Pop Culture

Arts

'The Good Fight' Offers Edgier Version of 'The Good Wife' In Series Debut

6:51pm February 19, 2017

by Eric Deggans

The Good Fight is a spinoff of CBS's award-winning drama, The Good Wife. It brings back star Christine Baranski, whose character's savings were wiped out in a financial scam.

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This Week In Race: Walls, ID Laws And Getting Typecast

3:49pm February 17, 2017

by Gene Demby

How the border wall might keep undocumented migrants in the country; a study measures the effects of voter ID laws on minority turnout; and what Bey's Grammy snubs illustrate about race and merit.

Arts

New Dramas 'Good Fight' And 'Big Little Lies' Make A Case For Subscription TV

12:48pm February 17, 2017

by David Bianculli

TV critic David Bianculli reviews two shows premiering this weekend: HBO's miniseries, Big Little Lies, and CBS's The Good Fight, which will be relocating to the network's subscription streaming site.

A red-eyed tree frog found in the jungle in Costa Rica.

Arts

Nature's Ready For Her Close-Up: 'Planet Earth II' Returns In Ultra High-Def

9:41am February 17, 2017

by Will Huntsberry

The original BBC series was one of the first blockbuster high-definition TV shows. A decade later, drones and light-weight steady cams give viewers a front-row view of nature's majesty and fragility.

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Syd Barrett (Rachel Keller) and David Haller (Dan Stevens) in the FX series Legion.

Arts

Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'Legion' And 'Planet Earth 2'

9:30am February 17, 2017

by Linda Holmes

On this week's show, TV critic Alan Sepinwall joins the table to talk about two new shows: FX's 'Legion' and the follow-up to the BBC's beloved 'Planet Earth.'

Hasbro has announced that the thimble will no longer be a part of Monopoly. The thimble is very sad, according to an interview we imagined.

Arts

Do Not Pass Go: Interview With The Monopoly Thimble

11:46am February 16, 2017

by Linda Holmes

Monopoly is dumping one of its traditional game pieces: the thimble. We reached the thimble for a completely imaginary conversation about obsolescence.

Galifianakis' character, Chip Baskets, has moved back home to Bakersfield, Calif., after dropping out of clown school.

Arts

Zach Galifianakis Says 'Baskets' Isn't For Everyone, 'And That Was The Point'

5:22am February 16, 2017

by NPR Staff

The comic plays a clown school dropout who finds work with a rodeo. He describes the show as "a weird mix" of drama and comedy. "It's an acquired taste," he says.

Music & Culture

Misadventures In Tuning In: Considering The Limits Of Music, LSD And Science

10:55pm February 15, 2017

by August Kleinzahler

The poet August Kleinzahler considers some recent studies on LSD's effect on music listening and remains ... unconvinced.

Beyoncé performs onstage during the 59th Grammy Awards at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Beyoncé Is Not The Magical Negro Mammy

8:55pm February 15, 2017

by Denene Millner

Just imagine Beyoncé, one of the world's most celebrated, recognized and highest-paid stars, being asked to "mother" Adele and Faith Hill. Not happening.

Adele performs onstage during the Grammy Awards on February 12, 2017.

The First #BoycottAdele Wasn't Over A Grammy, But On How To Make Tea

8:42pm February 14, 2017

by Nina Martyris

Calls for a boycott are not new for Adele. And now, embroiled in the politics of both left and right, she will likely think longingly back to her first, uncomplicated boycott — about her tea-making.