Pop Culture

Kevin Spacey is the star and a producer of the new Netflix series House of Cards, on which David Fincher is a co-producer.

Arts

Spacey And Fincher Make A 'House Of Cards'

12:18pm January 31, 2013

Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Spacey and Oscar-winning director David Fincher team up for a new Netflix original series that premieres Friday. House of Cards follows a Machiavellian politician as he schemes to take down the president of the United States.

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Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright star in the new Netflix original series House of Cards, which premieres Feb. 1.

Arts

'House Of Cards' Is Built To Last

9:06am January 31, 2013

by David Bianculli

Two new dramas fueled by intrigue premiere this week: The Americans on FX and House of Cards on Netflix. While The Americans has its moments, House of Cards is the show that's going to make television history.

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In Shameless, William H. Macy is the dysfunctional father of six.

Arts

William H. Macy Is 'Shameless' On Showtime

2:05pm January 30, 2013

As the alcoholic paterfamilias Frank Gallagher on the Showtime series Shameless, the actor enjoys portraying a man with a dark side. But he says it's Frank's better qualities that make him sustainable as a character.

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On on 30 Rock episode, Jon Hamm and Tracy Morgan appeared together in a sketch about racial stereotyping.

Arts

Tracy Morgan: '30 Rock' Let Him Be Himself

12:14pm January 25, 2013

As the series prepares for its finale, the comedian talks about how Tina Fey created the character of Tracy Jordan specifically for Morgan and how she allowed him "to fly over the cuckoo nest once a week."

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Tina Fey won an Emmy Award for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for her role as Liz Lemon on 30 Rock.

Arts

Tina Fey: Sarah Palin And 'Saturday Night' Satire

12:05pm January 25, 2013

Fey's impersonation of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin helped draw record audiences to Saturday Night Live in the fall of 2008. The former head writer for SNL opens up about politics, satire and her Emmy Award-winning sitcom, 30 Rock, which will have its series finale on January 31.

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Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin appeared in one of several parodies in one of 30 Rock's live episodes.

Arts

Alec Baldwin Bids Goodbye To Jack Donaghy

12:05pm January 25, 2013

As 30 Rock wraps up its seven-season run on NBC, the star talks about why he chose to take on the role of Jack Donaghy in the first place and about looking to NBC bigwig Lorne Michaels for inspiration in creating the character.

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"I was worried about being the mouthpiece for anyone and being politicized personally," Tina Fey says about playing Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live. "It ended up being a lot of fun, but it did permanently politicize me in a way."

Arts

Tina Fey: '30 Rock' Star And Creator Moves On

12:05pm January 25, 2013

The writer, actress and comedian has helmed the hit NBC show — which will have its series finale on January 31 — for seven seasons, during which time she's had two kids, been in a few movies and written a memoir called Bossypants.

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The new TLC show The Sisterhood follows the lives of five preachers' wives in Atlanta.

Lives Of Praise, Lives In Progress On 'The Sisterhood'

9:14am January 25, 2013

by NPR Staff

The Sisterhood is a new reality show about the lives and struggles of five Atlanta-area preachers' wives. The show has been likened to the Real Housewives franchise and has drawn criticism for its warts-and-all portrayal of the women. But they say they felt called by God to participate.

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Du Xin, the "Chinese Gunther," owns Central Perk in Beijing. That's not all he has in common with Gunther on the show. "I love Rachel," he sighs.

'Friends' Will Be There For You At Beijing's Central Perk

8:53pm January 23, 2013

by Louisa Lim

A Chinese man in Beijing has set up a cafe identical to the New York hangout on the hit TV show. For owner Du Xin, Friends is "like a religion" — and he's not the only one. He's opened a second Central Perk in Shanghai, capitalizing on the Chinese fondness for the six friends and their laid-back, freewheeling lives.

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At Tyler Perry's live performances, his gospel-tinged references aren't meant for everyone in the audience.

Arts

In A Fragmented Cultureverse, Can Pop References Still Pop?

9:11am January 18, 2013

by Neda Ulaby

In film and TV, pop culture references are meant to give a knowing nod to those in the audience who understand the joke. But in an increasingly segmented and diverse country, those jokes may be pulling in fewer laughs.

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