Pop Culture

PBS To Air Eddie Murphy Receiving The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize

5:14am November 23, 2015

by Eric Deggans

The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor went to comedian Eddie Murphy this year. Monday night, PBS will air Murphy's first jokes for an audience in 28 years, delivered during his acceptance speech.

Aziz Ansari in the Netflix series Master of None.

Books
Arts

Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'Master Of None' And 'Challenger Deep'

10:48pm November 20, 2015

by Linda Holmes

A newly minted National Book Award winner and a new Netflix series have us fully occupied this week, but we've also got plenty making us happy.

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'Scandal' Finale Stirs Up Controversy

6:43pm November 20, 2015

by Eric Deggans

Fans express support as well as opposition after the lead character of the hit ABC drama is shown undergoing an emotional procedure.

Krysten Ritter plays the believably damaged ex-superhero in Netflix's latest Marvel series, Jessica Jones.

Arts

'Jessica Jones' Struggles In Life — But Triumphs On Screen

5:12pm November 20, 2015

by Eric Deggans

Netflix's latest venture into the Marvel universe follows Jessica Jones, an unlikely ex-superhero who tries to keep her powers hidden while she works to defeat the telepathic villain who abused her.

Rupert Evans plays Frank, a young man caught up in postwar drama and turmoil, in the Amazon Prime series, The Man in the High Castle.

Amazon's 'High Castle' Offers A Chilling Alternate History Of Nazi Triumph

6:34pm November 18, 2015

by David Bianculli

The Man in the High Castle, a new Amazon Prime series set in 1962, takes place in an America occupied by German and Japanese forces. Critic David Bianculli calls the show "breathtakingly original."

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Arts

The Next 'Law & Order?' 'Chicago' Series Take Over TV With New Franchise

4:32pm November 18, 2015

by Eric Deggans

NBC's Chicago franchise grew this week with the premiere of Chicago Med. NPR explores whether it can be the next ER and whether executive producer Dick Wolf, who built the Law & Order empire, can do it again with the Chicago shows.

Laurie Metcalf portrays Annie Wilkes, left, and Bruce Willis portrays Paul Sheldon in Misery, currently playing at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York.

Books
Arts

'Misery,' 'Misery' And 'Misery,' From Page To Screen To Stage

12:33pm November 18, 2015

by Linda Holmes

A new stage play finds Bruce Willis and Laurie Metcalf at the controls of an oddly horror-free version of the Stephen King novel.

Once A Hard Sell, Wal-Mart's Patti LaBelle Pies Fly Off Shelves

7:09pm November 17, 2015

by Andrew Limbong

The sweet potato pie, sold in boxes bearing LaBelle's face, was a ho-hum seller until a video singing its praises went viral last week. Why pie fever? Partly, it's about celebrating black culture.

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An excerpt from the comic "It's going to be okay" in The Oatmeal.

Arts

'The Oatmeal' Remembers 'Star Trek' Creator's Heroic Plane Crash Rescue

2:00pm November 17, 2015

by Connor Donevan

Many people were moved last week by an online comic on a site called "The Oatmeal." It was illustrated and written by Matthew Inman, and it's titled "It's going to be okay."

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Word Of The Year Is Really An Emoji

6:30am November 17, 2015

The people at the Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year got creative. This year's new word is really an emoji entitled: "Face with Tears of Joy." The frequency of its use tripled in 2015.