Television

Jimmy Fallon took over as host of The Tonight Show on Monday. "I hope I do well," he told the audience. "I hope that you enjoy this."

Arts

With Humor And A Nod To History, Fallon Takes Over 'The Tonight Show'

3:03pm February 18, 2014

by David Bianculli

On Monday night, Jimmy Fallon paid homage to 60 years of Tonight Show history while claiming his own place in line. "I just want to do the best I can and take care of the show for a while," he said. "If you guys let me stick around long enough maybe I'll get the hang of it."

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In Parenthood, Dax Shepard plays Crosby, whose wife, Jasmine, is played by Joy Bryant. Their son is Jabbar (Tyree Brown).

Love In Technicolor: Interracial Families On Television

7:04pm February 15, 2014

by Karen Grigsby Bates

Popular shows like Modern Family, Parenthood and Grey's Anatomy all routinely feature interracial and multi-ethnic families. It's quite a switch from the 1950s, when Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz broke barriers.

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'House Of Cards' Star Wright, Creator Willimon On Love And Power

9:09am February 14, 2014

The Netflix original series House of Cards launches its second season Friday. Morning Edition co-host David Greene talks to series creator Beau Willimon and star Robin Wright, who plays the ruthless Claire Underwood and directed part of the new season.

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Eleven-year-old Jaron "Bear" Williams practices trumpet before marching in his first Mardi Gras season. The Whole Gritty City follows young student marching bands as they prepare for coveted spots in the New Orleans parade.

Arts

In 'Whole Gritty City,' Marching Bands Vie For Coveted Mardi Gras Spots

4:51pm February 13, 2014

by David Bianculli

"New Orleans buries too many of its young," Wynton Marsalis says in the documentary's introduction. The Whole Gritty City, airing Saturday on CBS, follows young students who take refuge in New Orleans marching bands.

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Caesar, flanked by cast performers Imogene Coca and Carl Reiner, listens to a singer in a skit from the TV comedy series Your Show of Shows, in 1952.

Sid Caesar, Who Got Laughs Without Politics Or Putdowns, Dies At 91

8:00pm February 12, 2014

by Susan Stamberg

The comedian was one of early network TV's biggest stars, and he didn't do smut or smarmy remarks. Caesar did skits: grown-up, gentle comedy for the whole family. He died Wednesday morning at his home in Beverly Hills.

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Have A Lot Of Free Time? Watch All Of NBC's Olympic Coverage

1:28pm February 11, 2014

by Eric Deggans

NBC says its coverage of the Winter Olympics has drawn more than 100 million viewers over its first weekend. That indicates lots of interest in the games, which will fill 1,539 hours of coverage across NBC's broadcast network, cable channels and online. We have some suggestions for watching the Sochi Olympics — from the regular network broadcast to cable to the Internet.

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For Top-Flight Animators, The Gag Is An Art All Its Own

12:05pm February 08, 2014

by Elizabeth Blair

In the animated world, just about anything goes: Toys talk, mice are chefs, and pandas do kung fu. In animation, the sky's the limit. In this encore broadcast, we learn about the hundreds of people working on big studio features who spend their days figuring out how to manufacture this silliness from the ground up. (This story originally aired on All Things Considered on Nov. 27, 2013.)

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1 Show Left For Jay Leno's 'Tonight Show'

7:59am February 06, 2014

by Eric Deggans

After 22 years, Jay Leno will host his last Tonight Show Thursday night. The 63-year-old comedian is leaving at the top of the ratings. Thirty-nine-year-old Jimmy Fallon will takeover as host on Feb. 17.

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"The term 'vegan leather' makes me think that you peeled a carrot and took the skin and made a jacket out of it," says Tim Gunn, pictured above at the Under the Gunn finale fashion show.

Arts

Tim Gunn: On And Off The Runway, 'Life Is A Big Collaboration'

5:19pm February 05, 2014

"Make it work," the fashion guru tells designers on Project Runway. But life hasn't always "worked" for Gunn. He talks with Terry Gross about being bullied, being gay in the '60s and '70s, and how his mother thinks he should "dress more like Mitt Romney."

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'The Tonight Show' And The Business Of Late Night

2:54pm February 05, 2014

After hosting The Tonight Show for two decades, Jay Leno will pass the torch to Jimmy Fallon in February. NPR's Kelly McEvers tals with Matt Belloni, executive editor for The Hollywood Reporter, about the business of late-night talk shows.

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