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NPR's Bob Mondello says similarities often emerge among movies sharing a season, and that is especially apparent this year. The most obvious are the 19th-century war movies (Master and Commander, The Last Samurai, and Cold Mountain) -- but there are more obscure trends, like films that include a dead child in their plots (Mystic River, In America, 21 Grams).

The Return of the King, the final installment in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, wins all 11 Oscars for which it was nominated, including best picture and best director. Best acting honors go to Charlize Theron for her transformation into a serial killer in Monster, and Sean Penn for his performance as the troubled father of a murdered child in Mystic River. Hear NPR's Renee Montagne.

He's written five novels featuring the working-class Boston private detective team of Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro. They include A Drink Before the War, Darkness, Take My Hand, Sacred, Gone Baby Gone and Prayers for Rain. Lehane abandoned the duo for his book about the effect of an abduction on a group of boys. It's a thriller, Mystic River, and it's been made into a new film directed by Clint Eastwood.

More than a thousand protesters turned up in the Ohio River town of Steubenville over the weekend, spurred by a blogging and Twitter campaign that's focused on rape allegations involving high-school football players. Social media has taken the case well beyond the small eastern Ohio town, sparking international tension.

When considering what to give for gifts this Holiday season … think about a locally made treat.

The radical Sunni Muslim group has seized many towns and cities in both Syria and Iraq since last year. Here's an animated map showing its gains since the start of 2013.

TransAsia Flight 235 was carrying 58 people, 31 of them from China, when it crashed into the shallow Keelung River in Taipei shortly after takeoff on Wednesday.

The swollen Seine River and its tributaries flooded Paris roadways, effectively isolating neighborhoods and towns. The Louvre announced it would be closed Friday to move artworks in vulnerable areas.

The power is out for 20 percent of the people in West Virginia, but in Fayetteville, which overlooks the New River Gorge, residents are taking the early snows in stride.

Heavy rains began last week, causing the key Ndjili River to overflow on Friday and submerge hundreds of buildings. Many residents blamed the government for not responding quickly enough.