Arts & EntertainmentGeneral
Art Beat 
- Arts blog from PBS Newshour, featuring news, reviews, interviews and more. Covers visual arts, film, literature, music, culture, and performing arts.
Arts Journal - Daily news digest of art, music, theater, dance, publishing and more, with articles collected from hundreds of newspapers, magazines and other publications, plus free online video. (Commercial site)
Artslynx - A vast directory of online arts resources arranged by subject; covers dance, theater, music, film, writing, and more. Only some links are annotated. Site is not updated often, so expect some broken links. (Personal site by Richard Finkelstein, Theatre Professor at James Madison University)
Asia Pacific Arts - Free bi-weekly online magazine offering articles and reviews on 'the dynamic worlds of Asian and Asian American arts and entertainment,' including television, music, film, and fashion. Occasional podcasts. (UCLA Asia Institute)
Common Sense Media - An easy-to-use website for parents, offering capsule evaluations of movies, TV shows, and other media, plus reviews from kids and parents. Appropriate age group is given for each title, with ratings for message, violence, language, and sex. (Nonprofit organization)
The Envelope [UPDATED!] - News, information, commentary, and discussion forum on the Academy Awards, Grammy, Emmy, Tony, and Golden Globe Awards. (Los Angeles Times)
Fun and Adventure in New Jersey - A comprehensive site with links to all kinds of arts and recreational facilities, events, and organizations in New Jersey.
Google Web Directory: Arts > Entertainment > Reviews - Links to more sites that offer entertainment reviews and commentary.
Media Guidelines for Parents [UPDATED LINK!] - Information and advice to help parents understand the impact of media (TV, Internet, computer and video games) on children, and manage kids' media use. See also related media articles
. (American Academy of Pediatrics)
Metacritic - Selected reviews of recent film, video, music, and games from a variety of newspapers, magazines, and other sources. (Commercial site)
Middlesex County Culture and Heritage Commission - Information on organizations, facilities, and programs of historical or cultural interest in the county.
Old Time Radio - A collection of free podcasts of old-time radio shows such as Jack Benny, Flash Gordon, The Cisco Kid, and others. Includes music programs and video classics too! (Commercial site)
Sunday Arts - Covers the New York area arts scene, including news, museum exhibitions & acquisitions, artist interviews, and more. (WNET/Thirteen, NY public television station)
What's On When - A calendar/directory of all kinds of entertainment and festivals around the world. You can search or browse different themes and locations to find events. (Commercial site)
Movies & TV
For information about digital entertainment media technologies (HDTV, portable audio & video devices, etc.) see our Computers & Technology page.
At the Movies - Online video of movie reviews. At the Movies is now hosted by Ben Lyons and Ben Mankiewicz, but the website's archive still offers access to 20 years of Ebert & Roeper and Siskel & Ebert reviews, along with background info on each film and online exclusives. (Commercial site)
Books Into Movies - Want to know when your favorite book is going to come out as a movie? Check out this site from BookReporter.com.
Center for Screen-Time Awareness - Facts and data about TV viewing habits, suggested alternatives to watching TV, and advice on getting your kids to watch less. Sponsors semi-annual TV-Turnoff Week campaign. (Nonprofit organization)
Classic Film Guide - Created by a classic film fan, this site aims to 'celebrate 'great movies' as well as to introduce (or reintroduce) films which... have been forgotten, or even neglected, in today's myopic film industry.' (Personal site)
Common Sense Media Movie Reviews - An easy-to-use website for parents, offering capsule evaluations of movies, TV shows, and other media, plus reviews from kids and parents. Appropriate age group is given for each title, with ratings for message, violence, language, and sex. (Nonprofit organization)
Ebert & Roeper at the Movies is now At the Movies.
Encyclopedia of Television - This A to Z encyclopedia includes essays on many TV shows of the past, with cast list, times and dates aired, plus bibliography and links to related subjects. Also includes biographies of many TV actors and topics such as 'Violence & Television', 'Gender & Television', etc. Does not include every TV show. (Museum of Broadcast Communications)
Europa Film Treasures - For the serious film buff, this site (still under construction) offers free online access to films preserved by major European film archives. Covers all genres, and time periods back to the late 19th century; you can search or browse by film archive, time period, country of origin, genre, element, sound, title, director or actor.
Fancast - Free online viewing of
full episodes of more than 100 popular TV series, both current and classic! Fancast also offers movie trailers, clips, photos, news and reviews, and other movie and TV-related info (Commercial site: Comcast Interactive Media). For more free online viewing, see Hulu.
