Pop Culture

Gamer, Girlfriend Take Relationship To Next Level After Super Mario Proposal

7:38am May 30, 2016

Pam Edwards was playing the video game next to her boyfriend, Shane Birkinbine. Little did she know, Birkinbine had redesigned the level so the bricks spelled out "Will you marry me?"

Arts

A Modern 'Roots' For An American Society Still 'Based On The Color Line'

5:17am May 30, 2016

by Eric Deggans

The remake of the seminal TV miniseries begins on the History channel Monday night. Co-producer LeVar Burton says he recognized an opportunity to retell the story "to and for a new generation."

The King Of Zydeco, The Supremes, Merle Haggard Among Recordings Joining Library Of Congress

5:33pm May 29, 2016

Each year the Library of Congress adds certain sound recordings as national treasures. Curator of Recorded Sound Matthew Barton explains the cultural significance of this year's selections.

Queue Listen Now

Arts

From Broadway To TV, An Actress' Death Takes Us Down Cultural Rabbit Hole

10:28am May 29, 2016

Beth Howland died in December at age 74. One of her best known roles, was as the original Amy in Stephen Sondheim's "Company." Looking into her past can lead you down a pop culture spiral.

Queue Listen Now

Chef Eddie Huang On Cultural Identity And 'Intestine Sticky Rice Hot Dog'

7:01pm May 27, 2016

by NPR Staff

Huang and his brothers, Evan and Emery, headed to China to reconnect with their culture, to eat lots and lots of food — and to cook. He's documented his travels in his new book, Double Cup Love.

Queue Listen Now

Taylor Swift, a pop star who is extraordinary for reasons entirely unrelated to white nationalism.

Taylor Swift, Aryan Goddess?

3:19pm May 27, 2016

by Leah Donnella

Haters (of a multicultural society) gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate. Meanwhile, Swift will continue to bask in her utterly unremarkable whiteness.

Comedian Maria Bamford Finds Humor In Uncomfortable Topics

1:35pm May 27, 2016

The star of the new Netflix series Lady Dynamite has used comedy to address her serious struggles with OCD, bipolar disorder and suicidal thoughts. Originally broadcast July 18, 2013.

Queue Listen Now

Malachi Kirby plays Kunta Kinte in the updated version of the miniseries Roots.

Arts

In Its Retelling, 'Roots' Is Powerful, Must-See Television

1:31pm May 26, 2016

by David Bianculli

This weekend, an eight-hour remake of the 1977 miniseries begins airing on A&E, Lifetime and The History Channel. TV critic David Bianculli says the new Roots deserves to be seen and talked about.

Queue Listen Now

Patricia Gallagher (from left), who first proposed the tasting; wine merchant Steven Spurrier; and influential French wine editor Odette Kahn. After the results were announced, Kahn is said to have demanded her scorecard back. "She wanted to make sure tha

The Judgment Of Paris: The Blind Taste Test That Decanted The Wine World

3:56pm May 25, 2016

by Maria Godoy

Forty years ago, the top names in French food and wine judged a blind tasting pitting the finest French wines against unknown California bottles. The results revolutionized the wine industry.

Queue Listen Now

In the fourth season of the IFC show Maron, Marc Maron's character becomes addicted to opioids and loses his house, cats and podcast.

Arts

Marc Maron On Sobriety And Managing His 'Uncomfortable' Comfort Zone

2:40pm May 24, 2016

The comic recently played out his own fictional relapse on his IFC show, Maron. He says relapse is "a very real fear of mine. I'm glad it happened in fiction and not in real life."

Queue Listen Now