From cult horror (Curse of the Cat People, 1944) to science fiction (The Day the Earth Stood Still, 1951 and The Andromeda Strain, 1971) to the classic American musical (West Side Story, 1961), director Robert Wise, who died September 14 at the age of 91, had a diverse and successful career. A college drop-out, Wise landed work in a movie studio where he held a series of odd jobs until finally becoming an editor, contributing his skills to what many consider the best American film of all time, Casablanca. But Wise is perhaps best known for the movie film critic Pauline Kael famously called the "sugar-coated lie that people seemed to like to eat", 1965's The Sound of Music.

Reviewers unanimously agree: Terry McMillan is back to form with The Interruption of Everything, a book filled with people you'll recognize, experiences you'll relate to and plenty of McMillan's wise humor. Desiree Taylor's dead-on narration makes this mid-life journey all the more memorable.

The Internet Movie Database is reporting that beautiful and talented Emma Watson has been tapped to play Kate De Vries in the movie version of Kenneth Oppel's book Airborn.

The Leaky Cauldron cautions fans that this may be premature, but all I'm thinking about now is whether Liam Aiken of Lemony Snicket fame is really the right guy to play Matt Cruse..

Lisa See’s latest novel Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a departure from her Edgar Award mystery series featuring an American FBI agent and a female Chinese investigator: Flower net, (a New York Times Notable Book of 1997); The Interior,(1999); and Dragon Bones, (2003).

In Snow Flower, See delved into the inner lives of two women in 19th century China who shared a secret written language called nu shu that existed for centuries in a remote part of Hunan province.

An Entertainment Weekly Editor's Choice.

Did you know you can teach your dog sign language or that you could have a secret conversation with your friends in sign? Aside from being able to communicate with deaf friends and family, these are a few good reasons to learn signing. A new book, Sign Language for Kids: A Fun and Easy Guide to American Sign Language by Lora Heller with excellent photographs and easy instructions, will have you signing in one day. Give it a try.

Today 9/12/05 on Fresh Air with Terry Gross.

Writer, professor and Fresh Air book critic Maureen Corrigan is one of those lucky people in life who has been able to combine her passion with her profession. She discusses her new memoir, Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading. What a great title. Funny! I can almost hear my wife saying these same words when I mistakenly ask her a question when she's holding a book.

Calling all Bonnie Raitt fans: Time to put a hold on her new CD, "Souls Alike," which is coming out this week. Soon it will be available at the library. Can't wait to hear songs including "I Will Not Be Broken," "God Was In the Water," and "The Bed I Made." I've been a Raitt fan since 1972, when her first album, "Give it Up" came out.

This Monday afternoon, while driving to work, I heard an interview on Terry Gross’ Show FRESH AIR with Sonny Rollins. Rollins, who turned 75 last week, lived a few blocks from the World Trade Center and was there when the September 11, 2001 attacks occurred. On the show he talks about his new album, Without a Song: The 9/11 Concert, the attacks and the death of his wife Lucille. The Play Ground is pleased to announce that the University Musical Society is featuring ”An Evening with Sonny Rollins” on Saturday October 1, 8pm at Hill Auditorium.

Publisher's Weekly calls Mike Tidwell's 2003 Bayou Farewell: The Rich Life and Tragic Death of Louisiana’s Cajun Coast a "lyrically intense travelogue". But it also sounds a clear warning: "...hundreds of Louisiana towns and cities, all just a few feet above sea level, lie increasingly prone to that deadly wrecking ball of hurricane force known as the storm surge. Coastal wetlands, it turns out, provide more than just a critical nursery for shrimp, crabs and fish. Every 2.7 miles of marsh grass absorbs a foot of a hurricane’s storm surge, that huge tide of water pushed inland by the storm’s winds.

All right, after seeing his frazzled hair, lined face and bow tie, many of you may think that I've officially cracked. But I stand by my declaration: No man in the entertainment industry even comes close to the animal magnetism projected by James Burke. If you clicked on that link you're probably giggling by now. "But Charity! He's just a goofy BBC Television host!", you say. And I say, "Bah!" The reality is that this man has a brain calculated to make ladies swoon for miles around.