Arts & Life

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.)

Arts

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

4:25pm December 18, 2018

by Glen Weldon

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.

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Cardi B; Ethan Hawke in First Reformed; Sandra Oh in Killing Eve.

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

2:53pm December 18, 2018

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.

Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt) is back in service at the Banks' home in Mary Poppins Returns, a sequel to the 1964 classic.

Arts

Emily Blunt's 'Mary Poppins' Is As Magical And Mysterious As Ever

1:40pm December 18, 2018

by Terry Gross

When she landed the role in Mary Poppins Returns, Blunt didn't rewatch the 1964 original. "I didn't want to sort of get compromised by the details of what Julie Andrews did so beautifully," she says.

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Pretend you're an elf who works at Santaland. Tell us about your imaginary shift.

Arts

Pretend You're An Elf In Santaland

11:25am December 18, 2018

by Laura Roman

In 1992, the world met Crumpet the elf in David Sedaris' "Santaland Diaries," the story of his time working as a Macy's department store elf. Now imagine you had that job. Tell us your story.

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.

Arts

CBS Denies Former CEO Les Moonves $120 Million Severance Package

7:26pm December 17, 2018

by Vanessa Romo

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.

Ben Whishaw voices the perpetually well-meaning bear in Paddington 2.

Books
Arts

2018 'Ghost List' Revisits The TV, Books And Movies A Critic Wishes He Covered

1:41pm December 17, 2018

by John Powers

Each year, Fresh Air critic-at-large John Powers finds himself haunted by the books, movies and shows that he loved but wasn't able to review on the air.

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Books
Arts

From Slavery To 'American Wonder': Revisiting Frederick Douglass' Remarkable Life

1:40pm December 17, 2018

by Dave Davies

Historian David Blight's new biography describes Douglass' escape from slavery, his passionate leadership in the abolitionist movement and his gift as a writer and orator.

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In the story "The Mole and the Sun," Mole's mother is sick. A medical seer tells him she will recover if his friend Ya Sun can orbit the earth in the opposite direction that it's rotating. The sobering moral is that you can't go against the rules of natur

Magical Photos Bring Fables From Mbomo To Life

9:53am December 17, 2018

by Rachel D. Cohen

The fables were gathered from people in the Congo Basin and illustrated with a touch of magical realism in the new book Congo Tales: Told By The People Of Mbomo.

Queer Eye, Homecoming, Killing Eve, Vida, The Good Place and Big Mouth all made NPR's top list.

Arts

NPR's Favorite TV Shows Of 2018

5:29am December 17, 2018

This year we say goodbye to The Americans, but we also celebrate new gems like Queer Eye, Killing Eve and Homecoming.

Arts

Predictions

7:23pm December 16, 2018

Our panelists predict who will end up hosting the Oscars.

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