Arts & Life

Mild-mannered teacher by day, masked superhero by night, the Burka Avenger fights corruption and oppression, and aims to empower the girls of Pakistan.

Lady In Black: 'Burka Avenger' Fights For Pakistan's Girls

6:05pm July 31, 2013

by NPR Staff

Burka Avenger is a new Pakistani kids' show about a mild-mannered teacher who moonlights as a burqa-clad superhero. The show aims to empower and educate children, especially young girls — but has drawn criticism from feminists for its use of the burqa.

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Anglers fish off Galata Bridge in Istanbul in 2011. The bridge is within site of the modest waterside restaurant Akin Balik.

Catch Of The Day, Grilled The Turkish Way

10:17pm July 30, 2013

by Peter Kenyon

The fishermen are out in all weather in Turkey's Bosphorus Strait. So there's no question that the fish is fresh, as area chefs carry on the tradition of the ancient Greeks, Romans and Ottomans in putting fish to the fire.

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Pioneering 'Masters Of Sex' Brought Science To The Bedroom

4:40pm July 30, 2013

William Masters and Virginia Johnson became famous in the 1960s for their research into the physiology of human sexuality. In Masters of Sex, biographer Thomas Maier explores the duo's research methods, which for years remained shrouded in secrecy.

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Books
Arts

With 'Arrangements' And 'The Rest,' Two Debut Novelists Arrive

3:41pm July 30, 2013

by Maureen Corrigan

Maggie Shipstead mocks the pretensions of New England WASPs, while Jessica Lott executes unexpected riffs on the student-professor relationship plot. Critic Maureen Corrigan reviews two stellar fiction newcomers.

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Havana Marking's documentary Smash and Grab depicts members of the Pink Panthers, an international ring of jewel thieves.

Arts

'Smash & Grab': How Pink Panthers Stole Millions In Jewels

12:21pm July 30, 2013

by Christopher Werth

Havana Marking's new documentary focuses on professional thieves who've targeted high-end jewelry shops across Europe, the Middle East and Asia for a decade. According to Interpol, the Pink Panthers have stolen nearly a half a billion dollars worth of jewels over roughly 500 robberies.

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In Season 2 of The Newsroom, Jim Harper (John Gallagher Jr.) goes on the 2012 campaign trail.

Arts

John Gallagher Jr. On 'Newsroom' Dialogue And Staging Green Day

2:28pm July 29, 2013

In addition to playing a cable news producer on Aaron Sorkin's HBO drama, Gallagher is a Tony Award-winning Broadway performer. He tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross about starring in a punk rock musical and rehearsing Sorkin's Newsroom scripts.

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The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis is the first in a straight line of teen comedies from the teen point of view. It starred Dwayne Hickman (right) as Dobie and Bob Denver as his best friend, Maynard.

Arts

This Summer, Vintage TV Shows Thrive On DVD

2:27pm July 29, 2013

by David Bianculli

The stack of recent DVD releases of old TV series keeps getting higher. Fresh Air critic David Bianculli picks four that he believes are the TV equivalent of a fun summer read.

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Arts

'Snacks On A Plane' And Other #dullermovies

12:01pm July 29, 2013

by NPR Staff

Twitter users are coming up with some must-not-see film titles like Ferris Bueller Goes to School and I Speculate On What You Did Last Summer. We share a handful of our favorites and invite you to share your own.

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John Oliver is filling in as the summer guest host of The Daily Show. His own stand-up show on Comedy Central is returning for a fourth season.

Arts

John Oliver Steps Into 'Adult Clown Shoes' On 'The Daily Show'

12:01pm July 29, 2013

by NPR Staff

Comedian John Oliver is guest-hosting The Daily Show this summer while Jon Stewart is away directing a movie. He says filling in for Stewart is "a pretty weird experience."

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Michael Paterniti is also the author of Driving Mr. Albert: A Trip Across America with Einstein's Brain.

Books
Arts

A Touching, 'Telling' Book About Cheese

6:24pm July 28, 2013

by Rosecrans Baldwin

Colonel Mustard, in the ballroom, with the ... Gouda? You may not expect a wheel of cheese to be at the center of a devious plot, but Michael Paterniti's The Telling Room manages to do just that.

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