Elizabeth Blair
Elizabeth Blair is a Peabody Award-winning senior producer/reporter on the Arts Desk of NPR News.
Blair produces, edits, and reports arts and cultural segments for NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Weekend Edition. In this position, she has reported on a range of topics from arts funding to the MeToo movement. She has profiled renowned artists such as Yayoi Kusama and Mikhail Baryshnikov, explored how old women are represented in fairy tales, and reported the origins of the children's classic Curious George. Among her all-time favorite interviews are actors Octavia Spencer and Andy Serkis, comedians Bill Burr and Hari Kondabolu, the rapper K'Naan, and Cookie Monster (in character).
Blair has overseen several, large-scale series including The NPR 100, which explored landmark musical works of the 20th Century, and In Character, which probed the origins of iconic American fictional characters. Along with her colleagues on the Arts Desk and at NPR Music, Blair curated American Anthem, a major series exploring the origins of songs that uplift, rouse, and unite people around a common theme.
Blair's work has received several honors, including two Peabody Awards and a Gracie. She previously lived in Paris, France, where she co-produced Le Jazz Club From Paris with Dee Dee Bridgewater, and the monthly magazine Postcard From Paris.
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The three 1980s staples are new National Toy Hall of Fame inductees. Hess Toy Trucks, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the trampoline, and balloons were among the finalists. -
The National Ballet of Ukraine's dancers aim to show that their culture lives on, despite Russian attacks on their country. Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S. calls the company a "symbol of resiliency." -
Amy Sherald, Jeff Koons, Shepard Fairey and Rashid Johnson are among the visual artists who have donated works for an auction that will raise money for the Harris Victory Fund. -
This year, filmmaker Sterlin Harjo, poet Jericho Brown and disability rights activist Alice Wong are among the recipients of the so-called "genius grants." Each fellow receives $800,000. -
DePrince, born in Sierra Leone, lost both her parents during the country’s civil war. She became the youngest principal dancer at the Dance Theatre of Harlem and later joined the Boston Ballet. -
While Jools Lebron was captivating millions of people with her "very demure, very mindful" TikTok videos, at least two people submitted applications to trademark her catchphrases.
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Acts range from family-friendly slapstick to edgy standup at the four-day comedy event held in Jamestown, N.Y., home of the I Love Lucy star. -
Actor and comedian Erica Ash has died at age 46. She was best known for MADtv, the sitcom Survivor's Remorse and The Big Gay Sketch Show. -
The new Netflix documentary Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution features interviews with dozens of gay and trans comics, archival footage and lots of jokes. -
Pixar's Inside Out was praised for helping kids understand how emotions affect their actions. Adults learned a few things too. The sequel's new characters include Anxiety, Embarrassment and Ennui.
