Top Picks: David Byrne's 'The Best Live Show of All Time,' the Art Institute of Chicago's online collection, and more
Cheerful show
A year ago, David Byrne launched the website Reasons to be Cheerful, where the singer-songwriter posts good news stories about progress across the world. Byrne鈥檚 new concert EP, The Best Live Show of All Time, exudes its own cheer. 鈥淓very day is a miracle,鈥� he sings, voice bopping to a Latin beat. On the Talking Heads song 鈥淚 Zimbra,鈥� two guitars crochet interlocking loops of an Afro-funk riff as Byrne chants the chipper chorus. The communal vibe of 鈥淓verybody鈥檚 Coming to My House鈥� invites listeners to join Byrne鈥檚 celebration of life.
Art online
You can see more than 50,000 high-resolution images of various pieces of art on the Art Institute of Chicago鈥檚 site. Works currently available to view include 鈥淎 Sunday on La Grande Jatte鈥� by Georges Seurat, 鈥淭he Great Wave鈥� by Katsushika Hokusai, and Vincent van Gogh鈥檚 鈥淪elf-Portrait.鈥� More works are being added. See .
Significant style
What can the garments that Americans were wearing at a certain period in history tell us about what was going on in the country? A new CNN series, , looks at clothing through the decades. The series debuts Jan. 13 at 9 p.m. 聽
Generational conflict
Maria Mozhdah stars in the movie as Nisha, a teenager who is forcibly brought to live with her father鈥檚 family in Pakistan. Monitor film critic Peter Rainer calls the film 鈥渆xtraordinary,鈥� writing, 鈥淭he movie is as much about generational conflicts as it is about religio-cultural divisions.鈥� 鈥淲hat Will People Say鈥� is available on DVD and Blu-ray. This movie is not rated.
Garden explorations
Delve deeply into the world of garden planning in and , two miniseries from BBC Two that are now streaming on Netflix. Learn about the history of horticulture (it was wildly popular in Renaissance Italy) and how styles have evolved over time and in various regions. The design factors that take a garden from nice to remarkable are usually invisible, but Don鈥檚 poetic and astute commentary reveals the complex thought behind an exemplary backyard experience.
