Pop Culture

Dwayne Johnson stars as Hobbs in The Fate of the Furious.

Arts

Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'Fate Of The Furious' Plus Clapbacks And Feuds

9:42am April 21, 2017

by Linda Holmes

This week's show combines a chat about The Fate Of The Furious that we had with Gene Demby and Chris Klimek and a discussion of clapbacks and feuds from our Chicago live show, led off by Sam Sanders.

Young Muslims find a middle ground for fostering romantic relationships between what is permissible and what is forbidden.

How Young Muslims Define "Halal Dating" For Themselves

6:54pm April 20, 2017

by Neha Rashid

Young Muslims find a middle ground for fostering romantic relationships between what is permissible and what is forbidden.

The 30-Year Music Legacy Of 'The Simpsons'

6:11pm April 20, 2017

The Simpsons has won tons of TV awards in its 30-year run. But the sitcom's music has had its share of success on the Billboard charts, too.

Queue Listen Now

TV Movie Review: 'The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks'

6:37am April 20, 2017

by Eric Deggans

In the HBO movie, Oprah Winfrey stars as the daughter of Henrietta Lacks who, with help from a reporter, finds out that her mother's cells are being used as the basis for medical research.

Queue Listen Now

A galley proof shows some of the work that went into adding "ginormous" to Merriam-Webster's 2007 collegiate dictionary.

Books
Arts

From 'F-Bomb' To 'Photobomb,' How The Dictionary Keeps Up With English

2:44pm April 19, 2017

by Terry Gross

For a new word to enter the dictionary, it must meet three criteria: widespread use, sustained use and meaningful use. Merriam-Webster lexicographer Kory Stamper explains the process in Word by Word.

Queue Listen Now

Carrie Coon plays Gloria Burgle in the third season of the series Fargo, which premiers on FX Wednesday.

Arts

'Fargo' And Bill Nye Make Promising Returns To The Small Screen

1:40pm April 19, 2017

by David Bianculli

A botched theft leads to murder in Fargo's third season, and Bill Nye offers up science for adults in his new Netflix series. TV critic David Bianculli reviews both.

Queue Listen Now

Before Bart, Homer and Marge had their own show, The Simpsons looked a bit different and were segments that were played between The Tracey Ullman Show and commercial breaks.

Arts

30 Years Later, 'The Simpsons' Are A Part Of The American Family

9:54am April 19, 2017

For 30 years Bart, Marge, Homer, Lisa, Maggie and the other citizens of Springfield have entertained people around the world. The Simpsons also created a path for many other animated sitcoms.

Queue Listen Now

Michelle Wilson and Johanna Day star in Sweat, the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Lynn Nottage.

Arts

Hey You, Prestige Television Fan: Here's Why You Should See A New Play

12:32pm April 18, 2017

by Linda Holmes

While musicals have good pop-culture presence in many cases, plays tend not to. But in an environment that has embraced idiosyncratic and complicated TV, there's no better time to change that.

Books
Arts

'The Epitome Of New York Cool': Letterman Biographer On Late Night Icon

10:31pm April 17, 2017

David Letterman, one of the most famous people in America, is an enigma. Jason Zinoman's new book, Letterman: The Last Giant of Late Night, looks at the late night talk show host's long career and the impact it still has on broadcasting today.

Queue Listen Now

Gary (Tony Hale) and Selina (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) are still together as Veep begins its sixth season.

Arts

'Veep' Reinvents Itself In The Shape Of A New Humiliation

10:20am April 17, 2017

by Linda Holmes

Selina Meyer dreamed of being president. Then she was. Now she isn't. With that shift, Veep finds itself, in many ways, back where it began.