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January 18, 2013 Since the cyclist admitted to doping, he has been likened by many news agencies to a hero from Greek tragedy. The ancient Greeks themselves, however, would probably disagree.

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January 18, 2013 In an age of werewolves, hormonal vampires and endless sequels, horror movies have lost some edge. But Mama, starring Jessica Chastain, is an entertaining step in the right — which is to say backward — direction.

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On Fresh Air from WHYYPlaylist

January 18, 2013 The Inquisition revolutionized record-keeping and surveillance techniques that are still used today, says Cullen Murphy. His book God's Jury draws parallels between some of the interrogation techniques used in previous centuries with the ones used today.

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On Fresh Air from WHYYPlaylist

January 18, 2013 On this week's show, we touch on the Oscar nominations that were and were not, as well as the surprisingly good Globes telecast.

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ListenPlaylist

January 18, 2013 What do salt, ancient Jewish pickle carts, the sometimes brutal Indonesian spice trade and Vincent Van Gogh have in common? They brought life to Dutch cuisine, specifically, the Dutch pickle.

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January 18, 2013 Sergei Filin may have been attacked by someone who is angry about which dancers he has chosen for starring roles, his family and colleagues tell news outlets.

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January 18, 2013 As the nation gears up for the second inauguration of President Obama, NPR Books dove into the archives to find our favorite interviews with biographers of the first family.

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January 18, 2013 In film and TV, pop culture references are meant to give a knowing nod to those in the audience who understand the joke. But in an increasingly segmented and diverse country, those jokes may be pulling in fewer laughs.

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

January 17, 2013 Baltimore's criminal underworld is the backdrop for a coming-of-age drama about an 11-year-old and the uncle he idolizes. Critic Joel Arnold says solid performances in the central roles shore up a plot that sometimes strains credulity.

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January 17, 2013 Arnold Schwarzenegger is back in action-hero character for the spaghetti-Western splatterfest The Last Stand. He's having a reasonably good time in a scattershot shoot-'em-up that stumbles too often on its way to an ending.

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January 17, 2013 First-time director Andres Muschietti's Mama follows familiar fright-film guidelines, but the dedication of its lead actress and its somber, chilly tone make for a committed trip to the archetypical cabin in the woods.

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January 17, 2013 The neo-noir Broken City may be coolly stylish, but its too-neat resolution makes you wonder what's been lost in the edit bay.

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January 17, 2013 Director Bruno Dumont is an odd fit in the modern cinematic landscape, but that doesn't take away from the singular beauty of his new film.

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January 17, 2013 Writing under the pen name Abigail Van Buren, she wrote the world's most widely syndicated column. The daily readership grew to more than 100 million. The column is now written by her daughter, Jeanne.

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January 17, 2013 Writer Kevin Smokler spent most of 2012 rereading the books assigned in his high school English classes. Smokler, 39, speaks with NPR's Neal Conan about what he learned after returning to the classics.

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On Talk of the NationPlaylist