November 14, 2025 - Week in Review: Pope Leo XIV's favorite films, AI-generated music , and RIP the penny

Today Jared Bowen, Edgar B. Herwick III, and Callie Crossley go over the latest arts and culture headlines. First up, Pope Leo XIV has revealed his four favorite movies: “It’s a Wonderful Life”  “The Sound of Music,” “Ordinary People”  and “Life Is Beautiful.” He’s sharing his watchlist ahead of the Vatican’s first-ever “Meeting with the World of Cinema,” a Hollywood summit inside the Apostolic Palace that invites filmmakers and faith leaders to talk art, empathy, and storytelling.From there, Boston’s Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame is set to honor a dozen musical legends who are responsible for some of the greatest music moments of the past century. The esteemed list of inductees includes some of the most notable names in folk, Americana, and roots music history, such as Jackson Browne, Aretha Franklin and Muddy Waters. And “Walk My Way,” becomes  the first AI-generated song to top the Country Music Billboard charts. Created by the artificial band Breaking Rust.. And it’s not alone: R&B’s newest sensation is the AI generated hit “How Was I Supposed to Know?” Finally, after more than two centuries in circulation, the penny is finally making a change of its own. The U.S. Mint has pressed its last one-cent coin, ending a 232-year run for the country’s smallest piece of currency.