Arts & Culture
Coverage of the Arts by Weekend America.
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Inside Blackness: Black Santa
This weekend, you might be headed to the mall to see Santa. Some kids can't wait to get on Santa's knee. Others go to Santa kicking and screaming. For some people of color, the local mall's Santa can bring on a crisis of a different sort. As part of the series Inside Blackness, we hear about the complicated relationship some black families have with the traditional Santa Claus.
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Blagojevich, Auto Bailouts and Leno
Our panel of non-experts weigh in on this week's news events in a parlor game to gauge what kind of week America had. Joining us on this week's panel are: Nancy French, author of "A Red State of Mind"; comedian and writer Dana Gould; and Yale literature professor Amy Hungerford.
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America Forecloses, Japan Watches
Foreclosure tours are popping up in American cities as a way to showcase the inventory stacking up on the real estate market. There's one underway in Denver this weekend, and it's attracted some unusual interest. A Japanese television crew from NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) is on board. They're filming what will be a New Year's special in Japan.
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Weekend Soundtrack: "Tracy in the Bathroom Killing Thrills"
It's time to listen to your weekend soundtrack - the songs that bridge the gap from Friday to Monday. This week our story comes from Paula Pisani. Her weekend soundtrack is the song "Tracy in the Bathroom Killing Thrills" by the rock group Mary's Danish. She says it gives her an adrenaline rush to start the weekend.
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Dear Dad: A Christmas Card
We're getting into the thick of the holidays. Maybe you've already spent some time shopping for gifts. Maybe you've started receiving a few holiday letters or cards. Sometimes these letters are incredibly personal - and not always in the best way. Sometimes they even reveal family secrets long buried. Raluca Oncioiu, whose family is originally from Romania, received one such Christmas card.
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The Death of News?
In light of the Tribune bankruptcy and the massive loan the New York Times just leveraged on its own building, the future of daily journalism looks to be on life support. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Weekend America's Ben Adair debunks the top three myths of the media meltdown and tells us why reports of newspapers' demise have been severely exaggerated.
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Reflecting on Mumbai
London had the 7/7 bombings. Madrid had the 3/11 train bombings. America had September 11th. And while India has suffered bombings before, last week's terrorist attacks were something else altogether. Brooklyn-based Indian-American poet Vijay Seshadri lived through 9/11, and this weekend, he talks about what the events in Mumbai mean for him and the poem that helps him get as close as he can to understanding it all.
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Change of Seasons: Poetry and Curling
Is there a chill in the air yet, in your neck of the woods? Our nose hairs haven't frozen yet, but we're sure that treat is just around the corner. Which can only mean one thing: winter! You still have a couple weeks until the official beginning (December 21st, to be exact) but here's a little primer for the season.
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The Story of Stuff
Annie Leonard spent a decade researching where all our "stuff" comes from: consumer goods, electronics, cars, food. She figured out how it was made, who bought it, and where it all ended up. Then she made a 20 minute video, "The Story of Stuff." As it turns out, everything comes from somewhere. You buy it, you use it, you throw it away. But the story of stuff has a plot line that might hold the world in the balance.
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Muslim Cowboy
When he was growing up in northeast Oklahoma, Kareem Salama knew that he wanted to be a cowboy. Now he's an aspiring country music star. He's also a practicing Muslim. He sees no contradictions in that, saying his upbringing in Oklahoma made it all possible. Reporter Kyle Gassiott brings us his story.
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Blip Festival
This weekend in New York City, artists will be playing video game consoles for eager crowds. Blip Festival 2008 is underway. Audiences are attending chip-music concerts. Chip-music artists modify old Gameboys and old video game consoles and recast them as musical instruments. We spoke with three artists who are trying to push the limitation of those old game systems.
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Obama's Team of Rivals, Getting Paid for Good Grades, and Bratz
Our panel of non-experts weigh in on this week's news events in a parlor game to gauge what kind of week America had. Joining us on this week's panel are: author and New York Times reporter Jennifer 8. Lee; television host Sofia Dickens; and Luke Burbank, who hosts the radio show "Too Beautiful To Live" in Seattle.
