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Pop Culture

Friday

Professional Wrestling World Mourns Longtime Star 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper, clad in his trademark kilt, speaks in 2009 at the WrestleMania 25th anniversary press conference at Hard Rock Cafe in New York City. Piper fought in the main bout at the first WrestleMania in 1985, losing a tag-team match to Hulk Hogan and Mr. T. Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images hide caption

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Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images

The Two-Way

Professional Wrestling World Mourns Longtime Star 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper

The Canadian entered the WWF as a villain and fought Hulk Hogan and Mr. T in the first Wrestlemania event. The career gave the often-bekilted grappler many chances to show off his bagpipe skills.

Television

Despite Host Controversy, Amazon Takes A Chance On 'Top Gear'

The trio that made Top Gear the world's biggest car show will return to the small screen in a new show for Amazon Prime. The BBC canned one of its hosts last year after a fight with a producer.

Despite Host Controversy, Amazon Takes A Chance On 'Top Gear'

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The Play's The Thing — High School Productions Down The Decades
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NPR Ed

The Play's The Thing — High School Productions Down The Decades

Bob Mondello looks at the most-produced shows at high schools through seven decades and ponders what the choices made by drama teachers tell us.

The Play's The Thing — High School Productions Down The Decades

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Television

For Key And Peele, Biracial Roots Bestow Special Comedic 'Power'

Fresh Air

Comics Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele satirize people of all races on their Comedy Central sketch show. Originally broadcast Nov. 20, 2013.

For Key And Peele, Biracial Roots Bestow Special Comedic 'Power'

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'Rogue Nation' Fulfills The Mission Of A Reliable Blockbuster Series

A spry 52 when the film was shot, Tom Cruise — still his own stuntman — careens a motorcycle, sans helmet, around a winding Moroccan highway at suicide-miles-per-hour. Bo Bridges/Paramount Pictures hide caption

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Bo Bridges/Paramount Pictures

Review

Movie Reviews

'Rogue Nation' Fulfills The Mission Of A Reliable Blockbuster Series

Tom Cruise returns as secret agent Ethan Hunt in the latest Mission: Impossible -- a super-fun sequel executed with rigor, clarity, and creative use of Puccini's Turandot.

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Music, Movies And Music In Movies

Jeremy Jordan and Anna Kendrick in The Last Five Years. Thomas Concordia/TIFF hide caption

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Thomas Concordia/TIFF

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Music, Movies And Music In Movies

Ari Shapiro and Bob Mondello join the gang to discuss soundtracks and other cinematic songs. And, as always, we discuss what's making us happy this week.

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Music, Movies And Music In Movies

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Thursday

First Day Of Camp

The cast of Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp on the AMA stage in Central Park Mike Katzif/NPR hide caption

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Mike Katzif/NPR

Ask Me Another

First Day Of Camp

Wet Hot American Summer's David Wain and David Hyde Pierce join us for a conversation, before Ken Marino, Judah Friedlander, A.D. Miles, and Zak Orth play a game about classic '80s toy commercials.

First Day Of Camp

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Wednesday

With 'Paper Towns,' Author John Green Reopens Search For Agloe, N.Y.
Booklist/American Library Association

Culture

With 'Paper Towns,' Author John Green Reopens Search For Agloe, N.Y.

Agloe, N.Y., is not a town in any real sense. Instead, it's among a number of fakes that mapmakers planted to foil plagiarists. It inspired John Green to write his book (and now movie) Paper Towns.

With 'Paper Towns,' Author John Green Reopens Search For Agloe, N.Y.

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