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Duncan Sheik burst onto the music scene in 1997 with his hit single "Barely Breathing," and garnered rave reviews for his own brand of folk-tinged pop music. For his fourth record, Daylight, New York-based Sheik — singer, songwriter, composer, producer and guitarist — dares to rock out a little more than usual. He talks to NPR's Jacki Lyden.

A play based on George Orwell's anti-Stalinist novel Animal Farm is on stage in China, where it takes on anti-Maoist overtones. But much of the audience seems more impressed with the robust production than the politics of the work. NPR's Rob Gifford reports.

Ten is an arbitrary number, so NPR's entertainment critic Bob Mondello offers his top 24 movies of 2002. Mondello says 2002 was a record year for box office sales and a better year than 2001 for movie quality. His list ranges from blockbuster adventure to documentary.

The recording industry's trade association says 2002 amounts to a terrible year for the major labels. According to preliminary estimates, the number of records sold this year may have fallen by 10 percent. That follows a 10-percent decline in 2001 and a seven-percent drop the year before. NPR's Rick Karr reports.

Choreographer Martha Clarke's dance theater piece Vienna Lusthaus debuted 15 years ago, and recently made a brief return. It's a dreamlike work that draws on Vienna's violent history. NPR's Steve Inskeep talks with Clarke about the impact of the performance.

In New York City, Broadway's 18 musicals shut down as a strike between producers and musicians continues. The dispute -- centered on what the minimum size of musical orchestras should be -- is blamed for about $5 million in lost ticket revenue over the weekend. Jeff Lunden reports.

Malcolm X's diaries, photos, letters and other items -- saved from the auction block last year -- have found a new home at the New York Public Library. The papers of the late civil rights and religious leader "help reconnect the icon with the human being," says Howard Dodson, director of the library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Hear an extended version of his interview with NPR's Bob Edwards and see photos of some of the items.

Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg first made a name for himself with horror movies. His remake of The Fly is considered a classic of the genre. But his more recent films take him into more disturbing territory. NPR's Bob Mondello says that's especially true of Spider, starring Ralph Fiennes, which opens today in New York.

Established five years ago in Michigan, the Sphinx Competition encourages young Hispanic and African-American string musicians to get involved in the classical music world. Founder and president Aaron Dworkin says American orchestras lack diversity. Celeste Headlee of member station WDET reports.

A sewing circle made up of refugee women from around the world has been meeting regularly in Portland, Ore., for 3 years. The women gather to share techniques, stories, and support each other as they adjust to life in the U.S. At the latest meeting, in the backroom of a public library, a few of them discussed their feelings about the war in Iraq with NPR's Ketzel Levine.