archive

January 11, 2013 This week: the British import with some of the best hats on TV, and the question of how to get back a disgruntled audience.

Summary

ListenPlaylist

January 11, 2013 The creator and star of HBO's new series Girls addresses the backlash against the show, which follows four 20-somethings as they navigate the ups and downs of life in New York City. The second season premieres January 13.

Transcript

On Fresh Air from WHYYPlaylist

January 11, 2013 The second season of the HBO series premieres this month, and Fresh Air critic David Bianculli says "these young women — these girls — really are changing and growing and adapting to tough life in the big city."

Transcript

On Fresh Air from WHYYPlaylist

January 11, 2013 HBO's series Girls has been criticized for not being diverse enough. Long before Girls, two shows — Living Single and Girlfriends — featured professional African-American women. But the creator of Girlfriends says times have changed, and the shows she now produces have more multicultural casts to reflect changing demographics.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

January 10, 2013 The anti-slavery movie has picked up a dozen Oscar nominations. Its resonance may stem partly from the way in which it shows politicians working out a deal on a tough issue — something many Americans ardently wish for today.

Summary

January 9, 2013 There hasn't been a major Hollywood movie in recent memory with more confounding racial politics that Django Unchained. And there probably isn't a film more representative of Hollywood's take on race than Lincoln.

Summary

January 7, 2013 For this week's Sandwich Monday, Peter heads to London, where they call sandwiches "sarnies," according to Wikipedia. He and his adventurous family attempt to eat the classic British staple "steak and kidney pie," so you don't have to.

Summary

January 7, 2013 On the hit Masterpiece Theater series, the social rules the characters have always known are changing as the world events of the 20th century unfold. The series' creator, Julian Fellowes, says his relatives who lived through that era inspired his lasting interest in class.

Transcript

On Fresh Air from WHYYPlaylist

January 6, 2013 What attracts people to fantasy? Is it the orcs and the elves, or the rich worlds they inhabit? Author Saladin Ahmed says world-building — the craft of building a believable fictional world — provides "an almost physical sense of getting lost somewhere that isn't home, but which comes to be home."

Summary

January 4, 2013 Texas Chainsaw 3D opens today, but if you're in the mood to be scared instead of splattered, you have plenty of good choices. Glenn McDonald recommends five good scary movies that aren't just slasher films.

Summary