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Top Picks: 'I, Claudius,' improv on the subway, and more

Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh make film history in 'A Streetcar Named Desire,' a documentary tells the story of starlet0turned nun Dolores Hart, NASA captures video of swirling plasma on the sun, and more top picks.

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HBO
God Is the Bigger Elvis
'I, Claudius" The Complete Series
'Streetcar Named Desire' is out on Blu-Ray.

Leaving Elvis

The Academy Award-nominated film God Is the Bigger Elvis, about Dolores Hart, a Hollywood starlet (the first to receive an on-screen kiss from Elvis) who traded that world for life as a Benedictine nun, debuts on HBO Thursday, April 5, at 8 p.m. EST. This 37-minute documentary takes viewers inside the rarefied cloistered Abbey of Regina Laudis in Connecticut to tell a story at once timeless and modern. 

Tornadoes in space?

Think you stumbled onto an old clip from "Star Trek"? Think again. Space.com has uploaded a video captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory of plasma swirling over the surface of the sun in a manner that resembles a tornado. The glowing black surface of the sun itself is almost as fascinating. Check it out at http://bit.ly/spacetornadoes.

'Hey Stella!'

In A Streetcar Named Desire, released on Blu-ray for the first time, actors Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh delivered legendary performances in the 1951 film adaptation of Tennessee Williams’s play. Leigh captivates as the fragile former Southern belle Blanche on a collision course with everyone around her, but it’s Brando who dominates the film in what’s still considered one of the most indelible portrayals of a character in film history. 

Like a box of chocolates

The musical equivalent of a Whitman’s Sampler, acltv.com, the website of Austin City Limits, is a treasure-trove of live music. Select the “watch” button at the top of the home page and you can choose from an inviting array of individual songs or full performances from world-class guests such as Coldplay, Florence and the Machine, Wilco, Arcade Fire, rock icons Cheap Trick, singer/composer Randy Newman, the irresistible Fleet Foxes, and dozens more. All are recorded live in the friendly confines of Austin’s state-of-the-art Moody Theatre.

Subway sleeper car

The Guggenheim Museum’s two-year stillspotting nyc project transforms bustling urban areas of New York City into public spaces of stillness and quiet. As part of the project, the group Improv Everywhere recently set up three beds on the subway to create a “sleeper car,” with a “conductor” encouraging late-night commuters to take a quick nap. Willing participants put on sleep masks and asked to be waked up at their stops. Check out the video at http://bit.ly/sleepercar.

A classic anniversary

Dubbed one of the Top 100 TV shows of all time, the “Masterpiece Theater” miniseries I, Claudius, starring Derek Jacobi in his career-defining role, is out in a special 35th anniversary edition, packed with bonus material. John Hurt and Patrick Stewart are also part of the cast of luminaries in this epic tale of debauchery, deceit, and intrigue.

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