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John Berendt, author of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, visits modern-day Venice, where he finds a rich cast of characters and tries to unravel the mystery behind a 1996 fire that wiped out the city's last opera house.

On this day in 1935, Porgy and Bess, George Gershwin's opera about black life in the South Carolina town of Charleston at the turn of the century, made its Broadway debut. Karen Grigsby Bates offers an appreciation.

Musicians Harry Connick Jr. and Branford Marsalis, two New Orleans natives, have been friends for years — back to the days when Connick took piano lessons from Marsalis's father, Ellis.

Harley Spiller is an avid collector -- bottlecaps, straws and other odd things crowd his small New York City apartment. Now he's hoping to set a world record for the largest collection of Chinese food takeout menus.

In its videos and promotional art, Gorillaz is a band of cartoon characters. In real life, the music is the work of Damon Albarn, who is also part of the real-life British band Blur. Albarn has just released a second Gorillaz album, Demon Days. Tom Moon has a review.

Steven Spielberg takes a new crack at the classic H.G. Wells novel War of the Worlds. Tom Cruise, Tim Robbins and the talented child star Dakota Fanning lead the cast. The film emphasizes the power of evil and highlights the volatile nature of human fear.

Film critic David Edelstein reviews War of the Worlds, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise. Edelstein calls the movie "a masterpiece," combining momentous special effects with a subtle depiction of the human struggle.

Bright lights, big cities and neon... The signs that illuminate the landscape of many American cities were first seen in Los Angeles. Alex Cohen of member station KQED rides along on a tour that spotlights the neon landmarks of Los Angeles -- kicking off a Day to Day series featuring summer tours around America.

Professor and author James Shapiro talks about A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599. The book provides a look into the daily life of the playwright during a time of personal upheaval and prodigious creativity.

A Norwegian singer translates the sounds of her homeland... music critic Christian Bordal reviews Little Things, the latest CD from Norwegian singer Hanne Hukkelberg.