Pop Culture

Esports Posts Its First $1 Billion Year

4:25pm January 08, 2020

Esports — competitive video gaming — raked in more than $1 billion globally in 2019, according to analytics company Newzoo. Remer Rietkerk, Newzoo's head of esports, speaks with NPR's Ari Shapiro.

The Navarro College team competes at the national championships.

Arts

'Cheer' Is An Incisive Look At Injury, Coaching And Competition

5:00am January 08, 2020

by Linda Holmes

The Netflix series Cheer may not be quite as cleanly inspirational as it intends to be, but it tells a gripping story of a coach who knows her team will give until it hurts if she tells them to.

Hollywood Awards Season Kicks Off With Golden Globes

4:59pm January 06, 2020

by Eric Deggans

The 77th Golden Globe Awards were held in Beverly Hills, Calif. Sunday night. Stars of screens big and small were on hand.

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Sam Mendes accepts the award for best drama movie for 1917 at the Golden Globes on Sunday night.

Arts

'1917' Wins At The Golden Globes, Before Most People Can Even See It

10:34am January 06, 2020

by Linda Holmes

Sam Mendes' war epic 1917 won't be in theaters until Friday, but it's already won the big Golden Globe. Once Upon A Time In ... Hollywood, Fleabag, Succession and Tom Hanks also had big nights.

Harvey Weinstein (center) leaves a bail hearing last month in New York City. The former Hollywood megaproducer has been accused of sexual misconduct by dozens of women. He now faces five charges in New York City.

Arts

Harvey Weinstein Heads To Trial For Sex Crimes In A #MeToo Landmark

7:37am January 06, 2020

It's the first criminal trial for Weinstein, whose alleged misconduct helped set off a movement. Now, the former producer faces five charges that may land him a long prison sentence in New York.

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Arts

Rachel Syme On 'Perfume Genie'

7:59am January 05, 2020

Sarah McCammon talks to writer and critic Rachel Syme about her Twitter feed feature, "Perfume Genie," in which she recommends perfumes to readers who describe what they want 2020 to smell like.

Books
Arts

T.S. Eliot's Love Letters Unsealed

8:11am January 04, 2020

NPR's Leila Fadel talks to scholar Frances Dickey of the University of Missouri about the trove of love letters T.S. Eliot wrote to a woman he called his "muse." The letters were unsealed this week.

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Arts

Marvel Cinematic Universe To Get First Trans Character

5:54pm January 02, 2020

by Matthew S. Schwartz

The movie is shooting "right now," Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said at the New York Film Academy. Marvel's goal, Feige says, is to "represent the world."

Why Some Men Have Hesitations About Going To See 'Little Women'

4:29pm January 02, 2020

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Monica Hesse of The Washington Post, about male audiences hesitating to view Little Women.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge breaking the fourth wall in Fleabag is among the great things of this year.

Books
Arts

50 Wonderful Things From 2019

5:43pm December 31, 2019

by Linda Holmes

From J.Lo to Keanu, baseball GIFs to Phoebe Waller-Bridge's masterpiece, here are 50 great cultural moments — from TV, movies, theater, books, podcasts and more — from the year that was.