Film Festivals - News from and about film festivals all over the world.
Filmmaker Interviews - A selection of interviews with dozens of prominent filmmakers and actors; most are presented as text transcripts. (British Film Institute)
Folkstreams - Find and view online documentary films about American folk or roots culture, via streaming video. Background materials about the subjects and the filmmaking
are included (non-profit organization). For documentaries on other topics, see
Snag Films, described below.
Google Video Search - Google Video enables you to search televised content available online — everything from sports to dinosaur documentaries to entertainment or news. Visit the Google Video Help Center for how-to help.
Google Web Directory: Television Programs - Links to reviews, episode guides, discussion forums, plus links to numerous sites by program title or genre.
Historically Significant Films - A large collection of trailers (video clips) from important films, from 1919 through 2004 (University of Houston Digital History).
Internet Movie Database (IMDb) - Comprehensive searchable database of information on hundreds of thousands of movie & TV titles, actors and actresses, directors and other people in the movie industry. Also provides video clips, photos, and information on new and upcoming releases in theaters and on DVD.
Italian Cinema - Overviews of different genres (Neorealism, comedy, Political cinema, etc.) in Italian cinema, plus info on specific films, photos, interviews, and bios of actors, writers, and directors. Includes brief videos. (Commercial site)
Metacritic - Selected reviews of recent films from a variety of newspapers, magazines, and other sources. (Commercial site)
Movie Lens - Enter a rating of 0 to 5 stars for at least 15 movies you have seen, and Movie Lens makes recommendations based on your choices. Non-commercial, ad-free. You must register (free) to use the site. (University of Minnesota)
MIC Movie Links - Selected links to general movie sites, plus information on preserving your personal collections of films or home movies, and more. (Library of Congress, Association of Moving Image Archivists and National Science Foundation)
Movie Mom - Movie and video reviews geared toward parents, with information on violence, profanity, nudity, sex, alcohol/drug abuse, and diversity/tolerance issues for each film. Now part of BeliefNet. (By Nell Minow, columnist for the Chicago Tribune and syndicated radio movie reviewer; commercial site.)
Movie Review Query Engine - Search by title for movie reviews from hundreds of sources including newspapers, magazines, TV, and Internet sites, US and international. (Commercial site)
PBS Online Video - A selection of full-length PBS programs you can watch online.
Senses of Cinema - 'An online journal devoted to the serious and eclectic discussion of cinema.' Collaborative site, by a group of filmmakers and academics.
Silent Era - Info, reviews, brief bios, filmographies, and more, for silent film enthusiasts. Created by volunteer contributors. (Commercial site)
Snag Films - Hundreds of free documentaries on a wide range of subjects. You can search for films by keywords, or browse these topics: Campus, Environment, Health, History, International, Life & Culture, Music & Arts, Politics, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Nature, Sports & Hobbies, and Women's Issues. 'SnagFilms is committed to finding the world's most compelling documentaries, whether from established heavyweights or first-time filmmakers, and making them available to the wide audience these titles deserve.' (Commercial site; affiliated with AOL)
Television & Your Family [UPDATED LINK!] - Parent's guide to helping children develop healthy viewing habits (American Academy of Pediatrics). See also related media articles (American Academy of Pediatrics) and Children and TV (University of Michigan Health System).
TV Tome - Information on almost all current and past TV shows. Includes episode guides, air dates, cast, crew, discussion forums, viewer-contributed reviews, and more. TV Tome is now part of the TV.com site which also includes current TV schedule, news about TV, and short video clips from recent shows. (Commercial site)
TV Turnoff Network is now the Center for Screen-Time Awareness
Video ETA - Search a movie or TV title on this site to find out when it is scheduled for DVD release; you can register to be notified by email when the DVD is available. Includes cast list, plot summary, and other basic facts for each film. (Commercial site)
Wide Screen Museum - Another nostalgic site, describing the history and technological development of wide-screen and color cinematography. Includes a history of talkies, plus printable full-color reproduction of several classic movie posters. (Personal site: Martin B. Hart)
Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations - Information about filming locations used in selected movies, with descriptions, photos, travel links, and related films. (Commercial site)
Yahoo Upcoming Movies - New release information, release dates, news, reviews, and links for movies and videos. You can look for movies by date, title, director, writer, actor, studio, or genre. Provides notice of scheduled releases up to three years in advance, plus info on shelved projects and projects in development. Includes discussion boards. (Commercial site)
Zap 2 It TV & Movie Guide - Type in your zip code to see upcoming broadcast/cable TV schedules or movie showtimes in your area. Also offers movie reviews, trailers, and feature articles. AOL TV listings are also powered by Zap 2 It and work basically the same way. TIP: Once you've brought up the 3-hour TV grid showing your local listings, click on any of the channels to get the full day's schedule for that channel. You can also customize the listings to show only your favorite channels or types of programs (sports, movies, news, etc.). (Commercial site)
MORE MOVIE SITES, recommended by our library movie ace, Ken Morgan:
Museums & Visual Arts
Artforum - This companion website for Artforum International Magazine offers news & reviews on art, artists, exhibitions & museums. (Commercial site)
American Craft Artists - Lists dozens of noted craft artists who work in clay, wood, metal, glass, and fiber. Click on an artist to find out more about them, and how they view what they do. Includes video clips from the PBS TV series, Craft in America.
