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Grammy-winner John Mayer's latest album, Heavier Things, finds the singer-songwriter pulling back from his driving guitar licks to focus more on melodies. Mayer speaks with NPR's Michele Norris about his new album and offers a preview of some of the songs.

Record producer Sam Phillips, who helped launch the careers of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison and Jerry Lee Lewis, dies of respiratory failure at age 80. Dubbed the inventor of rock 'n' roll, Phillips founded Sun Records in 1952 and was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. NPR's Bob Edwards has a remembrance.

The award-winning film, The Magdalene Sisters, examines a now-defunct practice of the Catholic Church in Ireland. More than 30,000 women and young girls considered "immoral" were sent to live in "Magdalene Asylums." Their sins, sometimes as benign as flirting, earned these women a life of hard labor and punishment. Los Angeles Times and Morning Edition film critic Kenneth Turan has a review.

Steve Winwood is one of rock 'n' roll music's most respected artists. He's mastered many instruments -- especially the distinctive vibe of the organ -- and his voice is considered one of the best examples of "white soul." He's back in the spotlight again with his new CD, About Time. Hear samples from the new CD, and follow his career through samples from some of his past hits.

The Mosquitos -- a group made up of New Yorkers and one Brazilian -- are making their mark with a combination of indie pop and bossa nova. NPR's Elizabeth Blair reports.

This summer, Warner Home Videos released four restored Charlie Chaplin classics on DVD -- The Gold Rush, Modern Times, The Great Dictator and Limelight. The biggest challenge restorers faced was in deciding which versions of Chaplin's films were authoritative. Howie Movshowitz of Colorado Public Radio reports.

Helen Dillon is a conjurer, mixing plants, colors and shapes in seemingly random combinations. NPR's Ketzel Levine recently visited Dillon's grand garden in Dublin and has a report for Morning Edition. See photos of the garden and read Dillon's insights.

The film Thirteen is based on the true story of Nikki Reed. In her search to be accepted in junior high, Reed hung out with a fast crowd, getting caught up in drugs and shoplifting. Hear NPR's Jacki Lyden, director Catherine Hardwicke and Reed, who also helped write the movie script.

For many Americans, the hula dance conjures images of grass skirts, coconuts and swinging hips. But a new documentary airing Tuesday on PBS looks beyond hula kitsch to explore its roots in ancient Hawaiian traditions. Hear Lisette Marie Flanary, co-producer of American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawaii.

Tijuana has been known for bullfights and beer, but the Mexican border city also has a growing opera community. Recitals and lectures are frequent, Tijuana natives are studying and performing in opera's European citadels, and the city now has its first opera company. Sam Quinones reports.