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Friday, February 15, 2013

Monkey See

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Justin Timberlake, LL Cool J And The Presidency

A drawing of two clinking martini glasses.

February 15, 2013 On this week's show, we break down the Grammy Awards and consider the way pop culture deals with the highest office in the land.

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The Two-Way

Book News: DOJ Approves Penguin, Random House Merger

Books from the Penguin publishing company are displayed in a book store in  London.

February 15, 2013 Also: The erotic writings of John Donne; Randi Zuckerberg gets a two-book deal; and the whimsical world of book sculpting.

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First Reads

Exclusive First Read: 'The Summer Prince' By Alaya Dawn Johnson

The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson.

February 15, 2013 Alaya Dawn Johnson's new young adult novel, The Summer Prince, is set in post-apocalyptic Brazil, in a giant pyramid-shaped city ruled by queens with a combination of technology and ancient, bloody sacrifice.

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First Reads

Questions For Alaya Dawn Johnson, Author Of 'The Summer Prince'

Alaya Dawn Johnson lives and writes in New York City.

February 15, 2013 Alaya Dawn Johnson answers a few questions about her new YA novel, The Summer Prince — an NPR Books Exclusive First Read.

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Movie Interviews

The Story Of 'No' Is The Story Of Modern Chile

The bright colors and throwback feel of the Chilean drama No mask the very real political consequences of the 1988 plebiscite it depicts. (Pictured: Gael Garcia Bernal as Rene Saavedra)

February 15, 2013 The Chilean political drama No is the first film from that country to be nominated for the Best Foreign Language Academy Award. The powerful, poignant film uses an unlikely main character to chart the surprising end of a dictator's reign.

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Movie Reviews

Kiarostami Eyes Tokyo 'Like Someone In Love'

Akiko (Rin Takanashi) is a young call girl and university student in modern Tokyo who hesitantly befriends an elderly male client.

February 14, 2013 Legendary Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami turns to the neon sprawl of Tokyo for Like Someone in Love, where his actors find some gentle insight. But the expat director retains something of the air of a wide-eyed tourist, which isn't always to the film's credit.

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Movie Reviews

'Shanghai Calling,' And The Answer Is, 'Why Not?'

Self-assured lawyer Sam (Daniel Henney) must learn to trust others and embrace life as an expat in the cheery fish-out-of-water film Shanghai Calling.

February 14, 2013 The cheery, cheesy Shanghai Calling trots out familiar plot lines and retread characters in a made-for-TV-style pastiche. But it's an enjoyably familiar journey of American migration that embraces its globally minded audience with open arms.

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Books

You Had Me At The First Page: Writers Who Fell For Each Other

iStockphoto.com image of a stack of books

February 14, 2013 In honor of Valentine's Day, here are three literary matches made in heaven.

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Movies

Hooray For Nollywood: Nigerian Distributor Casts Wide Net Online

A typical Nigerian film market in Lagos. Though physical distribution of Nollywood films is booming, the digital market has also grown, thanks to a plugged-in African diaspora.

February 14, 2013 Although access to the Web is still limited in many parts of Africa, "Nollywood" films — movies produced in Nigeria — are booming on the Internet. Startup iROKOtv is a part of that boom, and their audience is a global one.

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On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

Found Recipes

Couple Ties The Knot With Their Own Afro-Asian Rice Treat

"Jung is a portable meal, wrapped in bamboo leaves," says Jidan Koon. She and her now-husband, Bryant Terry, created their own multicultural version of the traditional dish when they got engaged.

February 14, 2013 Bryant Terry and Jidan Koon's relationship evolved over cooking. So much so that when they got engaged, they created a special dish that united their Asian-American and African-American backgrounds: Afro-Asian jung — sticky rice packets tied up with string.

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Movie Reviews

'Beautiful Creatures': Young Love, Supernatural And Southern-Fried

Star-crossed Southern lovers Ethan (Alden Ehrenreich) and Lena (Alice Englert) battle small-town prejudice and mystical evil forces in Beautiful Creatures.

February 14, 2013 The supernatural romance could well have foundered amid its unwieldy mix of dark magic and Dixie camp. But it somehow succeeds — especially when it casts aside complications and focuses on the simple story of young love in the middle of it all.

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Movie Reviews

'A Good Day': Wake Me Tomorrow

In the latest Die Hard franchise entry, John McClane (Bruce Willis) and his son, Jack (Jai Courtney), team up to fight nuclear-weapons thieves.

February 14, 2013 If the clunky, clueless A Good Day to Die Hard achieves anything during its noisily explosive 90 minutes, it settles the long-running debate about which film in Bruce Willis' action series is the worst. Hint: It's this one.

Summary

Author Interviews

'Klansville, U.S.A.' Chronicles The Rise And Fall Of The KKK

Cover of Klansville, U.S.A.

February 14, 2013 Author and sociologist David Cunningham speaks with Fresh Air's Terry Gross about the origins of cross burnings and white hoods, and why North Carolina had more Klan members during the height of the civil rights movement than all other Southern states combined.

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