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Singer-songwriter Nellie McKay, 19, has been compared to both Doris Day and Eminem. Her debut CD, Get Away From Me, includes jazz, rap, blues, Latin, rock and more, reflecting her eclectic life — she was born in London and grew up in Harlem. Hear six songs from her performance in NPR's Studio 4A.

NPR's Michele Norris talks with Stephen Webber, Berklee College of Music professor and author of Turntable Technique: The Art of the DJ. Webber teaches students to use the turntable as a musical instrument in a class he says is the first of its kind at a college of music. Webber demonstrates DJ techniques -- scratching, juggling beats and crabbing -- using turntables and a mixer.

In Washington, D.C., a film depicting the struggles of Afghan women under Taliban rule has picked up some heavy endorsements -- from President Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell. The Golden Globe-winning Osama has become the can't-miss film among government workers in the nation's capital. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.

NPR's coverage of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 2003 Oscar awards: Film music critic Andy Trudeau talks about the Oscar-nominated film scores, and dissects how music can make a good film great.

Legendary actor Omar Sharif is returning to prominence after years of relative obscurity. The 72-year-old Egyptian actor has two new movies out, Monsieur Ibrahim and Hidalgo. He says he almost retired after years of being offered caricatured roles of Arabs. Hear NPR's Michele Norris and Sharif.

Think 1950s food and you might conjure up Jell-O salads with a riot of add-ons or soda pop put to unnatural uses. In her new book, Something from the Oven, Laura Shapiro deconstructs food from the '50s -- and the industry that foisted it on American households. Shapiro talks with NPR's Melissa Block.

The 1906 San Francisco earthquake was a horrific disaster -- and the full story was far worse than corrupt politicians of the time made known. Now author James Dalessandro uses fiction to set the record straight in his new novel 1906. He speaks with NPR's Cheryl Corley.

The "battle of the beers" between Budweiser and Miller is becoming an expensive and bruising campaign. The two brewing giants are facing off in a series of competing television commercials -- Slate advertising critic Seth Stevenson weighs in on the contest.

Singer Jane Olivor went from performing folk music in clubs in New York City in the early 1970s to becoming a major pop star, performing at Carnegie Hall. But with fame came misfortune, with the death of her husband and a long battle with stage fright that kept her from singing for several years. Olivor has returned to the stage and has released a new CD and DVD of a recent live performance. Jane Olivor talks to NPR's Liane Hansen about her return to singing and the Safe Return project.

Old electric fans are the passion of listener Willard Mayes and fellow members of the American Fan Collectors Association. Mayes called our Quest for Sound phone line to tell us about his love for the machines. Quest curator Jay Allison takes us to Andover, Kansas, to hear fans hum, and sometimes, whistle.