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The Hollywood Sign was originally constructed in 1923. After several incarnations, the most recent version has become an unmistakable American landmark. This year the Los Angeles icon is getting a makeover. NPR’s Melissa Jaeger-Miller reports from the precarious hillside scene.

The miners and townspeople recall a grim week in a West Virginia coal town: an explosion, prayers amid worst fears, false hopes, a cruel twist and then a final realization that 12 workers are dead.

A continuing look at the recovery of Marine 1st Sgt. Brad Kasal, who was shot several times in the leg in Iraq. In an effort to save the limb, he is undergoing multiple surgeries at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland.

NPR writers and critics pick the best albums of 2004. Included is music by Modest Mouse, Tinariwen, The Hilliard Ensemble, Brian Wilson, Guy Davis and Wilco.

Hodge-podge is a word that comes from a rotten pot. It's derived from a term for mixed-up Scottish stew. Hodge-podge is also another in a long line of english reduplications, like the word honky-tonk.

The hot new thing in crime fiction comes from countries with cooler climes. Nordic crime stories are selling, and the biggest name is Henning Mankell, who may be the most famous Swedish writer since Strindberg. He has a huge global following.

Meryl Streep steals the show in The Devil Wears Prada. Film critic Elvis Mitchell tells Scott Simon the actress seems to be doing an uncanny impression of a man she's worked with three times: director Mike Nichols.

From the "focus" of Roman homes to the chimneys of modern homes, the history of the fireplace is a journey across Europe. Each epoch and culture has had its own method of keeping the home fires lit.

Former model Alison Houtte used her runway earnings to open a vintage boutique where every piece of clothing tells its own unique story. Jacki Lyden rummages through the racks at Hooti Couture.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden talks with Amos Oz, Israel's leading author, about his new memoir A Tale of Love and Darkness. His life story shares many parallels with the history of the Jewish state.