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Finding new and excellent R&B is a scavenger hunt, one that winds through blogs, Tumblr and Twitter. Here are the 10 songs that didn't make the pop charts, but should have got more love.

Known for his broad comedies, the actor takes a more serious turn in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, playing a man who copes with his boring life by creating a wild fantasy existence. He spoke with NPR's Melissa Block about the film, which he also directed.

The presidential panel on NSA has brought renewed attention to the practice of spying this week. Phone tapping, searching records and general intrigue — these have been popular topics in literature and film for well nigh a century. But espionage is not often a glamorous task, as author Julia Keller reminds us.

We recorded our show in Memphis, Tenn., this week, so we've invited Memphis soul legend Carla Thomas to answer three questions about other people also named Thomas.

St. Nicholas Magazine published the work of Eudora Welty, 11, E.B. White, 11, and William Faulkner, 16 — Faulkner and Welty for drawings, White for a story about a winter stroll. The children's monthly emphasized a love of nature, which led to some advising, "If you want to get published in the magazine, write something nice about an animal."

Charles Dickens was a celebrity of the Victorian era. The Invisible Woman focuses on a lesser-known, private part of his life — his 13-year relationship with a young woman named Nelly Ternan. Felicity Jones and Ralph Fiennes, who star in the film, talk about the mind of Dickens.

Over the past decade, the government has been paying farmers to keep their land covered with native grasses instead of crops. But as grain prices have risen, the conservation reserve has shrunk by more than 25 percent. This decline in native grasslands means more soil erosion and less habitat for wildlife.

Garlin has had a big year with his hit Caribbean anthem, "Differentology." The song recently won the 2013 Soul Train Award for Best International Performance. In a conversation with guest host Celeste Headlee, the popular Trinidadian artist discusses his unique style of music.

Brightmoor is one of many blighted neighborhoods in Detroit, but a small group of people is hoping to save it through farming. For more, guest host Celeste Headlee speaks with Riet Schumack, co-founder of Neighbors Building Brightmoor.

More than 80,000 Harlem residents are being promised free public wireless internet. But similar projects in other cities have run out of fuel. Guest host Celeste Headlee speaks with the New York City Housing Authority's Dupe Ajayi about the plan.