Television

Elisabeth Moss (right) and Thomas Wright star in Jane Campion's new series Top of the Lake.

Arts

Two New TV Dramas Look Below The Surface

1:56pm March 18, 2013

by David Bianculli

Jane Campion directs a new Sundance Channel miniseries, Top of the Lake, about a young New Zealand detective played by Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss. Meanwhile, producers from Lost and Friday Night Lights team up to create a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, called Bates Motel.

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Linguist Geoff Nunberg finds that in the film Lincoln, screenwriter Tony Kushner oscillates between old and modern meanings of "equality."

Arts

Historical Vocab: When We Get It Wrong, Does It Matter?

7:12pm February 26, 2013

by Geoff Nunberg

We're living in an age obsessed with authenticity, says linguist Geoff Nunberg, but we often choose to nitpick the wrong details. Whether it's Downton Abbey, Mad Men, Lincoln or Argo, Nunberg argues, a historical novel or screenplay should give us a translation, not a transcription.

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Adele performs the theme song to "Skyfall."

Arts

The Oscars Broadcast, Zooming Way Past Cheeky To Land Squarely On Crass

4:36pm February 25, 2013

by Linda Holmes

Seth MacFarlane hosted the 85th Academy Awards which Monkey See's Linda Holmes says was one of the worst hosting performances in Oscar history. Jokes about women just kept coming. His sexist jokes were in poor taste, sure, but if they'd been funny, nobody would have cared.

Aereo allows users to connect to a distant antenna — a tiny device that acts like an old set of rabbit ears — and watch broadcast TV channels on their computer, tablet or smartphone. Currently the service is available only in New York City, and it's e

Arts
Economy

Amid Lawsuits, Aereo Brings Broadcast TV To The Internet

5:52am February 21, 2013

by NPR Staff

Backed by broadcasting powerhouse Barry Diller, a new service picks up broadcast TV signals and makes them available over the Web — and the TV networks don't like that one bit. Currently available only in New York City, Aereo is planning to expand ... if it makes it through the legal challenges.

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Wooden angels memorialize the victims of Adam Lanza's shooting spree in Newtown, Conn., last December. An upcoming Frontline documentary seeks to provide new details about Lanza and his mother, Nancy.

National

The 27th Victim: Nancy Lanza Is Subject Of 'Frontline' Documentary

8:13pm February 15, 2013

The documentary Raising Adam Lanza seeks a more complete view of Nancy Lanza and her son, a young man who was described as smart and awkward as a teen — and who later killed 27 people in Newtown, Conn. The documentary is built on the work of PBS Frontline and The Hartford Courant.

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The TV Bad Guys We Can't Help But Love

2:37pm February 07, 2013

FX's new series The Americans is centered around two undercover KGB spies posing as a married couple in Northern Virginia during the Reagan administration. Washington Post TV critic Hank Stuever says this show's characters are just one example of television bad guys that audiences love.

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'House Of Cards' A Delicate Balance Of Politics And Drama

3:07pm February 02, 2013

Kevin Spacey stars in the new TV series House of Cards, a remake of a BBC political drama. Spacey plays a vindictive U.S. senator who attempts to undermine the newly elected president. The Netflix series is written by Beau Willimon. Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon talks with Spacey and Willimon about the challenges of dramatizing Washington, D.C.'s backroom wheeling and dealing.

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Jimmy Cliff in a Volkswagen "Get Happy" commercial.

Sports
Arts

For Super Bowl Ads, More Social-Media Savvy

7:17pm February 01, 2013

by Elizabeth Blair

For years, Super Bowl ads have gone viral after they've aired. But these days brands like Doritos and Volkswagen are turning to social media to crowdsource ad creation — and to boost the buzz long before the big Sunday kickoff.

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Kevin Spacey is the star and a producer of the new Netflix series House of Cards, on which David Fincher is a co-producer.

Arts

Spacey And Fincher Make A 'House Of Cards'

12:18pm January 31, 2013

Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Spacey and Oscar-winning director David Fincher team up for a new Netflix original series that premieres Friday. House of Cards follows a Machiavellian politician as he schemes to take down the president of the United States.

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Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright star in the new Netflix original series House of Cards, which premieres Feb. 1.

Arts

'House Of Cards' Is Built To Last

9:06am January 31, 2013

by David Bianculli

Two new dramas fueled by intrigue premiere this week: The Americans on FX and House of Cards on Netflix. While The Americans has its moments, House of Cards is the show that's going to make television history.

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