Arts & Life

Jeff Ross (right) roasts TV analyst and former NFL quarterback Terry Bradshaw at the ESPN Super Bowl Roast in January 2015 in Phoenix, Ariz.

Arts

Having Thick Skin Is A 'Survival Technique,' Says Comic Jeff Ross

6:28pm September 13, 2016

Ross says he learned to "dish it out and take it" as a kid in Newark, N.J. He says that ideally a celebrity roast is "like a party where everybody goes and has a good time."

Queue Listen Now

Protesters Rush Stage After Ryan Lochte's 'Dancing With The Stars' Routine

4:30pm September 13, 2016

NPR's Audie Cornish talks to Slate senior editor Laura Bennett about Dancing with the Stars, which is now in its 23rd season. On Monday night's show, two protesters rushed the stage following a dance performance by athlete Ryan Lochte.

Arts

'Great British Bake Off' Hosts Quit As Reality Competition Show Leaves BBC

4:30pm September 13, 2016

Controversy is rising over distribution and host changes at the U.K. television show, The Great British Bake Off, which is known in the U.S. as The Great British Baking Show. The competition show is moving from the BBC to Channel 4, and hosts Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc have said they will be leaving the show.

By the Power of Grayscale: Zorn (voiced by Jason Sudeikis) waits for his delicates in FOX's Son of Zorn.

Arts

'Son Of Zorn,' 'The Last Man On Earth' And Ditching Sitcom Normalcy

12:54pm September 13, 2016

by Linda Holmes

Both the new Fox comedy Son of Zorn and the returning The Last Man on Earth buck conventional sitcom tropes to build worlds where the humor is broader and the concepts higher.

Natalie Portman is Jackie Kennedy in the biopic Jackie.

Arts

TIFF Diary, Day 5: 'The Promise,' 'La La Land' And 'Jackie'

10:25am September 13, 2016

by Linda Holmes

On Day 5 of the Toronto International Film Festival, Linda Holmes reviews a romance set amid the Armenian genocide, a musical about Hollywood, and a Jackie Kennedy biopic.

Children of the New World, by Alexander Weinstein

Books
Arts

'Children Of The New World' Aims A Cautious Eye At Our Technological Future

7:00am September 13, 2016

by Jason Heller

Alexander Weinstein's debut story collection is a harrowing vision of the near future as a place of both technological wonder and dysfunction — and a nuanced look at where humanity might be headed.

Arts

Most Of This Year's Emmys Have Already Been Handed Out: Some Highlights

8:19pm September 12, 2016

by Glen Weldon

Last Saturday and Sunday, the 2016 Creative Arts Emmys — 91 of them — were handed out in Los Angeles. We review some notable winners.

Books
Arts

'Weapons Of Math Destruction' Outlines Dangers Of Relying On Data Analytics

6:18pm September 12, 2016

NPR's Kelly McEvers talks with data scientist Cathy O'Neil about her new book, Weapons of Math Destruction, which describes the dangers of relying on big data analytics to solve problems.

Queue Listen Now

Feline behavior specialist Sarah Ellis says that contrary to conventional wisdom, cats are more trainable than many people assume.

Who Says You Can't Train A Cat? A Book Of Tips For Feline-Human Harmony

5:50pm September 12, 2016

In The Trainable Cat, feline behavior specialist Sarah Ellis explains how you can train your kitty to come on command, take medicine and stop waking you up in the middle of the night.

Queue Listen Now

How An Architect Used Striking Design To Capture New Smithsonian's Meaning

5:09pm September 12, 2016

by Ari Shapiro

As the Smithsonian prepares to open its National Museum of African American History and Culture in a couple weeks, NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with the museum's architect, David Adjaye.

Queue Listen Now