Pop Culture : NPR

Dexter Showtime hide caption

toggle caption

Showtime

Want Good TV? Try These Three Shows

Fresh Air

September 30, 2011 • TV critic David Bianculli says most shows on TV this fall are a big disappointment. But three offerings this upcoming Sunday night — Prohibition, Dexter and Homeland — are all excellent, invigorating and exceptionally intelligent.

Want Good TV? Try These Three Shows

Listen · 7:10 7:10

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/140815526/140920073" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

Living In A Geodesic Dome Home

September 30, 2011 • Kevin Shea is a retired New York City firefighter with an unorthodox home. He lives in a 93,000 cubic-foot-geodesic dome, equipped with solar panels, a wind turbine, and a geothermal system. The home is on the grid, but outside the box.

Living In A Geodesic Dome Home

Listen · 5:06 5:06

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/140954019/140954006" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Don't Sneeze On Us During 'The X Factor,' Please

Brennan Hunt performs in front of the judges on The X Factor. Ray Mickshaw/Fox hide caption

toggle caption

Ray Mickshaw/Fox

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Don't Sneeze On Us During 'The X Factor,' Please

September 30, 2011 • On this week's show, we've got Paula Abdul, movies about sneezing, countertenors, and a game that will call upon your vast knowledge of famous injuries in pop-culture history.

Listen to Pop Culture Happy Hour

Listen · 44:06 44:06

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/140947420/140949616" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Terrifying Things That Should Absolutely Happen In 'Dream House'

September 29, 2011 • The new film Dream House is not screening for critics. So we are left to speculate about what might happen in a scary movie with that particular title. Evil wine refrigerator, anyone?

Congratulations, Television! You Are Even Worse At Masculinity Than Femininity

David Hornsby and Kevin Dillon star in CBS's How To Be A Gentleman. Art Streiber/CBS hide caption

toggle caption

Art Streiber/CBS

Congratulations, Television! You Are Even Worse At Masculinity Than Femininity

September 29, 2011 • Television's obnoxious relationship with femininity is legendary. But with tonight's launch of CBS's How To Be A Gentleman, it demonstrates that its relationship with masculinity may be even worse.

'Suburgatory': A Couple Of Fish Out Of Water On One Of Fall's Better Comedies

Jeremy Sisto and Jane Levy star in ABC's Suburgatory. Karen Neal/ABC hide caption

toggle caption

Karen Neal/ABC

'Suburgatory': A Couple Of Fish Out Of Water On One Of Fall's Better Comedies

September 28, 2011 • ABC's Suburgatory seems like a cardboard cutout show about how the city is cooler than the suburbs. But at its heart is a well-articulated relationship between a loving dad and his wary daughter.

Lessons From Premiere Week: Comedy Up, NBC Down, Nostalgia Mixed

Matthew Morrison and the rest of the cast of Glee are up against the wall after a very soft premiere episode last week. Adam Rose/Fox hide caption

toggle caption

Adam Rose/Fox

Lessons From Premiere Week: Comedy Up, NBC Down, Nostalgia Mixed

September 26, 2011 • We can begin to discern a few things about the new fall season. Comedies — both old ones and new ones — are coming on strong, aging reality franchises are flagging, and NBC just keeps trying to figure it out.

Rin Tin Tin: From Battlefield To Hollywood, A Story Of Friendship

The original Rin Tin Tin was born in 1918 and died in 1932. Courtesy of Simon and Schuster hide caption

toggle caption

Courtesy of Simon and Schuster

Rin Tin Tin: From Battlefield To Hollywood, A Story Of Friendship

September 24, 2011 • Susan Orlean's new book about one of cinema's great dogs argues that Rin Tin Tin wasn't just a dog doing tricks, but an actor who could emote and affect audiences.

Rin Tin Tin: From Battlefield To Hollywood, A Story Of Friendship

Listen · 9:10 9:10

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/140746523/140766972" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

iStockphoto.com

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Gambling On Conversations With Dead People

September 23, 2011 • With our usual host on injured list, the Pop Culture Happy Hour team cobbles together a discussion of the Emmys, fall TV shows we think will succeed, and a motley array of happy-making things.

