It's a classic element of the Oscars telecast: that sequence of clips paying tribute to film industry greats. Chuck Workman created them for 20 years, and likens his craft to making a fruitcake.
NPR contributor Glen Weldon remembers writer, actor, producer, musician, and comedy podcast mainstay Harris Wittels, who died Thursday, just 30 years old.
"Research among U.S. populations of kids indicates that this ability to articulate a moral theme develops fairly slowly, emerging only around age 9 or 10," says researcher Seeta Pai.
In movies, crowd noise, hospital waiting room chatter and barroom brawl sounds are created by voice actors called loopers. "If it's done right, you shouldn't even notice it," one sound mixer says.
CBS' Two and a Half Men ends a 12-season run tonight as TV's longest-running multicamera sitcom. NPR TV Critic Eric Deggans says some experts still struggle to explain the show's longtime success.
Wilmore is still fine-tuning The Nightly Show, which fills the late-night spot on Comedy Central vacated by Stephen Colbert. The show launched just as Wilmore's 20-year marriage was coming to an end.