window.__IS_SSR__=true
window.__INITIAL_STATE__={
"attachmentsReducer": {
"audio_0": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_0",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background0.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_1": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_1",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background1.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_2": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_2",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background2.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_3": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_3",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background3.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_4": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_4",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background4.jpg"
}
}
},
"placeholder": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "placeholder",
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 512,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xxsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"small": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xlarge": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 32,
"height": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 50,
"height": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 64,
"height": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 96,
"height": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 128,
"height": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
}
},
"arts_13930073": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13930073",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13930073",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13930072,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/tf15_addams-family_sd-3520_custom-d28698aa44185fd344f954061f38c89d45313280-scaled-e1685991924341-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/tf15_addams-family_sd-3520_custom-d28698aa44185fd344f954061f38c89d45313280-scaled-e1685991924341-160x109.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 109
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/tf15_addams-family_sd-3520_custom-d28698aa44185fd344f954061f38c89d45313280-scaled-e1685991924341-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/tf15_addams-family_sd-3520_custom-d28698aa44185fd344f954061f38c89d45313280-scaled-e1685991924341.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1308
},
"2048x2048": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/tf15_addams-family_sd-3520_custom-d28698aa44185fd344f954061f38c89d45313280-2048x1396.jpg",
"width": 2048,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1396
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/tf15_addams-family_sd-3520_custom-d28698aa44185fd344f954061f38c89d45313280-scaled-e1685991924341-1020x695.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 695
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/tf15_addams-family_sd-3520_custom-d28698aa44185fd344f954061f38c89d45313280-scaled-e1685991924341-1536x1046.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1046
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/tf15_addams-family_sd-3520_custom-d28698aa44185fd344f954061f38c89d45313280-1920x1308.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1308
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/tf15_addams-family_sd-3520_custom-d28698aa44185fd344f954061f38c89d45313280-scaled-e1685991924341-800x545.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 545
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/tf15_addams-family_sd-3520_custom-d28698aa44185fd344f954061f38c89d45313280-scaled-e1685991924341-768x523.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 523
}
},
"publishDate": 1685990388,
"modified": 1685992068,
"caption": "Spring Woods High School in Houston, Texas, is one of the schools that put on a production of ‘The Addams Family.’",
"description": null,
"title": "Spring Woods High School in Houston, Texas, is one of the schools that put on a production of ‘The Addams Family.’",
"credit": "Susan Doremus/Educational Theatre Associaton",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "A teen girl dressed in a yellow floral 1940s-style dress stands on stage holding up jazz hands as a gold bowl seemingly floats in front of her. Other performers are gathered around and behind her.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13930049": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13930049",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13930049",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13930048,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/succession_kendall-0e29dc92c13a855166e41cdecc57b8bb5075ce87-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/succession_kendall-0e29dc92c13a855166e41cdecc57b8bb5075ce87-160x120.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 120
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/succession_kendall-0e29dc92c13a855166e41cdecc57b8bb5075ce87-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/succession_kendall-0e29dc92c13a855166e41cdecc57b8bb5075ce87.jpg",
"width": 1766,
"height": 1324
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/succession_kendall-0e29dc92c13a855166e41cdecc57b8bb5075ce87-1020x765.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 765
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/succession_kendall-0e29dc92c13a855166e41cdecc57b8bb5075ce87-1536x1152.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1152
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/succession_kendall-0e29dc92c13a855166e41cdecc57b8bb5075ce87-800x600.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 600
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/succession_kendall-0e29dc92c13a855166e41cdecc57b8bb5075ce87-768x576.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
}
},
"publishDate": 1685986144,
"modified": 1685987474,
"caption": "In the final scene of ‘Succession,’ Kendall (Jeremy Strong) stares out at the Hudson River while his father's bodyguard looks on. ",
"description": null,
"title": "In the final scene of ‘Succession,’ Kendall (Jeremy Strong) stares out at the Hudson River while his father's bodyguard looks on.",
"credit": "HBO",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": null,
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13930008": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13930008",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13930008",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13930006,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-02-at-11.01.10-AM-1038x576.png",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-02-at-11.01.10-AM-160x104.png",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 104
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-02-at-11.01.10-AM-672x372.png",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-02-at-11.01.10-AM.png",
"width": 1434,
"height": 930
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-02-at-11.01.10-AM-1020x662.png",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 662
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-02-at-11.01.10-AM-800x519.png",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 519
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-02-at-11.01.10-AM-768x498.png",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 498
}
},
"publishDate": 1685728898,
"modified": 1685729357,
"caption": "Greta Lee, left, and Teo Yoo in a scene from ‘Past Lives.’",
"description": null,
"title": "Greta Lee, left, and Teo Yoo in a scene from ‘Past Lives.’",
"credit": "Jon Pack/A24 via AP",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "An Asian woman and an Asian, both attractive and in their thirties, look at each other smiling. They are sitting on a ferry under blue skies.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13929880": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13929880",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13929880",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13929879,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/tedlasso_312_02154f_custom-5184a649417998f6ca9f7536fe7bdcfac266b1e9-scaled-e1685556703998-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/tedlasso_312_02154f_custom-5184a649417998f6ca9f7536fe7bdcfac266b1e9-scaled-e1685556703998-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/tedlasso_312_02154f_custom-5184a649417998f6ca9f7536fe7bdcfac266b1e9-scaled-e1685556703998-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/tedlasso_312_02154f_custom-5184a649417998f6ca9f7536fe7bdcfac266b1e9-scaled-e1685556703998.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1279
},
"2048x2048": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/tedlasso_312_02154f_custom-5184a649417998f6ca9f7536fe7bdcfac266b1e9-2048x1364.jpg",
"width": 2048,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1364
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/tedlasso_312_02154f_custom-5184a649417998f6ca9f7536fe7bdcfac266b1e9-scaled-e1685556703998-1020x679.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 679
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/tedlasso_312_02154f_custom-5184a649417998f6ca9f7536fe7bdcfac266b1e9-scaled-e1685556703998-1536x1023.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1023
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/tedlasso_312_02154f_custom-5184a649417998f6ca9f7536fe7bdcfac266b1e9-1920x1279.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1279
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/tedlasso_312_02154f_custom-5184a649417998f6ca9f7536fe7bdcfac266b1e9-scaled-e1685556703998-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/tedlasso_312_02154f_custom-5184a649417998f6ca9f7536fe7bdcfac266b1e9-scaled-e1685556703998-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 512
}
},
"publishDate": 1685555992,
"modified": 1685556817,
"caption": "Brendan Hunt, Jason Sudeikis, and Brett Goldstein as Richmond coaches Beard, Ted and Roy.",
"description": null,
"title": "Brendan Hunt, Jason Sudeikis, and Brett Goldstein as Richmond coaches Beard, Ted and Roy.",
"credit": "Colin Hutton/ Apple",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "Three men stand on the side of a football pitch, stands of spectators seated behind them.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13929378": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13929378",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13929378",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13929372,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-18-at-9.39.43-PM-1038x576.png",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-18-at-9.39.43-PM-160x101.png",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 101
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-18-at-9.39.43-PM-672x372.png",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-18-at-9.39.43-PM.png",
"width": 1950,
"height": 1228
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-18-at-9.39.43-PM-1020x642.png",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 642
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-18-at-9.39.43-PM-1536x967.png",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 967
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-18-at-9.39.43-PM-1920x1209.png",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 1209
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-18-at-9.39.43-PM-800x504.png",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 504
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-18-at-9.39.43-PM-768x484.png",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 484
}
},
"publishDate": 1684471198,
"modified": 1684471260,
"caption": "‘Love to You, Donna Summer’ debuts on Saturday, May 20, on HBO.",
"description": null,
"title": "‘Love to You, Donna Summer’ debuts on Saturday, May 20, on HBO.",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "An attractive Black woman wearing a leather jacket and beret looks off to one side, distracted. She is wearing headphones and sitting behind a microphone.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13929333": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13929333",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13929333",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13929332,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/screenshot-of-taryn-2238d2e09a9d98856e040d5bfb834b558dfcd36d-892x576.jpg",
"width": 892,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/screenshot-of-taryn-2238d2e09a9d98856e040d5bfb834b558dfcd36d-160x120.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 120
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/screenshot-of-taryn-2238d2e09a9d98856e040d5bfb834b558dfcd36d-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/screenshot-of-taryn-2238d2e09a9d98856e040d5bfb834b558dfcd36d.jpg",
"width": 892,
"height": 669
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/screenshot-of-taryn-2238d2e09a9d98856e040d5bfb834b558dfcd36d-800x600.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 600
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/screenshot-of-taryn-2238d2e09a9d98856e040d5bfb834b558dfcd36d-768x576.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
}
},
"publishDate": 1684432040,
"modified": 1684433926,
"caption": "TikTok creator Taryn Delanie Smith plays Denise, a character who's helping the internet cope with grief and abstract questions about the afterlife.",
"description": null,
"title": "TikTok creator Taryn Delanie Smith plays Denise, a character who's helping the internet cope with grief and abstract questions about the afterlife.",
"credit": "TikTok @taryntino21/Screenshot by NPR",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "A beautiful young woman of color smiles and chats in front of a blue sky background. She is wearing a white bath robe and towel on her head.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13929255": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13929255",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13929255",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13929254,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/unnamed-15-676efa8f2bcafe8d67b13ebe537b291f74a23acb-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/unnamed-15-676efa8f2bcafe8d67b13ebe537b291f74a23acb-160x120.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 120
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/unnamed-15-676efa8f2bcafe8d67b13ebe537b291f74a23acb-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/unnamed-15-676efa8f2bcafe8d67b13ebe537b291f74a23acb.jpg",
"width": 1104,
"height": 828
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/unnamed-15-676efa8f2bcafe8d67b13ebe537b291f74a23acb-1020x765.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 765
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/unnamed-15-676efa8f2bcafe8d67b13ebe537b291f74a23acb-800x600.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 600
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/unnamed-15-676efa8f2bcafe8d67b13ebe537b291f74a23acb-768x576.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
}
},
"publishDate": 1684346069,
"modified": 1684346880,
"caption": "After her friend Clara is killed walking home, Nanie (Pauline Serieys) is questioned by a police officer (Bastien Bouillon), who has taken over the local homicide squad.",
"description": null,
"title": "After her friend Clara is killed walking home, Nanie (Pauline Serieys) is questioned by a police officer (Bastien Bouillon), who has taken over the local homicide squad.",
"credit": "Haut et Court",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "A young woman with blonde hair tied back sits at a diner table with a concerned expression on her face. She is wearing an apron.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13929009": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13929009",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13929009",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13929006,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-11-at-11.02.06-AM-1038x576.png",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-11-at-11.02.06-AM-160x103.png",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 103
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-11-at-11.02.06-AM-672x372.png",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-11-at-11.02.06-AM.png",
"width": 1756,
"height": 1132
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-11-at-11.02.06-AM-1020x658.png",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 658
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-11-at-11.02.06-AM-1536x990.png",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 990
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-11-at-11.02.06-AM-800x516.png",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 516
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-11-at-11.02.06-AM-768x495.png",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 495
}
},
"publishDate": 1683828154,
"modified": 1683828243,
"caption": "Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates in Hitchcock classic, ‘Psycho.’",
"description": null,
"title": "Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates in Hitchcock classic, ‘Psycho.’",
"credit": "Universal",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "A man sits against a blank white wall, a deranged and menacing expression on his face.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13928981": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13928981",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13928981",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13928974,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-10-at-3.04.24-PM-1038x576.png",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-10-at-3.04.24-PM-160x96.png",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 96
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-10-at-3.04.24-PM-672x372.png",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-10-at-3.04.24-PM.png",
"width": 1898,
"height": 1142
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-10-at-3.04.24-PM-1020x614.png",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 614
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-10-at-3.04.24-PM-1536x924.png",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 924
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-10-at-3.04.24-PM-800x481.png",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 481
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-10-at-3.04.24-PM-768x462.png",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 462
}
},
"publishDate": 1683756660,
"modified": 1683756716,
"caption": "‘Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma,’ by Claire Dederer.",
"description": null,
"title": "‘Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma,’ by Claire Dederer.",
"credit": "Penguin Random House",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "A shirtless man standing on a beach wearing a horned mask.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13928937": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13928937",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13928937",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13928931,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-10-at-10.08.03-AM-1038x576.png",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-10-at-10.08.03-AM-160x103.png",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 103
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-10-at-10.08.03-AM-672x372.png",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-10-at-10.08.03-AM.png",
"width": 1360,
"height": 872
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-10-at-10.08.03-AM-1020x654.png",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 654
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-10-at-10.08.03-AM-800x513.png",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 513
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-10-at-10.08.03-AM-768x492.png",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 492
}
},
"publishDate": 1683738552,
"modified": 1683738737,
"caption": "TJ is the first Filipino muppet on ‘Sesame Street.’",
"description": null,
"title": "TJ is the first Filipino muppet on ‘Sesame Street.’",
"credit": "Courtesy of Sesame Workshop. Photographer: John Barrett",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "A brown muppet with brown hair and purple nose smiles and waves. He is wearing a yellow and brown hoodie.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13928684": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13928684",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13928684",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13928681,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/LfA_Mischief_press_10-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/LfA_Mischief_press_10-160x117.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 117
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/LfA_Mischief_press_10-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/LfA_Mischief_press_10-scaled.jpg",
"width": 2560,
"height": 1871
},
"2048x2048": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/LfA_Mischief_press_10-2048x1497.jpg",
