Oct 15th, 2008 · Commentator Frank Deford introduces a new character to his weekly sports commentary. The Duchess is a sports connoisseur who sees the grace and beauty in athletics. But lately, she's been distressed by all the spitting she sees in Major League Baseball.
Oct 5th, 2008 · For many, the autoharp is remembered as the slightly geeky, easy-to-play instrument from grade-school music class, or as simple accompaniment for folk and country singers. But Basia Bulat, who sings and plays the autoharp on Oh, My Darling, hopes the time has come for people to discover the beauty and potential in the instrument.
Sep 23rd, 2008 · Andrew Davidson's debut novel, The Gargoyle, tells the love story of a burn victim and a mysterious sculptress who claims they first met 700 years earlier.
Sep 19th, 2008 · Acclaimed artist Justin Bua made a name for himself with paintings and illustrations, which depict the beauty and struggle of city life. Bua's work is collected in a book called The Beat of Urban Art. He speaks with Farai Chideya about his collection and his foray into political illustration.
Sep 10th, 2008 · The writer of American Beauty and the hit series Six Feet Under has a new HBO drama about vampires in a Louisiana town — and a controversially titled movie, Towelhead, based on Alicia Erian's novel.
Aug 30th, 2008 · On Friday, Sen. John McCain picked Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate for the GOP presidential ticket. Palin has a reputation for independence and was once voted Miss Congeniality in a beauty pageant. Some question her experience, however.
Aug 30th, 2008 · Visual artists Fernanda Viegas and Martin Wattenberg see, and hear, the beauty in the human body. They've analyzed roughly 10,000 songs in many genres of music, and they've created a catalog titled Listen, which illustrates how the human form inspires, amuses or repulses musicians.
Aug 29th, 2008 · Benjamin Britten's final, haunting opera Death in Venice (based on Thomas Mann's novella) finds an aging writer obsessed with one particular kind of beauty that leads to his downfall, in a production from Glimmerglass Opera.