This week’s big movie opening is a back-stage country music drama called "Country Strong." It stars Gwyneth Paltrow as hugely popular country singer named Kelly Cantor. Kelly is battling alcoholism, competition from a younger singer, low self esteem, and a fractured relationship with her husband and manager played by Tim McGraw. The big question, of course, is: Does Paltrow give a convincing performance as a country music star? And for that matter, is it ever a good idea for actors to sing in their movies?

Russell Simmons made his name as one of the most influential names in hip-hop by helping to found Def Jam Records in the 2980s. But he's also a the author of a successful self-help book that Oprah Winfrey helped become a bestseller. Simmons tells us why he's trying to help people get rich.

Pianist and composer Billy Taylor died of heart failure on Tuesday, at the age of 89. The award-winning jazz advocate and scholar is recognized for penning compelling commentary in his jazz compositions during the civil rights era. But he's also known for being a giant in the teaching world of jazz — literally putting some of his peers on a truck and taking them around New York City to perform and teach the world that jazz is America’s classical music.

As 2010 draws to a close, we look forward to another year of music in 2011. We speak with Caryn Ganz, editor of the Yahoo music blog "The Amplifier," about what she's expecting from Lady Gaga and Kanye West, along with perennial favorites P. J. Harvey and R.E.M.

All week, you've been calling and writing in with your favorite holiday music.  We hear more of your most (and least) favorite yuletide tunes.

It’s the week before Christmas, and as usual, we’re celebrating with our annual “Remixing the Holidays” series. All week long, we’re talking with musicians, music lovers, writers, and you, our listeners, about the best songs of the season.

Our series wraps with nine-time Grammy winner Natalie Cole, who talks with us about her new Christmas special with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (taped last year, and airing tonight on PBS stations), her father's famous Christmas songs, family memories, and of course, her favorite seasonal music.

 It’s the most wonderful time of the year…for Christians, anyway. But what are you supposed to do at Christmas if you’re an atheist? We talk with singer Robbie Fulks, who penned what might be country music’s first atheist-ballad: "God Isn't Real." Robbie is also a contributor to the new anthology, "The Atheist's Guide to Christmas."

It’s the week before Christmas, and as usual, we’re celebrating with our annual Remixing the Holidays series. All week long, we’re talking with musicians, music lovers, writers, and you about the best songs of the season. Today we’re joined by best-selling memoirist Augusten Burroughs. Famous for documenting the absurdity, tragedy, and humor of family dysfunction, his books include “Running with Scissors,” “A Wolf at the Table” and a book of Christmas memories called “You Better Not Cry.”

It’s the week before Christmas, and as usual, we’re celebrating with our annual “Remixing the Holidays” series. All week long, we’re talking with musicians, music lovers, writers, and you, our listeners, about the best songs of the season.

A challenging musician who fought for music's freedom and started his own record label rather than bend to the will of others, Frank Zappa would have turned 70 today. He was one of the most technically versatile players in rock music, gaining the respect and sometimes the contribution of monster jazz players even as he crafted weird, loud rock 'n' roll with bizzare lyrical themes. Zappa also stood up against those who argued for censorship of music, even appearing on a contentious episode of CNN's "Crossfire." We celebrate all of the things Zappa was with some of the memorable clips from his lifetime. 

It’s the week before Christmas, and as usual, we’re celebrating with our annual “Remixing the Holidays” series. All week long, we’ll be talking with musicians, music lovers, writers, and you, our listeners, about the best songs of the season. We kick things off with Jon Solomon. For over twenty years, Jon — who is Jewish, by the way — has been hosting Princeton University's 24-hour Christmas special on WPRB.

Today around the office, the debate raged over this year's inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Alice Cooper? Of course; the dude's rock credentials are as solid as his knowledge of Milwaukee. Even Tom Waits, who host John Hockenberry characterized as more of a beat poet, has enough edginess and bombast as a performer to deserve rock star status. Other inductees on the list included New Orleans veteran Dr. John, singer Darlene Love, and Leon Russell. 

Nerdcore rapper MC Frontalot has put out many albums with songs about tech subjects, including online security and the futility of trying to keep secrets in a wired world. Most of his albums have found their following among a niche audience of self-professed nerds. So what's a rapper to do when the obscure subjects he writes about suddenly dominate the headlines for weeks on end? 

It may seem like just yesterday that you first heard The Sugar Hill Gang or Run DMC, but the hip hop business is pushing forty. For many of the years that hip hop has been around, Dan Charnas has been working in the business - as a scout, a promoter, and a journalist. Dan is the author of a new book called “The Big Payback: the History of the Business of Hip Hop.” Charnas walks us through some pivotal moments in the hip hop business, and how those moments have informed our culture and the entertainment industry.

American violinist Lynn Chang will play at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony on Friday. Chinese dissident Liu Xioabo won't be able to attend the ceremony; he's being held in a Chinese prison. Chang tells us why he's chosen the songs in his set-list and whether or not he views the concert as a political affair, a musical event — or both. 

Thirty years ago today, music sensation John Lennon was shot and killed outside the Dakota building where he lived with his wife, Yoko Ono, in New York City. Radio reporter Tom Brook was the first British reporter on the scene. He explains his memory of that day and how Lennon's legacy continues to live on.

Hanukkah kicks off at sundown tonight. And while the festival of lights is famous for a lot of things — like potato latkes and eight nights of presents — it’s often underappreciated for its music.

That changes today. Indie music star Ben Kweller reminds us that there’s plenty of good Hanukkah music. He joins us from his tour bus, which is currently parked in Birmingham, Ala.

Here is Ben Kweller's full list of favorite Hanukkah songs:

In 1951, at the pinnacle of his career, legendary country singer Hank Williams recorded several hours of music with the Mother's Best Flour Show at radio station WSM, housed in the Grand Ole Opry.

Thinking the shows would only reach a small, mostly rural audience, Hank was unguarded in both his conversation and choice of songs — which included some that he’d never performed elsewhere. 

One might presume that the recordings would have been painstakingly archived and preserved. But when WSM cleaned house in the late 1970s, the Hank Williams Mother’s Best recordings were actually put out with the trash. Fortunately, they were rescued by the Opry’s photographer and handed over to Hank's daughter, Jett Williams.

Alice Herz-Sommer celebrates her 107th birthday today. As if that weren't enough of a an accomplishment, she also happens to be the oldest living survivor of the Nazi Holocaust. Her love of music inspires her to live her life with optimism and faith in the human spirit, even though she lived through one of the most horriying ordeals any human can imagine. Vincent Dowd, arts correspondent for the BBC, visits Alice to hear her story.

You may know him best as the voice behind the song, "Don't Worry, Be Happy," but Bobby McFerrin comes from a line of history-making artists. Robert McFerrin, Sr. was the first black man to sing at the Metropolitan Opera, and he sang the role of Porgy for Sidney Poitier in the the film version of "Porgy and Bess." Bobby McFerrin will appear in a special tribute to his father on March 5th, 2009 in New York's Schomberg Center. Bobby stopped by our studios to talk a bit about the legacy of his father, who has a connection to Takeaway host Celeste Headlee.