Television

Remembering Cory Monteith — Not Finn Hudson In 'Glee'

4:29pm March 18, 2014

by Nathan Rott

Cory Monteith was known to most Americans as the star of TV's Glee. But Monteith, who died at age 31, was a former high school dropout who used an unorthodox audition tape to get noticed.

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Bryan Cranston and Fred Armisen in character as The Bjelland Brothers, a sibling soft rock duo dreamed up by Armisen for a 2010 sketch on Saturday Night Live.

Music & Culture

Fred Armisen's Fake Bands (And Their Real Songs)

2:57pm March 18, 2014

by NPR Staff

The Saturday Night Live alum's sketches about fictional musicians strike a believable chord. Fitting, then, that the original songs he wrote for them are now getting a proper release.

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Lance Gross plays Marcus Finley. Think of him as the show's Jack Bauer.

Arts

NBC Hostage Drama 'Crisis' Takes Viewers On A Rare TV Trip

4:44pm March 14, 2014

by David Bianculli

The show's season-long crime story follows a busload of kids whose field trip gets detoured by kidnappers. Critic David Bianculli says it could wind up being just as good — and intense-- as 24.

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'Everything But The News' Lightens Up Staid PBS News

7:32am March 12, 2014

PBS pokes fun at itself in the new show Everything But the News. Former NewsHour producer Steve Goldbloom plays a cub reporter covering the tech beat in San Francisco to varying degrees of success.

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Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson hosts a new TV series called Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey. It's an update of the influential 1980 PBS series Cosmos: A Personal Journey, hosted by Carl Sagan.

Science
Arts

Neil DeGrasse Tyson Explains Why The Cosmos Shouldn't Make You Feel Small

9:45am February 28, 2014

The astrophysicist says that participating in a "great unfolding of a cosmic story" should make us feel large, not small. This spring, Tyson hosts a TV series called Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey.

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Chinese billionaire Xander Feng, played by Terry Chen, shakes hands with Francis Underwood, played by Kevin Spacey, in Netflix's House of Cards.

Arts

To Play The Part, Actors Must Talk The Talk — In Chinese

12:08pm February 27, 2014

by Hansi Lo Wang

As Hollywood and China grow closer, more roles are opening up for Asian-American actors to play Chinese-speaking characters. But before they can sound fluent on screen, some turn to dialect coaches.

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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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