Fine Arts Library Resources - An extensive directory of websites covering fine arts, dance, photography, design, and costume, community/regional planning, and architecture. Includes links to museums & exhibitions, journals, libraries, organizations, and scholarly resources. (University of British Columbia)
Museum of Online Museums - Links to online collections and exhibits 'covering a vast array of interests and obsessions'. (By Coudal Partners, a design, advertising and interactive studio)
Newark Museum - The largest museum complex in New Jersey, includes 80 galleries of art and science, a mini zoo, planetarium, auditorium, sculpture garden, schoolhouse and a restored 1885 mansion that is a National Historic Landmark.
New Jersey State Museum - A general museum that collects, exhibits and interprets natural history, archaeology/ethnology, cultural history, and fine art. Facility includes an auditorium and planetarium.
Princeton University Art Museum - The permanent collections of the Princeton University Art Museum range from ancient to contemporary art, and concentrate, geographically, on the Mediterranean regions, Western Europe, China, the United States, and Latin America.
Researching Your Art - 'Want to learn more about the painting you found while clearing out the attic? What about the drawing that has been hanging in grandma's hallway since you were a kid? Maybe the sculpture you found at the flea market last summer really is a Remington. How can you find out?' This site offers tips and resources to help you get started. (Smithsonian)
World Wide Arts Resources - Another extensive directory of arts information, this site focuses more on galleries and individual artists' work on the web. Also features art news, history, funding, and sources for art supplies. Searchable. (Commercial site)
Zimmerli Art Museum - Affiliated with Rutgers University, the Zimmerli includes collections on Western art, graphic arts, women artists, Japonisme, stained glass, and more. Includes
online audio tour.
Music / Concert Halls
For Musical Theater, see Theater & Dance
For information about digital entertainment media technologies (HDTV, portable audio & video devices, etc.) see our Computers & Technology page.
All Music Guide - Music reviews plus lists of tracks, release dates, credits, related titles, brief audio samples, artist bios and discographies. Covers rock, jazz, rap, R&B, blues, world, pop, country, electronic, classical, and more. Registration may be required to access some features. (Commercial site)
Alternate Music Press - 'The Multimedia Journal of New Music,' offers news, reviews, features, and musician links, plus a free audio download each month. (Commercial site)
American Routes - A weekly two-hour public radio program produced in New Orleans, presenting a broad range of American music - blues and jazz, gospel and soul, old-time country and rockabilly, Cajun and zydeco, Tejano and Latin, roots rock and pop, avant-garde and classical. Dozens of interviews with musicians are archived on the site - you can listen to them online with RealPlayer media player. (Commercial site)
Billboard.com - Pop music news and reviews, plus hit charts, columns, touring schedules, & online music videos. (Commercial site)
Classical Music Online - This British site offers a
beginner's guide to classical music, as well as other
classical music background info, plus audio samples on a variety of themes including different musical styles and movements, and music for holidays & weddings. Provides online classical radio and some free downloads for registered users (registration is free). Gramophone Online is a classical music magazine with articles, reviews, events, and more (commercial site). See also Great Conversations in Music, described below.
Common Sense Media Music Reviews - An excellent and easy-to-use site for parents, with capsule reviews of music and other media. Each title is rated for violence, language, sex, etc., and given a general rating for each age group.
Folk Project - A not-for-profit folk music and dance organization in the Northern New Jersey area. Website includes schedules for concerts and dances and links to many other folk music sites in the area and nationwide.
Google Web Directory: Music Reviews - Links to general music review sites, plus sites listed by genre, including blues, Christian, classical, country, dance, folk/world, hip-hop, independent / alternative, jazz, metal, pop, progressive rock, and punk.
