Pop Culture

Louie Anderson says he thought of his mom and sisters when selecting clothes for his character Christine Baskets on the FX series Baskets.

Arts

Comic Louie Anderson Modeled His 'Baskets' Role After His Own Mom

3:47pm March 02, 2016

Anderson delivers a standout comic performance as the mother of an embittered rodeo clown. He says, "I really loved playing this part for a big reason that my mom gets to come to life."

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Leonardo DiCaprio and director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu celebrate their awards on stage at the 88th Oscars on Sunday.

Arts

A Big Night For 'Spotlight,' DiCaprio And Earned Discomfort

5:00pm February 29, 2016

by Linda Holmes

Sunday night's Oscars gave best picture to Spotlight, best actor to Leonardo DiCaprio and a lot of opportunities to host Chris Rock.

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Comedian Chris Rock hosting the Oscars on Sunday. Rock's razor-sharp monologue skewered sensibilities on all sides of the #OscarsSoWhite debate.

For Better Or Worse, Chris Rock Made The Oscars As Black As He Possibly Could

4:58pm February 29, 2016

by Eric Deggans

Despite the fact that no black actors were nominated in any high-profile categories, Academy Awards host Chris Rock kept race at the center of the event.

The Oscar statuette presides over the red carpet before the Academy Awards in Hollywood.

Oscars 2016: Follow Along With NPR's Live-Blog

11:38pm February 28, 2016

by Maquita Peters

The stars have taken the stage at the Academy Awards, and NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour crew is tweeting all the action. Check here throughout the night for their reactions and news on the winners.

Arts

'Black-Ish' Opens Conversation About Race And Police Brutality

7:58pm February 28, 2016

Wednesday's episode of the ABC comedy "Black-ish" took a risk: It presented a dramatic look at race and police brutality. Rachel Martin talks with showrunner Kenya Barris.

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National

Emojis Are Becoming A Bigger Part Of Conversation ;)

6:10pm February 28, 2016

by Eric Westervelt

With Facebook unveiling additional emoji options, linguist Tyler Schnoebelen talks about how emojis are changing the way we communicate.

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National

Russell Simmons Has Your Oscars Alternative

5:44pm February 28, 2016

by Eric Westervelt

Hip hop mogul Russell Simmons talks about his new awards ceremony, the All Def Movie Awards, created in response to the lack of diversity in Hollywood.

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College Prep student Troy Brumfield recites the poem, "Hey Black Child" by Countee Cullen.

#OscarsSoWhite? Not At This School

6:10am February 28, 2016

by Rachel Morello

Ahead of the Oscars, school kids on Milwaukee's west side decided to pay tribute to African-American cultural icons in their own awards ceremony.

Brazilian Singer Seu Jorge: On Music, Race, And Luck Versus Hard Work

5:56pm February 27, 2016

by Jasmine Garsd

The celebrated musician stopped by NPR's Alt.Latino to chat about his incredible musical journey.

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Leonardo DiCaprio is considered a frontrunner for an Oscar for his lead role in The Revenant.

Arts

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Our 2016 Oscars Preview

12:01am February 26, 2016

by Stephen Thompson

It's time once again for our annual Oscars Omnibus: a roundup of every Best Picture nominee, many notable performances, and the movies we'd have nominated to improve the awards' diversity.

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