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Tuesday, December 18, 2012

The Salt

In Search Of The Perfect Egg

Best eggs

December 18, 2012 Think all eggs are alike? Think again. A group of British poultry enthusiasts holds an annual contest to find not just a good egg, but the best egg. We find out what it takes to make the grade.

Summary

Monday, December 17, 2012

The Salt

Sandwich Monday: The Mighty McRib Returns

The McRib.

December 17, 2012 For this week's Sandwich Monday, we look back at the time we tried McDonald's beloved and mysterious McRib. It's usually out in October, but it comes a little late this year, so it's better timed as a sign of the coming apocalypse.

Summary

Friday, December 14, 2012

Movie Reviews

Behind The Scenes Of The Beatles' 'Magical Mystery Tour'

The Beatles look out of the Magical Mystery Tour coach skylight, on location in England in September 1967.

December 14, 2012 A new documentary on PBS about the making of the Beatles' 1967 film Magical Mystery Tour features outtakes from the original and new interviews with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. TV critic David Bianculli calls the film "wonderfully thorough."

Transcript

On Fresh Air from WHYYPlaylist

Monkey See

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Is Everything Worse Than Ever? And A Gift Guide!

A drawing of two clinking martini glasses.

December 14, 2012 On this week's show, we ponder a question that seems to come up over and over again: Is culture really worse than it's ever been? And if it isn't, why do people keep saying it is? All that, plus a gift guide and a little more guidance on this weekend's live event at NPR HQ.

Summary

ListenPlaylist

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Monkey See

The 'Calm Act' Will Quiet Down Commercials, So What Should Congress Do Next?

A volume knob turned up to the maximum.

December 13, 2012 Congress isn't sitting around quietly while commercials get louder. It's actually illegal now for commercials to blast into your ears more loudly than programming. But why stop there? We've got suggested ordinances to reduce noise from construction, bagpipes, and snowblowers.

Summary

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Monkey See

Let's Rush to Judgment: 'Man of Steel'

A screenshot from the trailer for Zack Snyder's 2013 film, Man Of Steel.

December 11, 2012 Our comics blogger examines the new 'Man of Steel' from a historical perspective and asks, Is Zack Snyder making Ma and Pa Kent ... interesting?

Summary

Sunday, December 09, 2012

Music Interviews

40 Years On, 'Free To Be' Still Resonates

Actress Marlo Thomas has been gracing television screens since the 1960s and earned a Golden Globe for her role on That Girl in 1966.

December 9, 2012 The children's album was the brainchild of Emmy-winning actress Marlo Thomas and featured a bevy of celebrity voices. Today's parents love its themes of gender neutrality and individuality, though Thomas says society still hasn't completely grasped the idea.

Transcript

On Weekend Edition SundayPlaylist

Friday, December 07, 2012

Monkey See

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Second Acts And Party People, Or Not

A drawing of two clinking martini glasses.

December 7, 2012 On this week's show, we talk about people who have had great second acts and people we'd like to party with — or rather, would like to party with if we were "party with people" kinds of people. Which only some of us are. Oh, we'll explain it.

Summary

ListenPlaylist

Wednesday, December 05, 2012

Monkey See

The Spatter Pattern: Does All The Good Television Have To Be So Bloody?

Aaron Paul plays Jesse Pinkman on AMC's Breaking Bad.

December 5, 2012 Television has made enormous strides toward respectability and seriousness in the last 15 years or so, but it's gotten addicted to bloody violence.

Summary

Monkey See

40 Years After 'Free To Be,' A New Album Says 'It's Okay To Do Stuff'

cover art for It's OK to Do Stuff

December 5, 2012 The new album It's Okay To Do Stuff pays tribute — sort of — to the 40-year-old Free To Be ... You And Me.

Summary

Monkey See

Jimmy Fallon And The Roots Help Restore The Charm Of Mariah Carey's Christmas Classic

A screenshot of Jimmy Fallon and Mariah Carey performing "All I Want For Christmas Is You" with The Roots.

December 5, 2012 Jimmy Fallon, The Roots, and Mariah Carey perform a stripped-down holiday standard.

Summary

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Arts & Life

Prime-time television offers a lot of working women, though there are plenty of limitations.

Working Women On Television: A Mixed Bag At Best

Prime-time television offers a lot of working women, though there are plenty of limitations.

<em>Da Vinci Code</em> hero Robert Langdon returns in an adventure based on Dante's <em>Inferno</em>.

Dan Brown: 'Inferno' Is 'The Book That I Would Want To Read'

Da Vinci Code hero Robert Langdon returns in an adventure based on Dante's Inferno.

Designer Katie Shelly's upcoming cookbook aims to demystify recipes for visual learners.

'Picture Cook': Drawings Are The Key Ingredients In These Recipes

Designer Katie Shelly's upcoming cookbook aims to demystify recipes for visual learners.

We've invited the heavy metal rocker to answer three questions about a famous chicken in the 1940s.

Not My Job: Three Headless Chicken Questions For Alice Cooper

We've invited the heavy metal rocker to answer three questions about a famous chicken in the 1940s.

Zachary Quinto, with Leonard Nimoy's blessing, plays the famous half-Vulcan in the franchise reboot.

Quinto Turns Inward To Find Spock's Soul

Zachary Quinto, with Leonard Nimoy's blessing, plays the famous half-Vulcan in the franchise reboot.

The Ruth Ellis Center is making an effort to meet its clients where they are — on the dance floor.

Michigan LGBT Youth Center Does Outreach With A Dance 'Hook'

The Ruth Ellis Center is making an effort to meet its clients where they are — on the dance floor.

The tale of the two sisters is one we're not likely to see again.

'Venus And Serena': An Extraordinary Story, Told On Film

The tale of the two sisters is one we're not likely to see again.

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