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Independent groups producing political advertisements hoping to influence the 2004 presidential election are now more prolific than ever. By one count, there have been more than 50 such ads so far, mostly from groups allied to the Democrats including MoveOn.org and The Media Fund. Now GOP-leaning groups are also joining the fray. NPR's John McChesney reports.

Tens of thousands of book lovers and architecture fans are expected to turn out Sunday for the grand opening of the new Seattle public library. The 10-story glass-and-steel building was designed by Pritzker prize-winning architect Rem Koolhaas and his firm. The unconventional building not only pushes the defnition of what a library looks like, it also expands the way a library functions. Marcie Sillman of member station KUOW reports.

HBO's Emmy-winning show Sex and the City was known for its bawdy tales of four single girlfriends in New York and their different trysts and relationships. As the series begins national syndication on cable's TBS next week, critics worry whether editing can really make the show appropriate for a family friendly channel. NPR's Neda Ulaby reports.

An uncut version of the 1954 Japanese sci-fi movie Godzilla is finally premiering in U.S. theaters. The original film was in part a meditation on the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But its American distributors, who wanted to emphasize the film's monster-movie aspects, cut out 40 minutes and added new scenes starring American actor Raymond Burr. David D'Arcy reports.

Journalist Mark Jacobson and his wife Nancy of Brooklyn, New York, thought a three-month trek around the world might remedy a serious case of teenage alienation and addiction to pop culture. Jacobson relates their travels to Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, India, Jordan, Israel, France, and England in the book, 12,000 Miles in the Nick of Time. Jon Kalish reports. (Publisher: Canongate Books, ISBN: 0871138522)

The Motion Picture Association of America is considering whether to sue individuals who illegally download movies online, much the way the music industry went after those who pilfer music. Faster technology allows for faster downloads of large computer files such as movies. NPR's Kim Masters reports.

A spate of films that take critical, satirical looks at corporate and political power are set to hit theaters this spring, many aiming to reach the wider audiences at multiplexes. New films in the genre include Supersize Me, The Yes Men and The Corporation. The Disney Corporation is blocking its Miramax division from distributing director Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11, a film critical of the Bush administration. David D'Arcy reports.

Fiction and historical distance can sometimes allow us to examine our current worries in a different light. Ann-Marie MacDonald sets her second novel The Way the Crow Flies at the height of the Cold War. She uses the tensions generated by the U.S.-Soviet arms race to explore a contemporary issue: governmental secrecy. Martha Woodroof reports.

The U.S. film industry reports a solid year at the box office, but most of the big money is tied to a few major successes, led by the Disney animated film Finding Nemo. Overall ticket sales are down a bit from 2002. NPR's Bob Edwards talks with Los Angeles Times movie critic Kenneth Turan.

The recording industry gathers in Los Angeles for the 46th annual Grammy Awards Sunday. R&B and hip-hop artists dominate this year's nominees for record of the year... and a win often translates into record sales and prestige. NPR's Mandalit del Barco reports.