"width": 2048,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1497
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/LfA_Mischief_press_10-1020x746.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 746
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/LfA_Mischief_press_10-1536x1123.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1123
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/LfA_Mischief_press_10-1920x1404.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1404
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/LfA_Mischief_press_10-800x585.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 585
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/LfA_Mischief_press_10-768x561.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 561
}
},
"publishDate": 1683246935,
"modified": 1683668450,
"caption": "Correspondence from Monk One sent to ‘Skills’ editor Greg Lamarche in the 1990s.",
"description": null,
"title": "Correspondence from Monk One sent to ‘Skills’ editor Greg Lamarche in the 1990s.",
"credit": "Letterform Archive",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "A map of Boston decorated colorfully with graffiti bubble writing.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13928845": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13928845",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13928845",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13928788,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Best-Day-scaled-e1683583439252-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Best-Day-scaled-e1683583439252-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Best-Day-scaled-e1683583439252-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Best-Day-scaled-e1683583439252.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280
},
"2048x2048": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Best-Day-2048x1365.jpg",
"width": 2048,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1365
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Best-Day-scaled-e1683583439252-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 680
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Best-Day-scaled-e1683583439252-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1024
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Best-Day-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1280
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Best-Day-scaled-e1683583439252-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Best-Day-scaled-e1683583439252-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 512
}
},
"publishDate": 1683582448,
"modified": 1683591251,
"caption": "This diving dog at the 147th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is literally happier than everyone you know on Earth combined. You can just tell.",
"description": null,
"title": "This diving dog at the 147th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is literally happier than everyone you know on Earth combined. You can just tell.",
"credit": "Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "A medium sized, long haired brown dog, leaps into the water, joyful expression on its face.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
}
},
"audioPlayerReducer": {
"postId": "stream_live",
"isPaused": true,
"isPlaying": false,
"pfsActive": false,
"pledgeModalIsOpen": true,
"playerDrawerIsOpen": false,
"liveAudioPlayStartedAt": 0,
"liveAudioPlayContext": ""
},
"authorsReducer": {
"byline_arts_13930072": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_arts_13930072",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_arts_13930072",
"name": "Elizabeth Blair",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_arts_13930048": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_arts_13930048",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_arts_13930048",
"name": "Terry Gross",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_arts_13930006": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_arts_13930006",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_arts_13930006",
"name": "Jocelyn Noveck",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_arts_13929879": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_arts_13929879",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_arts_13929879",
"name": "Linda Holmes",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_arts_13929372": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_arts_13929372",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_arts_13929372",
"name": "Eric Deggans",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_arts_13929332": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_arts_13929332",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_arts_13929332",
"name": "Emily Olson",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_arts_13929254": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_arts_13929254",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_arts_13929254",
"name": "John Powers",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_arts_13929006": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_arts_13929006",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_arts_13929006",
"name": "Krysta Fauria",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_arts_13928974": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_arts_13928974",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_arts_13928974",
"name": "Maureen Corrigan",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_arts_13928931": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_arts_13928931",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_arts_13928931",
"name": "Suzanne Nuyen",
"isLoading": false
},
"ralexandra": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11242",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11242",
"found": true
},
"name": "Rae Alexandra",
"firstName": "Rae",
"lastName": "Alexandra",
"slug": "ralexandra",
"email": "ralexandra@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": true,
"staff_mastheads": [
"arts"
],
"title": "Reporter/Producer",
"bio": "Rae Alexandra is a Reporter/Producer for KQED Arts & Culture, and the creator/author of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/program/rebel-girls-from-bay-area-history\">Rebel Girls From Bay Area History\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bizarrebayarea\">Bizarre Bay Area\u003c/a> series. Her debut book, \u003ca href=\"https://citylights.com/politics-current-events-history/unsung-heroines35-women-who-changed/\">Unsung Heroines: 35 Women Who Changed the Bay Area\u003c/a> was published by City Lights in March 2026. In 2023, Rae was awarded an SPJ Excellence in Journalism Award for Arts & Culture. Rae was born and raised in Wales and subsequently — even after two decades in Northern California — still uses phrases that regularly baffle her coworkers.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/edfee8176c80cc0a382b051190f5341997df378a934a5774dcb0977732dfd401?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "pop",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "bayareabites",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Rae Alexandra | KQED",
"description": "Reporter/Producer",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/edfee8176c80cc0a382b051190f5341997df378a934a5774dcb0977732dfd401?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/edfee8176c80cc0a382b051190f5341997df378a934a5774dcb0977732dfd401?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/ralexandra"
}
},
"pagesReducer": {
"arts_category_popculture": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_75",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "75",
"score": 14.403412
},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Pop Culture",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Pop Culture Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 76,
"slug": "popculture",
"isLoading": false,
"title": "Pop Culture",
"pageMeta": {
"site": "arts",
"WpPageTemplate": "page-topic-editorial",
"currentPage": 83
},
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "kqed/post-list",
"attrs": {
"layout": "cardArticle2",
"query": "posts/arts?category=popculture",
"seeMore": false,
"paginated": true,
"page": 83
}
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad"
}
]
}
},
"pfsSessionReducer": {},
"postsReducer": {
"stream_live": {
"type": "live",
"id": "stream_live",
"audioUrl": "https://streams.kqed.org/kqedradio",
"title": "Live Stream",
"excerpt": "Live Stream information currently unavailable.",
"link": "/radio",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "KQED Live",
"link": "/"
}
},
"stream_kqedNewscast": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "stream_kqedNewscast",
"audioUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/RDnews/newscast.mp3?_=1",
"title": "KQED Newscast",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "88.5 FM",
"link": "/"
}
},
"arts_13930072": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13930072",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13930072",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1685994187000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "arts",
"term": 137
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1685994187,
"format": "standard",
"title": "The Most Frequently Performed Plays and Musicals in High Schools This Year",
"headTitle": "The Most Frequently Performed Plays and Musicals in High Schools This Year | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>The Educational Theatre Association has released its top-10 lists of plays and musicals performed in high schools during the 2022-2023 school year. More than 2,300 public and private high school teachers across the U.S. participated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Addams Family\u003c/em> topped the list of full-length musicals, followed by \u003cem>Mamma Mia!\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The No. 1 full length play was \u003cem>Clue,\u003c/em> followed by \u003cem>Puffs. \u003c/em>Disney’s\u003cem> Frozen JR\u003c/em> held the top spot among short musicals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And \u003cem>10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse \u003c/em>tied with \u003cem>Check Please \u003c/em>for the most popular short play.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can see the \u003ca href=\"https://schooltheatre.org/2023-play-survey-reveals-most-popular-high-school-shows\">full list here\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://schooltheatre.org/\">EdTA\u003c/a> calls the survey a “snapshot” of both what’s popular with high school theater departments and “the educational climate.” Eighty five percent of respondents reported being, “at least somewhat concerned about censorship” and 67% said that, “censorship concerns” are influencing their selections for next year.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Changing tastes and values reflected in the Play Survey\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Jennifer Katona, executive director of EdTA, believes \u003cem>The Addams Family\u003c/em>‘s popularity, “has a lot to do with our students love of the Netflix show \u003cem>Wednesday\u003c/em>.” Another hit this year: \u003cem>The SpongeBob Musical. \u003c/em>“It’s got a lot of music from a lot of different lyricists and musicians, so the students in the schools are really enjoying that one, too\u003cem>.”\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is the first year\u003cem> Mean Girls: High School Version\u003c/em> has been licensed to schools and it jumped to the #10 spot of full-length musicals. It helps that the musical based on \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2018/04/06/599813454/on-broadway-they-wear-pink-mean-girls-is-now-a-musical\">Tina Fey’s popular movie\u003c/a> had a successful Broadway run not too long ago, and that the cast is largely female. High school theatre programs often attract more girls than boys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='education_536534']The annual Play Survey began in 1938. NPR’s Education Desk did an eye-opening \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2019/07/31/427138970/the-most-popular-high-school-plays-and-musicals\">analysis\u003c/a> of how high school plays have tracked over the survey’s 85 year history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/02/13/967600332/returning-to-our-town-why-the-play-still-hits-home-after-80-years\">\u003cem>Our Town\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, \u003c/em>for example\u003cem>, \u003c/em>was consistently among the top 10 plays “by decade,” from the 1940s-2010s. In the last two surveys, Thornton Wilder’s eternal classic held the number 10 spot but didn’t make the list this year. Katona says high school drama departments are “diversifying their repertoires.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Schools have really made an effort to bring in different playwrights and have different representation of voices on their stages,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Stymied over censorship concerns\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>With school boards and local governments \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/03/09/1160731547/spelling-bee-high-school-theater\">cancelling\u003c/a> theater productions and banning books, the EdTA survey also found that drama teachers are nervous.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13930074\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13930074\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/batb-thurs-283_enl-6230905e3bbe9394e482a55585f9aa1ac477e8ac-800x1202.jpg\" alt=\"A young man sits on the edge of a fake fountain on stage, with a young women resting her head on him. They are dressed in 18th century costume.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1202\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/batb-thurs-283_enl-6230905e3bbe9394e482a55585f9aa1ac477e8ac-800x1202.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/batb-thurs-283_enl-6230905e3bbe9394e482a55585f9aa1ac477e8ac-1020x1532.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/batb-thurs-283_enl-6230905e3bbe9394e482a55585f9aa1ac477e8ac-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/batb-thurs-283_enl-6230905e3bbe9394e482a55585f9aa1ac477e8ac-768x1154.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/batb-thurs-283_enl-6230905e3bbe9394e482a55585f9aa1ac477e8ac-1023x1536.jpg 1023w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/batb-thurs-283_enl-6230905e3bbe9394e482a55585f9aa1ac477e8ac-1364x2048.jpg 1364w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/batb-thurs-283_enl-6230905e3bbe9394e482a55585f9aa1ac477e8ac-1920x2884.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/batb-thurs-283_enl-6230905e3bbe9394e482a55585f9aa1ac477e8ac-scaled.jpg 1704w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Erik Martinez and Shelby Brown in New Albany High School’s production of Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ in New Albany, Ind. The show tied for fifth place (with ‘The Little Mermaid’) in the full-length musical category. \u003ccite>(Educational Theatre Association)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Teachers know that they need to be smart about what they’re putting on their stages,” says Katona, “They’re making choices that will allow them to keep their theater programs.” She adds, “Theater has always been a safe space for a lot of our students.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Danny Issa teaches theater at Washington-Liberty High School in Arlington, Va. While he says, while he always involves students in the play selection process, he also makes sure school officials are well aware of content that some might find inappropriate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13928405']“The arts in general are in such a precarious position at all times. Are we going to have funding? Are we going to be able to make it through another season?” Issa reflects. “Just a single complaint from a parent can have a show pulled.” That includes losing, “all the money that you’ve pumped into a production.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, Issa’s concerns did not stop him — and lots of other high school theater teachers — from staging \u003cem>Almost, Maine, \u003c/em>a play about love and relationships that includes gay characters\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite facing challenges in \u003ca href=\"https://www.record-eagle.com/news/local_news/canceled-show-prompts-outcry/article_d52c9763-7814-5c6e-b7c0-e93de9fecbf5.html\">Michigan\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.wfae.org/arts-culture/2015-01-13/almost-maine-goes-on-without-school-support\">North Carolina\u003c/a> in recent years, \u003cem>Almost, Maine\u003c/em> held the No. 6 spot on this year’s list of full-length plays.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>High school theater programs are “rebounding from the pandemic”\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Culture wars aside, the Play Survey found that, on average, attendance is up and theater programs are ramping up production.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The average audience size across all performances in a school season increased 13 percent over last year to 1,967,” EdTA writes in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13930077\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13930077\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-11.56.12-AM-800x514.png\" alt=\"A girl stands on a table in the center of a stage. Around her, other teens are gathered and mid-dance routine. 'Welcome to the Lion's Den' is projected above them on the stage.\" width=\"800\" height=\"514\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-11.56.12-AM-800x514.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-11.56.12-AM-1020x656.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-11.56.12-AM-160x103.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-11.56.12-AM-768x494.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-11.56.12-AM-1536x987.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-11.56.12-AM.png 1646w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘Mean Girls: High School Version’ made its debut on the list this year in the full-length musical category. Above, a production at J.J. Pearce High School in Richardson, Texas. \u003ccite>(Educational Theatre Association)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Coming out of the pandemic, I think everyone was really excited to just be able to see theater again,” says Issa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='news_11947769']Washington-Liberty High School’s musical — \u003cem>The Prom\u003c/em> — sold more than $10,000 in tickets, up more than $4,000 from last year’s musical, according to Issa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Almost, Maine\u003c/em> also did well\u003cem>. “\u003c/em>We ended up opening our balcony in the auditorium,” Issa says. “Just because of the sheer number of people that showed up for closing night.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Audio and \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://npr.org/\">\u003cem>NPR.org\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> versions of this story were edited by Rose Friedman and adapted to \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://npr.org/\">\u003cem>NPR.org\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> by Beth Novey.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\">visit NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=These+were+the+most+frequently+performed+plays+and+musicals+in+high+schools+this+year&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 927,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 25
},
"modified": 1705005419,
"excerpt": "‘The Addams Family,’ ‘Mamma Mia!’ and ‘Frozen JR’ were among the most popular shows, according to a new survey.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "The Most Frequently Performed Plays and Musicals in High Schools This Year",
"socialTitle": "‘The Addams Family’ is 2023’s Most Popular High School Musical %%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"ogTitle": "The Most Frequently Performed Plays and Musicals in High Schools This Year",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "‘The Addams Family,’ ‘Mamma Mia!’ and ‘Frozen JR’ were among the most popular shows, according to a new survey.",
"title": "‘The Addams Family’ is 2023’s Most Popular High School Musical | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "The Most Frequently Performed Plays and Musicals in High Schools This Year",
"datePublished": "2023-06-05T12:43:07-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T12:36:59-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "most-popular-high-school-plays-musicals-addams-family-mamma-mia",
"status": "publish",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=1179417838&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"templateType": "standard",
"nprStoryDate": "Mon, 05 Jun 2023 07:01:37 -0400",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Mon, 05 Jun 2023 07:01:37 -0400",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"nprHtmlLink": "https://www.npr.org/2023/06/05/1179417838/most-popular-high-school-musical-play-2022-2023?ft=nprml&f=1179417838",
