Pop Culture: Whats the Buzz from National Public Radio

Here is the latest Pop Culture News from National Public Radio.

This Is The Length Of Alex Trebek’s Game Show Tenure — What Is 50 Years?
The longtime Jeopardy! host got his start in 1966 on a show for Canadian high schoolers called Reach for the Top. Fifty years in, he says spending time with smart people is the best part of his job.

Tribeca Film Festival Kicks Off, Flaunting More Than Movies
The Tribeca Film festival starts this week and it’s going to showcase a lot more than films.

In ‘Confirmation,’ A Scathing Take On Our Troubles Discussing Race And Gender
The new HBO movie, which details the Supreme Court nomination hearings for Clarence Thomas, offers a powerful look at how badly the world handled the allegations against him, says NPR’s Eric Deggans.

Why Do Some Pop Songs Become American Bar Classics?
NPR’s Ari Shapiro talks to writer Kenny Herzog about why some songs turn into American bar classics.

Pop Culture Happy Hour: ‘The Mindy Project’ And Romantic Comedies
This week’s show brings in Audie Cornish and Margaret Willison to talk about Mindy Kaling’s just-returning OB/GYN comedy and about the state and ways of romantic comedy in general.

‘It’s So, So Complicated’: Kerry Washington On Clarence Thomas’ ‘Confirmation’
Washington stars as Anita Hill in the new HBO film Confirmation. She was 14 during the 1991 hearings, and says it was the first time she remembers her parents having different points of view.

Comic W. Kamau Bell On Standing Tall And Finding Humor In America’s Racism
The comedian attends a Ku Klux Klan rally and a cross-burning on his new series, United Shades of America. He describes the series as a travel show that takes him to places he is afraid to go.

Clash Of The Screens: Should Movie Theaters Allow Texting? AMC Says Maybe
The CEO of AMC Entertainment says he’s considering allowing texting during some movie showings at AMC Theaters. A good thing? Our pop culture blogger and movie critic weigh in.

A Point-By-Point Response To BuzzFeed’s Questions For Black People
A video titled “27 Questions Black People Have for Other Black People” misses a whole lotta history when it comes to black people in America.

When It Comes To Terms Like ‘Colored People’s Time,’ Context Matters
Bill de Blasio’s been getting dragged for joking about “CPT.” Once more, with gusto: When it comes to terms like this, context matters. Who’s saying it, where and to whom?

Voice Of Lucky Charms Leprechaun, Arthur Anderson, Dies At 93
Besides making a living voicing the breakfast cereal leprechaun, he appeared in a radio show and on Broadway and was in TV shows including episodes of Car 54, Where Are You?and Law & Order.

A Web Comedy Series Is ‘Walking The Line Between Hipsters And Hijabis’
Comics Nadia Manzoor and Radhika Vaz play Muslim immigrants dealing with speed dating, cat calls and other aspects of life in secular New York in their sketch-comedy seriesShugs & Fats.

A Good Fit: Why The Best Thing About ‘Catastrophe’ Is People Laughing
Catastrophe, starring Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan, is a romantic comedy that wisely lets its lead characters consider each other deeply and enchantingly funny.

With Hollywood’s Advanced Digital Face-Lifting, Do We Even Need Actors?
Rachel Martin talks to journalist Logan Hill about the often invisible digital retouching in media. You can now digitally replace just about anything on an actor’s body — including the actor himself.

Will Superhero Movies Go The Way Of Old Westerns?
Western movies once ruled Hollywood the way comic book movies seem to now. NPR’s Audie Cornish talks with Brooks Hefner of James Madison University about how Westerns faded from popularity, and whether the same thing will happen to superhero movies.

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Best Bad Movies And A Punishing Quiz
On this week’s show, original PCHH panelist Trey Graham returns to chat about bad movies and to be less humiliated than the rest of us by a quiz about pop culture returns.

How Janice Min Transformed ‘The Hollywood Reporter’ Into A Glamorous Weekly
And they said print is dead. Janice Min turned around Us Weekly and now The Hollywood Reporter — transforming a trade daily into a glossy magazine relevant to advertisers and the movie community.

‘Star Wars’ Alert: The ‘Rogue One’ Trailer Is Here
The first teaser trailer for this year’s Star Wars movie has arrived. The film — set after the end of the prequels, but before the original series — is the first stand-alone movie of the franchise.

Samantha Bee On ‘Full Frontal,’ Feminism And The Freedom Of Her 40s
Since leaving The Daily Show, Bee has been busy with two new TBS shows. “I knew that there was something else that I wanted to do,” she says. “It’s very good for me to be creating my own thing.”

A Fond (No, Really!) Farewell To ‘American Idol’
Built on telephone dialing and the sting of a British tongue, American Idol shuffles off this mortal coil on Thursday night, having provided just enough good moments to survive.

