Pop Culture

Merritt Wever and Toni Collette play two detectives investigating a series of sexual assaults in the Netflix show Unbelievable.

Books

A Critic Returns To The Books, TV, Music And Movies He Didn't Get To In 2019

1:33pm December 23, 2019

by John Powers

Few things haunt a critic more than loving something and not being able to share it. This year, Fresh Air critic John Powers circles back to Unbelievable, Atlantics, Where the Light Falls and more.

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Eddie Murphy Returns To Host SNL

5:14pm December 22, 2019

by Eric Deggans

Comedian Eddie Murphy returned to host Saturday Night Live last night. He also has a new movie out that's getting Oscar buzz, and an upcoming Netflix stand-up special.

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In a year of gloom and doom, disasters and disease, these are the sweet online moments from around the world that brightened up our days this year. Left to right: an aspiring singer in the Philippines; scrunchie cat; Venezuelan cooking lessons.

Scrunchie Cat And Friends: Global Social Media Moments We Loved In 2019

7:00am December 21, 2019

by Isabella Gomez Sarmiento

They're sweet. And funny! And weird! Here's a sampling of viral videos, tweets and TikToks from around the world.

Arts

Why Author J.K. Rowling Is Facing Backlash From LGBTQ Activists

6:10pm December 20, 2019

by Andrew Limbong

Author J.K. Rowling, known best for the Harry Potter series, is facing criticism over her support for a researcher who says there's no such thing as a transgender person.

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Comedian Margaret Cho is currently on a stand-up tour called Fresh Off the Bloat.

Arts

Comedian Margaret Cho: 'I Invented The Cancellation'

5:13pm December 20, 2019

by Audie Cornish

Loud and unapologetic, and a trailblazer on race and sexuality, the stand-up comic discussed "cancel culture," Asian American comedy and her short-lived sitcom All-American Girl.

The Significance Of The Air Jordan Retro 11 'Breds'

4:42pm December 20, 2019

The Air Jordan Retro 11 'Breds' were rereleased for the 5th time last Saturday. Michael Sykes from USA Today illuminates just how significant the shoe's release is and its cultural capital.

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Science

Miss America's Talent: Science

7:10am December 20, 2019

Miss Virginia won the Miss America 2020 crown Thursday after impressing the crowd with her talent. She performed the show's first science experiment on stage as the talent portion of the pageant.

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In Tom Hooper's adaption of the musical Cats, Ian McKellan stars as Gus, one of the jarring Jellicle cats.

Arts

'Cats': Spay It

5:00pm December 19, 2019

by Scott Tobias

'The fundamental wrongness ... never dissipates," says critic Scott Tobias.

Karim Aïnouz's Invisible Life stars Julia Stockler and Carol Duarte as two sisters separated in 1950's Rio de Janeiro.

Arts

Two Sisters, Separated By Hardship, Long To Reconnect In 'Invisible Life'

5:00pm December 19, 2019

by Ella Taylor

In this unabashedly melodramatic, "intermittently gratifying" tale, two sisters in 1950s Rio de Janeiro follow their separate dreams, not knowing they live close to one another.

Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), Poe (Oscar Isaac), Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Finn (John Boyega) take on the enemy one last time in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Arts

'The Rise Of Skywalker' Makes For An Exciting, Exhaustive, Effortful Ending

9:39am December 18, 2019

by Glen Weldon

The final chapter in "The Skywalker Saga" returns J.J. Abrams to the director's chair, and the result, while overstuffed with characters and plot, delivers on space-operatic action.