Great Conversations in Music - Engaging and informative discussions with distinguished classical pianists, string players, composers and conductors on the state of the art of music; filmed 2001 - 2003 (Library of Congress). Hear Here [UPDATED LINK!] explores the many different facets of listening to music, such as the concert experience, how the ear works, what a musician listens to, the differences between recorded and live music, and the effects of environment, memory, emotions, vision, hearing impairment and silence. (Royal Philharmonic Society, UK and Classic FM; commercial site)
Honky Tonks, Hymns, and the Blues - Traces American country music traditions which form the building blocks of America's popular music. Text and audio explore the music with historic performances, rare archive tape, and interviews with artists. (National Public Radio)
Jazz Review - Reviews, interviews, articles, photos, and more (commercial site).
Old Time Jazz Online offers a large collection of free classic recordings of jazz greats like Jelly Roll Morton, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and many more. You can listen to individual selections, or click on the artist's name at the top of the playlist to hear all the titles by that artist.
Mel Bay Webzines - An assortment of free online articles and music for guitar, keyboard, fiddle, bass, percussion, mandolin, harmonica, dulcimer, and banjo, plus 'ideas to improve your practice habits, environment, attitude and music'; from a music publisher.
Mudcat Cafe - Online magazine dedicated to blues and traditional / folk music; includes song lyrics, discussion boards, and huge database of links arranged by subject. (Collaborative site by Joe Offer et al.)
Music Journals & Magazines - Annotated links to hundreds of music-related journals, magazines, newspapers and periodicals, covering all styles of music. Arranged alphabetically. Last updated in 2003, so expect broken links. (Indiana University)
Mutopia Project - Downloadable & printable sheet music for (mostly) classical works in the public domain. (Volunteer-operated site)
NPR Music - News, reviews, interviews, concerts on demand, studio sessions, and more. Covers rock, pop, folk, jazz, classical, world and urban music. (Commercial site)
New Jersey Performing Arts Center - This Newark theater offers a diversity of performers, ranging from Itzhak Perlman to 'N Sync, Lauryn Hill to the Vienna Choir Boys, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
Odd Music - 'Showcasing the sounds, music, and instruments of artists and artisans from around the globe. From gourd music to electronic odysseys, harp guitars to industrial insect metal, from the beautiful to the bizarre.' Includes audio samples of the various instruments and performers.
Old Time Radio - A collection of free podcasts of old-time radio shows such as Jack Benny, Flash Gordon, The Cisco Kid, and others. Includes music programs and video classics too! (Commercial site)
OperaGlass - Detailed information on many operas, including libretti, source texts, performance histories, synopses, discographies, and role creators, plus pictures, background information, and more; also commemoration calendars, special features, and links to other resources (Stanford University). Opera Stories describes the plots of dozens of well-known operas; browsable by title or composer (Metropolitan Opera). See also The Aria Database, a diverse collection of information on over 1000 operatic arias (personal site).
Pandora Radio - Internet music radio. Enter an artist, song, or genre, and Pandora will automatically create a playlist of related music. Pandora offers both a free advertising-supported version (requires free registration) as well as several other listening options which require a paid subscription. See also Yahoo! Music.
Parents' Music Page - Musical ideas, games and other activities for every age, advice on buying an instrument, choosing a teacher, & dealing with practicing, plus other helpful music-related resources for parents. (BBC)
Piano Page - Links and information on the history of pianos, schools and college programs, piano care,
performing, and much more. (Piano Technicians Guild). The
Violin Page explains how to tune a violin, plus
violin maintenance tips and
violin fingering chart. The same site offers maintenance tips and more for
flute,
clarinet,
saxophone,
trumpet, or
trombone.
Scroll through the menu on the left to find additional information for your instrument (Children's Music Workshop; commercial site). See also
Instrument How-Tos for information on repair and maintenance for brass, woodwind, percussion
instruments; scroll to the bottom of the page to find the list of free online publications (School Band & Orchestra Magazine). A large assortment of Drumming Video Tutorials are available on the Drummerworld website (commercial site). Chordbook.com offers a handy Virtual Chord Book for guitar players (commercial site). For more on guitar, keyboard, fiddle, bass, percussion, mandolin, harmonica, dulcimer, and banjo, see
Mel Bay Webzines, described above.
Plainfield Symphony - Concert schedule and contact information for the local symphony orchestra.
Popular Music Archive - A digital archive of popular sheet music as originally published; it's worth visiting this site just to view the original cover art. Includes songs from 1896 through 1953.
