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Pop Culture

Friday

Morning Edition

Healing Music in New Orleans Festival's Gospel Tent

On Friday morning, New Orleans kicks off its first jazz festival since Hurricane Katrina. This year, the Jazz & Heritage Festival has adopted the motto "Witness the Healing Power of Music." Nowhere will this be more evident than in the festival's Gospel Tent.

Healing Music in New Orleans Festival's Gospel Tent

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Robert Smigel's Saturday 'Funhouse'

Fresh Air

This weekend, Saturday Night Live devote 90 minutes to a collection of Robert Smigel's TV Funhouse shorts. Those satirical cartoons featured gags such as the Ambiguously Gay Duo and X-Presidents. Smigel wrote for SNL from 1985-1993, and he was the original head writer/producer for Late Night With Conan O'Brien.

Robert Smigel's Saturday 'Funhouse'

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Thursday

Wednesday

Monday

Culture

Tyler Perry's Impressive Hollywood Rise

Until it was flattened by the latest Ice Age movie, Madea's Family Reunion had the biggest opening weekend of the year. This was the second hit for writer, director and star Tyler Perry, who is transforming himself into an entertainment empire.

Tyler Perry's Impressive Hollywood Rise

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Technology

USA Network to Air Video Gaming Competitions

The USA Network recently announced a seven-part television series following competitions on the Major League Gaming tour. The tour follows top-tier video gamers who travel from city to city competing in tournaments. Madeleine Brand speaks to Major League Gaming's co-founder, Sundance DiGiovanni, about bringing the tour to television.

USA Network to Air Video Gaming Competitions

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Author Interviews

TV's Ferguson Looks at Pop Culture from the Page

Fresh Air

Craig Ferguson hosts CBS's Late Late Show, which should give him a fairly good vantage point from which to poke fun at pop culture and the entertainment industry. He has pounced on the opportunity with his novel, Between the Bridge and the River.

TV's Ferguson Looks at Pop Culture from the Page

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Xeni Tech

Living in the 'Star Trek' Universe -- For Real

Tony Alleyne loved the Star Trek universe so much, he wanted to live in it. So he remodeled his condominium to look like the inside of the Starship Enterprise. He has started a science-fiction interior-design business to recoup the cost, and now he's an Internet hero. Technology maven Xeni Jardin profiles Alleyne and his most unusual home.

Living in the 'Star Trek' Universe -- For Real

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Sunday

Saturday

Music Interviews

A Blues and Country Collection for Collectors

A new CD gathers rare early blues and country records, including some that have never before reached the general public. Richard Nevins, who compiled The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of, tells Debbie Elliott about the collection.

A Blues and Country Collection for Collectors

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Friday

Opinion

Technology

Slate's Culturebox: Stop Blogging and Get to Work

Could blogging be a distraction for serious writers? Blogger Sarah Hepola thinks so -- she had hoped blogging would help her write a book, but it kept her from writing a book instead. Hepola wrote about her experience for Slate, and offers a commentary about giving up her blog.

Slate's Culturebox: Stop Blogging and Get to Work

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Thursday

Review

Music Reviews

Morrissey: 'Leader of the Tormentors'

Morrissey has been a fixture on the pop-music landscape for more than two decades. Music critic John Brady says listening to his eighth solo album is like having a conversation with a neighbor — a mopey, gothic, somewhat strange but always exciting neighbor.

Morrissey: 'Leader of the Tormentors'

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Wednesday

Analysis

On Television

Slate's Ad Report Card: Soccer Stars in the Spotlight

The latest television ads for Nike athletic shoes focus on international soccer -- the world's most popular sport, but with relatively few fans in the United States. Slate columnist Seth Stevenson says the new commercials could win over even soccer skeptics here in America.

Slate's Ad Report Card: Soccer Stars in the Spotlight

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Saturday

Music

Lost Lester Young Jam Session Turns Up

This week, the Library of Congress announced 50 more audio recordings it will preserve... and the discovery of a previously unknown recording by jazzman Lester Young. The piece was recorded in 1940, probably in New York City.

Lost Lester Young Jam Session Turns Up

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