"nprAudio": "https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/me/2023/06/20230605_me_these_were_the_most_frequently_performed_plays_and_musicals_in_high_schools_this_year.mp3?orgId=1&topicId=1046&d=148&p=3&story=1179417838&ft=nprml&f=1179417838",
"nprImageAgency": "Educational Theatre Associaton",
"nprAudioM3u": "http://api.npr.org/m3u/11180089528-352412.m3u?orgId=1&topicId=1046&d=148&p=3&story=1179417838&ft=nprml&f=1179417838",
"nprStoryId": "1179417838",
"nprByline": "Elizabeth Blair",
"sticky": false,
"nprImageCredit": "Susan Doremus",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Mon, 05 Jun 2023 07:54:00 -0400",
"path": "/arts/13930072/most-popular-high-school-plays-musicals-addams-family-mamma-mia",
"audioUrl": "https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/me/2023/06/20230605_me_these_were_the_most_frequently_performed_plays_and_musicals_in_high_schools_this_year.mp3?orgId=1&topicId=1046&d=148&p=3&story=1179417838&ft=nprml&f=1179417838",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The Educational Theatre Association has released its top-10 lists of plays and musicals performed in high schools during the 2022-2023 school year. More than 2,300 public and private high school teachers across the U.S. participated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Addams Family\u003c/em> topped the list of full-length musicals, followed by \u003cem>Mamma Mia!\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The No. 1 full length play was \u003cem>Clue,\u003c/em> followed by \u003cem>Puffs. \u003c/em>Disney’s\u003cem> Frozen JR\u003c/em> held the top spot among short musicals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And \u003cem>10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse \u003c/em>tied with \u003cem>Check Please \u003c/em>for the most popular short play.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can see the \u003ca href=\"https://schooltheatre.org/2023-play-survey-reveals-most-popular-high-school-shows\">full list here\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://schooltheatre.org/\">EdTA\u003c/a> calls the survey a “snapshot” of both what’s popular with high school theater departments and “the educational climate.” Eighty five percent of respondents reported being, “at least somewhat concerned about censorship” and 67% said that, “censorship concerns” are influencing their selections for next year.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Changing tastes and values reflected in the Play Survey\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Jennifer Katona, executive director of EdTA, believes \u003cem>The Addams Family\u003c/em>‘s popularity, “has a lot to do with our students love of the Netflix show \u003cem>Wednesday\u003c/em>.” Another hit this year: \u003cem>The SpongeBob Musical. \u003c/em>“It’s got a lot of music from a lot of different lyricists and musicians, so the students in the schools are really enjoying that one, too\u003cem>.”\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is the first year\u003cem> Mean Girls: High School Version\u003c/em> has been licensed to schools and it jumped to the #10 spot of full-length musicals. It helps that the musical based on \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2018/04/06/599813454/on-broadway-they-wear-pink-mean-girls-is-now-a-musical\">Tina Fey’s popular movie\u003c/a> had a successful Broadway run not too long ago, and that the cast is largely female. High school theatre programs often attract more girls than boys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "education_536534",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The annual Play Survey began in 1938. NPR’s Education Desk did an eye-opening \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2019/07/31/427138970/the-most-popular-high-school-plays-and-musicals\">analysis\u003c/a> of how high school plays have tracked over the survey’s 85 year history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/02/13/967600332/returning-to-our-town-why-the-play-still-hits-home-after-80-years\">\u003cem>Our Town\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, \u003c/em>for example\u003cem>, \u003c/em>was consistently among the top 10 plays “by decade,” from the 1940s-2010s. In the last two surveys, Thornton Wilder’s eternal classic held the number 10 spot but didn’t make the list this year. Katona says high school drama departments are “diversifying their repertoires.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Schools have really made an effort to bring in different playwrights and have different representation of voices on their stages,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Stymied over censorship concerns\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>With school boards and local governments \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/03/09/1160731547/spelling-bee-high-school-theater\">cancelling\u003c/a> theater productions and banning books, the EdTA survey also found that drama teachers are nervous.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13930074\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13930074\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/batb-thurs-283_enl-6230905e3bbe9394e482a55585f9aa1ac477e8ac-800x1202.jpg\" alt=\"A young man sits on the edge of a fake fountain on stage, with a young women resting her head on him. They are dressed in 18th century costume.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1202\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/batb-thurs-283_enl-6230905e3bbe9394e482a55585f9aa1ac477e8ac-800x1202.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/batb-thurs-283_enl-6230905e3bbe9394e482a55585f9aa1ac477e8ac-1020x1532.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/batb-thurs-283_enl-6230905e3bbe9394e482a55585f9aa1ac477e8ac-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/batb-thurs-283_enl-6230905e3bbe9394e482a55585f9aa1ac477e8ac-768x1154.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/batb-thurs-283_enl-6230905e3bbe9394e482a55585f9aa1ac477e8ac-1023x1536.jpg 1023w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/batb-thurs-283_enl-6230905e3bbe9394e482a55585f9aa1ac477e8ac-1364x2048.jpg 1364w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/batb-thurs-283_enl-6230905e3bbe9394e482a55585f9aa1ac477e8ac-1920x2884.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/batb-thurs-283_enl-6230905e3bbe9394e482a55585f9aa1ac477e8ac-scaled.jpg 1704w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Erik Martinez and Shelby Brown in New Albany High School’s production of Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ in New Albany, Ind. The show tied for fifth place (with ‘The Little Mermaid’) in the full-length musical category. \u003ccite>(Educational Theatre Association)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Teachers know that they need to be smart about what they’re putting on their stages,” says Katona, “They’re making choices that will allow them to keep their theater programs.” She adds, “Theater has always been a safe space for a lot of our students.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Danny Issa teaches theater at Washington-Liberty High School in Arlington, Va. While he says, while he always involves students in the play selection process, he also makes sure school officials are well aware of content that some might find inappropriate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13928405",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“The arts in general are in such a precarious position at all times. Are we going to have funding? Are we going to be able to make it through another season?” Issa reflects. “Just a single complaint from a parent can have a show pulled.” That includes losing, “all the money that you’ve pumped into a production.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, Issa’s concerns did not stop him — and lots of other high school theater teachers — from staging \u003cem>Almost, Maine, \u003c/em>a play about love and relationships that includes gay characters\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite facing challenges in \u003ca href=\"https://www.record-eagle.com/news/local_news/canceled-show-prompts-outcry/article_d52c9763-7814-5c6e-b7c0-e93de9fecbf5.html\">Michigan\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.wfae.org/arts-culture/2015-01-13/almost-maine-goes-on-without-school-support\">North Carolina\u003c/a> in recent years, \u003cem>Almost, Maine\u003c/em> held the No. 6 spot on this year’s list of full-length plays.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>High school theater programs are “rebounding from the pandemic”\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Culture wars aside, the Play Survey found that, on average, attendance is up and theater programs are ramping up production.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The average audience size across all performances in a school season increased 13 percent over last year to 1,967,” EdTA writes in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13930077\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13930077\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-11.56.12-AM-800x514.png\" alt=\"A girl stands on a table in the center of a stage. Around her, other teens are gathered and mid-dance routine. 'Welcome to the Lion's Den' is projected above them on the stage.\" width=\"800\" height=\"514\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-11.56.12-AM-800x514.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-11.56.12-AM-1020x656.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-11.56.12-AM-160x103.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-11.56.12-AM-768x494.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-11.56.12-AM-1536x987.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-11.56.12-AM.png 1646w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘Mean Girls: High School Version’ made its debut on the list this year in the full-length musical category. Above, a production at J.J. Pearce High School in Richardson, Texas. \u003ccite>(Educational Theatre Association)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Coming out of the pandemic, I think everyone was really excited to just be able to see theater again,” says Issa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_11947769",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Washington-Liberty High School’s musical — \u003cem>The Prom\u003c/em> — sold more than $10,000 in tickets, up more than $4,000 from last year’s musical, according to Issa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Almost, Maine\u003c/em> also did well\u003cem>. “\u003c/em>We ended up opening our balcony in the auditorium,” Issa says. “Just because of the sheer number of people that showed up for closing night.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Audio and \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://npr.org/\">\u003cem>NPR.org\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> versions of this story were edited by Rose Friedman and adapted to \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://npr.org/\">\u003cem>NPR.org\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> by Beth Novey.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\">visit NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=These+were+the+most+frequently+performed+plays+and+musicals+in+high+schools+this+year&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13930072/most-popular-high-school-plays-musicals-addams-family-mamma-mia",
"authors": [
"byline_arts_13930072"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_75",
"arts_967"
],
"tags": [
"arts_977",
"arts_13825"
],
"affiliates": [
"arts_137"
],
"featImg": "arts_13930073",
"label": "arts_137"
},
"arts_13930048": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13930048",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13930048",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1685988943000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "arts",
"term": 137
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1685988943,
"format": "standard",
"title": "‘Succession’ Creator Explains Everything About That Shocking Season 4 Finale",
"headTitle": "‘Succession’ Creator Explains Everything About That Shocking Season 4 Finale | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>The following interview includes plenty of spoilers for the series finale of ‘Succession’.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The much-anticipated series finale of HBO’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/series/1045640636/succession-recaps\">\u003cem>Succession\u003c/em>\u003c/a> answered one big question — who would succeed media mogul patriarch Logan Roy — but we still have more: Did the show creator know the end at the beginning? Why didn’t any of the Roy children wind up as CEO of the family conglomerate Waystar Royco? Was Kendall considering jumping into the river at the end? Why was the presidential election left unresolved? And why was Logan in the bathroom in his first and last scenes?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jesse Armstrong is the show’s creator, showrunner and head writer. In the past, he has been reluctant to reveal much about \u003cem>Succession\u003c/em>‘s plotlines or the characters’ motivations. But with the finale behind us, Armstrong is ready to talk. He spoke to Terry Gross, along with \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2017/04/26/525575857/veep-executive-producer-on-making-a-show-about-the-craven-desire-for-power\">Frank Rich\u003c/a>, an executive producer of the series.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This interview has been edited for clarity and length. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Terry Gross: Why couldn’t any of the siblings take over the company? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jesse Armstrong: \u003c/strong>If you were thinking about this as a business situation rather than a piece of drama, they might have slipped through, one of them, for a little while, for probably an unsatisfactory interregnum … as they tanked the share price. It could have happened, but in a drama this felt like the appropriate end.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13930051\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13930051\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/matthew-macfadyen-sarah-snook_wide-6a0ca1dda18abd6790982717db805a32b1fb2c68-800x450.jpe\" alt=\"A white man in a suit and a white woman wearing black sit in the back of a car, street lights visible through the back window. Her hand gently rests on his in between them.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/matthew-macfadyen-sarah-snook_wide-6a0ca1dda18abd6790982717db805a32b1fb2c68-800x450.jpe 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/matthew-macfadyen-sarah-snook_wide-6a0ca1dda18abd6790982717db805a32b1fb2c68-1020x574.jpe 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/matthew-macfadyen-sarah-snook_wide-6a0ca1dda18abd6790982717db805a32b1fb2c68-160x90.jpe 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/matthew-macfadyen-sarah-snook_wide-6a0ca1dda18abd6790982717db805a32b1fb2c68-768x432.jpe 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/matthew-macfadyen-sarah-snook_wide-6a0ca1dda18abd6790982717db805a32b1fb2c68-1536x864.jpe 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/matthew-macfadyen-sarah-snook_wide-6a0ca1dda18abd6790982717db805a32b1fb2c68.jpe 1909w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘Succession’ series creator Jesse Armstrong likens Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) and Shiv’s (Sarah Snook) hands in the final episode to the joining of “two pieces of porcelain.” \u003ccite>(HBO)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How do you see Shiv Roy at the end – as a prisoner who has weakened her position, or somebody who’s using all of her smarts to still have access to power? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Armstrong: \u003c/strong>Everyone has their own view and I can tell you mine, which is that for me it was a moment of equality. Chilly, rather terrifying equality, but equality, which has never been the case in that relationship before. Tom has always been subservient. Now he has this status, but his status is contingent. That’s kind of what the whole episode has been about. Shiv’s status is as all the kids are – secure. It’s secure in a financial sense. She has billions of dollars. She has wealth that could never diminish, whatever happened to the world. And she also has a name, which will sort of haunt her and make her interesting, to a certain degree, for the rest of her life, and that can’t be taken away from her. Whereas Tom’s position could be taken away in the click of her fingers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13926773']So for me, there’s a very terrifying equality in that, a remarkable dry hand on hand. It’s not really even human contact. It’s a sort of two pieces of porcelain or something. So that’s what it is for me. That isn’t what it would be for everyone. And certainly you could see the situation being a clever stratagem by which Shiv remains in play. Maybe that thought will occur to her tomorrow or the day after. But for me, the show’s ended at this point and the story is over and that’s where I think they end up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong> Frank Rich: \u003c/strong>I’m fascinated to hear Jesse come clean about it. I guess I experienced it as very transitional and very emotional. I felt that she was, in some ways, in emotional shock. When you look at the rapid fire of truly traumatic confrontations and events and the changing over of the business and all of that in a very compressed period of time, my feeling about her is that she’s leaving her options open. She does have this inheritance of a sort in terms of who she is, but also I just can’t imagine when she’s been through that with Kendall and she’s been through that with the company that she wanted to take over and been through everything with her husband, that she has a clear direction. So she’s in the moment, sort of. But there’s a kind of numbness. Part of this to me comes from Sarah [Snook]’s performance. It’s almost like she’s been traumatized, not maybe in the clinical sense, but just she’s in limbo. And I love the fact that it ends with that ambiguity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13930052\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13930052\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/kieran-culkin_4-a24701dcda2e3653a3b52f22080abbfcccfd8246-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"A white man in a dark blue shirt sits at a bar, martini glass in front of him.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/kieran-culkin_4-a24701dcda2e3653a3b52f22080abbfcccfd8246-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/kieran-culkin_4-a24701dcda2e3653a3b52f22080abbfcccfd8246-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/kieran-culkin_4-a24701dcda2e3653a3b52f22080abbfcccfd8246-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/kieran-culkin_4-a24701dcda2e3653a3b52f22080abbfcccfd8246-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/kieran-culkin_4-a24701dcda2e3653a3b52f22080abbfcccfd8246-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/kieran-culkin_4-a24701dcda2e3653a3b52f22080abbfcccfd8246.jpg 1700w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The series finale of ‘Succession’ shows Roman (Kieran Culkin) for what he’s always been: a sad playboy. \u003ccite>(HBO)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The last shot of Roman Roy is of him drinking a martini alone at a bar after saying “We’re all bulls—.” Why did you place him at the bar? What does that say to you about Roman in the moment and in the future?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Armstrong: \u003c/strong>The piece in the bar, there was more to it, a little bit more dialogue, but I think when we were in the edit room, Roman’s face, Kieran [Culkin]’s face was so eloquent that we just used a rather extraordinary set of expressions. … Kieran’s character, Roman, he ends up most particularly exactly where he started, which is living the life of a sort of sad playboy, I guess, and sipping a drink, which people might associate with his quasi-love of his life, Gerri, who we’ve often seen sipping a martini.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>In the last shot of the series, we see Kendall Roy sitting on a bench, staring at the Hudson River. Water is such a powerful symbol in the series. (Kendall nearly drowns in a pool in Season 3, and he’s haunted by a deadly car wreck in a river in Season 1.)\u003c/strong> \u003cstrong>Did you know all along that the theme of water would also play out in the final scene? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Armstrong: \u003c/strong>Oh, it’s such a fascinating, knotty question. I guess water can also mean baptism and cleansing and ablution … and a fun swim and splashing in the pool, and we’ve occasionally seen it used that way. It’s developed. There was no sort of image structure that was formulaically laid down at the beginning of the show. … And it was the genius of [director] Mark Mylod and the camera operators and Jeremy that took us right down to the tip of Battery Park, to the tip of Manhattan, and looking at Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Do you think he’s contemplating ending his life? