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In his latest book, Gore Vidal takes readers behind the scenes as America's founding fathers fought and worked to create a new country. In an interview with NPR's Bob Edwards, Vidal discusses Inventing a Nation, the historical writer's work about George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. Hear the extended interview and read an excerpt from the book.

Over the past five years, Indonesia has weathered terrorism, political upheaval and economic crisis. At the same time, the world’s largest Muslim nation has gone through a kind of artistic Renaissance. NPR's Rick Karr reports on the dynamic art scene in the island nation. View a photo gallery of Indonesian art.

Facing mounting protests and a threatened advertiser boycott, CBS won't broadcast the mini-series The Reagans, based on the lives of Ronald and Nancy Reagan during Ronald Reagan's presidency. The video biography has drawn fire from both Republicans and Democrats over its authenticity. Kim Masters reports.

Actor Russell Crowe is in command of the screen and the sea this weekend. Crowe stars in the new Peter Weir film Master and Commander. The movie is based on the novels of Patrick O'Brian. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan offers a review.

Hollywood studio executives chafe under new rules for the Academy Awards that bar them from sending free copies of their movies to other awards organizations. Opponents say the rules, combined with a shortened voting season, will prevent smaller-budget films from receiving recognition. NPR's Kim Masters reports.

From taboos against tomatoes to blessings from bread, the history of food is filled with associations between meals and morality. Author Stewart Lee Allen chronicles sinful treats of the past in his new book, In the Devil's Garden. NPR's Susan Stamberg talks with Allen in the conclusion to her series on food.

Documentaries are bigger than ever at this year's Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, and many are finding mainstream distributors. Two of the best are about food: I Like Killing Flies -- about the battles of an eccentric chef at a small restaurant -- and Super Size Me, the tale of a man who ate nothing but fast food for a month. Hear NPR's Scott Simon and New York Times critic Elvis Mitchell.

Cowboy poets, writers, musicians descended on the small town of Elko, Nev., for the 20th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Who better to report on the sights and sounds of it all than Morning Edition's own resident cowboy poet, Baxter Black. Hear several poems and songs from the gathering.

To better understand the role of the heartbroken lover in the Schubert song cycle "Winter's Journey," American tenor David Pisaro is hiking 200 miles in two weeks along the blustery English coast. He performs at stops along the way. Hear Pisaro and NPR's Scott Simon.

The West Ham United player has been fined for his actions and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has launched an investigation into the matter.