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Brick Lane, a novel set in the world of Bengali immigrants in London, is nominated for a prize from the National Book Critics Circle, which holds its 30th annual awards ceremony Thursday. The book, by first-time novelist Monica Ali, caused a sensation when it was published in Britain last year. NPR's Renee Montagne speaks with Ali.

Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ has astonished Hollywood by recording blockbuster ticket sales. The Passion remains the nation's top film for a second straight weekend, taking in $53.2 million. In the 12 days since its release, the film has earned a total of $213.9 million. NPR's Kim Masters reports.

Filmmaker Pearl Gluck's documentary film, Divan, tells the story of an heirloom couch through oral histories that trace her family's history back to Hungary. The film also depicts Gluck's quest to find a place in the Hasidic Jewish culture she grew up in. Hear NPR's Melissa Block and Gluck.

Singer-actress Bernadette Peters toured in the musical Gypsy when she was 9 years old -- now she's starring in the Broadway revival of the same show. Peters talks to NPR's Scott Simon about her interpretation of Mama Rose and explains why the role has been a life-changing one for her.

Thousands of musicians, music industry insiders and fans descend on Austin, Texas, this week for the 18th annual South by Southwest festival. At a time when employee layoffs and declining sales plague the music industry, the festival continues to grow. NPR's Rick Karr reports.

Author Sarah Dunant's historical novel The Birth of Venus is set in 15th-century Florence. The book portrays a young woman's growing appreciation for art -- and for one artist in particular. Hear NPR's Liane Hansen and Dunant.

Walter Mosley tells NPR's Cheryl Corley about his latest novel, The Man in My Basement. The best-selling author examines race, freedom and power in a book that chronicles an unusual relationship between two men -- one black, one white.

Hero, China's biggest-ever box-office movie, opens in U.S. theaters Friday. The film, which stars Jet Li as a master swordsman, alternates gravity-defying swordplay with Chinese history. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan has a review.

We discuss the plans for rebuilding at ground zero in Lower Manhattan, and the debates surrounding those plans. Goldberger says idealism met cynicism at ground zero, and so far they have battled to a draw. His new book is Up from Zero: Politics, Architecture, and the Rebuilding of New York.

Independent producer Jon Kalish has this report on the New York City imagined by author Nicholas Rinaldi in his new novel Between Two Rivers. Rinaldi's story revolves around the residents of a fictitious condo building in lower Manhattan.