Blogs

Juggling life and work as an artist feels like trying to juggle a live, squirming human child and Schrödinger’s theoretical cat.

The new movie The Brutalist is earning a lot of Oscar buzz. Adrien Brody plays a fictional Hungarian architect who settles in America after his family is torn apart during World War II. It’s a three-and-a-half-hour epic with much to say about assimilation, wealth, and the creative process.

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On this week’s “My Unsung Hero” from Hidden Brain: A little more than 20 years ago, Virginia Squire and her then 8-year-old daughter were traveling in England. Then something unexpected happened.

The rapper Snoop Dogg has been taking criticism for performing at one of President Trump’s pre-inauguration events over the weekend.

(Image credit: Amy Sussman)

Monday marks both the observance of Martin Luther King Jr. day and the inauguration of Donald Trump as our 47th President. We reflect on this with scholars Tressie McMillan Cottom and Eddie Glaude.

After Virginia Squier’s young daughter accidentally boarded a train without her, a stranger stepped in to help.

(Image credit: Virginia Squier)

Once, they were everywhere—in laugh tracks for “The Big Bang Theory,” in breathless think pieces about social-media narcissism. Then—poof! Gone like yesterday’s avocado toast.

Victor Willis of the Village People says their music is for everyone, defending the group’s choice to perform at Trump’s inaugural celebrations as a message of inclusivity.

(Image credit: Andrew Chin)

“New Year, New Me” Episode 3: beef tallow & natural skincare

According to Pew Research Center, 79% of New Year’s resolutions are about one thing: health. It’s Been a Minute is kicking off 2025 with a little series called “new year, new me.” We’re getting into some of the big questions and cultural confusion around our health and wellness.

For our final installment, we’re getting into a new skincare trend: using beef tallow as a moisturizer. That’s right – beef fat rendered from suet is one of the trends du jour. Brittany Luse sits down with Marie Claire senior beauty editor Samantha Holender and beauty journalist Jennifer Sullivan to understand why the beef tallow trend has taken off, what it says about what we value in our skin care, and whether we should be using beef tallow at all.

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NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe plays the puzzle with Weekend Edition puzzle master Will Shortz and Susie Woodward of Sherwood, Ore.