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Pop Culture

Monday

All Tech Considered

Tiptoeing With Tech: Devices And Relationships

How do you use your electronic devices without ruining relationships? It's not easy. Some people covertly text while on dates. Others use their BlackBerry in the bathroom to avoid seeming rude. Here, a few lessons in modern mobile manners from people who have firsthand experience.

Tiptoeing With Tech: Devices And Relationships

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Performing Arts

Comedian Charlie Murphy, A 'Stand-Up Guy'

For years, Charlie Murphy was best known as Eddie Murphy's brother, but not anymore. He talks about his book, The Making of a Stand-Up Guy, which traces his journey from jail, to the Navy, to his own career in stand-up.

Comedian Charlie Murphy, A 'Stand-Up Guy'

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Open Mic

Neil Gaiman Asks: Heard Any Good Books Lately?

The audiobook is here to stay — in one form or another. And that's fine with author Neil Gaiman, who has loved hearing stories since his childhood days. Gaiman talks to writer David Sedaris and reader Martin Jarvis about what makes a great audiobook — and a great reader.

Neil Gaiman Asks: Heard Any Good Books Lately?

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Saturday

Spirit Of The Season

Want To Break Up? 'Tis The Season, So Better Hurry

It's not just turkeys that get nervous this time of year. Chances are high that a failing relationship will also meet its end during the holidays. That's because it's not just turkey season — it's turkey drop season.

Want To Break Up? 'Tis The Season, So Better Hurry

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Friday

Opinion

Television

Go Ahead, Sing Along: When Television Is Karaoke

Half a million people have bought the TV show Glee's version of Journey's song "Don't Stop Believing." The show's winning formula is to transform an original song without its reeking of a knockoff.

Go Ahead, Sing Along: When Television Is Karaoke

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Wednesday

In Japan, 'Herbivore' Boys Subvert Ideas Of Manhood

Yasuhito Sekine tastes puddings, which is his day job as well as his hobby. He says today's young Japanese are becoming more individualistic and are "not limited by expectations." Louisa Lim/NPR hide caption

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Louisa Lim/NPR

Asia

In Japan, 'Herbivore' Boys Subvert Ideas Of Manhood

The sensitive New Age man has finally arrived in the land of the salaryman. Known as "herbivores," these Japanese men are drawn to a quieter, less competitive life. But their lack of interest in sex is a worry in Japan, where the declining birthrate is causing alarm.

In Japan, 'Herbivore' Boys Subvert Ideas Of Manhood

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Tuesday

For Disney's New Princess, Short Courtiers Swarm

The Princess and the Frog is Disney's 49th animated film and the fourth to feature a woman of color as the protagonist. Disney Enterprises Inc. hide caption

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Disney Enterprises Inc.

Movies

For Disney's New Princess, Short Courtiers Swarm

Lots of young fans — and many of their moms and dads — are excited about the arrival of Tiana, the heroine of The Princess and the Frog, the latest animated Walt Disney film. It's more than just a new movie to many: Tiana is Disney's first African-American princess, a role model many parents have been waiting for for a long time.

For Disney's New Princess, Short Courtiers Swarm

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For First Lady, Protocol Critical For State Dinner

First lady Michelle Obama explains the history and protocol surrounding official state dinners with a group of young women from the White House Leadership and Mentoring Program on Tuesday. Gerald Herbert/AP hide caption

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Gerald Herbert/AP

Politics

For First Lady, Protocol Critical For State Dinner

The Obamas host Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday night at the most formal of all dinners. First lady Michelle Obama said she and the president will be like swans, gliding with poise and serenity — while paddling furiously to get things right.

For First Lady, Protocol Critical For State Dinner

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Monday

Television

Larry David's Dysfunctional Family Reunion

Fresh Air

The seventh season finale of Curb Your Enthusiasm capped a year-long storyline about Larry finally agreeing to a produce a reunion episode of Seinfeld which he co-created with Jerry Seinfeld. TV critic David Bianculli explains how both programs — the show and the show within the show — were a comedic coup and a perfect end to the season.

Larry David's Dysfunctional Family Reunion

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Friday

Television

Real-Life Physics Problems Star On TV

The stars of The Big Bang Theory are two fictional Caltech physicists, but the physics problems they study are real. Bill Prady, the program's co-creator and executive producer, talks about including real-world science in the script, from dark matter to magnetic monopoles.

Real-Life Physics Problems Star On TV

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Television

James Franco Checks In To 'General Hospital'

The star of Milk and Pineapple Express — and a little movie franchise called Spider-Man — will be spending some time in Port Charles over the next couple of months. His guest-starring stint may help "freshen the image of daytime," says the soap opera's executive producer.

James Franco Checks In To 'General Hospital'

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'The Onion': Mocking All Who Deserve It Since 1988

Humor & Fun

'The Onion': Mocking All Who Deserve It Since 1988

America's Finest News Source has released a book celebrating its 21 years of satire (with a wink). Onion editors Joe Randazzo and Joe Garden talk with Renee Montagne about the serious business of being funny. Also: See the fun The Onion has had at NPR's expense.

'The Onion': Mocking All Who Deserve It Since 1988

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Thursday

Under A 'New Moon,' A Surprising Lack Of Passion

Such Sweet Sorrow: Edward (Robert Pattinson) and Bella (Kristin Stewart) take a break in the second Twilight film. hide caption

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Review

Movies

Under A 'New Moon,' A Surprising Lack Of Passion

If you have teenage girls in your life, you don't need to be told that New Moon, the second part of The Twilight Saga, hits movie theaters this weekend. Even though the world may have had enough of star-crossed sweethearts Edward and Bella by the series' end, critic Kenneth Turan says there's not enough of them in this installment.

Under A 'New Moon,' A Surprising Lack Of Passion

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Tuesday

Marketers Sink Teeth Into 'New Moon'

Plastic People of the Vampire-verse: Edward and his girlfriend Bella get the full Barbie treatment. hide caption

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Movies

Marketers Sink Teeth Into 'New Moon'

New Moon, the latest movie in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight vampire saga, is sucking in marketers, who are using the franchise's characters to sell everything from bottled water to late-model luxury cars.

Marketers Sink Teeth Into 'New Moon'

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Sacha Baron Cohen And Larry Charles Talk 'Bruno'

Wild Thing: In character as the outrageous Austrian fashionista Bruno, Sacha Baron Cohen upstages even the toreros in a promotional appearance at Madrid's Las Ventas bullring. hide caption

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Movie Interviews

Sacha Baron Cohen And Larry Charles Talk 'Bruno'

Fresh Air

When Sacha Baron Cohen grants an interview, it's usually in character — as Borat, the clueless faux-Kazakh journalist; or as Bruno, the outrageously shallow, ostentatiously gay Austrian fashionista at the center of Cohen's most recent film. Today, though, Cohen joins Fresh Air as himself, for a conversation with Terry Gross and Bruno director Larry Charles.

Sacha Baron Cohen And Larry Charles Talk 'Bruno'

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