Hey, I Know That One: How SongPop Got Millions Of Players Naming That Tune
Today, four million people all over the world will log on to Facebook — or take out their phones — and play SongPop. This summer, it's become the fastest growing social game on Facebook, taking a run...
View ArticleMaking A Comedy Pilot? You Might Want To Call James Burrows
"It's staggering."That's Warren Littlefield, the former president of NBC, talking about the track record of sitcom director James Burrows. Tonight's premiere of Partners is his latest effort, but he's...
View ArticleJessica Lange, Back In Black For 'Horror Story'
To speak with Ryan Murphy about his show American Horror Story is to hear this declaration repeatedly: "She classes up the joint."Murphy is referring to his star, Jessica Lange, who recently won an...
View ArticleRatings Success? It's All In The (ABC) Family
In a sterile white boardroom in ABC Family's headquarters in Los Angeles, two young women are assiduously ignoring a spread of cookies in favor of two more important things: their laptops and a live...
View ArticleCultural Historian Jacques Barzun Dies At 104
Jacques Barzun, one of the most influential historians, educators and thinkers of the 20th century, died Thursday, just one month shy of his 105th birthday. Barzun seemed to have a limitless capacity...
View ArticleIn North Dakota, A Tale Of Two Ticket-Splitters
Transcript RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: Voters in North Dakota famously like to mix things up - sending one party to the White House; the other, to Congress. In a closely watched Senate race there, Democrat...
View ArticleR. Kelly's Queer, Campy 'Closet' Reopens
There's really been nothing like Trapped in the Closet ever before.R&B star R. Kelly has been making (and remaking) a series of short music videos that tell a flamboyant narrative in...
View ArticleThat's So Random: The Evolution Of An Odd Word
Random is a fighting word for young Spencer Thompson. The comedian posted a video to a Facebook page entitled I Hate When People Misuse the Word Random."The word random is the most misused word of our...
View ArticleAt A Real-Life Santa's Workshop, Christmas Comes Early
"Everyone calls me Geppetto," announces Lou Nasti. "I mean, look at me: The glasses, the gray hair — and I play with dolls. Come on."Being with Nasti at his Brooklyn company, Mechanical Displays Inc.,...
View ArticleIn Rapid-Fire 2012, Memes' Half-Life Fell To A Quarter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OBlgSz8sSMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc
View ArticleWho's Gay On TV? Dads, Journalists, Investigators And Footmen
The pop culture gay flavor of the minute? White gay dads."We're having a baby, Bri!" croons one of the leads on NBC's The New Normal. "This is our family. You, me and that kid forever."It's a...
View Article'Adventure Hour' Is A New Take On Old-Time Radio
The creators of The Thrilling Adventure Hour proudly call it "fake radio." It's less an homage to old-time radio and more of a clever update. A live monthly performance at Largo, a 200-seat,...
View ArticleWoman Behind 'Dear Abby' Guided Readers Through Personal Crises
Pauline Phillips, better known as the columnist "Dear Abby," died Wednesday at the age of 94.
View ArticleIn A Fragmented Cultureverse, Can Pop References Still Pop?
On a recent episode of Saturday Night Live when the comedian Louis C.K. played host, one skit parodied his eponymous show on F/X. It riffed on the theme song and the discursive style of his comedy.But...
View ArticleCompetition, High Bills Hurt Cable Companies
Transcript STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: OK. In the next few days, cable companies announce how they did financially in 2012. Most industry watchers expect some negative trends to continue. More people are...
View ArticleReg Presley, The Voice Of 'Wild Thing,' Dies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9DVJE_bhVU
View ArticleToy Fair: Markers That Don't Blot Walls, Sand Without The Mess
Toy Fair 2013 in New York started Sunday and runs until Wednesday. NPR's Neda Ulaby had the tough assignment of sizing up the acres of fun offerings. She brings us this report:The venerable industry...
View ArticleFrom Louisiana To Versailles, Funding 'Vital Stories, Artfully Told'
The movie Beasts of the Southern Wild is a fairy tale of a film. It might not seem to have much in common with documentaries about evangelical Christians in Uganda or the billionaire Koch brothers. But...
View Article2013 Pritzker Winner Toyo Ito Finds Inspiration In Air, Wind And Water
Toyo Ito, a 71-year-old architect based in Japan, is the winner of the 2013 Pritzker Architecture Prize. The jury honored Ito for his more than four-decade career, in which he has created architecture...
View ArticleWhy Are TV Remotes So Terrible?
Let's call it the baby sitter's dilemma.If you go to someone's house and pick up the TV remote, chances are, you won't know how it works. You know the situation's bad when even a tech writer who also...
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