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Friday

Oprah Launches A Network On Her OWN

Oprah Winfrey, shown during a visit to Sydney in December, is set to launch OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network, on Jan. 1. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images hide caption

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Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

Television

Oprah Launches A Network On Her OWN

On Jan. 1, Oprah Winfrey launches the Oprah Winfrey Network, or OWN, the first television channel entirely dedicated to a personal brand. Will her loyal audience follow?

Oprah Launches A Network On Her OWN

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Thursday

Mondello: For Movie Lovers, It Was A Very Good Year

Mom's The Word: Annette Bening (left) and Julianne Moore play a comically yin-yang couple in The Kids Are All Right. Suzanne Tenner/Focus Features hide caption

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Suzanne Tenner/Focus Features

Movies

Mondello: For Movie Lovers, It Was A Very Good Year

Who says moviemakers are out of ideas? Hollywood studios may not always score, but for at least the third year in a row, foreign directors, indie auteurs and documentarians have served up enough eye-opening films that NPR's critic had trouble narrowing his best-of list to anything near a Top 10.

Mondello: For Movie Lovers, It Was A Very Good Year

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Wednesday

'Fame' Connects Joan Of Arc To Britney Spears

Singer Britney Spears arrives at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards. Frazer Harrison/Getty Images hide caption

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Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

'Fame' Connects Joan Of Arc To Britney Spears

Celebrity culture can be mystifying — if you're not a Britney Spears fan, you might wonder why she's famous at all. And if you do, you're in good company: Homer, Plato and Horace all wondered where the true heroes had gone. Tom Payne, author of Fame, explains why we need celebrities.

'Fame' Connects Joan Of Arc To Britney Spears

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Opinion

Beauty Shop Hair Wars: To Perm Or Not To Perm

For many women, a hairstyle is more than a personal image choice. It's often both personal and political, and has economic implications. In Tell Me More's regular "Beauty Shop" segment, host Michel Martin speaks with a panel of women about the politics of hair. Weighing in on the discussion is Michelle Breyer, founder of NaturallyCurly.com, Danielle Belton, author of the blog, Blacksnob.com, and Florida TV reporter Rochelle Ritchie.

Beauty Shop Hair Wars: To Perm Or Not To Perm

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Technology

Top 10 YouTube Videos For 2010

More than 13 million hours of content was uploaded to video sharing website YouTube this year. But the heavy buzz that surrounded a few of this year's videos made them much more popular than the rest.

Top 10 YouTube Videos For 2010

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Opinion

Yoga: A Positively Un-Indian Experience

The practice of yoga, which began about 5,000 years ago in India, has become a booming industry in the U.S., with more than 15 million followers. But for commentator Sandip Roy, there is nothing distinctly Indian about his experience at a San Francisco yoga class.

Yoga: A Positively Un-Indian Experience

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Sunday

Jon Stewart's Latest Act: Sept. 11 Responders Bill

During his Rally To Restore Sanity in October, comedian Jon Stewart told the crowd on the National Mall, "The press can hold its magnifying glass up to our problems." Or, he added, "they can use that magnifying glass to light ants on fire." Paul Morigi/WireImage hide caption

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Paul Morigi/WireImage

Media

Jon Stewart's Latest Act: Sept. 11 Responders Bill

The bill giving health benefits to the first responders who worked at ground zero had lingered for years. It looked nearly dead -- until comedian Jon Stewart nudged it over the finish line.

Jon Stewart's Latest Act: Sept. 11 Responders Bill

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Saturday

On A TV Near You: The Yule Log, Now In 3-D!

The 2009 Yule Log -- HD, but not 3-D. Beth Novey/NPR hide caption

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Beth Novey/NPR

Television

On A TV Near You: The Yule Log, Now In 3-D!

The Yule Log has burned brightly on TV sets for years. This year, the digital Christmas tradition will be available in 3-D.

On A TV Near You: The Yule Log, Now In 3-D!

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'Gulliver's Travels' And Jack Black's Christmas Envy

Jack Black eyes his tiny hosts in Gulliver's Travels. hy*drau"lx/Courtesy of 20th Century Fox hide caption

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hy*drau"lx/Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Movies

'Gulliver's Travels' And Jack Black's Christmas Envy

In the new film Gullivers Travels, Jack Black plays the big man in town. Despite what he says, no tiny actors were harmed in the making of the movie.

'Gulliver's Travels' And Jack Black's Christmas Envy

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Friday

Jimmy Stewart Museum Needs A Bailout

Actor Jimmy Stewart, shown with Donna Reed, in a still from the 1946 film It's A Wonderful Life, directed by Frank Capra. RKO Pictures/Getty Images hide caption

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RKO Pictures/Getty Images

National

Jimmy Stewart Museum Needs A Bailout

Just as Bailey Building and Loan fought to keep its doors open in It's a Wonderful Life, the Jimmy Stewart Museum is struggling to stay afloat. The museum in Indiana, Pa., has seen a drop in attendance and state funding over the years.

Jimmy Stewart Museum Needs A Bailout

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Technology

How Science and Technology Influence Language

Have you ever been Plutoed (demoted)? Is your inbox clogged with "bacn" (spam by personal request)? Are you a lifehacker (master at optimizing everyday routines)? Jonathon Keats, artist and author of Virtual Words, explains how science and technology influence language, and vice versa.

How Science and Technology Influence Language

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Pop Culture Happy Hour: The Gifts, Legacies, And Charming Parents Edition
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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour: The Gifts, Legacies, And Charming Parents Edition

On this week's Pop Culture Happy Hour, we talk about our greatest pop-culture gifts, as well as the more intangible things we got from our parents. Join us -- and in some cases our moms -- for a roundup of gifts and legacies.

Listen to Pop Culture Happy Hour

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Wednesday

Bianculli Picks The Best (And Worst) TV Of 2010

Gareth Malone leads three new choirs over the course of BBC America's The Choir. Twenty Twenty Television hide caption

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Twenty Twenty Television

Television

Bianculli Picks The Best (And Worst) TV Of 2010

Fresh Air

Fresh Air's TV critic rounds up the hottest and the nottest of the year that was. Worth watching? A BBC America import about a choir director teaching people to sing. Jersey Shore? Makes Bianculli want to shower.

Bianculli Picks The Best (And Worst) TV Of 2010

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Tuesday