culture

'My Unsung Hero': The woman who helped a kid deserted in an airport during a layover

4:42pm April 11, 2022

My Unsung Hero is a new series from the Hidden Brain team about people whose kindness left a lasting impression on someone else. When Wendy McDowell was age 8, she was left stranded at an airport.

Epic, the creator of Fortnite, is getting investments of $1 billion each from Sony and the company that makes Lego.

Arts

Sony and Lego are investing $2 billion in Epic Games, creator of Fortnite

4:37pm April 11, 2022

by Elizabeth Blair

Fortnite is one of the world's most popular video games. The investment "will accelerate our work to build the metaverse," Epic's CEO said.

Molly Shannon, shown here in 2021, co-stars I Love That for You, a Showtime comedy series about shopping channel hosts.

Books
Arts

How 'SNL' alum Molly Shannon found profound healing after childhood tragedy

1:45pm April 11, 2022

by Terry Gross

Shannon's new memoir, Hello, Molly! opens with the car crash that killed her mother and sister when Shannon was 4. She says, for a long time, she was motivated by a desire to make her mom proud.

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Jerrod Carmichael in his new HBO standup special, Rothaniel.

Arts

The tension between fear and relief in Jerrod Carmichael's new special, 'Rothaniel'

5:00am April 11, 2022

by Aisha Harris

In his new HBO special, Carmichael comes out — working through both joy and despair on stage.

Arts

War in Ukraine shapes writings of Romanian poet

6:32pm April 10, 2022

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Romanian poet Claudiu Komartin. "We might have to invent some new words because of the atrocities," he says.

Michelle Yeoh (center) plays Evelyn Wang, a Chinese immigrant who owns a failing laundromat. She protects her daughter Joy (left), played by Stephanie Hsu, and her husband Waymond (right), played by Ke Huy Quan.

Arts

Michelle Yeoh has a new leading role and a new motto: No more turning the other cheek

12:23pm April 10, 2022

Michelle Yeoh has been a star for decades, but she finally gets her turn at a lead role in Hollywood, playing failing laundromat owner Evelyn Wang in Everything Everywhere All At Once.

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Arts

What's caught our attention so far for #NPRPoetry

4:54pm April 09, 2022

Every April, for National Poetry Month, we ask listeners to submit poems via Twitter and TikTok. We share a few submissions that caught our attention.

Charithra Chandran is cast as Edwina Sharma, who comes to England where her mom and half-sister in search of love and marriage.

Two Indian half-sisters are the talk of 'Bridgerton' — and of modern-day India, too

2:39pm April 09, 2022

by kamala thiagarajan

Kate and Edwina Sharma are having quite an impact on 19th century English society — and 21st century India. Their role in the Netflix show has sparked talk of colorism, colonialism and women's rights.

Actors Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck arrive for a special screening of the film Marry Me at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles on Friday.

Arts

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are engaged — again

1:40pm April 09, 2022

by Emma Bowman

The celebrity couple are giving commitment another chance after rekindling their romance last year. Lopez shared the news in a video message in her newsletter.

Graciela Iturbide's work is on display at the Cartier Foundation in Paris through May.

A Paris exhibit looks back on the photographs of Graciela Iturbide

10:22am April 09, 2022

by Eleanor Beardsley

Mexican photographer Graciela Iturbide has won international renown for her portraits of indigenous and marginalized peoples across the globe.

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