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Tuesday

Kevin Hart And Amy Schumer: The New King And Queen Of Comedy

Kevin Hart was the most successful comedian last year. He's seen here speaking at the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners in Las Vegas. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for CinemaCon hide caption

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Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for CinemaCon

The Two-Way

Kevin Hart And Amy Schumer: The New King And Queen Of Comedy

For the first time in a decade, someone other than Jerry Seinfeld tops Forbes' ranking of the highest-paid comedians.

Wednesday

George Carlin's 'Stuff' Gets A New Home At National Comedy Center

Comedian George Carlin appears at Wheeler Opera House in Aspen, Colo., in 2007 during HBO's 13th Annual U.S. Comedy Arts Festival. Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic Inc for HBO/Getty Images hide caption

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Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic Inc for HBO/Getty Images

The Two-Way

George Carlin's 'Stuff' Gets A New Home At National Comedy Center

His daughter, Kelly Carlin, has announced that she's donating her late father's archives to the museum, which is set to open next year in Jamestown, N.Y.

George Carlin's 'Stuff' Gets A New Home At National Comedy Center

Listen · 3:30
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Saturday

Stand-Up Bridges Decades-Long Boundaries — By Crossing The Line

Pakistani stand-up comedy pioneer Saad Haroon tests cultural sensitivities between his native country and India in his material. "When it comes to satire, I think as a culture, we kind of struggle with it," he says. Facebook hide caption

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Facebook

Culture

Stand-Up Bridges Decades-Long Boundaries — By Crossing The Line

In Pakistan, a stand-up comic is sharing the stage with another comedian from the old enemy, India. The comics believe laughter is the best medicine for their conflict-blighted region.

Stand-Up Bridges Decades-Long Boundaries — By Crossing The Line

Listen · 4:35
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Tuesday

Aziz Ansari: Talking Modern Love With The 'Master Of None'

Comedian Aziz Ansari says while online dating has its problems, "1 out of 3 people that get married now, they meet their spouse through online dating. So you could look at it like, oh, well, there's an insane amount of love that would not even be there had it not been for these things." Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images hide caption

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Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Hidden Brain

Aziz Ansari: Talking Modern Love With The 'Master Of None'

Hidden Brain host Shankar Vedantam talks to comedian Aziz Ansari — star of a new Netflix show and co-author of Modern Romance — about Tinder, texting and how dating is a bit like ... buying jam.

Aziz Ansari: Talking Modern Love With The 'Master Of None'

Listen · 27:51
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Sunday

Tuesday

Tuesday

Twitter Takes Down Unoriginal Jokes, But All Of Yours Are Probably Safe

Comedian Ari Shaffir performs at the 2015 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in June in Manchester, Tenn. Shaffir has said fellow comedian Carlos Mencia stole his joke about who would build a fence on the U.S.-Mexican border. Copyright on jokes is difficult to prove, and it turned out two other comedians had made similar jokes as well. John Davisson/Invision/AP hide caption

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John Davisson/Invision/AP

All Tech Considered

Twitter Takes Down Unoriginal Jokes, But All Of Yours Are Probably Safe

A freelance writer got the company to take down several unauthorized uses of her humor by what she says are robot accounts, but legal scholars say proving copyright on jokes is difficult.

Sunday

In The Writer's Room, One Woman Quietly Makes Late Night History

Robin Thede is head writer for Comedy Central's The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore. She's previously been a reporter for E! News, a writer for BET's Real Husbands of Hollywood and head writer for The Queen Latifah Show. Jaxonphotogroup/Courtesy of Robin Thede hide caption

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Jaxonphotogroup/Courtesy of Robin Thede

Analysis

Code Switch

In The Writer's Room, One Woman Quietly Makes Late Night History

Robin Thede's wide-ranging career has included stints in both journalism and comedy. Now, at The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, she's the first black woman to work as a head writer in late night TV.

