May 12 Cinema and Shoplifting: John Waters at the Maryland Film Festival 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… Continue reading
May 11 Weekly Poem: ‘Reasons to Consider Setting Ourselves on Fire’ In March, Jynne Dilling Martin was one of four winners of the 92nd Street Y "Discovery" Poetry Contest, which since 1951 has recognized the achievements of poets who have not yet published a first book. Continue reading
May 08 Conversation: Daniyal Mueenuddin By Arts Desk Daniyal Mueenuddin new book, "In Other Rooms, Other Wonders," comprises a series of linked stories that explore the lives of peasants and landowners in Pakistan's Punjab. Continue reading
May 08 Conversation: Russell L. Goings To sit down and talk with Russell Goings, you would never guess he came to poetry later in life. Stories rich with allusions drawn from the gods of antiquity to the pioneers of the African-American journey to freedom pour out… Continue reading
May 08 Jobs Reports Shows Layoff Pace Slowed in April By PBS News Hour The pace of layoffs slowed in April as employers cut 539,000 jobs, the fewest in six months, according to a Labor Department report released Friday. But the unemployment rate climbed to 8.9 percent, the highest since late 1983. Continue reading
May 06 New David Simon Drama Will Depict Life in Post-Katrina New Orleans By Arts Desk 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. Continue reading
May 05 ‘Billy Elliot’ Leads in Tony Nominations The nominations for the 2009 Tony Awards bear a distinctly Tinseltown glint, with big- and small-screen heavyweights leading the list. A number of the recognized performers -- Angela Lansbury, James Gandolfini, Jeff Daniels, Marcia Gay Harden, Allison Janney and Jane… Continue reading
May 05 Culture of Avoiding the Doctor Intensifies Health Concerns in Mexico By PBS News Hour MEXICO CITY -- The serious outcomes of some of the earliest H1N1 flu cases in Mexico renewed attention on a national culture of avoiding doctor visits, and self-medicating at the pharmacy instead. Continue reading
May 05 Actor, Comedian Dom DeLuise Dies at Age 75 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… Continue reading
May 05 Benefits of Shutdown Debated as Mexico City Lumbers Back to Life By PBS News Hour Senior correspondent Ray Suarez is in Mexico City to report on the H1N1 flu virus outbreak. In this reporter's notebook that he filed Monday, he reports on the huge city coming back to life after a days-long shutdown aimed at… Continue reading