Everybody’s Talkin’
How a disruptive new technology—sound—brought an end to the silent era and gave rise to the studio system. An exclusive excerpt from Hollywood: The Oral History
Messing with Perfection
In the latest affront to musical history, Cat Power is covering Bob Dylan’s 1966 concert at the Royal Albert Hall
Bono Still Hasn’t Found What He’s Looking For
The U2 front man’s new memoir is romantic, sincere, and self-effacing. More than an inventory of rock ’n’ roll high jinks, it reveals how deep the trauma of losing his mother at just 14 sits, even today
Second-Lead Syndrome
Dancing man Tommy Rall steals the screen in MGM’s Kiss Me, Kate
The Wilder West
Post–Civil War, while most white settlers were eager to push American Indians off their land, General William Sherman advocated for the tribes
Half Myth, Half Man
The author of a new biography of Bo Jackson, an elusive star of both the N.F.L. and M.L.B., didn’t obtain his subject’s participation, but he got the next best thing: 720 original interviews
Murder, They Wrote
This month, mystery books that take place in luxury getaways are perfect settings for murders. Plus: the latest from Michael Connelly, and fresh Scandi noir
Ahoy for a Shipwreck
In Houston, Louisa Muller directs a long-neglected operatic masterpiece
Forces of Nature
The renowned photographer Karsh shot some of the 20th century’s most remarkable women
Handy Halloween Hacks
With a few minor tweaks, you can recycle an old costume into something more timely
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Based on the best-selling book of the same name, and with unprecedented access to secret military archives, a new BBC drama tells how a group of maverick officers formed the S.A.S. in the darkest days of World War II
Will Prince Harry Spare King Charles?
On this week’s podcast, Stuart Heritage reveals why the royals dread Harry’s forthcoming book; and more
Danse Macabre
A wicked Rigoletto on the floating stage of Bregenz, Austria
Keeping Score
Inside the fierce competition, and subtle similarities, between soccer’s greatest rivals: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
One for the Booker
An interview with Shehan Karunatilaka, the Sri Lankan writer who won the Booker Prize for his novel The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida last week
Staff Picks
Don’t miss the story of NASA’s Space Shuttle Program, one woman’s chronicle of world violence, and a glimpse inside Barack Obama’s White House
