The Madly Uneven 'Downton Abbey' Turns Its Eye From Money To Sex
The fifth season of Downton Abbey continues some trends from past seasons — flawed pacing, especially. But its looks at the choices of women are intriguing.
Pop Culture
Pop Culture Happy Hour: From Sixth And I, Quizzes And Questions
The second part of our December live show from the Sixth And I synagogue brings quizzes with some of our pals and questions from our audience.
For Comic Hari Kondabolu, Explaining The Joke IS The Joke
Many comedians think that explaining jokes ruins jokes, but Hari Kondabolu doesn't mind. Especially when it comes to jokes about race and ethnicity, he's willing to explain until everyone gets it.
Banish 2014's Woes With Our Stand-Up Comedy Picks
NPR's Elizabeth Blair polled comedy-industry insiders to find out their favorite jokes of 2014. The results range from supermarket-checkout observations to a historically hysterical take on Oprah.
'The Apprentice' Is Dead, Please Stop 'The Celebrity Apprentice'
Believe it or not, before The Celebrity Apprentice was a really terrible and boring show, The Apprentice was kind of a dishy, fun show. No, it was.
In 'The Honorable Woman,' There's No One You Can Trust
Maggie Gyllenhaal says she had reservations about taking on the role of Nessa Stein in the Sundance series. The conflict in the Middle East is "really complicated and it goes back so far," she says.
Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'Into The Woods' And How To Make A Franchise
On this week's show, we invite film critic Bob Mondello for a chat about the new adaptation of Into The Woods, and we talk about why some films make for good franchises and others ... don't.
Diversity In Space: Tracking The First Asian Pilot In The Star Wars Movies
The Asian characters in the original Star Wars films are few, fleeting and often forgotten. But the manager of the "Holocron" database at Lucasfilm helps uncover their back stories.
Sony Hack Reveals Hollywood's Acceptance Of White Privilege
While some leaked Sony emails seemed racist, NPR TV critic Eric Deggans says they hint at a wider issue: an acceptance of practices, habits and perceptions that limit diversity in Hollywood.
50 Wonderful Things From 2014
Books, movies, television, things to read — we look back at 50 of the great things that entered our field of vision in 2014.