A Reluctant King: Ta-Nehisi Coates Takes On Marvel’s ‘Black Panther’
NPR’s Audie Cornish talks to writer Ta-Nehisi Coates about his new series of Black Panther comics that explore the character of an African prince turned superhero.

Gay Glam Comes To HBO
Is Vinyl‘s latest fictionalized New York music character a tribute to Jobriath, the post-Bowie ‘space clown’ who was rock’s first openly homosexual performer?

We All Know The “Not Face” – Now We Have A Name For It
Ohio State University professor Aleix Martinez talks with Rachel Martin about how he coined the phrase “Not Face” for the one negative facial expression that crosses cultures and languages globally.

Nurse Kellye Of ‘M*A*S*H’ Still gets Fan Mail For Breakthrough Role
After a blog post goes viral, Rachel Martin catches up with Kellye Nakahara of M*A*S*H, whose role was a favorite for many. Her fans still say she broke barriers and made them smile.

#NPRreads: 3 Stories To Spring Into This Weekend
#NPRreads is a weekly feature on Twitter and The Two-Way. Correspondents, editors and producers share the pieces that have kept them reading. Each weekend, we highlight some of the best stories.

Don Cheadle’s Miles Davis: The Latest “Badass” Black Man On Screen
Don Cheadle personifies jazz genius Miles Davis in his new film “Miles Ahead.” Badass black men rarely show up as leads in mainstream movies.

104-Year-Old Gets First Tattoo — For Good
Jack Reynolds turns 104 on April 6th. To mark the occasion, and to raise money for charity, he’s getting his very first tattoo. NPR’s Scott Simon asks him about his late-in-life first.

Intentionally Awful Photos Of ‘Dimly Lit Meals For One’
Instagram food photos often offer a curated image of an idealized existence. This book is not that: It pairs grainy photos of culinary monstrosities with fictional tales of the sad sacks eating them.

Pop Culture Happy Hour: ‘Batman V. Superman’ And The Objects We Desire
We look at a big new movie and discuss what we want from our blockbusters. Then it’s on to a discussion of the pop-culture objects we covet, plus What’s Making Us Happy this week.

New Museum Will Mention Sexual Assault Accusations Against Bill Cosby After All
After days of criticism, the Smithsonian says the National Museum of African American History and Culture will make reference to the assault accusations against the comedian.

‘Rush Hour’ On CBS Reimagines Classic Buddy Action Films
On Thursday night, CBS premieres Rush Hour, a reimagining of the buddy action flicks. Not much has changed as the show relies on stereotypes of the old film franchise.

TV Land Series Doesn’t Capture George Lopez’s Swagger, Our Critic Says
Comedian George Lopez has a new sitcom called, Lopez, premiering Wednesday night on TV Land. Our TV critic says it’s another good — but not great effort — from the TV performer.

Oscar-Winning Actress Patty Duke Dies At 69
Duke, whose real name was Anna Pearce, died early Tuesday morning of sepsis from a ruptured intestine, her agent said.

Sex And ‘An African City’: A Steamy Ghanaian Show You Don’t Want To Miss
Five African women who came of age abroad make their way back to Accra, Ghana, as adult professionals looking for love — and end up grappling with where they fit into this place they call “home.”

‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,’ Foolishness, Happiness And Josh Chan
What began as a tale of pursuit has turned into a story about what it means to meet up with people who appeal to you for complicated reasons.

NPR’s Past April Fools’ Day Pranks
NPR has a tradition of sneaking in a fake story on April Fools’ Day. Guest host Daniel Zwerdling speaks with longtime producers Art Silverman and Barry Gordemer about their favorites from past years.

How Heartbreak Helped Garry Shandling Find His Comedic Voice
The comic, who died Thursday, told Fresh Air that it took him years to develop a style — and then he got dumped. “That was really the beginning of the Garry Shandling dating years in stand-up.”

Pop Culture Happy Hour: SXSW And Life-Changing Songs
On this week’s show, we talk through the Austin experience and air some stories of songs that made big differences in our lives.

Garry Shandling, Star Of Award-Winning ‘Larry Sanders Show’, Dies
Comic Garry Shandling, host of the ground breaking HBO comedy series, The Larry Sanders Show, died Thursday of natural causes. The 66-year-old began his showbiz career as a writer for TV sitcoms such as Welcome Back, Kotter and Sanford and Son.

Why Sen. Patrick Leahy Takes Batman’s Side
The senator from Vermont has a cameo in Batman v. Superman playing a lawmaker in a congressional hearing on whether Superman is a tyrant or a hero. The Batman fan frequently trades D.C. for DC Comics.