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Inflation is higher than people under 40 have seen. But their parents lived through sharper price hikes in the 1970s and '80s. These experiences are helping shape the way both view today's economy.

Herb Gardner, a playwright known for smart, witty comedies such as A Thousand Clowns and the Tony award-winning I'm Not Rappaport, died this week of lung disease. He was 68. NPR's Michele Norris has a remembrance.

A new PBS comedy show mixes humor with current events. The Strategic Humor Initiative is hosted by British broadcaster Sir David Frost. Frost was part of the team that did a similar show on NBC in the 1960s - That Was the Week That Was. Hear Frost and NPR's Bob Edwards.

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra plans to perform American composer John Corigliano's "The Red Violin" -- a concerto for violin and orchestra -- Thursday. The debut will feature one of the leading violinists in classical music, Joshua Bell. The concerto uses themes from Corigliano's Academy Award-winning score for the film of the same name. NPR's Lisa Simeone has a profile.

Cirque Du Soleil, the renowned performance troupe, is capitalizing on the success of its ongoing Las Vegas show "O" with a new production for adults only. "Zumanity," which opens Saturday, may be the riskiest show the Montreal-based company has ever produced. Jeff Lunden reports.

In the '60s and '70s, an obscure northwest corner of Alabama became a recording mecca for rhythm and blues, rock and pop artists. Now the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio is up for sale.

Comedian Whoopi Goldberg is known for her blunt take on race issues, and her new sitcom, Whoopi -- which premieres Tuesday -- is no exception. The show features British-Iranian actor Omid Djalili, who makes comic hay out of everything from ethnic profiling to bombs -- dicey topics in the post-Sept. 11 era. NPR's Neda Ulaby speaks with Djalili.

The line-up of new television shows for the fall season is heavy on sitcoms and light on reality TV -- a departure from the trend of the past few years. Hear USA Today television critic Robert Bianco.

The award-winning film, The Magdalene Sisters, examines a now-defunct practice of the Catholic Church in Ireland. More than 30,000 women and young girls considered "immoral" were sent to live in "Magdalene Asylums." Their sins, sometimes as benign as flirting, earned these women a life of hard labor and punishment. Los Angeles Times and Morning Edition film critic Kenneth Turan has a review.

Steve Winwood is one of rock 'n' roll music's most respected artists. He's mastered many instruments -- especially the distinctive vibe of the organ -- and his voice is considered one of the best examples of "white soul." He's back in the spotlight again with his new CD, About Time. Hear samples from the new CD, and follow his career through samples from some of his past hits.