Kofi Annan, a World Peacemaker

Kofi Annan, the former Secretary General of the United Nations, died in August 2018, he was called "the Epitome of Human Decency and Grace" "a Guiding Force for Good", "a Giant".  In 2012, he spoke to Matthew Bannister for the programme Outlook, of the BBC World Service, and he revealed the trouble he got into at school for challenging authority; he explained how he got organised when he was a single-parent, and he recalled how once he was mistaken for the actor Morgan Freeman. This interview lasts 22:51, Kofi Anna speaks a very clear English, but there is no script.

Two Feminists Have a Conversation

American broadcaster Terry Gross interviews British singer-songwriter Tracey Thorn, who has released the album "Record", which has been acclaimed by critics.  In a woman-to-woman conversation, these two feminists talk about the inspiration for her new songs, about a young woman's terror of getting pregnant, and her urgency to have children later in life; about Tracey's long-lasting relationship with Benn Watt, her music partner and life partner, about how feminism has changed over the years, and many more things.  The interview lasts 42:30, and there is a script for support.

You can watch some of her songs on YouTube:

Sisters, a song that was inspired by the feminist rally in March 2018 in London,  it says "I am a mother, I am a sister and I fight like a girl".

In Queen, she wonders "Am I queen? Do I ever find love? Or I'm still waiting".

In Air, she talks about growing up as a girl and she sings: Oh, oh, oh, I need some air/I need air/And I like the boys, the boys, the boys, the boys/I love the boys/But they like, the girly, girly, girly, girly, girls/And look straight through me/Like plate glass, like fresh air/Like I wasn't even there/I need air/I need some air/I need air.

In Guitar, she says: I wanted you, I watched you from afar/ And I thought you cool, because you played guitar/ But you were cool, maybe still are/ Thank God I could sing and I had my guitar/ Oh, I had my guitar. 

Emily Blunt, the New Mary Poppins

You can listen to and read here an NPR interview to Emily Blunt, the British actress who plays the title role in the new version of the classic Mary Poppins. She talks about her fear of heights, her ability to imitate different accents, and how she overcame a stutter when she was young, among other things. The interview lasts 44:26, but you have a script for support.

Roma, a film by Alfonso Cuaron

Here you can read an article and listen to an NPR radio report (with a script) about the Mexican movie Roma, by Alfonso Cuaron which has been recently released in Netflix.  A film that talks about Libo, the nanny and housekeeper in Cuaron's home when he grew up in Mexico City.

Aretha Franklin: An Interview, her Biography and Some Hits

Aretha Franklin passed away in August 2018. She was an extraordinary singer, songwriter and a civil rights activist, she was known as "The Queen of Soul" (Wikipedia). Some of her hits include "Respect", which became one of the hymns of the Civic Rights Movement, "(You make me feel like) A Natural Woman", which made so many people emotional, including President Obama in 2015, "I Say a Little Prayer" a declaration of eternal love, "Think", a black woman's liberation song, or her impromptu performace of "Nessum dorma" at the Amy Awards ceremony, which is reported here on ABC News.

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She gave rare interviews, but in 1999 she talked to Terry Gross for Fresh Air on NPR, about her upbringing and her background in gospel, and her gradual exposure to jazz and pop music.  She also talked about her professional career in Columbia and Atlantic records, the recording of some of her major hits, like "Respect", her relationship with Dr. Martin Luther King, and her work with opera arias.  On the webpage you can find a written summary of the interview, but you can also listen to the full interview (47:55), and read the transcipt for support.

Best Movies of 2018

Which were the best movies of 2018? Here your can find 3 different lists, from The New York Times,  The Guradian and Esquire Magazine.  You can choose which list to read, or you can compare lists, and you can finally make your own personal list of the best movies of 2018. Have you seen any of them? What's your opinion?

The New York Times Best Movies 2018: Roma, Burning, Shoplifters, Zama, Happy as Lazzaro, BlackKklansman, First Reformed, The Death of Stalin, Monrovia, Indiana and Colophone (for the Arboretum Cycle).

The Top UK movies of 2018, according to The Guardian are: Roma, Phantom Thread, Leave No Trace, Loveless, Private Life, Black Panther, Cold War, Widows, Coco and Hereditary.

Finally at the top of the list of the 2018 films, according to the Esquire, you can find: Mandy, Annihilation, Love After Low, The Rider, Cold War, You Were Never Really Hear, First Reformed, Zama, Eighth Grade and Thunder Road.

Best Songs of 2018 by NPR

Here you can find a compilation of the best songs of 2018 according to the staff of NPR.  Household names like Kanye West, Ariana Grande, Lana del Rey, David Byrne, Sade or Mariah Carey, together with less well-know artists like Jorja Smith, Peggy Gou, Tonina or Haley Heynderickxx make up this select list. Hip-hop, Latin, jazz, pop, singer-songwriters, a wide range of styles for people of great taste, like you.

Best Books of 2018 by the the New York Times

In the New York Times list of the best 10 books of 2018 you can find a roman à clef, whose prose is clean and lean, a novel about the AIDS epidemic and its repercussions over decades, a domestic thriller about the relationships between a mother and a nanny, a picaresque journey in search of identity, an insight into private prisons, a memoir of a Mormon girl who didn't go to school until she went to college and earned a PhD, the biography of Douglass, Abraham Lincoln's conscience, an essay about the history and science of Psychedelic drug experience, a memoir of Steve Job's daughter, and a tale about slavery, exploration and discovery.

Top Dog Names 2018

What are the most popular dog names of the year in the USA? Listen to this short news report (1:02) from NPR and find out. Is your dog's name in the list?

Art is Everywhere, 2018 by Mary Anne Hobbs, BBC Radio 6

This music radio show participates in the project "Art Is Everywhere" where listeners can send in their works of art, which are exhibited at a digital Gallery on the show's website.  Look at the pictures! Sure you can find one that you really love, and you can listen to the music and interviews on the radio programme at the same time.  The radio programme used to be broadcast on Saturdays and Sundays from 8:00 to 10:00 CET, but in 2019, Mary Anne Hobbs has a daily programme Monday to Friday on BBC radio 6 from 11:30 to 14:00 CET.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4FVJ1DZNKr41XsfcMmM5K8n/art-is-everywhere-2018