The essence of what a movie is -- whether a big, dumb, incoherent car wreck or a taut, visceral work of art -- can be traced to its founding document: the screenplay.
The complex relationship between Bach's and Mendelssohn's works during the Third Reich is the focus of an exhibit called "Blood and Spirit," which runs through Nov. 8 at the Johann Sebastian Bach Museum in Eisenach, the German town where the composer was born.
Since the June 12 reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that has sparked charges of a rigged vote and deadly protests, basic freedoms have again come under a global spotlight, including the freedom -- or lack of it -- to publish a cartoon or column that criticizes the nation's religious leaders.
For Jim Cieslak and Ellen Tauscher, dating -- all over again -- wasn't a high priority. Then, they became good friends and eventually, husband and wife.
At the time of Michael Jackson's death last month, it was well-known that the pop star was preparing for a 50-show concert series at London's O2 Arena starting in July. What was less well-known was the kind of recordings Jackson had done for the past few years.
Tom Cavanagh, the lanky "Ed" actor, gets terrific inside access to museum halls and artifacts in the second season of "Stories From the Vaults" on the Smithsonian Channel.
As the third installment in Lisa See's women's-Chinese-historical sub-genre, "Shanghai Girls" moves away from the more picturesque past and into the 20th century.
