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An American Idol-style contest to choose the stars of Broadway's latest Grease revival wasn't exactly a ratings smash. But hefty advance ticket sales means that the NBC series may have been a success in a different way: as a marketing gimmick.

Actor and writer Ricky Gervais is best known as creator and star of the British TV comedy The Office, which was adapted into a U.S. hit starring Steve Carrell. Gervais also stars in Extras, which airs in the U.S. on HBO, and writes the Flanimals children's books.

Natasha Trethewey was recently awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her poetry collection Native Guard. Trethewey grew up bi-racial in Mississippi, and her mother was murdered by her stepfather; these, along with the South, are recurring themes in her poetry.

Fresh Air's critic-at-large reviews a new DVD set featuring two masterpieces by French filmmaker Chris Marker: 1962's La Jetee and 1984's Sans Soleil. The first is a science-fiction story set in a post-apocalyptic Paris; the narrator of the brilliantly perceptive Sans Soleiltells viewers about the letters she's received from a globe-trotting friend; her monologue is accompanied by footage from around the world.

For centuries, Venice maintained strong economic and social ties with the Islamic world. The city's art and architecture bear the mark of this vibrant exchange.

Artist Edward Hopper is best known for provocative, shadowy oil paintings of people in urban settings — diners, offices and bedrooms. But the work that put Hopper on the map is a watercolor of an elegant, light-drenched house in Gloucester, Mass.

Children are going to have to read fast to avoid finding out from others what happens in the long-awaited final book of the Harry Potter series. Young readers discuss strategies for keeping the ending secret.

Actor, comedian, composer and musician Michael McKean is best known for co-starring in the spoofs This is Spinal Tap, Best in Show and A Mighty Wind. He got his start playing Lenny in the 1970s sitcom Laverne and Shirley.

Sex talk, alcohol and the Jungian uberdork: The latest squirmy movie from Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen may just be the most provocative teen sex-comedy ever made.

Shakespeare's Hamlet is among his most well-known and oft-performed plays. Every director has his or her version of Hamlet - host Liane Hansen speaks with Michael Kahn, Artistic Director of the Shakespeare Theatre Company, and actor Jeffrey Carlson, who plays the title role, in this most recent adaptation of the Bard's work.