Topic: Entertainment

Think you can spell? Take our Spelling Bee quiz!

To commemorate the 85th Scripps National Spelling Bee, held this week in Oxon Hill, Md., we present a quiz of all the winning words since 1925. Click on the link to listen to the word. Most pronunciations of the come from Merriam Webster's dictionary website. A new window will open and you will hear the word. Then close the window and select what you think is the correct spelling. 

(In some cases, the full spelling of the word will appear the URL for the pronunciation. This is unavoidable. To avoid temptation, you should hide your URL bar.)

Marilyn Monroe: 8 quotes on her birthday

On June 1, 2012 – which would have been the movie star's 86th birthday – here are 8 of Marilyn Monroe's most often repeated quotes.

Bruce Springsteen blasts bankers in Berlin concert

The Boss goes off on "greedy thieves" and "robber barons" in fluent German during his Berlin concert. Bruce Springsteen returned to Berlin, where he played a July 1988 concert behind the old Iron Curtain in East Berlin.

'Devil Wears Prada' may be getting a book sequel

'Devil Wears Prada' author Lauren Weiner is said to be releasing a sequel to her bestseller next April.

Miami Dolphins on ‘Hard Knocks’ is shrewd business

Miami Dolphins training camp will be featured in the documentary series 'Hard Knocks'  for its upcoming season. While some teams declined offers to appear on the HBO show, 'Hard Knocks' is a good fit for for a Miami Dolphins team struggling with falling ticket sales and a decade of football irrelevance.

Top Picks: An alligator app, great commencement speeches, and more

John Mayer's musicianship is first-rate on his new album, National Geographic explores the unusual animals of America, and more top picks.

How 'Hatfields and McCoys' became cable's biggest-ever hit

The History Channel miniseries 'Hatfields and McCoys' is the most-watched non-sports show ever on cable. Yes, it's violent and vulgar, but it's also good, movie-style entertainment, critics say. 

Doc Watson, innovative guitarist and 'positive icon' for Appalachian region

Doc Watson, who passed on Tuesday, developed a signature style of guitar picking, elevating the instrument to frontline status and influencing guitarists of every genre.

Bestselling books the week of 5/31/12, according to IndieBound*

What's selling best in independent bookstores across America.

Bob Dylan awarded Medal of Freedom. What does that say about US? (+video)

Why did Bob Dylan look so strained during the Medal of Freedom ceremony at the White House Tuesday? Perhaps because his musical insurgency was being memorialized.

'Les Miserables' first trailer debuts online

'Les Miserables' will hit theaters Dec. 14.

Charlize Theron: diapers, dogs, adoption, and some life lessons

Charlize Theron, on the "Snow White and the Huntsman" publicity trail, brings us today’s celebrity mom inferiority complex – but with some thoughts actually worth pondering on diapers, dogs, adoption, and life lessons.

'Delta Boys' director Andrew Berends talks about being arrested in Nigeria

Berends was arrested and expelled from the country by the Nigerian government.

'Once' more, as best musical?

When the Tonys roll around, don't count out the heartrending show 'Once.'

Doc Watson: North Carolina's blind guitar picker extraordinaire

Doc Watson, one of America's greatest folk musicians, passed on Tuesday. Doc Watson won eight Grammy Awards and influenced a generation of guitar players.

First Lady says politics is tough, even for Obama girls (+video)

Michelle Obama said her daughters had learned to be thick-skinned in an election year.

Michelle Obama: politics tough, but 'Dad is always going to be Dad'

First Lady Michelle Obama discusses family life, the need for her daughters to have thick skin and her advocacy for American families to eat right and exercise during interviews to promote her new book on the White House garden.

Carole King

Carole King's memoir is short on musical details, but long on the artist's personal saga.

Lady Gaga's cancelled concert a blow to tolerance in Indonesia? (+video)

Lady Gaga cancelled her biggest show in Asia because of Islamist vigilante threats, which has some worrying about a return of Islamist militancy to the Muslim world's largest country.

Spurs and Thunder star in NBA’s Western Conference Finals: 10 extra dimensions

The clash of the Spurs and Thunder in the NBA’s Western Conference finals may fly a bit under the national radar when it opens Sunday. Here are 10 factors that make this showdown intriguing.

President Obama smoked pot in high school. Why is he against legalizing marijuana?

A new biography details Barack Obama's use of marijuana in high school and college, not unusual for a young man at that time. As president, Obama has taken a tougher line on drug use, including marijuana for medical reasons.

Reader recommendation: Sex and the River Styx

Monitor readers share their favorite book picks.

Prince William: 8 stories from the new book 'The Man Who Will Be King'

Writer Penny Junor explores the man second in line to the throne in her new book "The Man Who Will Be King."

The Intouchables: movie review

Improbable pairing. You know the rest.

Moonrise Kingdom: movie review

Wes Anderson's new film is sweeter than some of his other films and provokes nostalgia.