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The Return of the King, the final installment in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, wins all 11 Oscars for which it was nominated, including best picture and best director. Best acting honors go to Charlize Theron for her transformation into a serial killer in Monster, and Sean Penn for his performance as the troubled father of a murdered child in Mystic River. Hear NPR's Renee Montagne.

T.C. Boyle is the author of 15 books, including Drop City, nominated for a National Book Award last year. Boyle's fiction is known for its wit, biting satire, historical sweep and verbal pyrotechnics. For Intersections, a Morning Edition series on artists and their influences, Boyle says his literary reputation owes much to rock 'n' roll.

What began as a modest effort to ease racial tension in rural Kentucky coal country produced an unexpected musical result: Hick-hop is a compelling mix of uniquely American musical genres: bluegrass and rap. NPR's Howard Berkes reports.

Edward R. Murrow brought rooftop reports of the Blitz of London into America's living rooms before this country entered World War II. After the war, Murrow and his team of reporters brought news to the new medium of television. NPR's Bob Edwards discusses his new book on the broadcasting legend. Hear NPR's Renee Montagne's extended interview with Edwards, and read an excerpt from Edward R. Murrow and the Birth of Broadcast Journalism.

Paul Winfield, the third African American nominated for a best actor Oscar, died Sunday of a heart attack. He was 62. Winfield earned his Academy Award nomination for his turn in the 1972 film Sounder. In 1995, he won an Emmy for his portrayal of a federal judge in the TV show Picket Fences. NPR's Bob Edwards has a remembrance.

Bruce Edwards, the longtime caddie of former Masters champion Tom Watson, died Thursday following a year-long battle against Lou Gehrig's disease. He was 49. Edwards helped make caddies an indispensable part of professional golf. His life is chronicled in the new book Caddy for Life. NPR's Bob Edwards speaks with author John Feinstein.

Actor and writer Spalding Gray is confirmed to be dead, two months after he was first reported missing. His body was pulled out of New York's East River Sunday. Gray, best known for Swimming to Cambodia, was 62. NPR's Neda Ulaby recounts Gray's career.

Day to Day television critic Andrew Wallenstein shares his thoughts on network TV's latest scandal: the alleged theft of ideas for new reality shows.

Day to Day television critic Andrew Wallenstein reviews The 4400, a new science-fiction series airing on the USA Network. The premise of the series is that a large group of missing persons -- possibly victims of alien abduction -- suddenly return to Earth all at once.

The new documentary The Corporation, which won an audience award at the Sundance Film Festival, takes a humorous approach to questioning the power multinational firms wield across the globe. The film analyzes corporations as if they were persons, and concludes most act like psychopaths. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan has a review.