Pop Culture

Hank Azaria as sportscaster Jim Brockmire — a character he says has been in his head for decades.

Sports
Arts

Hank Azaria Says 'Brockmire' Has Been With Him For Years

8:04am May 13, 2017

by Scott Simon

Azaria stars in the new IFC show of the same name, about a baseball announcer slowly rebuilding his life and career in the minor leagues after a spectacular on-air meltdown over his wife's infidelity.

Aziz Ansari co-created and stars in Netflix's Master Of None, which just released its second season.

Arts

'Master Of None' Is Even Better In Season 2

11:47am May 12, 2017

by Linda Holmes

Master Of None, which was nominated for four Emmy Awards in its first season, is back with a second, and it's better and more thoughtful than before.

The cast of "Miss Saigon" takes part in the curtain call on opening night at the Broadway Theatre on March 23, 2017 in New York City.

This Week In Race: Census Worries, Yellowface And Kendall Jenner. Again.

8:48am May 12, 2017

by Karen Grigsby Bates

In this edition: posers, pretenders and passers.

Offred (Elisabeth Moss) in the Hulu series The Handmaid's Tale.

Arts

Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'Handmaid's Tale' And A New Comedy

5:00am May 12, 2017

by Linda Holmes

The panel talks about the harrowing TV adaptation of Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel, then switches gears to check in on the NBC comedy Great News, from – among others – executive producer Tina Fey.

Creators of Magic: The Gathering say 20 million people worldwide play the card-trading game.

Why Do Children Love Those Fad Toys So?

4:58pm May 10, 2017

by Emily Sohn

Today it's fidget spinners, but soon it will be another little gizmo that children dearly, desperately want. The complicated social dynamics of childhood are one big reason.

Kathryn Hahn and Griffin Dunn play a married couple on the new Amazon series I Love Dick.

Arts

'Transparent' Creator Jill Soloway Seeks To Upend Television With 'I Love Dick'

1:45pm May 10, 2017

by Terry Gross

I Love Dick tackles themes of gender, sexual obsession and artistic insecurity, all through a humorous lens. "Transparent was my origin story," Soloway says. "This is my story about finding my voice."

Queue Listen Now

Kenya Barris is the executive producer of the family comedy Blackish and Shahidi plays Zoe, the eldest daughter in the Johnson family. There are hopes for a spin-off starring Shahidi's character going off to college. Meanwhile, Barris is piloting a few ot

Arts

Talking Black-ish With Star Yara Shahidi And Creator Kenya Barris

10:12am May 09, 2017

by NPR Staff

Shereen Marisol Meraji and Gene Demby chat it up with Kenya Barris and Yara Shahidi — the creator and star of ABC's Black-ish.

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Before landing her first film role, Gabourey Sidibe struggled to find work. "This is my path, and I'm really grateful that I'm on it," she says of acting.

Books
Arts

Actress Gabourey Sidibe On Anxiety, Phone Sex And Life After 'Precious'

3:21pm May 08, 2017

by Terry Gross

As a young woman, Sidibe struggled to find work before landing the film role that would change her life. "This is my path, and I'm really grateful that I'm on it," Sidibe says of her acting career.

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The Muslim "identity matrix" reduces and commercializes at the same time.

I Am Not Your Muslim

4:36am May 06, 2017

by Nesrine Malik

An "identity matrix" is a trap that presents itself as the answer to broad-brush generalizations about Muslims as terrorists or radicals, but actually ends up being similarly simplistic.

A video of a dancing Pikachu getting tackled by men in suits in Songdo, South Korea went viral on Friday.

Music & Culture

WATCH: Deflating Pikachu Gets Tackled, Hustled Off Stage By Suited Men

9:26pm May 05, 2017

by Laurel Wamsley

A video from the Pokémon World Festival near Seoul shows 15 Pikachu dancing to Hairspray when the ringleader's costume starts deflating. Then a group of men forcefully spirit the dancer away.