Haunted Local History, Composer James Newton Howard, New Tubman Statue

You’ve heard a James Newton Howard score. The legendary composer has scored 140 films including Pretty Woman, The Fugitive, and The Dark Knight, and he also worked with M. Night Shyamalan for some of his most popular thrillers, like The Sixth Sense and Signs. Howard’s new album, Night After Night, reimagines and extends those classic movie scores. We’ll listen to the music and talk about his creative process and how he puts suspense, terror, and the otherworldly into his compositions.

Calling all history buffs and true-crime fanatics: Local author Jennifer Green has released her latest book, Dark History of Penn’s Woods II: Unusual Deaths, Crimes, and Hauntings in Southeastern Pennsylvania. It’s a collection of gruesome true tales, ranging from the horrible fate of ballet dancers at the Continental Theater on Walnut Street, to the mystery of the Boy in the Box.

Philadelphia announced the winning design and artist for the Harriet Tubman statue on Monday – Alvin Pettit’s “A Higher Power: The Call of a Freedom Fighter”. Pettit’s statue shows Tubman as a military commander with her hands clasped in prayer. WHYY arts and culture reporter Peter Crimmins joins us to talk selection process, finalists and Pettit’s monument to Tubman.