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Biographer Robert Coram calls John Boyd "one of the most important unknown men of our time."

Highlights from the 53rd National Book Awards: novelist Philip Roth wins a lifetime achievement award and historian Robert Caro is honored for Master of the Senate, latest in a biographical series on Lyndon Johnson. NPR's Rick Karr reports.

Country singer-songwriter Billy Joe Shaver has lived through some hard times, but nothing compares to the past three years. In that time, his mother, wife and son all died. Then Shaver suffered a massive heart attack. NPR's Bob Edwards interviews Shaver about his new CD and the therapeutic benefit of writing songs.

Nominations for the 75th Academy Awards are announced. Chicago receives 13 nominations, including nods for best picture, director and actress Renee Zellweger. Gangs of New York gets 10 nominations, including director Martin Scorsese, while The Hours receives nine, including lead actress Nicole Kidman and supporting actress Julianne Moore. Hear film reporter Pat Dowell.

Law enforcement agencies across the country take precautions for a possible terrorism attack. In Washington, D.C., residents are urged to store food and water. In San Francisco, California Highway Patrol officers step up security on the Golden Gate Bridge. Lisa Nurnberger of member station WAMU and NPR's John McChesney report.

A new book about Howard Lutnick, the CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, shows the personal and financial damage the Sept. 11 attacks caused the company. On Top of the World discusses how the brokerage firm survived after losing most of its employees in the terrorist attacks. NPR's Juan Williams reports.

The French film noir classic Quai des Orfevres makes a new tour of U.S. theaters half a century after its 1948 release, with a restored print. It features a lost Paris full of music halls, cigarette smoke and a criminal investigation. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan offers a review.

In space, one cannot hear sounds. But a new musical work -- commissioned by NASA -- is based on radio waves gathered from the far reaches of the solar system. For Morning Edition, Gayane Torosyan reports on Sun Rings, composed by Terry Riley and performed by the Kronos Quartet. The work includes sounds collected over 40 years by University of Iowa physicist Don Gurnett.

The popularity of Chicago could herald the return of the movie musical. The once-popular form never entirely disappeared, but fell victim to a more cynical period in film. Moulin Rouge helped the musical re-emerge. Hear from NPR's Scott Simon and critic Elvis Mitchell.

Curtis Mozie, 37, has videotaped events in Washington, D.C.'s Shaw neighborhood for two decades. He's captured a narrative of good times and bad. He hopes the tapes will help people realize the full impact of gang violence. NPR's Shannon Rhoades reports.