Listen to Pop Culture Happy Hour

Listen · 34:24 34:24

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/140742804/140738682" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Television's Discouraging Sameness And Our Discouraging Silence

Taraji P. Henson is a rare woman of color on a fall network show, on CBS's Person Of Interest. John Paul Filo/CBS hide caption

toggle caption

John Paul Filo/CBS

Television's Discouraging Sameness And Our Discouraging Silence

September 23, 2011 • Commentator Sarah Ventre says that the biggest problem with last week's Emmy Awards wasn't how lacking they were in cultural diversity, but how little she saw that problem discussed.

In A Strong Return, 'The Office' Finds Its Footing Without Steve Carell

Rainn Wilson and James Spader in "The List," the season premiere episode of NBC's The Office. Chris Haston/NBC hide caption

toggle caption

Chris Haston/NBC

In A Strong Return, 'The Office' Finds Its Footing Without Steve Carell

September 23, 2011 • The Office has officially started its first season without Steve Carell. A new boss, a new star, and some old-fashioned physical comedy contributed to a strong Thursday night return.

As 'All My Children' Ends, Susan Lucci Says Goodbye

Susan Lucci's character, Erica Kane, has served time for kidnapping, been accused of murder and cheated on her fifth and sixth husband, Travis, with his brother, Jackson — who later became Kane's 10th husband. Ron Tom/ABC hide caption

toggle caption

Ron Tom/ABC

Opinion

Television

As 'All My Children' Ends, Susan Lucci Says Goodbye

September 23, 2011 • Fans have been following the drama of Pine Valley — the fictitious Philadelphia suburb where the show takes place — since 1970, and much of that drama has revolved around Lucci's character, Erica Kane. But her reign comes to an end Friday as ABC airs the soap's final episode.

As 'All My Children' Ends, Susan Lucci Says Goodbye

Listen · 7:20 7:20

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/140713172/140732341" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

Some Familiar Faces Return To Fall TV Lineup

Ted Danson and Marg Helgenberger search for clues on the CBS drama CSI. Sonja Flemming/CBS hide caption

toggle caption

Sonja Flemming/CBS

Television

Some Familiar Faces Return To Fall TV Lineup

Fresh Air

September 22, 2011 • Ted Danson and James Spader join the casts of CSI and The Office this season — and Simon Cowell returns to TV with an Americanized version of his British hit The X-Factor. Critic David Bianculli says the three TV vets each bring something else to their roles: a likability factor.

Some Familiar Faces Return To Fall TV Lineup

Listen · 8:25 8:25

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/140705710/140736552" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

The New 'Charlie's Angels': The Depressing Spectacle Of A Project No One Loves

ABC's Charlie's Angels stars Minka Kelly, Annie Ilonzeh, and Rachael Taylor. Bob D'Amico/ABC hide caption

toggle caption

Bob D'Amico/ABC

Pop Culture Happy Hour

The New 'Charlie's Angels': The Depressing Spectacle Of A Project No One Loves

September 22, 2011 • The new Charlie's Angels isn't just a bad show. It's a show nobody even wants to be good, and that's what makes it so depressingly, offensively bad.

'Ebony,' 'Jet' Parent Takes A Bold New Tack

Circulation figures for Johnson Publishing's flagship Ebony and Jet magazines are up substantially in recent months. NPR hide caption

toggle caption

NPR

Media

'Ebony,' 'Jet' Parent Takes A Bold New Tack

September 22, 2011 • After a tough few years, Johnson Publishing says it has righted its course — revamping its flagship titles and selling an equity stake in the iconic black-owned company to raise money for brand-building.

'Ebony,' 'Jet' Parent Takes A Bold New Tack

Listen · 6:32 6:32

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/140676433/140684678" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

Friday September 30, 2011

Fresh Air

Want Good TV? Try These Three Shows

Living In A Geodesic Dome Home

Listen to Pop Culture Happy Hour

Thursday September 29, 2011

Wednesday September 28, 2011

Monday September 26, 2011

Saturday September 24, 2011

Rin Tin Tin: From Battlefield To Hollywood, A Story Of Friendship

Friday September 23, 2011

Listen to Pop Culture Happy Hour

As 'All My Children' Ends, Susan Lucci Says Goodbye

Thursday September 22, 2011

Fresh Air

Some Familiar Faces Return To Fall TV Lineup

'Ebony,' 'Jet' Parent Takes A Bold New Tack