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Tuesday

Remote Control: It Was Hard To Turn Off The TV In 2013
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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Remote Control: It Was Hard To Turn Off The TV In 2013

Picking a Top 10 list of best TV shows was treacherous work for critics this year. Nevertheless, NPR's TV critic Eric Deggans did it just for you.

Deggans: 2013 Offered Up More TV Cast Diversity, Foreign Shows

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American Dialect Society To Vote On Word Of The Year

Later this week the American Dialect Society will announce its word of the Year. Renee Montagne discusses word contenders with linguist Ben Zimmer, who is the language columnist for The Wall Street Journal.

American Dialect Society To Vote On Word Of The Year

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Monday

Screen Time: Bob Mondello's Favorite Films Of 2013

Lea Seydoux plays Emma in the film Blue Is the Warmest Color, directed by Abdellatif Kechiche. AP hide caption

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AP

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Screen Time: Bob Mondello's Favorite Films Of 2013

TV may have been great this year, but don't roll the credits on 2013 films just yet. The film critic lists his annual best of the best for your pleasure.

Screen Time: Bob Mondello's Favorite Films Of 2013

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Television

2013 Offered Up More TV Cast Diversity, Foreign Shows

The year 2013 offered a wealth of quality television programming — which can't be said of every year. Looking back at the year in television, a few trends stand out: more diversity in prime time offerings, critics and audiences found a lot to love in foreign offerings, and streaming services continued to encroach on cable.

2013 Offered Up More TV Cast Diversity, Foreign Shows

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Make It So: Sir Patrick Stewart Moos In Udder Accents

A Jersey cow enjoys the sunshine in Jersey, one of the British Channel Islands. Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP hide caption

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Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP

Code Switch

Make It So: Sir Patrick Stewart Moos In Udder Accents

The English drama and moovie star proves he's one of the best in his field by grazing us with his impersonations of code-switching cows.

Patrick Stewart Amooses Us

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Hot On YouTube: Videos About Video Games, And Science, Too

A screengrab of a YouTube video of the game Walking Dead from the Swedish gamer known as PewDiePie. Videos of people offering commentary while playing video games are wildly popular on YouTube. YouTube/PewDiePie hide caption

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YouTube/PewDiePie

All Tech Considered

Hot On YouTube: Videos About Video Games, And Science, Too

Many people watched other people playing video games on the video-sharing site in 2013. But it wasn't all about games; educational videos, particularly those that explain science concepts or use fun animation, were also big hits.

Hot On YouTube: Videos About Video Games, And Science, Too

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Sunday

Friday

Teaching Democracy Through Jazz, Perfecting Party Playlists
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The New And The Next

Teaching Democracy Through Jazz, Perfecting Party Playlists

Carlos Watson, co-founder of the online magazine Ozy, tells host Arun Rath about a teacher using jazz to educate young students about democracy and a site that could spruce up the playlist for New Year's Eve parties this year.

Teaching Democracy Through Jazz, Perfecting Party Playlists

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Wednesday

Movies

How Close Did 'Captain Philips' Get To The Real Life Piracy Tale?

The film Captain Phillips is "based on a true story" of the 2009 hijacking of an American ship by Somali pirates. But how faithfully does the movie capture real events? Robert Siegel puts that question to Colin Freeman, chief foreign correspondent with Britain's Sunday Telegraph. Freeman covered the 2009 incident and has himself been kidnapped by Somali pirates.

How Close Did 'Captain Philips' Get To The Real Life Piracy Tale?

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Tuesday

Culture

How Blind Voice Over Artist 'Reads'

Pete Gustin has voiced over national ads but he can't read scripts - he's legally blind. As he tells Tell Me More guest host Celeste Headlee, he didn't let his disability deter his talent.

How Blind Voice Over Artist 'Reads'

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David Bianculli's Top 10 Shows: 2013 Was A 'Good Year For TV'

Kevin Spacey (left) and Robin Wright star in House of Cards, directed by David Fincher. The Netflix series, which follows a Machiavellian politician, is an adaptation of a BBC series of the same name. Hear an interview with Spacey and Fincher. Patrick Harbron/Netflix hide caption

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Patrick Harbron/Netflix

Television

David Bianculli's Top 10 Shows: 2013 Was A 'Good Year For TV'

Fresh Air

Two new shows from Netflix -- House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black — changed the TV landscape, but Bianculli's top pick for 2013 is AMC's Breaking Bad. "It ended as brilliantly as it began," he says. "I'm so grateful for that series."

David Bianculli's Top 10 Shows: 2013 Was A 'Good Year For TV'

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