Pop Culture Happy Hour Small Batch: The Very Spoilery 'Star Wars'
Glen Weldon joins host Linda Holmes for a chat about a few spoilery aspects of the newly crowned owner of many box-office records.
Arts & Life
Frame-By-Frame, Filmmakers Make The Mundane Miraculous In 'Anomalisa'
Stop-motion "communicates fragility and humanity and brokenness," says Charlie Kaufman. He and co-director Duke Johnson explain how to make puppets look lifelike, whether walking or having sex.
Make 'Em Laugh: 'The Comedians' Tells The Story Of Stand-Up
Kliph Nesteroff's book digs into the origins of modern comedy, from the segregated Chitlin' Circuit to the vaudeville refugees who found a new home in the Catskills, to the very first female comics.
From Raucous To Ritzy: A Brief History Of Christmas Tea
In some fancy hotels, Christmas tea has become a refined respite for harried shoppers. But the tradition's roots are much rowdier: efforts to fight public drunkenness.
Revisiting Mary Martin's Lighter-Than-Air Exuberance In NBC's 1955 'Peter Pan' Live
In 1955 and '56, NBC aired live telecasts of the Broadway hit Peter Pan, starring Mary Martin. Critic Lloyd Schwartz calls the performances, now available on Blu-ray, a "tribute to freedom and youth."
Being Aaron Burr
The moment he looked at an American villain and saw a human being, Leslie Odom Jr.'s life changed. The Hamilton star looks back on a career-making year in the biggest show on Broadway.
Actress Gabourey Sidibe Explains How She Meets People Through Podcasts
Sidibe is a fan of Invisibilia, which explores the unseen forces that shape human behavior. Her favorite episode, "Entanglement," profiles a women who has synesthesia.
HBO Documentary Explores Dark Underbelly Of Russia's Bolshoi Ballet
Russia's Bolshoi Ballet was rocked following the 2013 acid attack on the company's artistic director. A new documentary airing Monday on HBO, Bolshoi Babylon, looks at the culture of the company and how things got to that point. NPR explores how the paranoia and distrust of management within the ranks of the company is both very Russian and a symbol of the Bolshoi Ballet.
A Diamond As Big As The Fitz: 75 Years Later, F. Scott Fitzgerald Shines On
The bard of America's Jazz Age died 75 years ago today, but his work is as popular as ever. Critic Juan Vidal remembers discovering Fitzgerald's work in a dusty secondhand bookshop.
'Oh, Bring Us Some ... ' Wait. What Is Figgy Pudding?
It doesn't usually feature figs, and it isn't what Americans think of as a pudding. Want to try it for yourself? Be prepared for 30 minutes of prep, eight hours of cooking — and four weeks of aging.