If Charles Dickens were alive today, he would watch “The Wire,” unless, that is, he was already writing for it.

Television You Can’t Put Down

At this year's Cannes film festival, one of the more ardently argued questions had to do with the Spanish actress Penélope Cruz, whose performance in Pedro Almodóvar’s "Volver" was one of the festival's high points. The movie was widely beloved -- so much so that at the closing ceremonies its two prizes, for Mr. Almodóvar's screenplay and for its remarkable ensemble of actresses, seemed almost disappointing -- and Ms. Cruz in particular had no shortage of admirers.

In "Volver" Pedro Almodóvar has transformed Penélope Cruz into a melodramatic heroine.

Few were inclined to dispute the wit or dexterity of her acting, which steers "Volver" from screwball to weepie and back again with intoxicating verve. But many viewers -- not all of them low-minded, lecherous types by any means -- noticed that her usually sparrowlike figure seemed fuller than usual, especially around the hips.

Had Mr. Almodóvar padded his star's skirt? One source, connected with the film's American distributor, was sure he had. Another, who had encountered Ms. Cruz at a party, swore that what we had seen on the screen was there, as it were, in the flesh.

American audiences, accustomed to speculating about the authenticity of various movie-star body parts, will have a chance to assess this issue when "Volver" is released in the United States on Nov. 3. (It will also be the centerpiece, on Oct. 7 and 8, of the New York Film Festival.) But there is no doubt that, with or without cushioning, Ms. Cruz reveals a new dimension in this film, and that Mr. Almodóvar, who created it in part as a showcase for her talents, has provided her with her most substantial role to date.

From Everygirl to Everywoman: Penélope Cruz's Journey

How could I not meme this article?

"We've seen through his permanent expression of ecstasy, which has curdled into a mask."

Nothing about these comments was extreme or exceptional, but what followed was an over-reaction of cosmic proportions. Overnight, newspapers flourished friendly profiles along with testimonials to Rattle's genius.

Rattle's friends went after one unknown uncritic, who turned out to be a prominent polemicist, writing under a pseudonym. Another critic was made to resign and was last seen editing a CD magazine for a record store.

Seven years after being elected and four after his triumphal entry with his portrait plastered on bus stops, Rattle is facing an ocean of troubles that cannot be held back by lashings of charm and spin control. The question being asked is whether he has the intellect, the emotional strength and the clarity of purpose to face a very different age of media dissemination.

You and your permanent expression of ecstasy! No more!

Rattle has a battle on his hands

BookMooch is a community for exchanging used books.

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“Half Nelson” is that rarest of marvels — an American fiction film that wears its political heart on its sleeve. It’s a small film with a long view, and its story hinges on an unusually nuanced relationship between a white man and a black girl, each of whom has landed in harm’s way. The delicacy of its lead performances (more on them later) and its sense of everyday texture are each worthy of praise. But what makes “Half Nelson” both an unusual and an exceptional American film, particularly at a time when even films about Sept. 11 are professed to have no politics, is its insistence on political consciousness as a moral imperative.

Half Nelson - Review

Besides being a five syllable word suitable for tongue twisters, it is also an amazing new Flickr Feature.

There are lots of things that make a photo 'interesting' (or not) in the Flickr. Where the clickthroughs are coming from; who comments on it and when; who marks it as a favorite; its tags and many more things which are constantly changing. Interestingness changes over time, as more and more fantastic photos and stories are added to Flickr.

We've added some pages (and changed some existing ones) to help you explore Flickr's most interesting photos. Before you start though, you might want to take your phone off the hook, send your boss to an executive training session and block off some time on your schedule, because we don't think you're going to be walking away from your screen any time soon. Beautiful, amazing, moving, striking - explore and discover some of Flickr's Finest.

Explore interesting photos around Flickr

Dozens and dozens of film noir movies from the 1930s and '40s are now on DVD. Our critic at large has piles of them, but he says one stands out: the new digitally remastered Double Indemnity.

Powers says Billy Wilder's film, an account of infidelity and murder starring Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray, is the best example of the enduring power of film noir.

A DVD Release for 'Double Indemnity'

The new Dylan album starts with the voice of God in the mountains and the sound of pistols in the streets. Bad things are happening, and the ladies in Washington, D.C., are scrambling to get out of town. Dylan has ladies on his mind, too-- Alicia Keys, who's forty years younger than he is yet worth chasing through the Tennessee Hills just the same, but also good women who do just what you say, and the wicked women who drain your heart and mind. War and love are in the air. It's time to get right with the Lord, maybe go back up north and try his hand at farming. But the pitchfork is on the shelf. The hammer is on the table. And from the sound of things, the hammer is coming down.

NPR coverage

Bob Dylan : Modern Times : Rolling Stone Review

To the uninitiated, modern jazz can sound like a secret language, full of unpredictable melodies and unexpected rhythms. For alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, however, the idea of jazz as code is more than just a metaphor.

Mahanthappa is best known for combining avant-garde jazz with Indian classical music. But for his latest release, Codebook, from Pi Recordings, the artist looked instead to cryptography and number theory for inspiration. (The album's title pays homage to The Code Book, a history of cryptography by the British science writer Simon Singh.)

From Crypto to Jazz

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