Television

Jenna Coleman plays Clara, companion to Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith. The relationship between the Doctor and his companions is at the core of Doctor Who's long-lived appeal.

Arts

Allons-y! Why We've Been Traveling With 'Doctor Who' For 50 Years

5:24pm December 16, 2013

by Petra Mayer

The classic British sci-fi series Doctor Who turns 50 today — though the time-traveling Doctor himself is probably somewhere on the wrong side of 1000. NPR's Petra Mayer has an appreciation of the show and the enduring appeal of its ancient, alien hero.

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Nothing's sacred in We Are Miracles — but then as Sarah Silverman told Terry Gross in 2010, "there's a safety in what I do because I'm always the idiot. ... I'm always the ignoramus no matter what I talk about or what tragic event, off-color, dark scena

Arts

Sarah Silverman, Serving Up Sinfully Divine Comedy

5:24pm December 16, 2013

by NPR Staff

NPR's Scott Simon talks with Sarah Silverman about her upcoming stand-up special, We Are Miracles. Taped in front of a tiny live audience — just 39 people — the show takes aim at religion, childhood, politics, stereotypes and more.

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'SNL' Looks To Add Black Woman To Comedy Show's Cast

6:47am December 16, 2013

Saturday Night Live reportedly has held special auditions for black women. There are currently no black females in the cast.

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Arts

The Intended Madness Of Comic Eric Andre's 'Anti-Talk Show'

6:12pm December 08, 2013

by NPR Staff

With an unstable host, a reluctant sidekick and a house band oblivious to its surroundings, The Eric Andre Show has been described as "the weirdest show on TV." For all its inappropriateness, the show has generated a rabid fan base and has been renewed for a third season.

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Gillian Anderson plays Stella Gibson, an enigmatic police investigator, in the BBC Two series The Fall.

Arts

Gillian Anderson On 'The Fall' And Getting Arrested In High School

11:39am December 07, 2013

by NPR Staff

The X-Files actor's latest project is a British police procedural in which she plays the enigmatic Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson. Anderson tells NPR's Scott Simon what drew her to Gibson as a character, and how her London roots contributed to her fateful nomination as most likely to get arrested in high school.

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The life and work of composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim is examined in Six by Sondheim, a documentary from James Lapine, who also directed several of Sondheim's shows.

Arts

Delightful 'Six By Sondheim' Leaves You Wanting Six More

3:06pm December 06, 2013

by David Bianculli

HBO's new TV special is part biography, part music-appreciation lesson and part performance piece. Critic David Bianculli says it's a superbly compiled work, overseen by two of the people most intimately familiar with the composer himself.

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Fox sportscasters Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long and Jimmy Johnson appear during the 2005 Super Bowl pregame show in Jacksonville, Fla.

Sports

To Liven Up NFL Pregame Shows, Take A Cue From 'The View'?

12:39pm December 04, 2013

by Frank Deford

The Sunday pregame shows feature interchangeable ex-players and ex-coaches saying the same banal things, one after another. But on female-centered shows, observes Frank Deford, the hosts actually argue, hash things out, laugh and generally behave like flesh-and-blood human beings.

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Sports

NFL Thursday Matchup: 2 Losing Teams Will Still Get Ratings

7:14am December 04, 2013

by Mike Pesca

This week's Thursday Night Football features two teams that are as far from great as you can get. The Houston Texas face the Jacksonville Jaguars. It may just be the worst matchup of the year.

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World News

Meet The 'Arabs Got Talent' Star Who Doesn't Speak Arabic

5:56pm November 26, 2013

A Massachusetts woman is getting a lot of attention in the Arab world where she's advanced to the final of Arabs Got Talent. Jennifer Grout can't speak Arabic, but she sings flawlessly in Arabic.

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Bill Cosby performs his stand-up special, Far From Finished. The actor and comedian has been working in show business for 50 years.

Arts

Bill Cosby, Still Himself After All These Years

1:11pm November 25, 2013

by David Greene

Marking 50 years in show business, the actor and comedian talks about ADD, what his wife is really like and a child's death.

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