Pop Culture

Arts

Dressing Up As A T-Rex Is All Part Of The Job

1:32pm July 26, 2014

by Kirk Siegler

Remember in Empire Strikes Back where Han Solo slices open the belly of a tauntaun so Luke can stay warm? That's not much different from how Eli Presser climbs into his T-Rex costume.

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Arts

It's Time For Comic-Con!

8:14am July 25, 2014

by Nina Gregory

The annual pop culture convention underway in San Diego is not just for comic books — it brings the biggest stars from film, television and books together with their fans to talk about upcoming, and vintage, work.

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Arts

Actor James Garner Of 'Rockford Files' Dies

8:09pm July 20, 2014

Actor James Garner, best known for his roles in hit TV shows Maverick and The Rockford Files, has died. He was 86 years old.

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Arts

The Force Is With The Navajo: 'Star Wars' Gets A New Translation

1:30pm July 14, 2014

by NPR Staff

If you've ever wondered how to say "May the Force be with you" in Navajo, you're in luck. On July 3, a new translation of the 1977 classic will be unveiled on the Navajo Nation reservation in Arizona.

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The threat is both viral and vampire in The Strain, a show about the sudden outbreak of a disease that kills most of its victims — then begins to mutate them into another species entirely.

Arts

'The Strain' And 'Extant' Play On Fears Of Forces Out Of Our Control

4:02pm July 09, 2014

by David Bianculli

This week, two new TV series begin in the threats-from-nowhere genre: Extant on CBS and The Strain on FX. The better of the two, The Strain, about a disease outbreak, is effectively creepy.

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Comedian Joel McHale spoke at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner in May. He says everyone wanted to see his jokes ahead of time, but he likes keeping them a secret.

Arts

Comedian Joel McHale Talks Dyslexia, Bad TV And Filming A Thriller

10:19am July 01, 2014

The host of The Soup co-stars in the thriller Deliver Us From Evil. "I felt like a 12-year-old getting to be in an action film," McHale tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross.

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Why 140 Characters, When One Will Do? Tracing The Emoji Evolution

7:01pm June 30, 2014

by NPR Staff

The smiley face and heart icons popular in text messages predate today's smartphones. To trace their roots, you have to go back to Japan in the mid-1990s, when pagers were all the rage with teens.

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Arts

Sputtering On Fumes, 'True Blood' Has Outstayed Its Welcome

7:08pm June 20, 2014

by Eric Deggans

HBO's True Blood is a prime example of a TV show that kept going long after it should have ended. Why is it that some shows stay on air well after they've run out of creative juice?

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Arts

A-List Celebrities Flock To Late-Night 'Graham Norton Show'

11:39am June 20, 2014

by David Bianculli

The late-night talk show, imported by BBC America, has been around for years. TV critic David Bianculli says it's never been better — it's like eavesdropping on an all-star cocktail party.

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John Oliver's new political satire Last Week Tonight airs on HBO. Oliver says the network gives him an almost "confusing amount of freedom."

Arts

John Oliver Is No One's Friend On His New HBO Show

2:37pm June 19, 2014

The comedian who was a correspondent on The Daily Show for 7 1/2 years now pokes fun on Last Week Tonight. Oliver talks about tasing his leg, temping for a thief and remaining an outsider.

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