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Thursday

All-Star Lineup Of Dre, Snoop, Eminem, Blige And Lamar Will Perform At The Super Bowl

This combination of photos shows, from left, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Dr. Dre, who will perform for the first time together on stage at the 2022 Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show. AP hide caption

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AP

Pop Culture

All-Star Lineup Of Dre, Snoop, Eminem, Blige And Lamar Will Perform At The Super Bowl

The five icons will perform on stage together for the first time at the 2022 Pepsi Super Bowl on Feb. 13 in Inglewood, Calif. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar are natives of Southern California.

Britney Spears is on the road to independence. The media should let her take the wheel

#FreeBritney activists rally at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles during the Britney Spears conservatorship hearing Wednesday. Chelsea Guglielmino/Getty Images hide caption

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Chelsea Guglielmino/Getty Images

Analysis

Analysis

Britney Spears is on the road to independence. The media should let her take the wheel

On Wednesday, Jamie Spears was suspended as his daughter's conservator. Is all the media attention, including three new Spears documentaries, still welcome?

Tommy Kirk, The Fresh-Scrubbed Face Of Disney As A Child Actor, Dies At 79

Tommy Kirk, here with his canine co-star in 1957's Old Yeller, has died. Kirk appeared in a string of hit Disney movies such as Swiss Family Robinson and The Absent-Minded Professor. LMPC via Getty Images hide caption

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LMPC via Getty Images

Obituaries

Tommy Kirk, The Fresh-Scrubbed Face Of Disney As A Child Actor, Dies At 79

Generations of children, and more than a few adults, cried along with Kirk when his character Travis Coates tearfully pulled a rifle trigger in Old Yeller.

To Understand Humanity, You Have To Understand Water
Pantheon

NPR's Book of the Day

To Understand Humanity, You Have To Understand Water

For decades, the author and scientist Giulio Boc­caletti has studied the substance that's come to define life as we know it: water. And in his book Water: A Biography, he traces the history of how humanity, regardless of continent or creed, has shaped entire civilizations around a resource that's both fickle and essential for life on earth. In this episode, All Things Considered host Ari Shapiro talks to Boccaletti about our long, complicated history with water, and why understanding the past is crucial to the fight with climate change.

To Understand Humanity, You Have To Understand Water

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Looking Back At 'The Sopranos', The Godfather (heh) Of Prestige TV

James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Robert Iler listening to Journey in the series finale of The Sopranos. HBO/Kobal/Shutterstock hide caption

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HBO/Kobal/Shutterstock

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Looking Back At 'The Sopranos', The Godfather (heh) Of Prestige TV

The Sopranos changed television. The HBO series was centered on mobster Tony Soprano — a deeply flawed male antihero played by James Gandolfini. But the thing that really set The Sopranos apart was the fact that Tony was in therapy, a genius touch that granted viewers special access to his inner conflicts. Today, we're taking your questions about the influential series — and delving into how it ended.

Looking Back At 'The Sopranos', The Godfather (heh) Of Prestige TV

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Wednesday

A Judge Suspends Britney Spears' Dad From Her Conservatorship

Britney Spears supporter Peter Stickles was among those demonstrating outside Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday. Liz Baker/NPR hide caption

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Liz Baker/NPR

Law

A Judge Suspends Britney Spears' Dad From Her Conservatorship

At a hearing Wednesday at Los Angeles Superior Court, Judge Brenda J. Penny suspended the pop star's father from controlling her financial affairs. Britney Spears has accused him of exploiting her.

A Judge Suspends Britney Spears' Dad From Her Conservatorship

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Iranian Singer Googoosh Raises Her Voice To Keep Her Nation's Culture Alive

Googoosh Reza Teimouri/courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Reza Teimouri/courtesy of the artist

Music

Iranian Singer Googoosh Raises Her Voice To Keep Her Nation's Culture Alive

Known as "The Voice of Iran," Googoosh was silenced by the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Active again since 2000, she uses music to keep Iranians forced to leave the country in touch with their culture.

Iranian Singer Googoosh Raises Her Voice To Keep Her Nation's Culture Alive

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'Me Too' Founder Tarana Burke Says Black Girls' Trauma Shouldn't Be Ignored
Flatiron Books

Author Interviews

'Me Too' Founder Tarana Burke Says Black Girls' Trauma Shouldn't Be Ignored

Fresh Air

Burke says society often ignores Black girls' sexual trauma — and that the R. Kelly trial, coming after 25 years of allegations, highlights the "stark difference" in response to victims of color.

'Me Too' Founder Tarana Burke Says Black Girls' Trauma Shouldn't Be Ignored

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For $84,000, An Artist Returned Two Blank Canvasses Titled 'Take The Money And Run'

Jens Haaning's artwork "Take the Money and Run" is seen in the Kunsten Musem of Modern Art. The empty canvas was meant to hold thousands of dollars in cash — but the artist chose to hang on to the money. Niels Fabaek/Kunsten Museum of Modern Art hide caption

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Niels Fabaek/Kunsten Museum of Modern Art

For $84,000, An Artist Returned Two Blank Canvasses Titled 'Take The Money And Run'

"The work is that I have taken their money," artist Jens Haaning said of his new piece. The commissioning museum in Denmark isn't satisfied with his explanation but is displaying the work nonetheless.