Television

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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In her memoir, I, Rhoda, Harper (pictured here in 2013) writes that she was "determined to define [Rhoda's] style" and help soften her sharp edge.

Arts

Valerie Harper, Who Played Beloved TV Sidekick Rhoda, Dies At 80

11:06am August 31, 2019

by Elizabeth Blair

Harper's Mary Tyler Moore Show character was the perfect foil for the sitcom's buttoned-up protagonist. "Rhoda had this wonderful quality of saying the unsayable," Harper told NPR in 2010.

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Satirist Randy Rainbow Uses Show Tunes And Pop Songs To Lampoon Trump

1:37pm August 30, 2019

by Terry Gross

The Emmy-nominated lyricist/performer used to consider song parody cheap humor: "But ... I've gotten [such a] response ... that I'm appreciating it as an art form." Originally broadcast July 17, 2019.

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Arts

Billy Eichner Makes A Career Out Of Love/Hating Celebrity Culture

1:37pm August 30, 2019

by Terry Gross

In his Emmy-nominated series Billy on the Street, Eichner roams the sidewalks of Manhattan, asking strangers open-ended questions about the entertainment industry. Originally broadcast Dec. 12, 2016.

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Trebek's Back

7:22am August 30, 2019

Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek returned to hosting the program after cancer treatment.

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The three sister-princesses of the Vapra clan await the apology they feel they are owed in the Netflix prequel series Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.

Arts

'Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance': Gorgeous, Multi-Faceted, Hollow At Its Center

5:00am August 30, 2019

by Glen Weldon

Netflix's 10-episode series — a prequel to the 1982 film — is, like the original, breathtaking to look at, but its thinly-drawn characters can't carry their narrative weight.

'Jeopardy!' Host Alex Trebek Back At Work Following Chemotherapy

7:53pm August 29, 2019

by Richard Gonzales

Trebek actually began taping the 36th season of the TV show in July.