Dec 17 The songs we turned to in 2020 By Joshua Barajas, Lizz Bolaji Fifteen artists and authors share the songs they played again and again. Continue reading
Dec 16 In a new Billie Holiday documentary, friends fill in the missing notes By Joshua Barajas “Billie,” wants to go beyond the black-and-white — and incomplete — narrative of self-destructive jazz artists. Continue reading
Dec 16 MLB reclassifies Negro Leagues as major league By Associated Press The league said it was "correcting a longtime oversight in the game's history" by elevating the Negro Leagues on the centennial of its founding. Continue reading
Dec 15 Watch 6:31 After spate of ‘Nutcracker’ cancellations, dance companies get creative “The Nutcracker” is a beloved tradition for the holiday season, but it's also vital to the financial well-being of ballet companies all over the country. But with this year's pandemic closures, dance companies everywhere face an enormous threat. Jeffrey Brown… Continue watching
Dec 14 The objects that carried us through 2020 By Joshua Barajas The PBS NewsHour spoke with 11 artists and writers about which memento best expressed their experience, an artifact they’d tuck inside a time capsule. Continue reading
Dec 14 Publishing saw upheaval in 2020, but ‘books are resilient’ By Hillel Italie, Associated Press Book publishing had a year like no other in 2020, and yet proved remarkably stable. Through a pandemic, a called off convention, release postponements and debates over diversity, book sales managed a steady pace. Continue reading
Dec 14 Cleveland baseball team will change name after 105 years By Associated Press Citing three people familiar with the decision, The New York Times reported Sunday night that the team is moving away from a name considered racist for decades. Continue reading
Dec 14 ‘Dark Knight,’ ‘Grease’ added to National Film Registry By Jonathan Landrum Jr., Associated Press This year’s inductees into the National Film Registry include a record number of female directors and filmmakers of color as well as a new crop of movies ranging from a silent short film thriller, classic musicals and an acclaimed Batman… Continue reading
Dec 13 Master of espionage John le Carre dies at 89 By Jill Lawless, Associated Press In classics such as “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold,” “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” and “The Honourable Schoolboy,” Le Carre combined terse but lyrical prose with the kind of complexity expected in literary fiction. His books grappled with… Continue reading
Dec 12 Charley Pride, country music’s first Black star, dies at 86 By Mark Kennedy, Associated Press He had three Grammy Awards, more than 30 No. 1 hits between 1969 and 1984, won the Country Music Association’s Top Male Vocalist and Entertainer of the Year awards in 1972 and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of… Continue reading