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'Funemployment' And More Slang For A Recession

Mar 14, 2010 5:00am

One of the few benefits of the recession is the creation of some new lingo, like "staycation." The Christian Science Monitor has compiled a list of their favorites and guest host Audie Cornish explains a few of them....

Can Working Moms 'Have It All'? Ha!

Mar 13, 2010 9:30pm

In the late '70s and early '80s, Enjoli perfume commercials extolled the era's ideal Superwoman — a perfectly coiffed working mom who could "bring home the bacon" and still be sexy for her man. Three decades later, that ideal remains elusive for millions of women — including reporter Jennifer Ludden....

Bassist George Porter, Jr. Plays Not My Job

Mar 13, 2010 8:00am

He's best known for his work with the great New Orleans funk band The Meters, so we're asking George Porter, Jr. three questions about parking meters....

How Do You Make A Yugo Cool? Turn It Into A Book.

Mar 12, 2010 9:00pm

The tiny, no-frills automobile imported from communist Yugoslavia during the 1980s is known to most Americans as the butt of many car jokes. Author Jason Vuic's book The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History reveals why it's the most famous lemon in automotive history....

The Mad Hatter's Secret Ingredient: Math

Mar 12, 2010 9:00pm

The first numbers that come to mind when thinking about Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland might be how much money the movie is raking in at the box office. But mathematicians say the books are full of algebraic lessons — such as why a raven is like a writing desk....

Hollywood's New Battle Tactic: Make War Personal

Mar 12, 2010 1:25pm

Back in 2007, Hollywood was suffering from serious battle fatigue. But a new surge of war movies has come out — Green Zone takes on the search for WMDs; The Hurt Locker follows a bomb squad; and The Pacific is a 10-hour HBO World War II epic. These aren't battle-strategy...

'Parking Lot': Guys, Cars And The Meaning Of Life

Mar 12, 2010 12:23pm

One of the buzz movies at this year's South By Southwest Film Festival depicts the denizens of the Corner Parking Lot in Charlottesville, Va., whose attendants are a surprisingly lively bunch of poets, philosophers, musicians and anthropologists. Sandy Hausman reports from member station WVTF....

Jesus And The Hidden Contradictions Of The Gospels

Mar 12, 2010 9:00am

The New Testament contains multiple versions of the life and teachings of Jesus. Bart Ehrman, the author of Jesus, Interrupted,, says they are at odds with each other on important points regarding the life, death and divinity of Jesus....

'Green Zone': Bourne In Baghdad, Looking For WMDs

Mar 11, 2010 9:00pm

Bourne Identity director Paul Greengrass and leading man Matt Damon have re-teamed for Green Zone, a fictionalized account of the U.S. search for weapons of mass destruction in the first year of the Iraq occupation. Film critic David Edelstein reviews the political thriller....

No Ink, No Paper: What's The Value Of An E-Book?

Mar 11, 2010 9:00pm

The electronic publishing revolution is under way, and for consumers, it could mean paying less than ever for books. But some publishers fear lower prices could spell the end of the industry....

The 'Green Zone,' Where Good Intel Is Hard To Find

Mar 11, 2010 8:59pm

Paul Greengrass' new Iraq war film takes a hard look at American hubris, but critic Ella Taylor says the propulsive thriller has something of a split personality: — one part scathing critique, one part celebration of that old Hollywood standby, the Good American hero who saves the day....

From Korea, A Thriller Hitchcock Would Admire

Mar 11, 2010 8:58pm

In Mother, Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho turns in a taut mystery about a woman who takes it upon herself to investigate the murder of a teenage girl in the effort to prove her son's innocence — and ends up uncovering much more than she bargained for....

Hell Hath No Fury Like A Screenwriter's Scorn

Mar 11, 2010 3:00pm

Turns out that the life of a Hollywood screenwriter is more about rejection and powerlessness than about actual writing — or so it would seem from Tales from the Script, a documentary that features 52 screenwriters talking about the trials and tribulations of writing for the silver screen....

New Music Emerges From Elkhart's Instrument Past

Mar 11, 2010 12:09pm

Dozens of band instrument makers used to be part of the local economy in Elkhart, Ind. But since the city was battered by the economy, only three major companies remain. One says it will manufacture instruments only in the U.S. — and it will hire new workers to grow the...

'American Idol': The Real Drama Is Offstage

Mar 8, 2010 12:52pm

If the competition on American Idol seems a little bland this year, look to the judging table for the real drama. Will first-time judge Ellen DeGeneres stick around? How will the show replace its villain, Simon Cowell? Luckily, The Hollywood Reporter's Andrew Wallenstein has an idea....