A Celebration of "Believe-It-or-Not Literature"

A live concert with songwriter and pianist Charles Brown. Brown is credited with creating an expressive style of blues that blended rough Texas blues with the soft glamour of Hollywood. Between 1946 and 1952, Brown recorded 20 hits, nine on his own, the rest as part of Johnny Moore's Blazers. He is featured in a new PBS documentary on the history of rhythm and blues.

The new Batman film has spawned two soundtrack albums -- one of Danny Elfman's orchestral score, and the latter a collection of songs written and performed by Prince. Rock critic Ken Tucker says the artist doesn't quite succeed in crafting the rock opera he strove for, but it's refreshing to hear hear him loosen up and let it all hang out.

Film critic Stephen Schiff says that the new take on the comic book superhero is downright Wagnerian. Despite minor pacing issues and a few weak plot points, it's a bleak, operatic take on film noir, with excellent performances throughout.