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Armstrong: \u003c/strong>For me, no. … I think for me, Kendall, at the end, one of the things he lacks is even the freedom to determine his own course through life. The name and the wealth around him – to lots of us, obviously, it seems extraordinarily fortunate, and it is. But I do believe there is a certain kind of tragedy to a royal name, to a huge business name, to being a Disney or a Windsor or any of those kinds of names, and he can never, ever escape that. And one of the ways he can’t escape that is to have a bubble of protection around him … of money and human beings. In this case, he’s got his dad’s bodyguard right there with him. So even if he is contemplating it, I don’t think it could ever happen to him. And yeah, for me, that’s not the way the story goes for this kind of person.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13930059\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13930059\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-10.55.51-AM-800x532.png\" alt=\"An older man with white hair and beard sits in a leather armchair in an opulent living room. A younger man wearing an overcoat crouches before him.\" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-10.55.51-AM-800x532.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-10.55.51-AM-1020x678.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-10.55.51-AM-160x106.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-10.55.51-AM-768x510.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-10.55.51-AM-1536x1021.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-10.55.51-AM.png 1568w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jeremy Strong, left, as Kendall Roy, and Brian Cox as Logan Roy in ‘Succession.’ \u003ccite>(Peter Kramer/HBO)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>In an improvised take of that final scene that was not included in the final edit, Jeremy Strong climbs over the railing from the pedestrian side of the river to the riverside, looking as if he’s really maybe about to jump in. Were you there when he improvised that? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Armstrong: \u003c/strong>Yeah. We were there. It was biting cold. I’m there every day, and certainly for that important scene. I was terrified. I was terrified that he might fall in and be injured. … He didn’t look like he was going to jump in. But once he climbed over that barrier — when you film, there are generally a lot of health and safety assessments made, and that was not our plan that day. And normally I know that if we’d even been thinking of that happening, we would have had boats and frogmen and all kinds of safety measures, which we didn’t have. So my first thought was for his physical safety as a human being, not anything about the character. That’s what I felt on the day. Good Lord, above.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13906871']\u003cstrong>Rich:\u003c/strong> It was like breaking a barrier, walking through the fourth wall and it was bitterly cold on top of it. Also, everyone was eager for the cold reasons and also for scheduling reasons involving subsequent production, to be done with it. And I think Scott Nicholson, who played [bodyguard] Colin, was also somewhat alarmed and was functioning as a person as much as a character in that moment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You haven’t allowed Kendall to grow. Every time I think he’s getting more mature or more responsible, he’s not. Every time I think he’s getting a conscience, he doesn’t. Why not let him grow? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Armstrong: \u003c/strong>It’s not that I don’t think people are capable of change or growth. I guess I would say they happen rarely, slowly and not necessarily all in one direction, in that you’re just as likely to devolve as evolve as a person, unfortunately, I think. There’s a sort of sense about narrative, especially screenplay, that that’s what happens in a script: that people grow, they learn, and that is the shape of the script. And I would gently reject that, I guess. I don’t think that has to be the shape of the story. I don’t think it’s a true shape of all stories. Not that you can’t make a great story out of those things — and I’d like to write some of those — but that isn’t the story of this show. That doesn’t seem to be the truth of these people. And so we had to find story shapes which didn’t follow that particular shape.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rich: \u003c/strong>I fundamentally believe that people don’t change that much in real life. Some people do. Sure. But a lot of people don’t, including a lot of people I just know in real life. But look at politics, which I also spent a lot of time looking at as a journalist: There was always a new Nixon. There’s always a political move where some major politician is going to change his spots. I’m talking about ideology. I’m talking about personality and the human quotient. And there’s an analog there, I think, with the corporate world, and people are who they are. And a lot of people, particularly people who want power, whether it be economic or political power, keep doing the same things. And certainly it’s true in the arena where we set our show. It’s not like Murdoch has ever changed, or Sumner Redstone ever changed in terms of how they operate as people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13930054\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13930054\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/matthew-macfadyen_3_wide-e9b0535711dd27d06c4e793e5a340507e337a539-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"A man in a grey suit sits, feet up on a desk in front of him, with a facial expression that reflects being deep in thought.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/matthew-macfadyen_3_wide-e9b0535711dd27d06c4e793e5a340507e337a539-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/matthew-macfadyen_3_wide-e9b0535711dd27d06c4e793e5a340507e337a539-1020x573.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/matthew-macfadyen_3_wide-e9b0535711dd27d06c4e793e5a340507e337a539-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/matthew-macfadyen_3_wide-e9b0535711dd27d06c4e793e5a340507e337a539-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/matthew-macfadyen_3_wide-e9b0535711dd27d06c4e793e5a340507e337a539-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/matthew-macfadyen_3_wide-e9b0535711dd27d06c4e793e5a340507e337a539.jpg 1816w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Frank Rich says that, in a line that didn’t make it into the final cut, someone describes Tom’s face as “sort of like a piece of Wonder Bread with a smile drawn on it.” \u003ccite>(HBO)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>At what point did you know Tom would end up being the CEO of \u003c/strong> \u003cstrong>Waystar Royco, but he’d still be a puppet, that he’d be the figurehead, and Lukas Matsson\u003c/strong> \u003cstrong>from GoJo would really be pulling the strings?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Armstrong: \u003c/strong>One of the things I like in the show is for things to feel natural, to feel like you could read them in \u003cem>The Wall Street Journal\u003c/em>, \u003cem>The Financial Times\u003c/em>, for them to feel like they fit, they’re congruent with the way that we see business, culture and politics going. And so in a way … it became obvious to me that [Tom] should take over. There are a few of these people who come after. … They have to have certain qualities, the person who can succeed from a founder, and I guess there are few examples in life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s a guy, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/08/19/490573944/viacom-ceo-out-as-redstone-family-reasserts-control\">Philippe Dauman\u003c/a>, who took over from \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/08/12/375143072/media-titan-sumner-redstone-who-made-viacom-a-global-empire-dies-at-97\">Sumner Redstone\u003c/a> when Shari [Redstone] was also trying to take over in the Viacom CBS empire. He rather floated up and made himself very amenable to power. … We tried to take from all kinds of historical moments. I guess I also thought a little bit about Stalin coming through the middle after Lenin’s death and there being much more glamorous intellectual candidates — Trotsky and Zinoviev — but Stalin arranged things and then slipped through the middle. So there were a bunch of historical and business parallels that started to seem like they were pointing in Tom’s direction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rich: \u003c/strong>I can’t say I was surprised. I mean, I’m sort of delighted, even though, in a line that didn’t make it to the final cut [someone says Tom’s] face is “sort of like a piece of Wonder Bread with a smile drawn on it.” He’s an empty suit, as is said. But, in Hollywood, in the ’30s, in the media companies at that time, it was the joke that “the son-in-law also rises.” And so in some ways it was completely plausible to me. And I also knew that these three kids could not take over for all the reasons we know, the various layers of them as people, as business people, all of it. So yeah, I thought it was an exciting, creative turn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The presidential election isn’t decided yet when the series ends because there was a fire in Milwaukee and ballots were burned. Why did you want to end the series without the election actually being resolved?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Armstrong:\u003c/strong> I wrestled with this one quite a lot. I always knew that I wanted to have an election during the show because we’ve seen these characters and we’re interested in their psychology, hopefully. I certainly am. And that’s one strand of the show. But I don’t think we’d be interested in them if they ran a wallpaper factory. It’s because of their influence through the media that they were fascinating to me, and so I wanted to show that, at its most important moment. But I also felt that, especially as a British person, that it wasn’t appropriate for the show to declare on what even our fictional world we think is going to be the fate of the republic. So it was important to me that we left it where it would be. And we worked with very skilled political operatives to figure out the right configuration of story that would both put ATN, their news organization, in a powerful position to affect things, but also would leave things poised.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some people find the episode sort of gut-wrenching and traumatic, and I can imagine because it’s a very serious time for America. I didn’t feel it was appropriate for us to say which way we think things will go. So that was why we left it poised.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13930055\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13930055\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/brian-cox_wide-dafe26de809f314118e955216ec773f6ead23b35-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"An older man in a suit walks confidently away from a helicopter. He has white hair, a white beard and is wearing sunglasses.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/brian-cox_wide-dafe26de809f314118e955216ec773f6ead23b35-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/brian-cox_wide-dafe26de809f314118e955216ec773f6ead23b35-1020x573.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/brian-cox_wide-dafe26de809f314118e955216ec773f6ead23b35-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/brian-cox_wide-dafe26de809f314118e955216ec773f6ead23b35-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/brian-cox_wide-dafe26de809f314118e955216ec773f6ead23b35-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/brian-cox_wide-dafe26de809f314118e955216ec773f6ead23b35.jpg 1905w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jesse Armstrong doesn’t think anyone would have been interested in the story of the Roy family if they’d run a wallpaper factory. “It’s because of their influence through the media that they were fascinating to me,” he says. Above, Brian Cox as media mogul Logan Roy. \u003ccite>(HBO)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Succession\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong> is a very hard to describe mix of satire and drama and tragedy. Did you want to bring in the comedy slowly and not kind of announce itself right away? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Armstrong: \u003c/strong>The tone of the show is kind of how I write. Not that I can’t try and write in different tones, but this one was what seemed appropriate to this show. And I can kind of try and back-engineer how it came about. But the truth is, it just came out, the voices of these characters. … I’m thinking of that George Orwell quote about why I write, which is “there’s some lie I want to expose.” And I guess one impulse was that we have a certain view of these corporate titans in our culture, and it’s sometimes that they are very, very brilliant and can do no wrong. And I don’t want to diminish their talents completely. I don’t think I could do what they do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13928692']But I think that they also have good fortune and often have good fortunes behind them. Rupert Murdoch had many millions in newspapers already before he started. So I guess one of the things I was curious about was showing the ludicrous, the comic, the incongruous, the gross parts of these gilded lives. And so maybe that’s where the impulse to make sure that there was comedy in there came from, because that’s a good register to try and approach some of that stuff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The series begins and ends for Logan in the bathroom. The first time we see him, he pees on the rug. Then he dies on his jet in the bathroom. So that seems to be a motif, Logan in the bathroom. Why? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Armstrong: \u003c/strong>One thing is that comedy often works better in small spaces. And so if a scene isn’t working, it’s sometimes worth trying: putting it in a smaller space and seeing what happens when people have to be in each other’s physicality. Apart from that, I guess there is something about, maybe it’s something childish about seeing kings and queens on the toilet. In the U.K., it was meant to be a hard thing to imagine: the late queen being on the toilet. I guess there may be something childlike about seeing great figures doing what all of us must do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13930056\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13930056\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/sarah-snook-jeremy-strong-kieran-culkin_wide-9d10cc88c8cbc9c29b68fcab0080840d1aa48b49-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"A woman and two men, all white, huddle around a coffee table, listening closely to a message being relayed.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/sarah-snook-jeremy-strong-kieran-culkin_wide-9d10cc88c8cbc9c29b68fcab0080840d1aa48b49-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/sarah-snook-jeremy-strong-kieran-culkin_wide-9d10cc88c8cbc9c29b68fcab0080840d1aa48b49-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/sarah-snook-jeremy-strong-kieran-culkin_wide-9d10cc88c8cbc9c29b68fcab0080840d1aa48b49-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/sarah-snook-jeremy-strong-kieran-culkin_wide-9d10cc88c8cbc9c29b68fcab0080840d1aa48b49-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/sarah-snook-jeremy-strong-kieran-culkin_wide-9d10cc88c8cbc9c29b68fcab0080840d1aa48b49-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/sarah-snook-jeremy-strong-kieran-culkin_wide-9d10cc88c8cbc9c29b68fcab0080840d1aa48b49.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shiv (Sarah Snook), Kendall (Jeremy Strong) and Roman (Kieran Culkin) struggle to be taken seriously by their father and the upper level cronies at Waystar in Season 4’s “Honeymoon States” episode. \u003ccite>(HBO)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You have unique writing styles for each of the siblings and for Logan. Can you talk a little bit about coming up with each of their voices? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Armstrong: \u003c/strong>It struck me that powerful people often don’t say so much. And Logan says probably many fewer words than his less powerful colleagues and people who surround him. Indeed, it’s probably true that the people with the least power speak the most. When you think about Tom (before he assumed power) and Greg, they have these great torrents of words because they’re trying to fill in the holes and equivocate and countermand what they’ve just said to precisely express themselves, because they’re worried the power is going to take a dim view of them. So there’s something about literally the quantity of words that you speak and also the volume. Power can often be very quiet and make you lean in until it explodes and makes you lean out. …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13928466']We hear [Kendall] first listening to rap music and he has a desire to hit a sort of colloquial but buzzword-infused [way of speaking]. I think he likes language. I think he wants to use interesting language. He’s not a terrible performer. Some people find his rap utterly risible. I find it comic, but also not bad. I think he has a certain verbal felicity, a certain verbal interest, and sometimes that goes over the edge into being ludicrous. Shiv, her tragedy has been that she has sought to modulate her every performance in the sense of what she’s doing in the world to keep her options open. And so there’s a sense in which she does that verbally as well. Roman is explosive and the most close to being a truth teller in that kind of jester role where he can say the unsayable and then claim that he didn’t say it or didn’t mean it. It’s a very powerful position once you start to be able to say, “I didn’t mean it,” after everything, every true thing that you say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ED2pSguRn7U\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Roy siblings’ cousin Greg has a mixture of cluelessness and formality when he’s on the witness stand during the hearings about the Waystar cruise line sexual harassment scandal. At one point, while being questioned by a senator, Greg answers, “If it is to be said, so it be. So it is.” Can you talk about Greg’s strangely formal way of speaking there?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Armstrong:\u003c/strong> I think there’s a little bit of the kind of 18th century in there, that sort of courtier vibe. But I think there’s also a class thing there, which, you know, is the phrase “hyper correction,” where people who are outside their normal class or social arena sometimes end up being idiotic because they’re trying to be too proper. It happens in our English, class-obsessed society, when people try to change their vocal pitch and nature to try and fit in with posher people and you hypercorrect, and then you become ludicrous by throwing in those extra words or reversing the order and doing things which you think sound like they might have a formality, which is appropriate, but ends up being nonsense. So it’s a very nice thing in life to be comfortable with how you speak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Logan is on his way to Norway to complete the deal with GoJo when he dies after suffering some kind of cardiac episode in the plane bathroom. Tom is on the plane and calls the siblings and they each say their goodbyes on the phone to him, even though it seems he’s already dead. Have you ever been in a position like that, of saying your goodbye on the phone?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Armstrong: \u003c/strong>No, honestly, I haven’t. I’ve known sad things and I’ve known people who suffered sad things, and people were generous in the writers room sharing thoughts about those areas, things they knew. … I don’t believe you have to have been through something like that precisely to be able to write it. Often, the terrible thing we imagine in the future can be as vivid as the thing we’ve experienced. … There is something about the modern era, which is that often sad, bad news comes at us like that from nowhere and hits us from nowhere. … The modern sadnesses often happen in this rather disembodied way. And then you’re left in a nowhere state where you’re physically disconnected from the events.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13930057\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13930057\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/fisher-stevens-kieran-culkin-jeremy-strong-sarah-snook_custom-9a66111cccf03ed30b96adbc44d50bc6d0fa7f9b-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A man and. woman on a couch sit, looking concerned. Another man in a suit sits opposite them, slumped forward. A fourth man stands nearby. They are in a sitting room area of a yacht.