The husband and wife duo Ashford & Simpson wrote hits for other artists before striking out on their own. Rock critic Ken Tucker says that their focus on contented, monogamous life may seem bland to many listeners, but their soulful pop make their bourgeois values seem sexy.
Critic Stuart Klawans reviews the new Mike Leigh film, about working class people and their gentrifying London neighborhood. It's the director's first movie since the 1970s; Klawans says it was worth the wait.
Critic Ken Tucker reviews four home video releases of movies inspired by the antiwar movement. Three of them, about burgeoning romances amid student demonstrations, don't hold up. But Joe, a film that rejects hippy values, is worth watching, if only for star Peter Boyle's excellent performance.
Lloyd Schwartz says that the classical pianist, like Glenn Gould, died too young. But unlike Gould, Lipatti's interpretations of canonical works were more traditional, evoking the way the pieces may have originally been performed. Schwartz reviews two recent re-releases of the musician's recordings.
Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein has a new memoir about his parents, two left-wing organizers who faced persecution because of their politics. Book critic John Leonard says it demystifies the McCarthy era and the day-to-day lives of activists.
Buell Neidlinger is a session musician who has recorded with several pop, folk and jazz musicians. He leads a string band on his new album, performing the music of Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead says it breaks down the barrier between serious art and raucous fun.
Wise has made movies in nearly every genre, including science fiction, horror and westerns. He won an Oscar for editing Citizen Kane, and directed the film adaptation of West Side Story. He's recently come out of retirement to make the movie Rooftops, about homeless teenagers in New York City.
Nair has made a career making documentaries about social conditions in her home country of India. Her new movie, Salaam Bombay!, is her first feature. The film, about street children, won the Palme D'or at the Cannes Film Festival
Patinkin had no formal training as a singer, but he's found fame starring in musicals like Evita and Sunday in the Park with George. He's also appeared in the films Yentl, Ragtime, and The Princess Bride, among others. Patinkin has a new self-titled album of songs from the stage and screen.
Naipaul was born to Indian Hindu parents in Trinidad. His international perspective has informed both his fiction and nonfiction, which are often set in post-colonial countries. His newest book, A Turn in the South, explores the culture of the United States' Southern states.
Rock historian Ed Ward says there were actually several women who could fit the bill, all of whom recorded and performed at the same time a Presley. These artists included Wanda Jackson, Janis Martin, and Lonnie Mack -- none of whom endured, according to Ward, because of restrictive expectations of women's roles.
TV critic David Bianculli calls the new sitcom, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Richard Lewis, has an intriguing premise and promising cast, but it follows a familiar, cookie-cutter formula, and its writing needs work.
Raitt's album "Nick of Time," features an eclectic mix of blues, rock, folk, and ballads. She talks about how her musical career has affected her personal life as a woman.
Writer and novelist David Grossman spent time in the occupied West Bank and was shocked by the effect Israel's policies have had on the lives of the Palestinians -- particularly in light of what Jews endured during the Holocaust. His book about this situation is called "The Yellow Wind." He also wrote a novel called "See Under - Love."
Now that author Salman Rushide has gone into hiding, critic-at-large Laurie Stone looks at how communities around the world have been responding to his controversial book.
Jazz critic has this profile of Roy Eldridge, an early pioneer of the jazz trumpet, whose style departed from greats like Louis Armstrong in several important ways.
Reiner is a prolific director of comedy films. A frequent collaborator with Mel Brooks, he started in the theater and later television, where he began his career as a writer on the program Your Show of Shows. His latest movie, inspired by classic Hollywood musicals, is called Bert Rigby, You're a Fool.
Ken Tucker is, as usual, disappointed by the winners of this year's Grammy Awards. But he's also dismayed by reader and critic polls which, according to him, celebrate dolorous and purposeless artists. New Order's recent album, Technique, could be described the same way, but Tucker appreciates its charm and accessibility.
Stuart Klawans reviews the new movie, which features a trio of shorter films directed by Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, and Francis Coppola. Klawans says the efforts of the first two directors are fantastic, but viewers can step out into the lobby for Coppola's contribution.
