Television

Lamorne Morris plays cartoonist Keef Knight in the Hulu comedy Woke. The character is based on Keith Knight, the show's co-creator.

Arts

In 'Woke,' Cartoonist Keith Knight Drew From A Real-Life 'Wake-Up Call'

4:06pm September 08, 2020

by Elizabeth Blair

The Hulu comedy follows Keef, a cartoonist (based on Knight) who doesn't want to fill his comic strips with racial justice issues. But a run-in with the police changes Keef's perspective.

Queue Listen Now

Arts

'The Sit-In' Revisits A Landmark Week With Harry Belafonte As 'Tonight Show' Host

1:56pm September 08, 2020

by David Bianculli

A new Peacock documentary chronicles the week in 1968 when Belafonte, then a prominent civil rights advocate, hosted the late night show. Guests included Aretha Franklin and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Queue Listen Now

Arts

'I Always, Always Fight': Octavia Spencer On Demanding More From Hollywood

10:22am September 08, 2020

by Terry Gross

Spencer is nominated for an Emmy for playing Madam C.J. Walker, an enterprising Black businesswoman, in a the Netflix series Self Made. Originally broadcast March 16, 2020.

Ravi Patel On His New 'Pursuit of Happiness' Docuseries

5:17pm September 05, 2020

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Ravi Patel about his new TV series Pursuit of Happiness.

Snow Way Out: A couple (Jessie Buckley and Jesse Plemons) takes a long road trip during a snowstorm in I'm Thinking of Ending Things on Netflix.

Arts

In 'I'm Thinking Of Ending Things,' A Couple Gets Stuck In A Dreamlike Limbo

2:06pm September 04, 2020

by Glen Weldon

In writer/director Charlie Kaufman's latest, a couple spouts pat, pseudo-intellectual bromides. But stay with it — because that's a clue to what's really going on in this tense, surprising film.

Arts

Padma Lakshmi, Model, Actor And TV Host, Says Above All, She's A Writer

1:21pm September 04, 2020

by Terry Gross

The former model/actress is nominated for an Emmy Award for hosting Top Chef. Her new show, Taste the Nation, explores immigrant cooking. Originally broadcast July 6, 2020.

Queue Listen Now

Arts

RuPaul's Recipe For Success? Love Yourself And Stay Flexible

1:21pm September 04, 2020

by Terry Gross

In a March 2020 interview, the Emmy-nominated host of RuPaul's Drag Race said his drag look was "one-part Cher, two-parts David Bowie, one-part Diana Ross and two heaping spoonfuls of Dolly Parton."

Queue Listen Now

Arts

Comic Ramy Youssef On Being An 'Allah Carte' Muslim: 'You Sit In Contradictions'

1:21pm September 03, 2020

by Terry Gross

Youssef is up for two Emmys for the second season of his comedy series, Ramy, about a practicing Muslim who's torn between his faith and his desire to fit in. Originally broadcast June 25, 2019.

Queue Listen Now

Arts

'She Wrote Her Own Rules': Kerry Washington's 'Little Fires' Role Reminds Her Of Mom

1:20pm September 03, 2020

by Terry Gross

Washington is nominated two Emmys for producing and starring in the Hulu series Little Fires Everywhere, about an enigmatic artist adjusting to life in the suburbs. Originally broadcast April 6, 2020.

Queue Listen Now

V Unbeatable, the dance troup from Mumbia that won the top prize on America's Got Talent: The Champions this year, are pictured with (left to right) Alesha Dixon, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, Terry Crews and Simon Cowell.

Whatever Happened To ... V Unbeatable, Mumbai Dancers Who Won 'America's Got Talent'

8:43am September 03, 2020

by Sushmita Pathak

In February, the group of young, acrobatic dancers took the top prize. But the pandemic has put their dreams on hold — and had a disastrous impact on family life.