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Fresh Air's music critic Ken Tucker's picks for the best music of 2009 include songs by Taylor Swift, Billy Currington and Michael Franti as well as albums by Loudon Wainwright III, the Fiery Furnaces, and Bob Dylan.

Downloading popular songs to use as personal cell phone ring tones has turned into a $3 billion global industry. A growing revenue stream for songwriters and publishers, ring tones are now outselling digital downloads of music. NPR's Michele Norris talks to Geoff Mayfield, the director of charts for Billboard Magazine, which has just launched a "Hot Ringtones" chart.

In the best picture category, "Birdman" was joined by "St. Vincent," "Grand Budapest Hotel," "Into the Woods" and "Pride."

Seven Democrats are still in the running for the party's presidential nomination, and they'll be competing in seven different state contests Tuesday. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts leads in many polls after early victories in the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep and NPR's Adam Hochberg.

New York Times Executive Editor Howell Raines and Managing Editor Gerald Boyd step down in the wake of a scandal involving former reporter Jayson Blair. Raines and Boyd faced intense criticism after Blair was accused of various ethical transgressions during his four years at The Times. Hear Jack Schaffer of Slate magazine.

Rep. Porter Goss, President Bush's nominee for CIA director, faces tough questioning from Senate Democrats at his confirmation hearings. Responding to multiple accusations that he used intelligence politically, Goss pledged to provide non-partisan intelligence. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly reports.

For the first time since the Vietnam War, the U.S. electorate is more concerned about foreign affairs and national security than the economy. That's the conclusion of polling data released this week by the Pew Center for the People and the Press. NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Andrew Kohut, Director of the Pew Center.

Reading shouldn't be work; it should be pleasure, even as it teaches us something about ourselves, or about the world of history and time.

The nation used Twitter to mark the second inauguration of President Obama and to get information on the Boston Marathon bombing. But the year's most retweeted tweet was about the sudden death of a TV star.

Hear the singer discuss her new album, Master of My Make Believe, and describe her attempts to "broaden the lane" of what constitutes pop music.