Pop Culture

Arts

'Judge Parker' Comic Strip Writer Explores Realities Of Prison Life

9:32pm September 07, 2019

NPR's Michel Martin speaks to the writer of the comic strip "Judge Parker," Francesco Marciuliano, about highlighting criminal justice issues in his story lines.

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Tiffany Chu stars as Kasie in Ms. Purple, an indie drama about a Korean American family from director Justin Chon.

Arts

In The Moody 'Ms. Purple': A Karaoke Hostess Lives In The Silence Between Notes

5:00pm September 05, 2019

by Andee Tagle

Justin Chon's third feature, about a karaoke hostess forced to deal with her estranged brother while her father is dying, possesses an "emotional impact [that] is loudest in its quiet moments."

Bill Skarsgård (right) is back as Pennywise to torment the town of Derry one final time...probably.

Arts

We All Float Down Here, But 'It Chapter Two' Treads Water

5:00pm September 05, 2019

by Scott Tobias

Despite a stellar cast, the back half of Andy Muschietti's adaptation of King's novel gets bogged down by lugubrious pacing and exhausts the audience.

Directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman tell the story of the "rock queen" using her own words.

Documentary 'Linda Ronstadt: The Sound Of My Voice' Plays It Safe — And Warm

5:00pm September 05, 2019

by Ren Jender

This tender, charming documentary of the chart-topping singer looks back on her career with (Love Is A) Rose-colored glasses.

In The Spy, based on the true story of Israeli agent Eli Cohen, comic actor Sacha Baron Cohen takes on a serious role, playing the title character.

Arts

Sacha Baron Cohen Goes Undercover Again — But Not For Laughs

5:02am September 05, 2019

In the new Netflix series The Spy, the comic master of disguises portrays an Israeli intelligence agent who embeds in Syria during the early 1960s. It's based on the true story of Eli Cohen.

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L to R: Detective Blanc (Daniel Craig), Lieutenant Elliott (LaKieth Stanfield) and Trooper Wagner (Noah Segan) are on the case in Rian Johnson's Knives Out.

Arts

Toronto International Film Festival 2019 Preview: The Films We're Most Excited About

5:00am September 04, 2019

The NPR Movies Team picks the 12 films they're most looking forward to seeing — movies that will likely end up in theaters or on streaming services sometime in the next few months.

Farmers Anil Geela, left, and Pilli Tirupati do their version of the Kiki Challenge, dancing to Drake's song "In My Feelings." In the mud. With oxen.

Whatever Happened To ... The Farmers Who Danced In The Mud For The 'Kiki Challenge'?

7:00am September 01, 2019

by Kamala Thiagarajan

Last summer, they danced to Drake's "In My Feelings" in a rice paddy and racked up a million page views. Here's what the farmers — and the vlogger behind it — have been up to since then.

In her memoir, I, Rhoda, Harper (pictured here in 2013) writes that she was "determined to define [Rhoda's] style" and help soften her sharp edge.

Arts

Valerie Harper, Who Played Beloved TV Sidekick Rhoda, Dies At 80

11:06am August 31, 2019

by Elizabeth Blair

Harper's Mary Tyler Moore Show character was the perfect foil for the sitcom's buttoned-up protagonist. "Rhoda had this wonderful quality of saying the unsayable," Harper told NPR in 2010.

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In video games, you can be anyone you want to be.

Arts

Should Your Avatar's Skin Match Yours?

10:04am August 31, 2019

by Jess Kung

In a video game, you can try on different identities. But the rules of the real world don't always translate to the fantasy world.

Aparna Nancherla, who has now performed comedy specials for Netflix and Comedy Central (seen here), says an episode of depression led her to attempt stand-up comedy for the first time while in college.

Arts

Aparna Nancherla: 'I'm Still Shy,' Even As A Stand-Up Star

6:46pm August 30, 2019

by Audie Cornish

A comedian who has often found the laughs in anxiety, she reflects on her start in stand-up, being a shy kid and her experience in television writers' rooms in a public conversation.

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