In The Writer's Room, One Woman Quietly Makes Late Night History

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Sunday

From Early Failures To New 'Trainwreck,' Judd Apatow Gets Serious

Director, writer and producer Judd Apatow has both a new memoir and a new movie right now. Trainwreck, which he directed, is in theaters starting July 17 and Sick in the Head was published in June. Kevin Winter/Getty Images hide caption

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Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Author Interviews

From Early Failures To New 'Trainwreck,' Judd Apatow Gets Serious

It's an understatement to call the man busy. With a new book out, a movie due soon and another wrapping up on set, Apatow caught a breath and reflected on stumbling blocks, Freaks and Amy Schumer.

From Early Failures To New 'Trainwreck,' Judd Apatow Gets Serious

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Saturday

In Saudi Arabia, An Uphill Fight To Out-Shout The Extremists

Saudi actor Nasser al-Qasabi, at left, appears in a scene from his TV show Selfie, which satirizes ISIS. He's received death threats in reaction to the series, which airs on a Saudi-owned channel. Via MBC hide caption

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Via MBC

Parallels

In Saudi Arabia, An Uphill Fight To Out-Shout The Extremists

Can satire and commentary win out against ISIS? Some Saudi journalists and comedians are risking their lives to mock and question their country's religious extremists.

In Saudi Arabia, An Uphill Fight To Out-Shout The Extremists

Listen · 4:15
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Friday

Straight Out Of Brooklyn: 'Encyclofoodia' Pokes Fun At Foodies
Bloomsbury Publishing

The Salt

Straight Out Of Brooklyn: 'Encyclofoodia' Pokes Fun At Foodies

Comics posing as chefs have written a book with sensational recipes and explanations of essential tools like the "spankler." It's designed to "spank the food if it does anything wrong."

Straight Out Of Brooklyn: 'Encyclofoodia' Pokes Fun At Foodies

Listen · 6:00
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Sunday

To Change People's Minds, First Make Them Laugh
Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images

Weekend Edition Sunday

To Change People's Minds, First Make Them Laugh

In this week's "For the Record," NPR's Rachel Martin talks with three Muslim comics — Adil Ray, Negin Farsad and Ahmed Ahmed — about the motivations and challenges of using humor to change minds.

To Change People's Minds, First Make Them Laugh

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Tuesday

So An American Comic Walks Into A Chinese Bar ...

Comedian Jesse Appell performs at a club in Beijing. Appell won a scholarship in 2012 to study comedy in China and has been performing on the country's small but growing stand-up comedy circuit. Anthony Kuhn/NPR hide caption

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Anthony Kuhn/NPR

Parallels

So An American Comic Walks Into A Chinese Bar ...

American comics are taking the stage in China's small but growing stand-up comedy circuit. Their bicultural, and often bilingual, shows are a new form of cultural exchange.

So An American Comic Walks Into A Chinese Bar ...

Listen · 3:53
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Friday

By Impersonating Her Mom, A Comedian Grows Closer To Her

Think of human relationships as entanglements. How do they bind you; how do they reveal who you really are? Daniel Horowitz for NPR hide caption

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Daniel Horowitz for NPR

Shots - Health News

By Impersonating Her Mom, A Comedian Grows Closer To Her

Human relationships are entanglements, and those connections often aren't clear to us at all. When Maria Bamford impersonated her mom, she realized what she loved about her — and about herself.

By Impersonating Her Mom, A Comedian Grows Closer To Her

Listen · 8:19
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Saturday

Iranian-American Filmmaker Breaks Out Of Boxes, Into The Box Office

Desiree Akhavan plays Shirin in Appropriate Behavior. Akhavan says she chose the name Shirin because it means sweet in Farsi. "Even though she's insane, she has a sweetness," says Akhavan. Desiree Akhavan hide caption

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Desiree Akhavan

Code Switch

Iranian-American Filmmaker Breaks Out Of Boxes, Into The Box Office

Desiree Akhavan wrote, directed and stars in the new comedy Appropriate Behavior. It's informed by her life as a bisexual Brooklynite, but the film, like its maker, defies easy categorization.

LISTEN: Akhavan on clichés and being compared to Lena Dunham

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