Search results for

Marshall Chapman's father, a South Carolina cotton mill owner, was expecting her to grow into a delicate debutante. Instead, his daughter became a hard-living musician whose songs have been covered by Jimmy Buffett, Joe Cocker, Tanya Tucker and many others. Chapman's new memoir and accompanying CD are called Goodbye, Little Rock and Roller. Hear her extended interview with NPR's Bob Edwards' and songs from the CD.

The Iraqi National Orchestra performs with the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Tuesday. The visit is financed by the U.S. Department of State, and President George Bush is expected to attend. NPR's Lynn Neary reports.

A new DVD called Lennon Legend contains familiar and never-before-seen footage of John Lennon, set to 20 of his songs. From the Manhattan apartment she shared with her late husband, Yoko Ono speaks with NPR's Scott Simon.

The Lord of the Rings film trilogy has swamped popular culture, winning acclaim from critics and movie fans alike. But for some die-hard fans of science fiction, the original Star Wars films remain the definitive fantasy trilogy. Christian Bordal reports.

NPR's ambassador to children's literature, Daniel Pinkwater, brings in the latest book by one of his favorite author/illustrator, D.B. Johnson. Henry Climbs a Mountain is the third in a series of books featuring a bear based on naturalist Henry David Thoreau. Pinkwater says it might be the best picture book he's ever read.

Method acting is more than mining personal experiences to play a character — or physically transforming for a role. Author Isaac Butler traces the history of the technique in The Method.

Before Frank Sinatra sang "My Way" into the American musical lexicon, a French singer-songwriter had his own version of the ballad. Twenty-five years after his death, Claude Francois is still drawing fans to his former home, which has been turned into a museum. NPR's Nick Spicer reports.

Most Cajuns, whose ancestors settled in southern Louisiana in the 17th century, spoke French up until World War II. But as Cajun culture is celebrated in music, film and food, only a fraction of the local population calls French its first language. NPR's Renee Montagne speaks with historian Shane Bernard about the Americanization of the Cajuns.

Movie makeup artist Ve Neill is up for her fourth Oscar for her work on Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. For Intersections, a Morning Edition series on artists and their inspirations, Neill discusses how an early love of horror flicks helped fuel her career transforming Hollywood's faces.

Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson has spent more than 20 years writing a cycle of plays that chronicle black life in 20th-century America, decade by decade. For Intersections, a Morning Edition series on artists and their inspirations, the playwright discusses how he first found the language of the black experience in blues legend Bessie Smith.