Miscellany
Ken Russell, Cinematic Provocateur
The Master of Cinematic Vulgarity: Ken Russell (1927-2011)
Called “the British Fellini,” Russell directed Tommy, Women in Love, Altered States, Lisztomania and other over-the-top classics
Don’t Tell Ann Patchett That Bookstores Are Dying
TIME loved the novel State of Wonder. We talk to its author about her new venture, Parnassus Books.
Prosthetic Chins and the Bible: Kenneth Branagh on Becoming Sir Laurence Olivier
The actor talks to TIME about what it was like to play the towering star in My Week With Marilyn
The 7 Most Mysterious Hollywood Deaths
In 1981, Natalie Wood’s mystery-shrouded death caused a media frenzy. In 2011, the tragedy made headlines again on November 17 as the Los Angeles sheriff’s department reopened her case. NewsFeed rounded up several more unresolved …
William Shatner’s Bizarre Thanksgiving Safety PSA
Thanksgiving is just one week away, which means that you’ll soon be forced to make that annual trip to the grocery store to purchase a turkey. But if you’re thinking about deep-frying your bird this year, William Shatner has some advice for you. And he has put it in the form of this very odd public service announcement, sponsored by …
Elvish, Klingon and Esperanto—Why Do We Love To Invent Languages?
Invented languages do more than cause lively debates among Star Trek fans. Esperanto, and other international tongues, are meant to repair the plague of Babel. J.R.R. Tolkien’s Elvish and its ilk help readers escape deep into …
R.E.M.’s Mike Mills on Saying Goodbye After Three Decades
This week, almost two months after their amicable break-up, R.E.M. will release a 40-song retrospective titled R.E.M., Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage, 1982-2011. Bassist Mike Mills spoke to TIME about why he …
Werner Herzog Does Not Conduct Interviews. He Has Conversations
By this point, German director Werner Herzog is a pro at jumping back and forth between fact and fiction. In the 1970s and 80s, he made some truly great and mysterious movies — Aguirre: The Wrath of God, The Enigma of Kaspar …
Mark Whitaker Takes A Long Trip Home
In his new memoir, a CNN editor turns his reporting skills on his own family.
Andy Rooney Dies at 92
Longtime CBS journalist and 60 Minutes essayist Andy Rooney died Friday night at age 92 of complications from minor surgery, CBS News announced Saturday morning. Just last month, Rooney announced, in the commentary above, that he …
Michael Rapaport on His Tribe Called Quest Documentary
The actor moved behind the camera to film Beats, Rhymes and Life, a documentary that charts the career of rap group A Tribe Called Quest