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Fred Rogers often spoke of kindness, thoughtfulness -- and of course neighborliness -- on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, the children's show he hosted for over 30 years. NPR's Susan Stamberg interviews his widow, Joanne Rogers, about a new book of his sayings and advice. Read excerpts from The World According to Mister Rogers.

Woody Allen's recent movies have met with tepid reviews and disappointing box office receipts. NPR's Scott Simon and Weekend Edition entertainment critic Elvis Mitchell revisit some great moments from the Woody Allen canon and discuss whether the writer/director has lost his touch.

This year's winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature will be announced Thursday by the Swedish Academy. NPR's Special Correspondent Susan Stamberg talks with Michael Gorra, professor of English at Smith College. Gorra theorizes that Nobel Prizes for Literature are given in cycles to vary those of different genres, abilities and geographical areas.

British rock singer Rober Palmer died of a heart attack Friday in Paris. The musician, best known in the 1980s for songs and music videos like "Addicted To Love" and "I Didn't Mean To Turn You On," made an impression on independent producer Paul Ingles, years before Palmer made MTV.

Writer and editor George Plimpton dies in Manhattan. He was 76. Plimpton was best known for his self-deprecating "participatory" sports writing, in which he boxed with Archie Moore and played pre-season quarterback for the Detroit Lions. As editor of the The Paris Review, Plimpton helped promote some of the world's most important authors. Hear a remembrance from Paris Review co-founder Peter Mattiessen.

Filmmaker Ric Burns' new documentary is a history of the World Trade Center. The Center of the World airs Monday, Sept. 8, as part of the American Experience series on PBS. It's the final episode in Burns' New York: A Documentary Film. Burns speaks with NPR's Scott Simon.

Elia Kazan, director of the original Broadway productions of Death of a Salesman and A Streetcar Named Desire, dies at the age of 94. Kazan also won Oscars for his film-directing work, including On the Waterfront. But he was villified by many of his colleagues for 1952 congressional testimony that identified Hollywood figures as communist sympathizers.

Commentary by Alexandra du Bois, a student at Indiana University and the winner of the first "Composers Under 30" Competition. The Kronos Quartet will be playing the piece she wrote for them at some of their concerts this season.

From Outkast's politicized hip-hop to the first CD from singer-songwriter Edie Brickell in a decade, this fall brings a bevy of new music releases. NPR's Michele Norris reviews the fall lineup with Tom Moon of The Philadelphia Inquirer and Will Hermes of Spin magazine.

Director Kevin Smith's latest film, Jersey Girl, stars Ben Affleck as a single father raising a young daughter. It's a departure from Smith's past work. The biting, iconoclastic humor of films such as Clerks, Dogma and Chasing Amy had established Smith as a force outside Hollywood's mainstream. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan has a review.