Television

Country star Dolly Parton, signing a guitar alongside writer Dayton Duncan (center) and filmmaker Ken Burns (right).

Filmmaker Ken Burns Goes Wide, But Not Deep, In His Chronicle Of 'Country Music'

2:15pm September 12, 2019

by Ken Tucker

Burns is known for finding fresh takes on big topics, but his new eight-part PBS series about country music treads a well-worn path, leaning heavily on the biggest stars and the most obvious ideas.

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Tan France is the fashion expert on the makeover show Queer Eye, but he initially had misgivings about joining the show. "I didn't want to become famous," he says. "That wasn't really the life for me and ... I wasn't necessarily about making things pretty

Books
Arts

Why Fashion Expert Tan France Nearly Turned Down 'Queer Eye'

1:28pm September 12, 2019

by Terry Gross

"The thought of being one of the very first openly gay South Asian men on a major show. ... That pressure was so hard to handle," France says of his role on the Netflix makeover series.

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Apple CEO Tim Cook announces details of the company's new Apple TV+ video-streaming service Tuesday in Cupertino, Calif.

Arts

Apple Launches Video-Streaming Service For $4.99 A Month

6:58pm September 10, 2019

by Avie Schneider

Apple is entering the video-streaming race, taking on Netflix, Disney and others with a new monthly subscription of $4.99. The company also announced new iPhones, as their sales have been slowing.

Derry Girls follows five teenagers in a Catholic school in Northern Ireland during the 1990s. "This show, it's very Derry, in all the right ways," says Derry Girls fan Gilly Campbell. "It's put Northern Ireland on the map for all the right reasons."

Arts

In Northern Ireland, 'Derry Girls' Balances Teen Comedy And Sectarian Conflict

2:56pm September 10, 2019

by Joanna Kakissis

The hit comedy follows teenagers in a Catholic school in the 1990s. Even with The Troubles as the backdrop, it's "put Northern Ireland on the map for all the right reasons," says one Derry Girls fan.

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Jacqueline Stewart Becomes First Black Host On Turner Classic Movies

6:14am September 10, 2019

Turner Classic Movies' first black host will spearhead its Sunday silent film marathon. Jacqueline Stewart is a professor of cinema studies at the University of Chicago.

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New Book Examines How Television Enabled Trump's Political Rise

6:28am September 09, 2019

James Poniewozik, chief TV critic for The New York Times, talks about his new book: Audience of One: Donald Trump, Television, and the Fracturing of America.

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Arts

Maggie Gyllenhaal Takes On The Power Imbalance Of Sex Work In 'The Deuce'

2:16pm September 06, 2019

by Terry Gross

Gyllenhaal produces and stars in the HBO series, now in its third season, about sex work, porn, organized crime, politics, police and feminism in 1970s New York. Originally broadcast Sept. 20, 2018.

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Arts

Obscure Artists Alice Guy-Blaché And Tom Lehrer Get Their Due In 2 New DVDs

2:16pm September 06, 2019

by David Bianculli

Forgotten silent filmmaker Guy-Blaché takes center stage in Be Natural, while Live in Copenhagen spotlights more than a dozen songs written and performed by '60s singing satirist Lehrer.

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In The Spy, based on the true story of Israeli agent Eli Cohen, comic actor Sacha Baron Cohen takes on a serious role, playing the title character.

Arts

Sacha Baron Cohen Goes Undercover Again — But Not For Laughs

5:02am September 05, 2019

In the new Netflix series The Spy, the comic master of disguises portrays an Israeli intelligence agent who embeds in Syria during the early 1960s. It's based on the true story of Eli Cohen.

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Arts

Return To Middle School In 'PEN15': Creators Say 'It's All About Survival'

1:43pm September 02, 2019

by Terry Gross

Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle are nominated for an Emmy for their writing on PEN15, a Hulu comedy series in which they play 13-year-old versions of themselves. Originally broadcast May 6, 2019.

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