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/fisher-stevens-kieran-culkin-jeremy-strong-sarah-snook_custom-9a66111cccf03ed30b96adbc44d50bc6d0fa7f9b-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/fisher-stevens-kieran-culkin-jeremy-strong-sarah-snook_custom-9a66111cccf03ed30b96adbc44d50bc6d0fa7f9b-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/fisher-stevens-kieran-culkin-jeremy-strong-sarah-snook_custom-9a66111cccf03ed30b96adbc44d50bc6d0fa7f9b-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/fisher-stevens-kieran-culkin-jeremy-strong-sarah-snook_custom-9a66111cccf03ed30b96adbc44d50bc6d0fa7f9b-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/fisher-stevens-kieran-culkin-jeremy-strong-sarah-snook_custom-9a66111cccf03ed30b96adbc44d50bc6d0fa7f9b-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/fisher-stevens-kieran-culkin-jeremy-strong-sarah-snook_custom-9a66111cccf03ed30b96adbc44d50bc6d0fa7f9b.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Roy siblings huddle with the Waystar communications team to craft a statement after learning of their father’s sudden death. \u003ccite>(HBO)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You really capture the not knowing what to say aspect in a situation like that — not knowing how to say goodbye, but also the conflicted love-hate relationship they have with their father. Can you talk a little bit about writing those goodbyes? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Armstrong: \u003c/strong>The whole show is such multiple collaborations, but I feel, especially in those moments, [the words] could lie on the page inert if it wasn’t with those brilliant actors doing the scene. I’m a rewriter. I rewrite a lot. We reworked the scripts a lot through production, and it can sometimes be hard for the actors as we change things. But that episode, and especially that long stretch in the middle, I wrote it relatively quickly. And then I tried to be very careful about what I revised because, I don’t often feel this, but it felt like it had a coherence in its incoherence that it felt appropriate, and I wanted to leave it rather raw.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13928702']Hopefully our insults and our verbal attacks are believable and characterful, but they’re often more carefully wrought and multi-clause and baroque and the simplicity of the language, the mixture of truth and untruth, the feeling towards the edge of language and what it can express all felt good in the early, early drafts and therefore [we] tried not to change it. And I tried not to change the last things that Logan said, once I sort of knew that they were the last things that Logan said, because I didn’t want them to have the form of a grandiloquent moment of speech, because that didn’t seem appropriate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Can you say a few words about the ongoing \u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/05/02/1172876800/writers-guild-calls-strike\">\u003cstrong>writers’ strike\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Armstrong: \u003c/strong> I think about it through the lens of \u003cem>Succession\u003c/em>, which has been basically well supported and a happy show. One of my most favorite parts of the show is the writers’ room. Our room is not one of these mini-rooms, it’s a big, full room and it runs for a long time. And then writers who have written in the writers’ room, many of them come to be on set. Those kinds of things, although they cost money, I think helped to make the show as good as it is, and there’s just a variety of writer who is likely to get cut out of the financial action unless the WGA gets at least some of what it’s asking for. So I’m supportive of the position.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rich: \u003c/strong>The fact is that as the business transitioned from the old network linear model to streaming model, writers are often left out in the cold financially and it’s quite unjust. And I hope they win the battle because they really deserve it and they really are underpaid. It’s hard for people to understand how anyone could be underpaid in show business in Hollywood, but actually it does happen as in any other industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Lauren Krenzel and Susan Nyakundi produced and edited this interview for broadcast. Bridget Bentz, Molly Seavy-Nesper and Beth Novey adapted it for the web.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2023 Fresh Air. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/\">Fresh Air\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=We+ask+the+creator+of+%27Succession%27+everything+you+wanted+to+know+about+the+finale&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": true,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 4601,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 50
},
"modified": 1705005420,
"excerpt": "Was Kendall going to jump? Why did we keep seeing Logan in the bathroom? Jesse Armstrong and Frank Rich answer it all.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "‘Succession’ Creator Explains Everything About That Shocking Season 4 Finale",
"socialTitle": "‘Succession’ Finale Explained in Full by Show Creator %%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"ogTitle": "‘Succession’ Creator Explains Everything About That Shocking Season 4 Finale",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Was Kendall going to jump? Why did we keep seeing Logan in the bathroom? Jesse Armstrong and Frank Rich answer it all.",
"title": "‘Succession’ Finale Explained in Full by Show Creator | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "‘Succession’ Creator Explains Everything About That Shocking Season 4 Finale",
"datePublished": "2023-06-05T11:15:43-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T12:37:00-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "succession-creator-on-finale-jesse-armstrong-shiv-tom-sarah-snook-kieran-culkin",
"status": "publish",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=1179595456&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"templateType": "standard",
"nprStoryDate": "Mon, 05 Jun 2023 07:31:06 -0400",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Mon, 05 Jun 2023 13:25:21 -0400",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"nprHtmlLink": "https://www.npr.org/2023/06/05/1179595456/jesse-armstrong-succession-interview?ft=nprml&f=1179595456",
"nprAudio": "https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/fa/2023/06/20230605_fa_898f4d75-16e8-421c-965a-abedc182be35.mp3?orgId=427869011&topicId=1138&d=2607&p=13&story=1179595456&ft=nprml&f=1179595456",
"nprImageAgency": "HBO",
"nprAudioM3u": "http://api.npr.org/m3u/11180156187-fb4dc3.m3u?orgId=427869011&topicId=1138&d=2607&p=13&story=1179595456&ft=nprml&f=1179595456",
"nprStoryId": "1179595456",
"nprByline": "Terry Gross",
"sticky": false,
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Mon, 05 Jun 2023 13:26:00 -0400",
"path": "/arts/13930048/succession-creator-on-finale-jesse-armstrong-shiv-tom-sarah-snook-kieran-culkin",
"audioUrl": "https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/fa/2023/06/20230605_fa_898f4d75-16e8-421c-965a-abedc182be35.mp3?orgId=427869011&topicId=1138&d=2607&p=13&story=1179595456&ft=nprml&f=1179595456",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>The following interview includes plenty of spoilers for the series finale of ‘Succession’.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The much-anticipated series finale of HBO’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/series/1045640636/succession-recaps\">\u003cem>Succession\u003c/em>\u003c/a> answered one big question — who would succeed media mogul patriarch Logan Roy — but we still have more: Did the show creator know the end at the beginning? Why didn’t any of the Roy children wind up as CEO of the family conglomerate Waystar Royco? Was Kendall considering jumping into the river at the end? Why was the presidential election left unresolved? And why was Logan in the bathroom in his first and last scenes?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jesse Armstrong is the show’s creator, showrunner and head writer. In the past, he has been reluctant to reveal much about \u003cem>Succession\u003c/em>‘s plotlines or the characters’ motivations. But with the finale behind us, Armstrong is ready to talk. He spoke to Terry Gross, along with \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2017/04/26/525575857/veep-executive-producer-on-making-a-show-about-the-craven-desire-for-power\">Frank Rich\u003c/a>, an executive producer of the series.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This interview has been edited for clarity and length. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Terry Gross: Why couldn’t any of the siblings take over the company? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jesse Armstrong: \u003c/strong>If you were thinking about this as a business situation rather than a piece of drama, they might have slipped through, one of them, for a little while, for probably an unsatisfactory interregnum … as they tanked the share price. It could have happened, but in a drama this felt like the appropriate end.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13930051\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13930051\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/matthew-macfadyen-sarah-snook_wide-6a0ca1dda18abd6790982717db805a32b1fb2c68-800x450.jpe\" alt=\"A white man in a suit and a white woman wearing black sit in the back of a car, street lights visible through the back window. Her hand gently rests on his in between them.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/matthew-macfadyen-sarah-snook_wide-6a0ca1dda18abd6790982717db805a32b1fb2c68-800x450.jpe 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/matthew-macfadyen-sarah-snook_wide-6a0ca1dda18abd6790982717db805a32b1fb2c68-1020x574.jpe 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/matthew-macfadyen-sarah-snook_wide-6a0ca1dda18abd6790982717db805a32b1fb2c68-160x90.jpe 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/matthew-macfadyen-sarah-snook_wide-6a0ca1dda18abd6790982717db805a32b1fb2c68-768x432.jpe 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/matthew-macfadyen-sarah-snook_wide-6a0ca1dda18abd6790982717db805a32b1fb2c68-1536x864.jpe 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/matthew-macfadyen-sarah-snook_wide-6a0ca1dda18abd6790982717db805a32b1fb2c68.jpe 1909w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘Succession’ series creator Jesse Armstrong likens Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) and Shiv’s (Sarah Snook) hands in the final episode to the joining of “two pieces of porcelain.” \u003ccite>(HBO)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How do you see Shiv Roy at the end – as a prisoner who has weakened her position, or somebody who’s using all of her smarts to still have access to power? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Armstrong: \u003c/strong>Everyone has their own view and I can tell you mine, which is that for me it was a moment of equality. Chilly, rather terrifying equality, but equality, which has never been the case in that relationship before. Tom has always been subservient. Now he has this status, but his status is contingent. That’s kind of what the whole episode has been about. Shiv’s status is as all the kids are – secure. It’s secure in a financial sense. She has billions of dollars. She has wealth that could never diminish, whatever happened to the world. And she also has a name, which will sort of haunt her and make her interesting, to a certain degree, for the rest of her life, and that can’t be taken away from her. Whereas Tom’s position could be taken away in the click of her fingers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13926773",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>So for me, there’s a very terrifying equality in that, a remarkable dry hand on hand. It’s not really even human contact. It’s a sort of two pieces of porcelain or something. So that’s what it is for me. That isn’t what it would be for everyone. And certainly you could see the situation being a clever stratagem by which Shiv remains in play. Maybe that thought will occur to her tomorrow or the day after. But for me, the show’s ended at this point and the story is over and that’s where I think they end up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong> Frank Rich: \u003c/strong>I’m fascinated to hear Jesse come clean about it. I guess I experienced it as very transitional and very emotional. I felt that she was, in some ways, in emotional shock. When you look at the rapid fire of truly traumatic confrontations and events and the changing over of the business and all of that in a very compressed period of time, my feeling about her is that she’s leaving her options open. She does have this inheritance of a sort in terms of who she is, but also I just can’t imagine when she’s been through that with Kendall and she’s been through that with the company that she wanted to take over and been through everything with her husband, that she has a clear direction. So she’s in the moment, sort of. But there’s a kind of numbness. Part of this to me comes from Sarah [Snook]’s performance. It’s almost like she’s been traumatized, not maybe in the clinical sense, but just she’s in limbo. And I love the fact that it ends with that ambiguity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13930052\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13930052\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/kieran-culkin_4-a24701dcda2e3653a3b52f22080abbfcccfd8246-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"A white man in a dark blue shirt sits at a bar, martini glass in front of him.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/kieran-culkin_4-a24701dcda2e3653a3b52f22080abbfcccfd8246-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/kieran-culkin_4-a24701dcda2e3653a3b52f22080abbfcccfd8246-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/kieran-culkin_4-a24701dcda2e3653a3b52f22080abbfcccfd8246-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/kieran-culkin_4-a24701dcda2e3653a3b52f22080abbfcccfd8246-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/kieran-culkin_4-a24701dcda2e3653a3b52f22080abbfcccfd8246-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/kieran-culkin_4-a24701dcda2e3653a3b52f22080abbfcccfd8246.jpg 1700w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The series finale of ‘Succession’ shows Roman (Kieran Culkin) for what he’s always been: a sad playboy. \u003ccite>(HBO)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The last shot of Roman Roy is of him drinking a martini alone at a bar after saying “We’re all bulls—.” Why did you place him at the bar? What does that say to you about Roman in the moment and in the future?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Armstrong: \u003c/strong>The piece in the bar, there was more to it, a little bit more dialogue, but I think when we were in the edit room, Roman’s face, Kieran [Culkin]’s face was so eloquent that we just used a rather extraordinary set of expressions. … Kieran’s character, Roman, he ends up most particularly exactly where he started, which is living the life of a sort of sad playboy, I guess, and sipping a drink, which people might associate with his quasi-love of his life, Gerri, who we’ve often seen sipping a martini.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>In the last shot of the series, we see Kendall Roy sitting on a bench, staring at the Hudson River. Water is such a powerful symbol in the series. (Kendall nearly drowns in a pool in Season 3, and he’s haunted by a deadly car wreck in a river in Season 1.)\u003c/strong> \u003cstrong>Did you know all along that the theme of water would also play out in the final scene? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Armstrong: \u003c/strong>Oh, it’s such a fascinating, knotty question. I guess water can also mean baptism and cleansing and ablution … and a fun swim and splashing in the pool, and we’ve occasionally seen it used that way. It’s developed. There was no sort of image structure that was formulaically laid down at the beginning of the show. … And it was the genius of [director] Mark Mylod and the camera operators and Jeremy that took us right down to the tip of Battery Park, to the tip of Manhattan, and looking at Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Do you think he’s contemplating ending his life? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Armstrong: \u003c/strong>For me, no. … I think for me, Kendall, at the end, one of the things he lacks is even the freedom to determine his own course through life. The name and the wealth around him – to lots of us, obviously, it seems extraordinarily fortunate, and it is. But I do believe there is a certain kind of tragedy to a royal name, to a huge business name, to being a Disney or a Windsor or any of those kinds of names, and he can never, ever escape that. And one of the ways he can’t escape that is to have a bubble of protection around him … of money and human beings. In this case, he’s got his dad’s bodyguard right there with him. So even if he is contemplating it, I don’t think it could ever happen to him. And yeah, for me, that’s not the way the story goes for this kind of person.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13930059\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13930059\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-10.55.51-AM-800x532.png\" alt=\"An older man with white hair and beard sits in a leather armchair in an opulent living room. A younger man wearing an overcoat crouches before him.\" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-10.55.51-AM-800x532.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-10.55.51-AM-1020x678.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-10.55.51-AM-160x106.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-10.55.51-AM-768x510.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-10.55.51-AM-1536x1021.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-10.55.51-AM.png 1568w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jeremy Strong, left, as Kendall Roy, and Brian Cox as Logan Roy in ‘Succession.’ \u003ccite>(Peter Kramer/HBO)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>In an improvised take of that final scene that was not included in the final edit, Jeremy Strong climbs over the railing from the pedestrian side of the river to the riverside, looking as if he’s really maybe about to jump in. Were you there when he improvised that? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Armstrong: \u003c/strong>Yeah. We were there. It was biting cold. I’m there every day, and certainly for that important scene. I was terrified. I was terrified that he might fall in and be injured. … He didn’t look like he was going to jump in. But once he climbed over that barrier — when you film, there are generally a lot of health and safety assessments made, and that was not our plan that day. And normally I know that if we’d even been thinking of that happening, we would have had boats and frogmen and all kinds of safety measures, which we didn’t have. So my first thought was for his physical safety as a human being, not anything about the character. That’s what I felt on the day. Good Lord, above.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13906871",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rich:\u003c/strong> It was like breaking a barrier, walking through the fourth wall and it was bitterly cold on top of it. Also, everyone was eager for the cold reasons and also for scheduling reasons involving subsequent production, to be done with it. And I think Scott Nicholson, who played [bodyguard] Colin, was also somewhat alarmed and was functioning as a person as much as a character in that moment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You haven’t allowed Kendall to grow. Every time I think he’s getting more mature or more responsible, he’s not. Every time I think he’s getting a conscience, he doesn’t. Why not let him grow? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Armstrong: \u003c/strong>It’s not that I don’t think people are capable of change or growth. I guess I would say they happen rarely, slowly and not necessarily all in one direction, in that you’re just as likely to devolve as evolve as a person, unfortunately, I think. There’s a sort of sense about narrative, especially screenplay, that that’s what happens in a script: that people grow, they learn, and that is the shape of the script. And I would gently reject that, I guess. I don’t think that has to be the shape of the story. I don’t think it’s a true shape of all stories. Not that you can’t make a great story out of those things — and I’d like to write some of those — but that isn’t the story of this show. That doesn’t seem to be the truth of these people. And so we had to find story shapes which didn’t follow that particular shape.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rich: \u003c/strong>I fundamentally believe that people don’t change that much in real life. Some people do. Sure. But a lot of people don’t, including a lot of people I just know in real life. But look at politics, which I also spent a lot of time looking at as a journalist: There was always a new Nixon. There’s always a political move where some major politician is going to change his spots. I’m talking about ideology. I’m talking about personality and the human quotient. And there’s an analog there, I think, with the corporate world, and people are who they are. And a lot of people, particularly people who want power, whether it be economic or political power, keep doing the same things. And certainly it’s true in the arena where we set our show. It’s not like Murdoch has ever changed, or Sumner Redstone ever changed in terms of how they operate as people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13930054\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13930054\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/matthew-macfadyen_3_wide-e9b0535711dd27d06c4e793e5a340507e337a539-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"A man in a grey suit sits, feet up on a desk in front of him, with a facial expression that reflects being deep in thought.