. Best of the Beat
For Teachers
Lesson plans, student voices and a teacher community devoted to bringing arts coverage into the classroom. NewsHour Poetry Series
An exploration of the role of poetry in society and profiles of contemporary poets, with streaming video and downloadable readings. |
||||||||||||||||||||
Photos from the Beijing Underground
Conversation: Frederick Wiseman, Director of 'La Danse'
Conversation: Colum McCann, National Book Award Winner for Fiction
Thursday on the NewsHour: Wu Man
The Onion Turns 21
Monday on the NewsHour: The Metropolitan Opera's Grand Revitalization Act
Weekly Poem: 'Contracted'
Weekly Poem: 'Storm'
| |||||
| |||||
| |||||
|
|
| |||
| |||||
| |||||
| Support the kind of journalism done by the NewsHour...Become a member of your local PBS station. | |||||
