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In 1959, theater-goers who attended A Raisin in the Sun saw a serious drama about a black family written by a black woman. They had never seen anything like it, Cheryl Corley reports for Morning Edition. Her story is part of NPR's Present at the Creation series.

Photographer Todd Hido specializes in creating evocative, moody images of lonely suburban homes. He has a new book, House Hunting, and recently he took commentator Louise Rafkin along on an outing to the suburbs. All Things Considered has the story. (4:15) House Hunting, is published by Nazraeli Press, 2001.

A new play tells the story of "Blind Tom" Wiggins, the slave whose ability to play any piece of music after hearing it only once amazed audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. Susanna Capelouto reports for Morning Edition.

Music is a crucial element of contemporary filmmaking -- who can forget, for example, the ominous theme to Jaws or the soaring melodies of Titanic? Movie music critic Andy Trudeau and Weekend Edition Sunday host Lynn Neary discuss the scores for two more Oscar-nominated films, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.

Actor Guy Pearce is currently starring in the films The Time Machine and The Count of Monte Cristo. His other movies include Memento, L.A. Confidential, Rules of Engagement, and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. His first big acting break came in the 1980s, when he starred in an Australian syndicated TV series called Neighbours.

On Sept. 11, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police force lost 37 officers at Ground Zero -- more than any police force in a single incident in U.S. history. Six months later, NPR's Chris Arnold reports for All Things Considered that some officers are still struggling -- both at home and on the job -- to put their lives back together.

Filmmaker Jamsheed Akrami is a scholar of Iranian film. His two documentaries are Dreams Betrayed and Friendly Persuasion: Iranian Cinema After the Revolution. Together, they explore Iranian filmmaking before and after the 1979 revolution. In Iranian films, male and female characters are not allowed to touch, ever, and women must be veiled at all times. Despite these and other limitations, Iranian cinema has garnered international critical acclaim. Akrimi is an associate professor at William Paterson University.

Fuel cell technology isn't new, but the notion of automobiles running on hydrogen powered fuel cells has always been more wishful thinking than reality. Now, several of the major car companies are spending serious money to develop fuel cell vehicles. NPR's John Ydstie reports in Part Four of All Things Considered's oil series.

John McWhorter's newest book is called The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language. He has written on Ebonics, language and African Americans, and the origins of the Creole Language. His other books include Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America and Word on the Street: Debunking the Myth of 'Pure' Standard English. McWhorter is a professor at the University of California at Berkeley.

The Bush administration announced a new, $345-trillion proposal to extend universal health care to pets — causing the fur to fly on Capitol Hill as fiscal conservatives, animal rights groups and pro-human advocates joined the heated debate. NPR's Julie Rovner reports for All Things Considered.