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/matthew-macfadyen_3_wide-e9b0535711dd27d06c4e793e5a340507e337a539-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/matthew-macfadyen_3_wide-e9b0535711dd27d06c4e793e5a340507e337a539-1020x573.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/matthew-macfadyen_3_wide-e9b0535711dd27d06c4e793e5a340507e337a539-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/matthew-macfadyen_3_wide-e9b0535711dd27d06c4e793e5a340507e337a539-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/matthew-macfadyen_3_wide-e9b0535711dd27d06c4e793e5a340507e337a539-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/matthew-macfadyen_3_wide-e9b0535711dd27d06c4e793e5a340507e337a539.jpg 1816w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Frank Rich says that, in a line that didn’t make it into the final cut, someone describes Tom’s face as “sort of like a piece of Wonder Bread with a smile drawn on it.” \u003ccite>(HBO)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>At what point did you know Tom would end up being the CEO of \u003c/strong> \u003cstrong>Waystar Royco, but he’d still be a puppet, that he’d be the figurehead, and Lukas Matsson\u003c/strong> \u003cstrong>from GoJo would really be pulling the strings?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Armstrong: \u003c/strong>One of the things I like in the show is for things to feel natural, to feel like you could read them in \u003cem>The Wall Street Journal\u003c/em>, \u003cem>The Financial Times\u003c/em>, for them to feel like they fit, they’re congruent with the way that we see business, culture and politics going. And so in a way … it became obvious to me that [Tom] should take over. There are a few of these people who come after. … They have to have certain qualities, the person who can succeed from a founder, and I guess there are few examples in life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s a guy, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/08/19/490573944/viacom-ceo-out-as-redstone-family-reasserts-control\">Philippe Dauman\u003c/a>, who took over from \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/08/12/375143072/media-titan-sumner-redstone-who-made-viacom-a-global-empire-dies-at-97\">Sumner Redstone\u003c/a> when Shari [Redstone] was also trying to take over in the Viacom CBS empire. He rather floated up and made himself very amenable to power. … We tried to take from all kinds of historical moments. I guess I also thought a little bit about Stalin coming through the middle after Lenin’s death and there being much more glamorous intellectual candidates — Trotsky and Zinoviev — but Stalin arranged things and then slipped through the middle. So there were a bunch of historical and business parallels that started to seem like they were pointing in Tom’s direction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rich: \u003c/strong>I can’t say I was surprised. I mean, I’m sort of delighted, even though, in a line that didn’t make it to the final cut [someone says Tom’s] face is “sort of like a piece of Wonder Bread with a smile drawn on it.” He’s an empty suit, as is said. But, in Hollywood, in the ’30s, in the media companies at that time, it was the joke that “the son-in-law also rises.” And so in some ways it was completely plausible to me. And I also knew that these three kids could not take over for all the reasons we know, the various layers of them as people, as business people, all of it. So yeah, I thought it was an exciting, creative turn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The presidential election isn’t decided yet when the series ends because there was a fire in Milwaukee and ballots were burned. Why did you want to end the series without the election actually being resolved?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Armstrong:\u003c/strong> I wrestled with this one quite a lot. I always knew that I wanted to have an election during the show because we’ve seen these characters and we’re interested in their psychology, hopefully. I certainly am. And that’s one strand of the show. But I don’t think we’d be interested in them if they ran a wallpaper factory. It’s because of their influence through the media that they were fascinating to me, and so I wanted to show that, at its most important moment. But I also felt that, especially as a British person, that it wasn’t appropriate for the show to declare on what even our fictional world we think is going to be the fate of the republic. So it was important to me that we left it where it would be. And we worked with very skilled political operatives to figure out the right configuration of story that would both put ATN, their news organization, in a powerful position to affect things, but also would leave things poised.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some people find the episode sort of gut-wrenching and traumatic, and I can imagine because it’s a very serious time for America. I didn’t feel it was appropriate for us to say which way we think things will go. So that was why we left it poised.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13930055\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13930055\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/brian-cox_wide-dafe26de809f314118e955216ec773f6ead23b35-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"An older man in a suit walks confidently away from a helicopter. He has white hair, a white beard and is wearing sunglasses.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/brian-cox_wide-dafe26de809f314118e955216ec773f6ead23b35-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/brian-cox_wide-dafe26de809f314118e955216ec773f6ead23b35-1020x573.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/brian-cox_wide-dafe26de809f314118e955216ec773f6ead23b35-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/brian-cox_wide-dafe26de809f314118e955216ec773f6ead23b35-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/brian-cox_wide-dafe26de809f314118e955216ec773f6ead23b35-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/brian-cox_wide-dafe26de809f314118e955216ec773f6ead23b35.jpg 1905w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jesse Armstrong doesn’t think anyone would have been interested in the story of the Roy family if they’d run a wallpaper factory. “It’s because of their influence through the media that they were fascinating to me,” he says. Above, Brian Cox as media mogul Logan Roy. \u003ccite>(HBO)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Succession\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong> is a very hard to describe mix of satire and drama and tragedy. Did you want to bring in the comedy slowly and not kind of announce itself right away? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Armstrong: \u003c/strong>The tone of the show is kind of how I write. Not that I can’t try and write in different tones, but this one was what seemed appropriate to this show. And I can kind of try and back-engineer how it came about. But the truth is, it just came out, the voices of these characters. … I’m thinking of that George Orwell quote about why I write, which is “there’s some lie I want to expose.” And I guess one impulse was that we have a certain view of these corporate titans in our culture, and it’s sometimes that they are very, very brilliant and can do no wrong. And I don’t want to diminish their talents completely. I don’t think I could do what they do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13928692",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>But I think that they also have good fortune and often have good fortunes behind them. Rupert Murdoch had many millions in newspapers already before he started. So I guess one of the things I was curious about was showing the ludicrous, the comic, the incongruous, the gross parts of these gilded lives. And so maybe that’s where the impulse to make sure that there was comedy in there came from, because that’s a good register to try and approach some of that stuff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The series begins and ends for Logan in the bathroom. The first time we see him, he pees on the rug. Then he dies on his jet in the bathroom. So that seems to be a motif, Logan in the bathroom. Why? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Armstrong: \u003c/strong>One thing is that comedy often works better in small spaces. And so if a scene isn’t working, it’s sometimes worth trying: putting it in a smaller space and seeing what happens when people have to be in each other’s physicality. Apart from that, I guess there is something about, maybe it’s something childish about seeing kings and queens on the toilet. In the U.K., it was meant to be a hard thing to imagine: the late queen being on the toilet. I guess there may be something childlike about seeing great figures doing what all of us must do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13930056\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13930056\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/sarah-snook-jeremy-strong-kieran-culkin_wide-9d10cc88c8cbc9c29b68fcab0080840d1aa48b49-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"A woman and two men, all white, huddle around a coffee table, listening closely to a message being relayed.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/sarah-snook-jeremy-strong-kieran-culkin_wide-9d10cc88c8cbc9c29b68fcab0080840d1aa48b49-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/sarah-snook-jeremy-strong-kieran-culkin_wide-9d10cc88c8cbc9c29b68fcab0080840d1aa48b49-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/sarah-snook-jeremy-strong-kieran-culkin_wide-9d10cc88c8cbc9c29b68fcab0080840d1aa48b49-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/sarah-snook-jeremy-strong-kieran-culkin_wide-9d10cc88c8cbc9c29b68fcab0080840d1aa48b49-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/sarah-snook-jeremy-strong-kieran-culkin_wide-9d10cc88c8cbc9c29b68fcab0080840d1aa48b49-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/sarah-snook-jeremy-strong-kieran-culkin_wide-9d10cc88c8cbc9c29b68fcab0080840d1aa48b49.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shiv (Sarah Snook), Kendall (Jeremy Strong) and Roman (Kieran Culkin) struggle to be taken seriously by their father and the upper level cronies at Waystar in Season 4’s “Honeymoon States” episode. \u003ccite>(HBO)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You have unique writing styles for each of the siblings and for Logan. Can you talk a little bit about coming up with each of their voices? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Armstrong: \u003c/strong>It struck me that powerful people often don’t say so much. And Logan says probably many fewer words than his less powerful colleagues and people who surround him. Indeed, it’s probably true that the people with the least power speak the most. When you think about Tom (before he assumed power) and Greg, they have these great torrents of words because they’re trying to fill in the holes and equivocate and countermand what they’ve just said to precisely express themselves, because they’re worried the power is going to take a dim view of them. So there’s something about literally the quantity of words that you speak and also the volume. Power can often be very quiet and make you lean in until it explodes and makes you lean out. …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13928466",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>We hear [Kendall] first listening to rap music and he has a desire to hit a sort of colloquial but buzzword-infused [way of speaking]. I think he likes language. I think he wants to use interesting language. He’s not a terrible performer. Some people find his rap utterly risible. I find it comic, but also not bad. I think he has a certain verbal felicity, a certain verbal interest, and sometimes that goes over the edge into being ludicrous. Shiv, her tragedy has been that she has sought to modulate her every performance in the sense of what she’s doing in the world to keep her options open. And so there’s a sense in which she does that verbally as well. Roman is explosive and the most close to being a truth teller in that kind of jester role where he can say the unsayable and then claim that he didn’t say it or didn’t mean it. It’s a very powerful position once you start to be able to say, “I didn’t mean it,” after everything, every true thing that you say.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/ED2pSguRn7U'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/ED2pSguRn7U'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Roy siblings’ cousin Greg has a mixture of cluelessness and formality when he’s on the witness stand during the hearings about the Waystar cruise line sexual harassment scandal. At one point, while being questioned by a senator, Greg answers, “If it is to be said, so it be. So it is.” Can you talk about Greg’s strangely formal way of speaking there?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Armstrong:\u003c/strong> I think there’s a little bit of the kind of 18th century in there, that sort of courtier vibe. But I think there’s also a class thing there, which, you know, is the phrase “hyper correction,” where people who are outside their normal class or social arena sometimes end up being idiotic because they’re trying to be too proper. It happens in our English, class-obsessed society, when people try to change their vocal pitch and nature to try and fit in with posher people and you hypercorrect, and then you become ludicrous by throwing in those extra words or reversing the order and doing things which you think sound like they might have a formality, which is appropriate, but ends up being nonsense. So it’s a very nice thing in life to be comfortable with how you speak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Logan is on his way to Norway to complete the deal with GoJo when he dies after suffering some kind of cardiac episode in the plane bathroom. Tom is on the plane and calls the siblings and they each say their goodbyes on the phone to him, even though it seems he’s already dead. Have you ever been in a position like that, of saying your goodbye on the phone?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Armstrong: \u003c/strong>No, honestly, I haven’t. I’ve known sad things and I’ve known people who suffered sad things, and people were generous in the writers room sharing thoughts about those areas, things they knew. … I don’t believe you have to have been through something like that precisely to be able to write it. Often, the terrible thing we imagine in the future can be as vivid as the thing we’ve experienced. … There is something about the modern era, which is that often sad, bad news comes at us like that from nowhere and hits us from nowhere. … The modern sadnesses often happen in this rather disembodied way. And then you’re left in a nowhere state where you’re physically disconnected from the events.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13930057\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13930057\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/fisher-stevens-kieran-culkin-jeremy-strong-sarah-snook_custom-9a66111cccf03ed30b96adbc44d50bc6d0fa7f9b-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A man and. woman on a couch sit, looking concerned. Another man in a suit sits opposite them, slumped forward. A fourth man stands nearby. They are in a sitting room area of a yacht.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/fisher-stevens-kieran-culkin-jeremy-strong-sarah-snook_custom-9a66111cccf03ed30b96adbc44d50bc6d0fa7f9b-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/fisher-stevens-kieran-culkin-jeremy-strong-sarah-snook_custom-9a66111cccf03ed30b96adbc44d50bc6d0fa7f9b-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/fisher-stevens-kieran-culkin-jeremy-strong-sarah-snook_custom-9a66111cccf03ed30b96adbc44d50bc6d0fa7f9b-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/fisher-stevens-kieran-culkin-jeremy-strong-sarah-snook_custom-9a66111cccf03ed30b96adbc44d50bc6d0fa7f9b-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/fisher-stevens-kieran-culkin-jeremy-strong-sarah-snook_custom-9a66111cccf03ed30b96adbc44d50bc6d0fa7f9b-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/fisher-stevens-kieran-culkin-jeremy-strong-sarah-snook_custom-9a66111cccf03ed30b96adbc44d50bc6d0fa7f9b.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Roy siblings huddle with the Waystar communications team to craft a statement after learning of their father’s sudden death. \u003ccite>(HBO)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You really capture the not knowing what to say aspect in a situation like that — not knowing how to say goodbye, but also the conflicted love-hate relationship they have with their father. Can you talk a little bit about writing those goodbyes? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Armstrong: \u003c/strong>The whole show is such multiple collaborations, but I feel, especially in those moments, [the words] could lie on the page inert if it wasn’t with those brilliant actors doing the scene. I’m a rewriter. I rewrite a lot. We reworked the scripts a lot through production, and it can sometimes be hard for the actors as we change things. But that episode, and especially that long stretch in the middle, I wrote it relatively quickly. And then I tried to be very careful about what I revised because, I don’t often feel this, but it felt like it had a coherence in its incoherence that it felt appropriate, and I wanted to leave it rather raw.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13928702",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Hopefully our insults and our verbal attacks are believable and characterful, but they’re often more carefully wrought and multi-clause and baroque and the simplicity of the language, the mixture of truth and untruth, the feeling towards the edge of language and what it can express all felt good in the early, early drafts and therefore [we] tried not to change it. And I tried not to change the last things that Logan said, once I sort of knew that they were the last things that Logan said, because I didn’t want them to have the form of a grandiloquent moment of speech, because that didn’t seem appropriate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Can you say a few words about the ongoing \u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/05/02/1172876800/writers-guild-calls-strike\">\u003cstrong>writers’ strike\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Armstrong: \u003c/strong> I think about it through the lens of \u003cem>Succession\u003c/em>, which has been basically well supported and a happy show. One of my most favorite parts of the show is the writers’ room. Our room is not one of these mini-rooms, it’s a big, full room and it runs for a long time. And then writers who have written in the writers’ room, many of them come to be on set. Those kinds of things, although they cost money, I think helped to make the show as good as it is, and there’s just a variety of writer who is likely to get cut out of the financial action unless the WGA gets at least some of what it’s asking for. So I’m supportive of the position.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rich: \u003c/strong>The fact is that as the business transitioned from the old network linear model to streaming model, writers are often left out in the cold financially and it’s quite unjust. And I hope they win the battle because they really deserve it and they really are underpaid. It’s hard for people to understand how anyone could be underpaid in show business in Hollywood, but actually it does happen as in any other industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Lauren Krenzel and Susan Nyakundi produced and edited this interview for broadcast. Bridget Bentz, Molly Seavy-Nesper and Beth Novey adapted it for the web.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2023 Fresh Air. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/\">Fresh Air\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=We+ask+the+creator+of+%27Succession%27+everything+you+wanted+to+know+about+the+finale&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13930048/succession-creator-on-finale-jesse-armstrong-shiv-tom-sarah-snook-kieran-culkin",
"authors": [
"byline_arts_13930048"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_75",
"arts_990"
],
"tags": [
"arts_11323",
"arts_8350",
"arts_20624",
"arts_8904"
],
"affiliates": [
"arts_137"
],
"featImg": "arts_13930049",
"label": "arts_137"
},
"arts_13930006": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13930006",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13930006",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1685729690000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "arts"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1685729690,
