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Research shows that sleep deprivation makes people emotionally volatile and temperamental — a fact that hasn't escaped the notice of some reality TV producers, who deny contestants sleep in an effort to kick up televised drama.

Hard-boiled is the phrase most often used to describe Raymond Chandler's quintessential private eye, Philip Marlowe. The truth is: It isn't Marlowe who is hard-boiled, it's the world he lives in. For "In Character," our series exploring famous American fictional characters, NPR's Mike Shuster examines the PI who was created in the 1930s and has gone through several incarnations in radio, film and television.

How can something look so bright, and move so fast, and still be so dull? Oh, right: The creators of The Matrix are involved.

There are no velvet ropes at the Velveteria in Portland, Ore., where visitors can rub velvet — or velveteen — art, including portraits of Jesus, Elvis, Liberace and Michael Jackson.

The sculpture of Martin Luther King Jr. intended for a memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is too "confrontational," according to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. The commission's approval is necessary for any monument or memorial in the capital. The commission says the sculpture needs to be reworked.

A British boys-school hellion and his shy, sheltered patsy make a homegrown sequel to Rambo: First Blood. Garth Jennings' film is cheerfully ramshackle, childishly overstated, and pretty darn appealing.

Israeli writer Etgar Keret has a new short-story collection out (The Girl on the Fridge) as well as a film collaboration with his wife. The film, Jellyfish, won the Camera D'Or prize at Cannes in 2007. Keret talks about writing and moviemaking.

The family of Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz — all 11 of them — lived on a 24-foot camper, traveling the continent in search of good surfing. Their story is the subject of Surfwise, a documentary directed by Doug Pray and produced by Jonathan Paskowitz.

Brilliant arms-merchant playboy dons advanced battle armor to save the world from evil plot. Latest Marvel Comics adaptation wants to be this summer's first blockbuster, but it's too overloaded for takeoff.

In the Japanese anime series Death Note, high school student Light Yagami is in possession of a super-powered notebook that allows him to kill anyone, simply by writing down the victim's name. Critic-at-large John Powers offers a commentary.