Pop Culture

Seth Rogen stars alongside ... well, Seth Rogen, in the HBO Max movie An American Pickle.

Arts

Seth Rogen Finds Himself (Twice) In 'An American Pickle'

7:00am August 04, 2020

by Linda Holmes

In a new film streaming on HBO Max, Rogen plays both a Polish immigrant who wakes up 100 years after falling into a pickle barrel and the great-grandson into whose modern life he emerges.

Author Michelle McNamara, in the HBO documentary series based on her book.

Arts

'I'll Be Gone In The Dark' Sheds Light On Both Justice And Its Pursuers

10:11am August 03, 2020

by Linda Holmes

By the end of the HBO docuseries, you may not know much more about the case writer Michelle McNamara pursued until her death. But you will know more about the price of that pursuit.

A quarantine seance performed over Zoom goes awry in the new horror movie 'Host,' streaming now on Shudder.

Arts

New 'Quar-Horror' Films Show Staying At Home Is Scary Too

6:13am August 03, 2020

by Neda Ulaby

This year feels like a horror movie, and a select group of filmmakers have taken the pandemic as inspiration. "Quar-horror" ranges from homemade shorts on YouTube to a movie filmed entirely on Zoom.

Actor Wilford Brimley attends the premiere of Did You Hear About the Morgans? in New York City on December 14, 2009 Brimley passed away on August 1, 2020 at 85.

Arts

'Cocoon' Actor Wilford Brimley Dies At 85

1:05pm August 02, 2020

by Suzanne Nuyen

The actor, who became an Internet sensation for his pronunciation of "diabetes" in a Liberty Medical ad, died Saturday morning at a Utah hospital.

Arts

Kermit And The Gang Return In New Disney+ Show, 'Muppets Now'

8:03am August 02, 2020

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks to Kermit the Frog (YES! Kermit!) about his new Disney Plus show, Muppets Now.

(L-R): Charlotte Caffey, Gina Schock, Belinda Carlisle, Kathy Valentine and Jane Wiedlin perform in 1981.

Showtime's 'The Go-Go's' Documentary Breaks The Seal

6:04am July 31, 2020

by Glen Weldon

A new documentary chronicling the formation, rise and break-up of the iconic group hits all the familiar Behind the Music beats, but does so with a bracing, clear-eyed candor.

Players compete in a Magic: The Gathering tournament at Hasbro's HASCON in 2017.

Arts

In The Pandemic Era, This 'Gathering' Has Lost Some Of Its Magic

7:00am July 30, 2020

by Keller Gordon

Magic: The Gathering is a popular collectible card game that's been around for years. But it can be an expensive hobby, and it thrives on in-person play. The pandemic has knocked players for a loop.

For the first time this year, Candidate Barbie comes with a whole campaign team

An Oral History Of How Barbie Lost The Presidency Yet Again

6:18am July 30, 2020

by Danielle Kurtzleben

Mattel has released iterations of presidential Barbie since 1992, and this year she has a whole campaign team. In an exclusive interview, those women discuss why Barbie has never won the White House.

HBO's eerily prescient Watchmen received 26 Emmy nominations on Tuesday, more than any other program.

Arts

The 6 Things To Know About The Emmy Nominations

7:36pm July 28, 2020

by Linda Holmes

Netflix scores big, Watchmen gets the love it deserves, and other notes on Tuesday's Emmy nominations in this unusual season.

Taylor Swift's eighth album, Folklore, was surprise-released Friday. The record features production by The National's Aaron Dessner and a new set of songwriting tools.

Music & Culture

Let's Talk About Taylor Swift's 'Folklore'

4:26pm July 28, 2020

Three critics dive into a new album full of surprises — released on a day's notice, co-produced by The National's Aaron Dessner — and ask how it fits into an arguably unprecedented career.