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As a small South Asian kid with a big mouth, Russell Peters found himself the victim of race bullying. To coax his bullies from rage to laughter, he used self-deprecating comedy. Decades later, he is still poking fun at his own ethnic quirks to disarm audiences, and in the process, he is becoming one of the highest-earning comedians.

Through a striking art installation, actress Emma Thompson chronicles a naive 18-year-old from a small Eastern Europe republic who was caught up in London's sex trade. Her name is Elena, and her story makes its debut in New York on Nov. 10.

Best-selling author Dan Brown's latest novel, The Lost Symbol, draws on the lore and mystique of the Freemasons. Once the object of fear and suspicion, the group is now a social organization with spiritual leanings.

Critic-at-large John Powers discusses two new works — one a documentary, another a novel, that blur the lines between public and private lives.

A painting by the late pop artist Andy Warhol of 200 $1 bills, recently sold for $44 million. That's one of the highest prices ever paid for one of his paintings. Art writer Sarah Thornton has been exploring why works by Warhol maintain such high prices — his continued fame is one reason. She talks to Steve Inskeep about her article in The Economist.

Composer John Cage was Merce Cunningham's life partner and longtime collaborator. Cage, who died in 1992, was a pioneer of electronic music and compositions involving chance and randomness.

Writer Aravind Adiga won the prestigious Man Booker Prize for his novel The White Tiger. Now, he has a book of 14 short stories set between the assassinations of two Indian leaders — one in 1984 and the other in 1991. Alan Cheuse says that in Between the Assassinations, Adiga reveals great breadth and depth in the hearts of his characters.

Nearly 40 years ago, Charles Manson and his commune of followers embarked on a gruesome killing spree in California. Now, director John Waters argues for one of the murderers' release from prison.

Chicago has one of the largest concentrations of Ukrainians in the U.S. and many of them maintain strong ties to their home country — are bracing for the worst amid Russia-Ukraine conflict tensions.

The Sundance Film Festival is under way in Park City, Utah. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan combs the movie lineup for the most promising offerings.