Pop Culture

Sports

TV Review: HBO's 'Any Given Wednesday'

7:28am June 23, 2016

by Eric Deggans

HBO launched a weekly talk show with former ESPN star Bill Simmons. Considered one of the top sports commentators, Simmons crafted a show that melds pop culture, sports talk and celebrity interviews.

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Tony Hale plays Gary Walsh, the personal assistant to Selina Meyer, on the HBO series, Veep.

Arts

'There's A Reason Why I Play Anxious Characters,' Says 'Veep' Actor Tony Hale

6:05pm June 22, 2016

Hale played Buster on Arrested Development and is Gary Walsh on the HBO series Veep. "It comes from a lot of personal anxiety," Hale says. "It's really fun to bring that into the characters."

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(Left) Hudson Yang in ABC's Fresh Off the Boat. (Center) Critic Jeff Yang. (Right) Margaret Cho in ABC's All American Girl.

Arts

On The Podcast: Rep Sweats, Or, 'I Don't Know If I Like This, But I Need It To Win'

8:32am June 22, 2016

by Kat Chow

Kat and Gene hash out something they've been mulling over for a while: that feeling of obligation that you have to root for something, because it's theoretically for you.

Merle Dandridge stars as Grace Greenleaf, who returns to her family's megachurch after 20 years away — and gets caught up in a swirl of secrets and lies.

Arts

Oprah's New Show, 'Greenleaf,' Is Megachurch Melodrama

5:42pm June 21, 2016

by Eric Deggans

Oprah Winfrey returns to a regular TV drama role for the first time in two decades, appearing in Greenleaf, a scripted drama set in a Memphis megachurch. The show premieres Tuesday on her OWN network.

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Author Heidi Durrow gathers with festivalgoers to celebrate Mixed Remixed in 2015.

A Festival For Mixed-Race Storytellers — And Everyone Else, Too

5:39pm June 20, 2016

by Leah Donnella

The Mixed Remixed festival isn't just for folks who are multiracial. It's about connecting people from all over the world who aren't always seen as belonging together.

Ellie Kemper plays a woman who was abducted and forced to spend 15 years living in an underground bunker before being rescued in the Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Kemper is also known for her role as Erin, the cheerful receptionist on the NBC

Arts

For Ellie Kemper, Kimmy Schmidt Is Just Her Latest 'Weirdo' Role

3:45pm June 20, 2016

"I still am not sure what in my face screams 'bunker-cult victim,' " Kemper says. The actress plays a woman who was rescued from an apocalyptic cult in the Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

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Law student Everett consults with Rae Tutera on his suit for job interviews in HBO's new documentary, Suited.

Arts

HBO's 'Suited' And The Search For The Perfect Fit

9:33am June 20, 2016

by Linda Holmes

A new documentary follows the clients of a custom suiting shop that works with clients who are transgender or gender-nonconforming.

O.J. Simpson at the Buffalo Bills' Rich Stadium press conference circa 1975.

Sports
Arts

Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'O.J.: Made In America' And A Quiz

7:00am June 17, 2016

by Stephen Thompson

For the show's 300th episode, we look at a stunning new seven-and-a-half-hour documentary, take a TV-themed quiz and discuss What's Making Us Happy this week.

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Books
Arts

Tig Notaro On Her Terrible Year In 'I'm Just A Person'

6:21pm June 15, 2016

by NPR Staff

Comedian Tig Notaro shot to fame in 2012, talking candidly onstage about having cancer. Now she's in remission, recently married and the author of a new memoir called I'm Just A Person.

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Go Into the Light: DC Comics relaunches its line of superheroes titles again. Still. Some more.

Books
Arts

DC Comics' 'Rebirth': When The Super-Villain Is Your Own History

8:30am June 15, 2016

by Glen Weldon

DC Comics has relaunched its line of superhero titles again in a bid to recapture "hope and optimism." This time, heroes fight a villain who represents the cynical tone comics adopted in the 1980s.