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In China, Creating A Menagerie Through Mimicry
Professional mimics in China used to imitate sounds as a form of entertainment. Not many practitioners are left, but one family is trying to preserve the art. Cheng Jiaqiang, who learned his skills from his grandfather, has a barnyard repertoire but specializes in bird songs.
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Sam Fuller, Embodying The Best Of Pulp Fiction
Martin Scorsese said of Sam Fuller's work, "If you don't like the films of Sam Fuller, then you just don't like cinema." The maverick screenwriter and director died in 1997, but a new 7-disc selection of his work embodies what's most enjoyable and enduring about pulp fiction.
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The Secret Political Reach Of 'The Family'
A secretive fellowship of powerful Christian politicians includes some names that have recently been prominent in the headlines: Sen. John Ensign, Rep. Bart Stupak and Rep. Joe Pitts. Writer Jeff Sharlet describes the men's involvement with the Family, and discusses recent developments within the group.
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The World's Largest Camera Is On Wheels
Photographer Shaun Irving has transformed a truck into the world's largest, mobile camera.
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Excerpt: 'The Family'
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What We're Reading: Nov. 24 - 30, 2009
This week, Michael Crichton's last book, ever, sails the seas of pirate adventure. In story collections: Alice Munro's strong and subtly mysterious women; Ha Jin's immigrants caught between two worlds. And a space-program history finds surprising drama in the unmanned voyages.
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For Disney's New Princess, Short Courtiers Swarm
Lots of young fans — and many of their moms and dads — are excited about the arrival of Tiana, the heroine of <em>The Princess and the Frog</em>, the latest animated Walt Disney film. It's more than just a new movie to many: Tiana is Disney's first African-American princess, a role model many parents have been waiting for for a long time.
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Pass The Dessert: America's Thanksgiving Recipes
For many of us, Thanksgiving is linked to memories of turkey, stuffing and cranberry dressing. But a culinary history of the "other" American holiday shows that a rich variety of desserts have been in and out of fashion over the decades. Chris Kimball of <em>America's Test Kitchen</em> features Thanksgiving favorites from days gone by.
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John Hillcoat, Chasing Humanity On A Grim 'Road'
Based on Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Hillcoat's new movie is a dystopian tale of survival in a physically and morally ravaged world. The director talks to NPR's Steve Inskeep about the challenges of visualizing a post-apocalyptic landscape — and why the bleak tale is really a story of human goodness.
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Alan Cheuse's Book Picks To Warm A Winter's Night
Book reviewer Alan Cheuse selects the highlights of this holiday season: futuristic dystopias; things that go bump in the night; portraits from Norman Rockwell's America; gay New York; a celebration of our immigrant adventures; one writer's journey to manhood; and, of course, Long John Silver.
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Excerpt: 'City Boy'
The latest installment of Edmund White's biography remembers gay life in 1960s and '70s New York.
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Excerpt: 'American Fantastic Tales'
This collection — edited by Peter Straub — draws from 300 years of American horror and fantasy.
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Speculation Begins On Who Will Be Oprah's Final Guest
Media magnate Oprah Winfrey recently announced plans to end her "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in 2011, after 25 seasons. In a tearful message to viewers on Friday, Winfrey promised the top-rated program's final leg would be one to remember. Guest host Jennifer Ludden talks reporter Marcus Leshock, of WGN-TV and blogger for "Chicago Now." Leshock recently posted a blog, speculating who might be the final guest for Winfrey's last program.
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Larry David's Dysfunctional Family Reunion
The seventh season finale of <em>Curb Your Enthusiasm</em> capped a year-long storyline about Larry finally agreeing to a produce a reunion episode of <em>Seinfeld</em> which he co-created with Jerry Seinfeld. TV critic David Bianculli explains how both programs — the show and the show within the show — were a comedic coup and a perfect end to the season.
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Wes Anderson Covers New Ground With 'Mr. Fox'
Director Wes Anderson has worked on a lot of film projects, but with his latest film, <em>Fantastic Mr. Fox,</em> he ventured into new territory: animation. Anderson says that making a stop-motion picture is the most involved filmmaking he's ever done, but he also says that the process has "a sort of magic."
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