Pop Culture

'Marvel's Jessica Jones' Is About An Ex-Superhero Turned Private Investigator

2:10pm December 01, 2015

by Eric Deggans

The plot of the new Netflix show is something rare in superhero TV or film stories: It's a tale of women banding together to stop the man who abused them. Jessica Jones is played by Krysten Ritter.

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Actor P. Jay Sidney on the set of the television series 'The Phil Silvers Show (You'll Never Get Rich),' on June 11, 1955.

National

The Forgotten Actor Who Battled Hollywood's Whiteness In The 1950s

11:47am December 01, 2015

by Kat Chow

Remember P. Jay Sidney? Probably not, but Emily Nussbaum of The New Yorker unearthed the story of this actor and advocate's push to diversify the TV world 50 years ago.

Arts

ABC Celebrates 50th Anniversary Of 'A Charlie Brown Christmas'

6:56pm November 30, 2015

by Eric Deggans

ABC will air "It's Your 50th Christmas Charlie Brown" Monday night. On the classic Christmas cartoon's golden anniversary, NPR explores what makes this ageless special endure.

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Kristen Bell hosts a retrospective called It's Your 50th Christmas, Charlie Brown, Monday night on ABC.

Arts

'A Charlie Brown Christmas' At 50

4:52pm November 30, 2015

by Linda Holmes

The Christmas special celebrates 50 years with a retrospective on ABC, and it seems more than ever like something we wouldn't get today.

Project Runway host Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn at the Project Runway Spring 2013 fashion show in New York City. Today, Gunn is comfortable before an audience — but it wasn't always that way.

Arts

From Trembling Teacher To Seasoned Mentor: How Tim Gunn Made It Work

6:16pm November 28, 2015

by NPR Staff

Gunn, the mentor to young designers on Project Runway, has been a teacher and educator for decades. But he spent his childhood "absolutely hating, hating, hating, hating school," he says.

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Books

From A Weirdo Nerd To A Guy Who Plays One On TV

4:32pm November 27, 2015

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with the actor Rainn Wilson about his new memoir, The Bassoon King: My Life in Art, Faith, and Idiocy.

Arts

'Better Call Saul' And 'The Great American Dream Machine' Shine As DVD Box Sets

1:16pm November 27, 2015

by David Bianculli

TV critic David Bianculli shares his enthusiasm for two newly released DVD box sets: season one of Better Call Saul and a four-DVD set of the 1970s PBS variety show, The Great American Dream Machine.

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Linda Holmes and Trevor Noah talk during NPR's Weekend In Washington event on October 31.

Arts

Pop Culture Happy Hour: A Conversation With Trevor Noah

8:20am November 27, 2015

by Linda Holmes

Our panel is on vacation, but that doesn't mean there's no show: in October, our host chatted with The Daily Show's new host about comedy, diversity, decor, visiting South Africa, and lots more.

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Arts

'All My Children' Actor David Canary Dies

4:15pm November 25, 2015

David Canary, who played twin brothers Stuart and Adam Chandler on All My Children, has died.

Though it's considered a classic Midwestern dish, Green Bean Casserole was actually born in a Campbell's test kitchen in New Jersey 60 years ago. Love it or loathe it, the dish has come to mean more than just a mashup of processed food.

Green Bean Casserole: The Thanksgiving Staple We Love — Or Loathe

8:11pm November 24, 2015

by Peggy Lowe

The classic Midwestern casserole, which turns 60 this year, has come to mean more than just a mashup of processed food. Even those who grew up with it but can't abide it admit: It tastes like home.

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