"format": "standard",
"title": "‘Past Lives’ is a Gorgeous Meditation on Love, Chance — and the Choices We Make",
"headTitle": "‘Past Lives’ is a Gorgeous Meditation on Love, Chance — and the Choices We Make | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Two minutes away, the Uber app promises at one point in \u003cem>Past Lives\u003c/em>. And if you’re like me, you may find yourself — perhaps for the first time in your Uber-riding life — hoping that promise is a bald-faced lie.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because you’ll want more minutes, many more, for the couple presumably about to be separated by that Uber, even though they’re simply staring at each other on the street, saying absolutely nothing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is but one small moment of playwright Celine Song’s gorgeous, achingly wistful feature debut. But it highlights her striking confidence as a filmmaker. Time and again, Song, who both writes and directs here, makes the unflashy, understated choice — and in so doing, darned near breaks our hearts, with a tale that feels universal yet rich in detail, urgent yet unrushed. And if, also like me, you suddenly feel tears forming, they may surprise you, precisely because nobody’s been trying to force them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kA244xewjcI&t=60s\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We begin with a trio chatting in a New York bar — a woman flanked by two men. We’re too far away to hear what they’re saying or understand how they’re connected, and we hear distant voices speculating: “Maybe they’re tourists, and he’s the tour guide?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Flashback 24 years to Seoul, where Nora (then called Na Young) and close friend Hae Sung, both 12, are walking home from school. Nora, her hair in long braids, is crying because she lost first place on a school assignment to Hae Sung. (She’s an ambitious sort.) The friendship — too early for romance — is about to be sadly interrupted, because Nora’s family is moving to Canada.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13929913']Twelve years pass. Nora ( Greta Lee, terrific in a smart, restrained performance that echoes her director’s style) has now moved to New York as an aspiring playwright (yes, much of this story is autobiographical.) On a lark one day, she tries to look up figures from her past. Searching for Hae Sung, she learns he was recently looking for her, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They schedule a video chat — at first halting, but soon they’re chatting day and night. Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) is still living at home, common for young Koreans, and studying at university. He has plans to go to China. Nora is moving ahead with her own dreams (her goal has shifted from a Nobel to a Pulitzer.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the distance becomes too painful, Nora calls for a break. Not long after, she attends a writing residency and meets Arthur (John Magaro), a fellow writer. And 12 years pass again. The two live in Brooklyn and have been married seven years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13929679']Suddenly, Nora hears from Hae Sung. He’s coming from Seoul and wants to see her. Their meeting in a city park is nothing like the rom-com encounter it could be in another film. Song knows that in real life, there’s often an inability to react quickly or cleverly or even at all, for awhile. The director lets awkward silences stand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the next few days the couple gets to know each other. Not surprisingly, Arthur feels somewhat threatened. Late at night he quietly tells Nora that she dreams in Korean, a language and world he does not know. He wonders if he’s “the guy you leave in the story when your ex comes to take you away.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13930009\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13930009\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-02-at-11.08.15-AM-800x464.png\" alt=\"An Asian woman and white man walk close together in the street. An Asian man stands nearby looking concerned.\" width=\"800\" height=\"464\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-02-at-11.08.15-AM-800x464.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-02-at-11.08.15-AM-1020x591.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-02-at-11.08.15-AM-160x93.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-02-at-11.08.15-AM-768x445.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-02-at-11.08.15-AM.png 1532w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A24 shows Greta Lee, from left, John Magaro, Teo Yoo in a scene from ‘Past Lives.’ \u003ccite>(Jon Pack/A24 via AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And suddenly we’re back at that restaurant bar scene, and now we understand. The three characters try to navigate the unusual circumstances. They discuss what-ifs, and zoom in on a Korean concept of fate, explained by Nora earlier as the connection between two people that has been influenced or determined by connections in past lives — hence the film’s title.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without giving away the ending, it’s worth noting that Song has drawn much from her own life — down to that bar scene, and a similar visit from a long-ago connection from Korea.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13929254']She raises a number of lessons here, but one seems to be that choices, which seem so limitless in our youth, have consequences, even (or most especially) when we’re not noticing. No one choice seems irreversible, perhaps, but eventually they coalesce into a life path.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the playwright also tells us that versions of one life can co-exist. Nora notes at one point that even if her older New York version is different, the younger Korean version is still real, and still exists on some other plane.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is my life, I’m living it with you,” she tells Arthur early on, trying to reassure him (and perhaps herself.) But one of the beauties of this film is how it allows for such an expansive, generous view of what one life can actually be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Copyright 2023 Associated Press. To see more, visit AP.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Past Lives’ is out now.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": true,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 891,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 20
},
"modified": 1705005423,
"excerpt": "Celine Song’s gorgeous, achingly wistful feature debut presents a generous view of what one life can actually be.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Celine Song’s gorgeous, achingly wistful feature debut presents a generous view of what one life can actually be.",
"title": "‘Past Lives’ is a Gorgeous Meditation on Love, Chance — and the Choices We Make | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "‘Past Lives’ is a Gorgeous Meditation on Love, Chance — and the Choices We Make",
"datePublished": "2023-06-02T11:14:50-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T12:37:03-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "past-lives-is-a-gorgeous-meditation-on-love-chance-and-the-choices-we-make",
"status": "publish",
"templateType": "standard",
"nprByline": "Jocelyn Noveck",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"sticky": false,
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13930006/past-lives-is-a-gorgeous-meditation-on-love-chance-and-the-choices-we-make",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Two minutes away, the Uber app promises at one point in \u003cem>Past Lives\u003c/em>. And if you’re like me, you may find yourself — perhaps for the first time in your Uber-riding life — hoping that promise is a bald-faced lie.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because you’ll want more minutes, many more, for the couple presumably about to be separated by that Uber, even though they’re simply staring at each other on the street, saying absolutely nothing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is but one small moment of playwright Celine Song’s gorgeous, achingly wistful feature debut. But it highlights her striking confidence as a filmmaker. Time and again, Song, who both writes and directs here, makes the unflashy, understated choice — and in so doing, darned near breaks our hearts, with a tale that feels universal yet rich in detail, urgent yet unrushed. And if, also like me, you suddenly feel tears forming, they may surprise you, precisely because nobody’s been trying to force them.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/kA244xewjcI'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/kA244xewjcI'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>We begin with a trio chatting in a New York bar — a woman flanked by two men. We’re too far away to hear what they’re saying or understand how they’re connected, and we hear distant voices speculating: “Maybe they’re tourists, and he’s the tour guide?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Flashback 24 years to Seoul, where Nora (then called Na Young) and close friend Hae Sung, both 12, are walking home from school. Nora, her hair in long braids, is crying because she lost first place on a school assignment to Hae Sung. (She’s an ambitious sort.) The friendship — too early for romance — is about to be sadly interrupted, because Nora’s family is moving to Canada.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13929913",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Twelve years pass. Nora ( Greta Lee, terrific in a smart, restrained performance that echoes her director’s style) has now moved to New York as an aspiring playwright (yes, much of this story is autobiographical.) On a lark one day, she tries to look up figures from her past. Searching for Hae Sung, she learns he was recently looking for her, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They schedule a video chat — at first halting, but soon they’re chatting day and night. Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) is still living at home, common for young Koreans, and studying at university. He has plans to go to China. Nora is moving ahead with her own dreams (her goal has shifted from a Nobel to a Pulitzer.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the distance becomes too painful, Nora calls for a break. Not long after, she attends a writing residency and meets Arthur (John Magaro), a fellow writer. And 12 years pass again. The two live in Brooklyn and have been married seven years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13929679",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Suddenly, Nora hears from Hae Sung. He’s coming from Seoul and wants to see her. Their meeting in a city park is nothing like the rom-com encounter it could be in another film. Song knows that in real life, there’s often an inability to react quickly or cleverly or even at all, for awhile. The director lets awkward silences stand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the next few days the couple gets to know each other. Not surprisingly, Arthur feels somewhat threatened. Late at night he quietly tells Nora that she dreams in Korean, a language and world he does not know. He wonders if he’s “the guy you leave in the story when your ex comes to take you away.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13930009\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13930009\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-02-at-11.08.15-AM-800x464.png\" alt=\"An Asian woman and white man walk close together in the street. An Asian man stands nearby looking concerned.\" width=\"800\" height=\"464\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-02-at-11.08.15-AM-800x464.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-02-at-11.08.15-AM-1020x591.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-02-at-11.08.15-AM-160x93.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-02-at-11.08.15-AM-768x445.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-02-at-11.08.15-AM.png 1532w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A24 shows Greta Lee, from left, John Magaro, Teo Yoo in a scene from ‘Past Lives.’ \u003ccite>(Jon Pack/A24 via AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And suddenly we’re back at that restaurant bar scene, and now we understand. The three characters try to navigate the unusual circumstances. They discuss what-ifs, and zoom in on a Korean concept of fate, explained by Nora earlier as the connection between two people that has been influenced or determined by connections in past lives — hence the film’s title.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without giving away the ending, it’s worth noting that Song has drawn much from her own life — down to that bar scene, and a similar visit from a long-ago connection from Korea.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13929254",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>She raises a number of lessons here, but one seems to be that choices, which seem so limitless in our youth, have consequences, even (or most especially) when we’re not noticing. No one choice seems irreversible, perhaps, but eventually they coalesce into a life path.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the playwright also tells us that versions of one life can co-exist. Nora notes at one point that even if her older New York version is different, the younger Korean version is still real, and still exists on some other plane.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is my life, I’m living it with you,” she tells Arthur early on, trying to reassure him (and perhaps herself.) But one of the beauties of this film is how it allows for such an expansive, generous view of what one life can actually be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Copyright 2023 Associated Press. To see more, visit AP.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Past Lives’ is out now.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13930006/past-lives-is-a-gorgeous-meditation-on-love-chance-and-the-choices-we-make",
"authors": [
"byline_arts_13930006"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_74",
"arts_75"
],
"tags": [
"arts_585"
],
"featImg": "arts_13930008",
"label": "arts"
},
"arts_13929879": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13929879",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13929879",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1685557765000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "arts",
"term": 137
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1685557765,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Five Great Moments From the ‘Ted Lasso’ Finale",
"headTitle": "Five Great Moments From the ‘Ted Lasso’ Finale | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Ted Lasso \u003c/em>had a bit of a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/04/15/1170074939/ted-lasso-season-3-review\">bumpy third season\u003c/a>, and its final episode (now streaming on Apple TV+) didn’t undo all of those bumps. Nevertheless, the show pulled off some very nice moments that doubtless reminded viewers why they fell in love with it in the first place. It stands to reason, hopefully, that spoilers follow.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>1. A song for the coach.\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13926462']Richmond AFC’s performance of “So Long, Farewell” from \u003cem>The Sound of Music \u003c/em>called back to the time \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMsNLc7KgEU\">we saw the team do “Bye Bye Bye.” \u003c/a>If you know the movie, you were well-prepared for all those heads to pop out and say “cuckoo,” and it was a pure delight. Granted, having seen “Bye Bye Bye,” I’d have loved more dancing from Jamie (Phil Dunster) (my third season MVP), but perhaps it was enough that Roy was mouthing along. Sue me, I love a musical number.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>2. Roy asks to become a Diamond Dog.\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>With Nate back in the fold (despite some misgivings I have about how that story developed), the Diamond Dogs 2.0, now including Trent Crimm, were shocked and flattered when Roy said the words Ted had longed to hear: “Can I be a Diamond Dog?” Part of the charm of \u003cem>Ted Lasso \u003c/em>when it’s at its best is that unabashedly corny things work because of the charm of the performances. And even if it was always inevitable that Roy would give himself up to the loving embrace of his pals, his growth was signaled beautifully by his willingness not simply to say yes when asked, but to ask on his own. Who among us has not felt the need to say, “Can I be your friend?” Or, in this case, “Can I be a Diamond Dog?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929886\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929886\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-31-at-11.15.47-AM-800x532.png\" alt=\"A middle aged man in a suit stands alongside two slender blond women. One girlish in a short red dress, the other statuesque and professional in a blue one.\" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-31-at-11.15.47-AM-800x532.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-31-at-11.15.47-AM-1020x679.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-31-at-11.15.47-AM-160x106.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-31-at-11.15.47-AM-768x511.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-31-at-11.15.47-AM.png 1160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jeremy Swift, Juno Temple and Hannah Waddingham as Leslie, Keeley and Rebecca. \u003ccite>(Luke Varley/Apple)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>3. Rebecca asks Ted to stay.\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Ted and Rebecca have had a friendship that has changed the courses of both of their lives. Their relationship is emotionally intimate but not romantic, which is a kind of bond that television often can’t hold in its head when it comes to (as far as we know) a straight man and a straight woman. Rebecca had to make that last ask to him, the best version of “we could stay together” that she could come up with, even though it was not especially reasonable to suggest his wife and son should both change continents. But she had to try. That scene also gave the finale a chance to luxuriate in the stadium seats from the opening credits that have been so much a part of the show’s iconography.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>4. The team reassembles the sign.\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Look, you were never going to like this show if the sight of all the Greyhounds retrieving their various pieces of the destroyed “BELIEVE” sign and reassembling them made you roll your eyes. Again, corny! But it works! And realizing they’d all hidden them in different places — behind a photo, in a book, in a sock or a sleeve — was a pretty literal but charming representation of how these guys have taken in what Ted was trying to teach them and are capable of recreating it themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929882\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929882\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/tedlasso_312_00185f_custom-c55a39c68b99aa1f4da030c2c722951f3999c96e-scaled-e1685557093165-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Two men in sports uniforms stand opposite each other in a locker room, double fist bumping in a friendly manner.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/tedlasso_312_00185f_custom-c55a39c68b99aa1f4da030c2c722951f3999c96e-scaled-e1685557093165-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/tedlasso_312_00185f_custom-c55a39c68b99aa1f4da030c2c722951f3999c96e-scaled-e1685557093165-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/tedlasso_312_00185f_custom-c55a39c68b99aa1f4da030c2c722951f3999c96e-scaled-e1685557093165-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/tedlasso_312_00185f_custom-c55a39c68b99aa1f4da030c2c722951f3999c96e-scaled-e1685557093165-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/tedlasso_312_00185f_custom-c55a39c68b99aa1f4da030c2c722951f3999c96e-scaled-e1685557093165-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/tedlasso_312_00185f_custom-c55a39c68b99aa1f4da030c2c722951f3999c96e-scaled-e1685557093165.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Phil Dunster as Jamie, left, and Brett Goldstein as Roy. \u003ccite>(Luke Varley/Apple)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>5. Jamie passes the ball.\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Jamie Tartt has had the most complete, coherent and satisfying character arc of any character on the show. He has never been anything other than himself (he still has his entire arsenal of body spray, right next to his copy of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s \u003cem>The Beautiful and Damned\u003c/em>), but he has genuinely learned both to have friends (like Roy) and to share in the achievements of a team. By giving up the ball to Dani for the penalty and to Sam when Sam was open — while still scoring — he managed to be both star and cooperative teammate in Richmond’s final game, finally achieving the balance that has so often eluded him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13928322']In the end, it wasn’t entirely clear whether all the futures that we saw, with Roy becoming the manager of AFC Richmond, and with Rebecca ending up with the guy she met in Amsterdam, and with Keeley and Rebecca preparing to start a women’s team, were real. It wasn’t even clear where Ted’s own family life ended up, although it did seem that Dr. Jacob had left the scene. While cast members have said on social media that this was the end of the road, Apple has resisted saying for sure whether we’ll ever return to this world. If we don’t, it’s good that there was some singing and dancing, some good football, and a reminder that this is, at its heart, a show about friendship and camaraderie.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\">visit NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Five+great+moments+from+the+%27Ted+Lasso%27+finale&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 862,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 9
