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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Some see restorative justice as a way forward. But it takes courage to hold yourself accountable, and the men called out by the #MeToo movement might not be there yet. -
Lionel Richie, Gloria Estefan, hip-hop pioneer LL Cool J, Norman Lear and dancer Carmen De Lavallade are this year's Kennedy Center Honorees. Not present, the president and first lady.
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Russell Simmons, co-founder of Def Jam records, steps aside from leadership positions in his companies because of allegations of a sexual attack. Host David Greene speaks with NPR's Elizabeth Blair.
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The culture of comedy is one in which women have had little recourse to address sexual misconduct. The now-public allegations facing Louis C.K. suggest this may be changing.
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Country music star Jason Aldean was on stage when the Las Vegas shooting occurred. He headlined the last night of the three-day Route 91 Harvest Festival, one of country music's biggest events.
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Along with Bob Newhart and Lenny Bruce, Shelley Berman helped change the tone and tenor of American humor. -
Two giants of comedy died this weekend. Dick Gregory and Jerry Lewis had very different styles, but both were hugely influential. There are many comedians who drew equal parts inspiration from them.
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Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812 received rave reviews and 12 Tony nominations, the makings of a Broadway hit. Now, it's closing, in part because of a controversy over casting and race. -
In the Planet of the Apes trilogy, Caesar is the noble, compassionate leader of the Apes. In the third and final movie, he must lead the apes to find a home safe from the humans who want to kill them. But Caesar also grapples with intense feelings of revenge. For actor Andy Serkis and director Matt Reeves, this simian creature embodies what it means to be a flawed but fearless human being.
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The Chinese artist created Trace while under house arrest, and he wasn't allowed to travel to their San Francisco debut. Now, he has his passport back, and was finally able to see it on display.
