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Byrony Lavery's drama about the murder of a child and its repercussions is up for four Tony Awards. Last week, actor Brian O'Byrne won an Obie for his role as the killer. Critics have praised Frozen for the chillingly ordinary way it presents its terrible tale without sensationalizing it. The Broadway production also stars Swoozie Kurtz as the mother. Jeff Lunden reports.

In the French film Since Otar Left, a mother and daughter conspire to hide tragic news from 90-year-old grandmother Eka. The film, which won the Grand Prize at Cannes in 2003, explores the poignant interplay between the three generations of women in the former Soviet republic of Georgia. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan has a review.

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When the game of chess spread from the Middle East to Europe, there was no piece representing a queen. When the icon emerged around the year 1000, it was the weakest piece on the board. But by the time Queen Isabel of Spain became more powerful than her husband in the 1400s, the chess queen's power was unmatched. Hear NPR's Robert Siegel and Marilyn Yalom, author of Birth of the Chess Queen.

NPR's Scott Simon talks to actor Eli Wallach about his seven decades on stage and screen. A remastered collector's edition of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is being released this month, featuring new dialogue by Wallach and Clint Eastwood for their classic roles in the film.

For country music fans, this year's hot summer hit is 'Redneck Woman' from newcomer Gretchen Wilson. It's No. 1 on the charts and shows no signs of losing steam. Melissa Block talks with XM radio's Jessie Scott about the song and the reasons for its popularity.

Actor Tony Randall died Monday night; he was 84. Randall, best known for his role as Felix Unger on the 1970s sitcom [The Odd Couple, had] developed pneumonia following heart bypass surgery in December. Randall's career spanned decades on both screen and stage, where he often worked with theater director John Tillinger. Hear NPR's Melissa Block and Tillinger.

In the last years of the Depression, government photographers traveled the country to capture images of America: at play, at work, and struggling to survive. The black-and-white images that emerged became emblems of the time. But many photographs were also taken in full color -- and those images are now being released in a book, Bound for Glory: America in Color 1939-43. Hear NPR's Melissa Block.

The new HBO film Something the Lord Made tells the story of the interracial medical collaboration behind the first successful open-heart surgery in 1944. At a time of strict racial conventions, Dr. Alfred Blalock, a wealthy, white Southern surgeon, formed a remarkable partnership with his black assistant, Vivien Thomas. NPR's Renee Montagne speaks with Joseph Sargent, the film's director.

When the animated ogre Shrek became one of the biggest box-office stars in history, Hollywood was bound to bring him back for a sequel. Shrek 2 now attempts to duplicate the cross-generational appeal that drew audiences to the original. NPR's Bob Mondello has a review.