Arts & Culture
Coverage of the Arts by Weekend America.
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Old-School Wrestling, Alive and Well
Hulk Hogan-like personalities and WWE Wrestlemania stadium events on cable TV all but killed off the regional pro wrestling scenes that filled arenas for decades. But in St. Louis, a working-class cast of characters keeps the spectacle alive -- just on a more intimate scale.
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What Makes a Great War Movie?
The second-annual GI Film Festival gets underway in Washington, D.C. this weekend. They're showing a mix of recent feature films, documentaries, even some classics. Larry Suid is a military historian, speaking on a panel today about the 100 greatest war movies. Desiree Cooper asks what makes a good war film.
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McCain's Rosy Future, Corpses Down the Drain
Our panel of non-experts tackle the weighty issues of this weekend: John Ridley, who writes the "Visible Man" blog for NPR.org; author David Rakoff, whose latest book is "Don't Get Too Comfortable"; and "A Red State of Mind" author Nancy French.
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Your Morning Music Hit List
NASA has a tradition of playing wake-up songs for the Shuttle crew to start each day of a mission. Sometimes it's a crew member's favorite song, selected by a family member. Sometimes it has to do with the task they have to accomplish that day. We asked our listeners to submit their own wake-up favorites.
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We Are Nowhere and It's Now
"I have been displaced since graduating from the seminary and I have ended up in rural Iowa while I wait to be appointed a call or given a church as a pastor. Listening to this song really speaks to my feeling of being displaced, being nowhere."
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Klezmer Funk Hip-Hop? Abraham Inc.
The legendary Apollo theater in Harlem was one of the few theaters in New York to hire African-American performers in the 1930s, but the venue itself was owned by Jews. So it's fitting that the klezmer-funk-hip-hop group Abraham Inc. will be having their debut performance at the Apollo tonight.
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Before GTA, There Was Death Race
Grand Theft Auto IV is expected to sell five million copies in the first two weeks of sale -- that makes it the biggest news in the entertainment business this weekend. But it's not the first video game to spark controversy for its violent content. We look back at one of the first video games, Death Race.
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A Dream Fulfilled in the Gospel Tent
Ron Hadley got his girlfriend pregnant and faced jail time. When complications threatened his unborn child's life, he vowed to turn to God and turn his life around. His gospel choir just had their New Orlean Jazz Fest debut, and now he's set his sights on touring the world -- and making his now 6-year-old son proud.
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Start with a Banjo, Keep Adding Strings
Paul Metzger has spent more than 20 years tinkering with his banjo, adding more and more strings. A banjo normally has five strings -- Paul has gotten his up to 23 now. His highly modified instrument has pushed the sound of the instrument to new limits, and his haunting melodies can be mesmerizing.
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'Respiration' by Black Star
Reporter and writer Chad Swiatecki has lived in Flint, Mich., for eight years and is relocating to Austin, Texas. He thinks the hip-hop duo of Mos Def and Talib Kweli have captured the essence of city life and the compelling stories of each of our lives -- even if you're not living in New York.
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The Ghazal: A Poem of Longing
Poet and college professor Suzanne Gardinier latest book, "Today: 101 Ghazals," pays homage to a form of poetry from the Middle East and India -- a collection of couplets that usually depicts pain, loss and longing. She shares what the poetry form has added to her own craft.
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Dinner, and a Side of Poetry
In celebration of National Poetry Month this April, the folks at Alimentum, a literary magazine about food, published its second-annual menupoems broadside for some favorite restaurants in New York City -- care for a side of verse with dessert? How about a couplet as an appetizer?
