Pop Culture

Cover art from Friday Night Lights, 25th Anniversary Edition.

Books
Arts

Reflecting On Football And Addiction As 'Friday Night Lights' Turns 25

10:22am August 05, 2015

A quarter-century ago, Buzz Bissinger wrote about the big-time stakes of small-town high school football in Friday Night Lights. Now he talks about the impact the book had on the players and himself.

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World News

Do You Want To Build A Lawsuit? China Totally Copied 'Frozen,' Kid Says

8:35am August 05, 2015

by David Greene

A new anthem produced for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics is being attacked online as too similar to "Let It Go" from the film "Frozen." We asked a 5-year-old girl to assess the merits of the case.

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Love Is Dead: Ms. Piggy And Kermit Call It Quits

8:35am August 05, 2015

Despite the end of their tempestuous 30-year relationship, the Hollywood power couple will continue to work together on the new prime-time Muppets show.

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Villainous Scheme Makes Dozens A Few Minutes Late

8:35am August 05, 2015

A 40-foot inflatable "minion" — the yellow, unintelligible sidekicks from the Despicable Me movies who recently were given their own spinoff — broke loose and blocked traffic in Dublin this week.

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Kermit the Frog and Gonzo return to television in ABC's The Muppets.

Arts

A Pig, A Frog And Two Producers: 'The Muppets' Talk About Returning To Prime Time

2:24pm August 04, 2015

by Linda Holmes

At the Television Critics Association press tour, the producers and stars of the new Muppet comedy talked about romance, fighting, and being owned by Disney.

Look up how top high school musicals ranked over time.

The Play's The Thing — High School Productions Down The Decades

10:21am August 03, 2015

by Bob Mondello

Bob Mondello looks at the most-produced shows at high schools through seven decades and ponders what the choices made by drama teachers tell us.

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Comedian Kurt Braunohler does not speak German, but that didn't stop him from faking his way to an audition for the film Brüno.

Arts

How To Make Your Idol Hate You, In One Unfunny Comedy Audition

11:47pm August 02, 2015

by Tom Dreisbach

Kurt Braunohler is now a successful working comedian, but for years he struggled to get work. In applying for one major role, he claimed that he could speak fluent German. That wasn't exactly true.

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Alfonso Ribeiro (from left), Will Smith and Karyn Parsons on the set of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in 1991.

How'd Karyn Parsons Get Her Gig On 'Fresh Prince'? Brattiness

11:40pm August 02, 2015

by Priska Neely

Parsons played Hilary Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The role first called for a model type, but Parsons says she couldn't do that. So, she says, she made Hilary self-centered: a "real brat."

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"Rowdy" Roddy Piper, clad in his trademark kilt, speaks in 2009 at the WrestleMania 25th anniversary press conference at Hard Rock Cafe in New York City. Piper fought in the main bout at the first WrestleMania in 1985, losing a tag-team match to Hulk Hoga

Sports

Professional Wrestling World Mourns Longtime Star 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper

11:51pm July 31, 2015

by Christopher Dean Hopkins

The Canadian entered the WWF as a villain and fought Hulk Hogan and Mr. T in the first Wrestlemania event. The career gave the often-bekilted grappler many chances to show off his bagpipe skills.

Arts

Despite Host Controversy, Amazon Takes A Chance On 'Top Gear'

7:53pm July 31, 2015

by Eric Deggans

The trio that made Top Gear the world's biggest car show will return to the small screen in a new show for Amazon Prime. The BBC canned one of its hosts last year after a fight with a producer.

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