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The MacDowell Colony, 100 years old this month, is a haven where artists of all types — writers, composers, sculptors — can sweep away distractions and just create. Though solitude is the retreat's main draw, interdisciplinary feedback is central to its appeal.

Writer and Slate contributor Mark Jordan Legan looks at what the critics are saying about this week's major movie releases, including Kicking and Screaming, Unleashed and Monster-In-Law.

The Sundance Film Festival is under way in Park City, Utah. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan combs the movie lineup for the most promising offerings.

Which movies are worth your money, and which are just bad news? Slate contributor Mark Jordan Legan reviews what critics are saying about Bad News Bears, Hustle & Flow and The Island.

Adolescent superheroes, dog lovers and an intelligent airplane are vying for your movie dollar this weekend -- but are any of them worthy? Slate contributor Mark Jordan Legan looks at what film critics are saying about this week's movie releases, including Sky High, Must love Dogs and Stealth.

On her latest album, Comfort of Strangers, musician Beth Orton moves away from the electronica sound she is known for, relying instead on the simple sounds of her voice and guitar. Independent music critic Christian Bordal has a review.

One year the telecast was actually too short. Another time an actor climbed over rows of chairs between him and his Academy Award. Björk laid eggs on the red carpet. Oscar can go weirdly off script.

Cotton farming is inching north into the Midwest. Climate change combined with dwindling water resources and new infrastructure means states like Kansas are becoming cotton country.

Every day, juvenile dependency courts across the country are filled with parents who have neglected, abused, abandoned or mistreated their children. To protect these children, judges will often separate the child from the parent -- sometimes temporarily in foster care and sometimes permanently. In Florida, Judge Cindy Lederman has turned to science to help make these difficult custody decisions. NPR's Michelle Trudeau reports.

Opening for the first time in three years, the festival brings memories of 2006 when the annual celebration of music and culture went on after Hurricane Katrina.

Though winding at times, Sam Knight's book is thought-provoking and deeply researched, presenting the oddity of realized premonitions while allowing readers to come to their own conclusions.

One year after the raid on Rudy Giuliani's home and office, we look at his career from prosecutor, to mayor, to Donald Trump's lawyer, to target of an investigation by the office he used to lead.

Judge Robert Olson rejected an argument from defense lawyers that Clarence Dixon's psychological problems prevent him from rationally understanding why the state wants to end his life.

For millions of people, working from home has not meant working fewer hours. A recent episode of NPR's Life Kit focuses on how to get more rest.

More than 50 student groups across the country are performing Jonathan Larson's edgy rock opera Rent this school year. Like the Broadway show, Rent School Edition is centered on a group of friends in the 1990s dealing with AIDS, gender identity, homosexuality, drug addiction and poverty.

In 2001, Halle Berry won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Monster's Ball, directed by Marc Forster. The award made her the first African-American woman to win an Oscar in this category. Berry is both a biracial beauty in an integrated era and a performer who has demonstrated her ability across a range of characters.

The National Black Theatre Festival has existed in Winston-Salem, N.C., for almost two decades. It's a renowned showcase for young, black playwrights. But the recent death of the festival's founder has thrown this year's event into turmoil. Festival coordinator Garland Lee Thompson explains.

Slate contributor Mark Jordan Legan looks at what the critics are saying about this week's major movie releases, including Madagascar, The Longest Yard and The League of Ordinary Gentlemen.

Slate advertising critic Seth Stevenson looks at a beer campaign that defies convention. With no silly jokes, scantily clad women or bumbling beer hounds, the Miller Brewing Company's new ads feature nostalgic old photos and emotive music to take the high road.

Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan says Howl's Moving Castle, a new animated film from by Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, is fantastical but has heart. Miyazaki is best known to U.S. audiences for his wildly successful film Spirited Away.