Television

PBS Show 'Arthur' Introduces Children To Same-Sex Marriage

6:04am May 15, 2019

Longtime PBS kids' show Arthur featured a same-sex marriage on its Season 22 premiere. Beloved teacher Mr. Ratburn gets married to his "special someone," who the children later find out is a man.

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Tim Conway told NPR in 2010 that he was destined to do comedy. When people inquired about what he might have done other than showbiz, he'd say, "Nothing, because I'm not capable of doing anything else." Conway is pictured here in February 1983.

Arts

Tim Conway, Who Relished The Role Of Comedic Co-Star, Dies At 85

7:11pm May 14, 2019

by Eric Deggans

Conway built a career playing goofballs who rarely took center stage. On The Carol Burnett Show, he developed a reputation for sidesplitting improvisations that cracked everybody up.

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In the second season of Fleabag, the title character tries to give up sex — and then meets a priest she desires. "She had to change in some way, between the two seasons," Phoebe Waller-Bridge says.

Arts

'Fleabag' And 'Killing Eve' Creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge Is Full Of Surprises

1:47pm May 13, 2019

by Terry Gross

Waller-Bridge writes female characters who are flawed and unpredictable. Her Fleabag character struggles to maintain a facade of confidence, while her characters on Killing Eve hide other secrets.

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Big spears/Horse ears/Gol-den Companyyyyy: Harry Strickland (Marc Rissmann) — seriously, that's his name, Harry Strickland — leads an army of mercenaries in the penultimate episode of Game of Thrones.

Arts

'Game Of Thrones' Season 8, Episode 5: 'Let It Be Fear'

12:01pm May 13, 2019

by Glen Weldon

In the series' penultimate episode, the quality of mercy gets seriously strained. And stabbed. And set aflame. And razed. And several characters meet their final fates.

In the third and final season of Easy, a show about people whose lives are anything but, Michael Chernus and Elizabeth Reaser reprise their roles as a couple experimenting with an open marriage.

Arts

'Easy': How Director Joe Swanberg Improvised A TV Show

5:02am May 13, 2019

by David Greene

The creator of the Netflix anthology show, who is known for a naturalistic style of filmmaking often called mumblecore, says he envisions characters who are kind and generous — and beset by troubles.

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Books
Arts

Craig Ferguson On Recovery, Philosophy And A Lifetime Of 'Riding The Elephant'

8:16am May 11, 2019

by Scott Simon

The comedian and former talk show host's new book is a collection of essays about what he's learned over decades of being a bouncer, a drummer, a TV personality — and a recovering alcoholic.

Arts

'Fresh Air' Celebrates 'Veep,' A Comedy Series Skewering Presidential Politics

1:25pm May 10, 2019

by Terry Gross

As the HBO series Veep concludes its seventh and final season, we listen back to archival interviews with showrunner David Mandel and shows stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tony Hale.

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Late night TV host Conan O'Brien, pictured in 2016, has settled a lawsuit with a man who accused O'Brien and his writing staff of stealing his jokes.

National

Conan O'Brien Settles Joke Theft Lawsuit — And Makes Fun Of NPR's New Music

9:10am May 10, 2019

by Laurel Wamsley

"Short of murder, stealing material is the worst thing any comic can be accused of," O'Brien writes. The case was due to go to a jury trial within weeks.

Arts

'VEEP' Draws To A Close, Its Freewheeling Cynicism Still A Delight

2:13pm May 08, 2019

by John Powers

Everyone is either a fool, a knave or a monster in HBO's hilariously scabrous political satire starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus. After seven seasons, Veep ends its run with its sharp teeth fully intact.

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MTV Hires 'Doyenne Of Documentaries,' Sheila Nevins, For Its New Division

6:26am May 08, 2019

by Elizabeth Blair

MTV, a network known for its young audience, is starting a documentary division, helmed by 80-year-old Sheila Nevins, who is best known for running HBO's prestigious documentary division.

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