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Tanu Vasu’s Sketchbook

His Last Bow

Much to his annoyance, Basil Rathbone became inseparable from his on-screen Sherlock Holmes. Now he’s back, reimagined as the debonair protagonist of a new novel

Valhalla Karaoke

Das Rheingold according to Romeo Castellucci

Story Time

Yesterday Once More

Forty years after Karen Carpenter’s death, a biography of the 1970s superstar explores the singer’s grit and tenacity

When Life Gives You Lemons …

Produced by Pauline Chalamet and directed by Rachel Walden, the short film Lemon Tree is inspired by a true story from Walden’s grandfather’s childhood

Striking It Rich

Sports agent to the stars Rich Paul attributes his success—his friendship with LeBron James, his relationship with Adele—to luck. Turns out it’s anything but

Moment of Truth

Do historical films and TV programs need to be accurate?

Absolutely Normal Chaos

Is Ridley Scott the bluntest man in the movie business? On the press tour for Napoleon, the director swears, shouts, and says whatever comes to mind

If These Walls Could Talk …

On this week’s podcast, Christopher Mason explains why a confidante to New York’s elite hid her true identity

In Lichtenstein’s Shadow

In honor of the Pop artist’s 100th birthday, the Parrish Art Museum is restoring a pair of his kinetic sculptures

Paul Henkel

Raised in the art world, the young curator is spotlighting new talent at his Manhattan art gallery

The Kingmaker

Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis sealed Colonel Tom Parker’s reputation as greedy and conniving. In truth, Presley’s manager was the opposite—someone who would do anything for his client and friend

Where Christianity and Nationalism Collide

Sight Unseen

Alice Mason was a celebrated hostess and New York’s real-estate agent to the elite, but while she was showing lavish apartments to clients like Marilyn Monroe, she was hiding a family secret

Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s Sketchbook

Doomsday Goals

A pessimist prepares for a job interview

Barry Blitt’s Sketchbook

The Dramatist as Analyst

Silent Night, Holy Night

The John Adams Nativity oratorio El Niño, distilled

The Comeback King

How a housewife from Edinburgh solved one of the great mysteries of English history—and cleared King Richard III’s name

What Machines Want

Asher Liftin

The 24-year-old art-world darling, whose fans include David Geffen, stages his first solo show in New York City

Acronyms for Adults Only

How to keep up with the texting shorthand your elders use to confound you