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The Monkees Tried To Cut Their Strings With 'Head'

In Head, the Monkees made a play for creative and cultural respect. Did it work? No. Was it a strangely great movie? Heck yeah. Photo by Moviestore/Shutterstock hide caption

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Photo by Moviestore/Shutterstock

1968: How We Got Here

The Monkees Tried To Cut Their Strings With 'Head'

Hey, hey, they were the Monkees, and by 1968 they were sick and tired of their manufactured boy-band image, so they took a sledgehammer to it in the surreal, angry, stream-of-consciousness Head.

Friday

'Black Mirror: Bandersnatch' Makes You Choose Your Own Adventure

Fionn Whitehead plays Stefan, programmer creating a mid-'80s adventure game in Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. Netflix hide caption

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Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Black Mirror: Bandersnatch' Makes You Choose Your Own Adventure

Netflix premiered its first interactive film for adults on Friday — one where you make choices on-screen to decide what happens next. It tells the story of a programmer trapped with his game.

'Black Mirror: Bandersnatch' Makes You Choose Your Own Adventure

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Thursday

The Fierce Female Characters Of Film In 2018

Ayo (Florence Kasumba, left) and Okoye (Danai Gurira) are members of the Dora Milaje, the elite female warriors of Wakanda, in Black Panther. Marvel Studios hide caption

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Marvel Studios

Pop Culture

The Fierce Female Characters Of Film In 2018

This year, movies where women starred had Hollywood muscle behind them. So do this year's heroines — conceived before #MeToo, but landing in the moment — mark a change for the industry?

The Fierce Female Characters Of Film In 2018

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Friday

Our 15 Favorite Things Of 2018

Black Panther was a hugely successful and groundbreaking addition to the Marvel canon, and one of our clear favorites of 2018. Marvel Studios hide caption

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Marvel Studios

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Our 15 Favorite Things Of 2018

It's the end of the year, and that makes it the perfect time to talk about the things we loved the most in 2018. From Black Panther, to Crazy Rich Asians, to the viral moments you might have missed, we are rounding up our fifteen favorites of the year. So get ready for a whole lot of recommending.

Our 15 Favorite Things Of 2018

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Thursday

Bianculli's Best TV Shows Of 2018: 'Better Call Saul' Is Still On Top

Bob Odenkirk plays Jimmy McGill in AMC's Better Call Saul. Nicole Wilder/AMC/Sony Pictures Television hide caption

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Nicole Wilder/AMC/Sony Pictures Television

Bianculli's Best TV Shows Of 2018: 'Better Call Saul' Is Still On Top

Fresh Air

Critic David Bianculli says that being a TV critic right now is kind of like being a sports writer — in a league where 10 new teams spring up every week.

Bianculli's Best TV Shows Of 2018: 'Better Call Saul' Is Still On Top

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Tuesday

Aquaman, From Super Friend To Surfer Dude: The Bro-Ification Of A Hero

The author's collection of aqua-memorabilia. (Not pictured: The author's many, many Aquaman t-shirts. And the Aquaman tattoo on the authorial left deltoid.) Glen Weldon/Private Collection (literally!) hide caption

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Glen Weldon/Private Collection (literally!)

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Aquaman, From Super Friend To Surfer Dude: The Bro-Ification Of A Hero

The Sea King has undergone a series of sea changes: once a generic fish-cop, then a widely shared joke, and now, finally, the star of his own blockbuster film, as the ultimate bro.

Aquaman, From Super Friend To Surfer Dude: The Bro-Ification Of A Hero

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'Fresh Air' Favorites: Our Critics Pick 2018's Best Books, Movies, Music And TV

Cardi B; Ethan Hawke in First Reformed; Sandra Oh in Killing Eve. Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for iHeartMedia; A24; Sophie Mutevelian/BBC America hide caption

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Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for iHeartMedia; A24; Sophie Mutevelian/BBC America

Review

Culture

'Fresh Air' Favorites: Our Critics Pick 2018's Best Books, Movies, Music And TV

Fresh Air

Find everything our critics loved this year, all in one place: Maureen Corrigan's book list, movie pairings from Justin Chang, music recommended by Ken Tucker and David Bianculli's must-see TV list.

Monday

CBS Denies Former CEO Les Moonves $120 Million Severance Package

CBS announced on Monday it will not pay out a controversial $120 million severance package to former CEO Leslie Moonves. The company said it had ample reason to fire the disgraced executive for cause. Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images for Showtime hide caption

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Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images for Showtime

CBS Denies Former CEO Les Moonves $120 Million Severance Package

The network explained its decision, saying "there are grounds to terminate for cause, including his willful and material misfeasance" and failure to cooperate with the company's investigation.

Alan Alda Wants Us To Have Better Conversations

Alan Alda Jhon Ochoa, Photo-illustration: Renee Klahr/NPR hide caption

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Jhon Ochoa, Photo-illustration: Renee Klahr/NPR

Hidden Brain

Alan Alda Wants Us To Have Better Conversations

Arguments and bickering can sour family gatherings during the holiday season. This week, we share tips on how to avoid miscommunication from our January 2018 conversation with actor Alan Alda. You might know him from his roles on television shows like M*A*S*H, The West Wing and 30 Rock, but in recent years Alda has also focused on helping scientists, and the rest of us, communicate better. His book is If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face? My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating.

Alan Alda Wants Us To Have Better Conversations

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Sunday

Friday

CBS Paid Eliza Dushku $9.5 Million After Alleged Sexual Harassment, Termination

Actress Eliza Dushku reached a $9.5 million settlement with CBS last year after she alleged she was written off Bull because she had made a sexual harassment complaint against the show's lead. Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images hide caption

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Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

CBS Paid Eliza Dushku $9.5 Million After Alleged Sexual Harassment, Termination

Days after confronting actor Michael Weatherly, a huge star for the network, Dushku was written off Bull. An investigation determined the company often protected itself at the expense of victims.