Rolling Stone Artists - An A to Z encyclopedia of current and past rock / pop musicians from Rolling Stone Magazine, with free bios, articles, reviews, audio tracks, videos, photos, and news; also searchable by artist, album, or song. (Commercial site)
Songwriters Hall of Fame - Honors and highlights the accomplishments of over 300 popular songwriters from a broad spectrum of styles, from Big Band to Rock, from Country to Broadway to R&B to Jazz and all other music genres, from every era dating back to Stephen Foster. The honorees range from George and Ira Gershwin to Hank Williams, from Duke Ellington to Bruce Springsteen, from Carole King to Stephen Sondheim.
Includes biographies, photos, discography, audio clips, and more. (National Academy of Popular Music)
State Theatre - New Brunswick concert hall offering professional orchestras, dance ensembles, opera companies, Broadway musicals, children's programs, etc.
Union County Arts Center - The Center, which is housed in the restored Rahway Theatre, offers a variety of performing arts.
World Café - Daily interviews and live in-studio performances from both seasoned veterans and new sensations from the worlds of blues, rock, folk and alternative country. You can listen online with RealPlayer or Windows Media Player. (NPR/WXPN)
Theater & Dance
American Association of Community Theatre - Networking, information, and other resources for anyone involved in community theatre. Some materials and services are available only to paid members. (Non-profit organization)
Ballet News - News from the ballet and dance world, 'continually updated from thousands of sources around the net.' See also Dance News (Topix.net, commercial site)
Broadway: The American Musical - Explores the origins and development of Broadway musical theatre. Includes video interviews with some of Broadway's leading lights, including Mel Brooks, Joel Grey, Harold Prince, Stephen Sondheim, Tommy Tune and Ben Vereen. (PBS)
Broadway League - Website of the national trade association for the commercial theatre industry, offering statistical information about Broadway theater production, information on theater-related events, ticket center, shows on tour, links to theaters, and more. (Commercial site)
Dance Magazine - This companion website for Dance Magazine offers articles, videos (interviews, lecture/demonstrations), and blogs, plus a searchable
Dance Finder' directory of dance schools, studios, teachers, companies, dancers, and other dance-related resources. (Commercial site)
Directory of Outdoor Drama - This page includes listings for over 100 outdoor theaters and theater festivals in the US; search by location or category.
Internet Broadway Database - Search this site for information on productions from the beginnings of New York theatre until today, including cast, writers, directors, crew, interesting facts, and production statistics. Get a list of every production of Hamlet on Broadway or a list of your favorite actor's credits. Find out what played at a particular theatre or what shows opened in a specified Broadway season. (Commercial site)
Live Broadway is now Broadway League.
NJ Theater - Click on 'Find a Theater' for a comprehensive, alphabetical list of New Jersey theaters. Also includes listings of auditions, awards, and other information. (Commercial site)
New York Theatre Wire - 'Advance news of what's playing on New York's stages.' Includes some coverage of international theater. (Metro New Media, Inc., commercial site)
Papermill Playhouse - Professional theater in Millburn, NJ.
Playbill Online - Broadway theater listings, with online ticket purchase, seating charts, maps, restaurants, hotels, jobs, and other information; also covers Broadway, off-Broadway, regional, summer stock, Canadian, and international theater news, and includes an extensive set of theater links under 'Theatre Central.' (Commercial site)
Plays-in-the-Park - Middlesex County community theatre.
Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey - News, schedule, tickets, overviews of past seasons, and info on other events and programs of the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (formerly the 'New Jersey Shakespeare Festival'), based in Madison, NJ.
State Theatre - New Brunswick concert hall offering professional orchestras, dance ensembles, opera companies, Broadway musicals, children's programs, etc.
Video Games
Common Sense Media Game Reviews - A good, easy-to-use site for parents with capsule reviews of games and other media.
Computer and Video Game Addiction - As with other forms of addiction, an excessive absorption with computers or video games may result in major social, school or work disruptions. This fact sheet will help you recognize the signs of addiction in children or adults. (National Institute on Media and the Family)
Entertainment Software Rating Board - Industry ratings for video games and interactive software. You can search by keyword for a specific game, publisher, content, rating, or platform.
MediaWise® Video Game Report Card - Annual review of the video games industry; includes a list of recommended video games for kids, and games to avoid. Also includes the 2008 Parents' Guide To Video Games. (National Institute on Media and the Family)
Violent Video Games - Reviews the many myths, facts, and unanswered questions about violent content in video games. (American Psychological Association)