},
"modified": 1705005437,
"excerpt": "In the final episode for Apple's decorated show, friendships were cemented, football was played, and signs were everywhere.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "Five Great Moments From the ‘Ted Lasso’ Finale",
"socialTitle": "‘Ted Lasso’ Finale Highlights%%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"ogTitle": "Five Great Moments From the ‘Ted Lasso’ Finale",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "In the final episode for Apple's decorated show, friendships were cemented, football was played, and signs were everywhere.",
"title": "‘Ted Lasso’ Finale Highlights | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Five Great Moments From the ‘Ted Lasso’ Finale",
"datePublished": "2023-05-31T11:29:25-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T12:37:17-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "five-great-moments-from-the-ted-lasso-finale",
"status": "publish",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=1179117616&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"templateType": "standard",
"nprStoryDate": "Wed, 31 May 2023 12:07:34 -0400",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Wed, 31 May 2023 12:07:34 -0400",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"nprHtmlLink": "https://www.npr.org/2023/05/31/1179117616/ted-lasso-finale-recap?ft=nprml&f=1179117616",
"nprImageAgency": "Apple",
"nprStoryId": "1179117616",
"nprByline": "Linda Holmes",
"sticky": false,
"nprImageCredit": "Colin Hutton",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Wed, 31 May 2023 12:07:00 -0400",
"path": "/arts/13929879/five-great-moments-from-the-ted-lasso-finale",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Ted Lasso \u003c/em>had a bit of a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/04/15/1170074939/ted-lasso-season-3-review\">bumpy third season\u003c/a>, and its final episode (now streaming on Apple TV+) didn’t undo all of those bumps. Nevertheless, the show pulled off some very nice moments that doubtless reminded viewers why they fell in love with it in the first place. It stands to reason, hopefully, that spoilers follow.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>1. A song for the coach.\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13926462",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Richmond AFC’s performance of “So Long, Farewell” from \u003cem>The Sound of Music \u003c/em>called back to the time \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMsNLc7KgEU\">we saw the team do “Bye Bye Bye.” \u003c/a>If you know the movie, you were well-prepared for all those heads to pop out and say “cuckoo,” and it was a pure delight. Granted, having seen “Bye Bye Bye,” I’d have loved more dancing from Jamie (Phil Dunster) (my third season MVP), but perhaps it was enough that Roy was mouthing along. Sue me, I love a musical number.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>2. Roy asks to become a Diamond Dog.\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>With Nate back in the fold (despite some misgivings I have about how that story developed), the Diamond Dogs 2.0, now including Trent Crimm, were shocked and flattered when Roy said the words Ted had longed to hear: “Can I be a Diamond Dog?” Part of the charm of \u003cem>Ted Lasso \u003c/em>when it’s at its best is that unabashedly corny things work because of the charm of the performances. And even if it was always inevitable that Roy would give himself up to the loving embrace of his pals, his growth was signaled beautifully by his willingness not simply to say yes when asked, but to ask on his own. Who among us has not felt the need to say, “Can I be your friend?” Or, in this case, “Can I be a Diamond Dog?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929886\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929886\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-31-at-11.15.47-AM-800x532.png\" alt=\"A middle aged man in a suit stands alongside two slender blond women. One girlish in a short red dress, the other statuesque and professional in a blue one.\" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-31-at-11.15.47-AM-800x532.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-31-at-11.15.47-AM-1020x679.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-31-at-11.15.47-AM-160x106.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-31-at-11.15.47-AM-768x511.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-31-at-11.15.47-AM.png 1160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jeremy Swift, Juno Temple and Hannah Waddingham as Leslie, Keeley and Rebecca. \u003ccite>(Luke Varley/Apple)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>3. Rebecca asks Ted to stay.\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Ted and Rebecca have had a friendship that has changed the courses of both of their lives. Their relationship is emotionally intimate but not romantic, which is a kind of bond that television often can’t hold in its head when it comes to (as far as we know) a straight man and a straight woman. Rebecca had to make that last ask to him, the best version of “we could stay together” that she could come up with, even though it was not especially reasonable to suggest his wife and son should both change continents. But she had to try. That scene also gave the finale a chance to luxuriate in the stadium seats from the opening credits that have been so much a part of the show’s iconography.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>4. The team reassembles the sign.\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Look, you were never going to like this show if the sight of all the Greyhounds retrieving their various pieces of the destroyed “BELIEVE” sign and reassembling them made you roll your eyes. Again, corny! But it works! And realizing they’d all hidden them in different places — behind a photo, in a book, in a sock or a sleeve — was a pretty literal but charming representation of how these guys have taken in what Ted was trying to teach them and are capable of recreating it themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929882\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929882\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/tedlasso_312_00185f_custom-c55a39c68b99aa1f4da030c2c722951f3999c96e-scaled-e1685557093165-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Two men in sports uniforms stand opposite each other in a locker room, double fist bumping in a friendly manner.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/tedlasso_312_00185f_custom-c55a39c68b99aa1f4da030c2c722951f3999c96e-scaled-e1685557093165-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/tedlasso_312_00185f_custom-c55a39c68b99aa1f4da030c2c722951f3999c96e-scaled-e1685557093165-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/tedlasso_312_00185f_custom-c55a39c68b99aa1f4da030c2c722951f3999c96e-scaled-e1685557093165-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/tedlasso_312_00185f_custom-c55a39c68b99aa1f4da030c2c722951f3999c96e-scaled-e1685557093165-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/tedlasso_312_00185f_custom-c55a39c68b99aa1f4da030c2c722951f3999c96e-scaled-e1685557093165-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/tedlasso_312_00185f_custom-c55a39c68b99aa1f4da030c2c722951f3999c96e-scaled-e1685557093165.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Phil Dunster as Jamie, left, and Brett Goldstein as Roy. \u003ccite>(Luke Varley/Apple)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>5. Jamie passes the ball.\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Jamie Tartt has had the most complete, coherent and satisfying character arc of any character on the show. He has never been anything other than himself (he still has his entire arsenal of body spray, right next to his copy of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s \u003cem>The Beautiful and Damned\u003c/em>), but he has genuinely learned both to have friends (like Roy) and to share in the achievements of a team. By giving up the ball to Dani for the penalty and to Sam when Sam was open — while still scoring — he managed to be both star and cooperative teammate in Richmond’s final game, finally achieving the balance that has so often eluded him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13928322",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In the end, it wasn’t entirely clear whether all the futures that we saw, with Roy becoming the manager of AFC Richmond, and with Rebecca ending up with the guy she met in Amsterdam, and with Keeley and Rebecca preparing to start a women’s team, were real. It wasn’t even clear where Ted’s own family life ended up, although it did seem that Dr. Jacob had left the scene. While cast members have said on social media that this was the end of the road, Apple has resisted saying for sure whether we’ll ever return to this world. If we don’t, it’s good that there was some singing and dancing, some good football, and a reminder that this is, at its heart, a show about friendship and camaraderie.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\">visit NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Five+great+moments+from+the+%27Ted+Lasso%27+finale&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13929879/five-great-moments-from-the-ted-lasso-finale",
"authors": [
"byline_arts_13929879"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_75",
"arts_990"
],
"tags": [
"arts_9222",
"arts_8273",
"arts_4506"
],
"affiliates": [
"arts_137"
],
"featImg": "arts_13929880",
"label": "arts_137"
},
"arts_13929372": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13929372",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13929372",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1684528432000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "arts",
"term": 140
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1684528432,
"format": "standard",
"title": "'Love to Love You, Donna Summer' Documents the Disco Queen — But at a Distance",
"headTitle": "‘Love to Love You, Donna Summer’ Documents the Disco Queen — But at a Distance | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>This may sound odd now, but when Donna Summer first hit America’s pop music charts in 1975, it was a steamy, scandalous moment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her first hit, “Love to Love You Baby,” featured Summer making noises of pleasure which sounded seriously sexual, inspiring the BBC to initially \u003ca href=\"https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/30-songs-banned-by-the-bbc/\">refuse to play the record \u003c/a>and interviewers to ask what exactly she was doing while tracking the vocals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But as Summer explains in a clip from HBO’s documentary \u003cem>Love to Love You, Donna Summer\u003c/em>, the singer was not actually a sultry, sexy seductress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It wasn’t me, it was something I was playing,” she says. “It was a role. Everyone that knew me would call me up and say, ‘That’s not you, [moaning on the record] is it?’ Yeah, it’s me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQXInltKe8E\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>A secretive artist\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Unfortunately, HBO’s film struggles to define who Summer actually was, despite knitting together interviews with family members, archival clips and home movie footage — all guided, in part, by her daughter Brooklyn Sudano.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sudano co-directed the film with Oscar- and Emmy-winning documentarian Roger Ross Williams, searching for meaning in her mother’s story. The movie notes even Summer’s children sometimes found her tough to know — including one scene in which Sudano’s sister, Amanda Ramirez, talks about how secretive their mother could be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were never allowed in her room; the door was always locked,” Ramirez says. “We would find out things by reading newspaper articles … I actually remember the first time that we heard ‘Love to Love You.’ Didn’t even know it existed. Brooklyn came in the room and was like, ‘Have I got a song for you to hear!'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929374\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929374\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/brooklyn-sudano_custom-ad3232b6b888181b37cf5017567e591ba28b7bb6-800x602.jpe\" alt=\"A beautiful light-skinned Black womam with long curly hair faces forward. She is wearing a red shirt.\" width=\"800\" height=\"602\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/brooklyn-sudano_custom-ad3232b6b888181b37cf5017567e591ba28b7bb6-800x602.jpe 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/brooklyn-sudano_custom-ad3232b6b888181b37cf5017567e591ba28b7bb6-1020x768.jpe 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/brooklyn-sudano_custom-ad3232b6b888181b37cf5017567e591ba28b7bb6-160x120.jpe 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/brooklyn-sudano_custom-ad3232b6b888181b37cf5017567e591ba28b7bb6-768x578.jpe 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/brooklyn-sudano_custom-ad3232b6b888181b37cf5017567e591ba28b7bb6.jpe 1142w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Summer’s daughter, Brooklyn Sudano. \u003ccite>(HBO)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>One thing the film does make clear: Summer’s towering abilities as a singer, performer and songwriter. It shows how she suggested the title for “Love to Love You”; was inspired by an exhausted restroom attendant to write “She Works Hard for the Money”; and co-wrote the percolating synthesizer riff which powers her 1977 hit “I Feel Love” with disco-producing legend Giorgio Moroder.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='trulyca_3474']Elton John spoke about that song’s impact in a clip used by the film. “I remember when ‘I Feel Love’ came on at Studio 54,” he says. “You just stopped in your tracks. What is this? It sounded like no other record.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Summer says they were going for a specific vibe in the studio. “When I went in to do it I had the sense that I was floating. And that’s what … we wanted to maintain, that floaty kind of — that elation that you feel when you’re in love.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929375\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929375\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/donna-summer-and-giorgio-moroder_custom-1d86d1a633efa8a88c37a4f5cbd9770f9db457e5-800x593.jpg\" alt=\"A Black woman and white bearded man sit behind the mixing desk of a recording studio. The walls are wood paneled. \" width=\"800\" height=\"593\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/donna-summer-and-giorgio-moroder_custom-1d86d1a633efa8a88c37a4f5cbd9770f9db457e5-800x593.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/donna-summer-and-giorgio-moroder_custom-1d86d1a633efa8a88c37a4f5cbd9770f9db457e5-1020x755.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/donna-summer-and-giorgio-moroder_custom-1d86d1a633efa8a88c37a4f5cbd9770f9db457e5-160x119.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/donna-summer-and-giorgio-moroder_custom-1d86d1a633efa8a88c37a4f5cbd9770f9db457e5-768x569.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/donna-summer-and-giorgio-moroder_custom-1d86d1a633efa8a88c37a4f5cbd9770f9db457e5-1536x1138.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/donna-summer-and-giorgio-moroder_custom-1d86d1a633efa8a88c37a4f5cbd9770f9db457e5.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Summer in the studio with disco-producing legend Giorgio Moroder. \u003ccite>(HBO)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Born LaDonna Adrian Gaines and raised in Boston, Summer grew up singing in church. Later, she moved to Germany for a production of the musical \u003cem>Hair\u003c/em> and began making records. The film offers lots of performance footage and behind-the-scenes clips, recounting her fights with her record company, abusive lovers and the struggle to be recognized as more than just a disco queen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='trulyca_3323']But perhaps because Summer held back from her family, the film rarely digs deeply into any aspect of her life before moving on. This is especially noticeable when Sudano asks her uncle Ric Gaines about allegations Summer was molested by a church pastor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It became a defining moment in her life,” Gaines says. “It’s not easy when you don’t tell or [don’t] have the ability to tell people.” But it’s tough to see exactly how this incident defined her life, or at least why her brother believed it did.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929376\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929376\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/donna-summer_0_custom-302e00d88ff1ce32e70fcccb6058875fe14e04d0-800x968.jpg\" alt=\"A Black womam sits at a piano, hands on keys, looking sullen.\" width=\"800\" height=\"968\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/donna-summer_0_custom-302e00d88ff1ce32e70fcccb6058875fe14e04d0-800x968.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/donna-summer_0_custom-302e00d88ff1ce32e70fcccb6058875fe14e04d0-1020x1234.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/donna-summer_0_custom-302e00d88ff1ce32e70fcccb6058875fe14e04d0-160x194.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/donna-summer_0_custom-302e00d88ff1ce32e70fcccb6058875fe14e04d0-768x929.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/donna-summer_0_custom-302e00d88ff1ce32e70fcccb6058875fe14e04d0-1269x1536.jpg 1269w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/donna-summer_0_custom-302e00d88ff1ce32e70fcccb6058875fe14e04d0.jpg 1332w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Summer at her piano. \u003ccite>(HBO)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>A structure that feeds confusion\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The film’s structure doesn’t help. Subjects speaking about Summer’s life are often not shown talking on camera, so it’s difficult to know if you’re hearing an archival interview or something recorded for the film. And Sudano doesn’t reveal much about how she pulled the movie together, making it hard to judge why some elements are used the way they are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='trulyca_3390']Even Summer’s death in 2012 from lung cancer is handled obliquely, with fleeting glimpses of what she went through. Such pivotal moments deserve a bit more detail; without them, the audience remains at a distance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For those who only know Summer through hits like “She Works Hard for the Money” and “Last Dance,” HBO’s film offers important context about her talent and lots of great performance footage. But like the artist herself, the film can also be maddeningly enigmatic, just when you want to know more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/\">visit NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=%27Love+to+You%2C+Donna+Summer%27+documents+the+disco+queen+%E2%80%94+but+at+a+distance&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Love to Love You, Donna Summer’ premieres on HBO on May 20, 2023.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": true,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 884,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 20
},
"modified": 1705005476,
"excerpt": "The HBO documentary struggles to define who Summer really was, despite interviews with family, archival and home movie footage.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "'Love to You, Donna Summer' Documents the Disco Queen — But at a Distance",
"socialTitle": "Donna Summer Documentary Review: An Uneven Examination%%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"ogTitle": "'Love to You, Donna Summer' Documents the Disco Queen — But at a Distance",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "The HBO documentary struggles to define who Summer really was, despite interviews with family, archival and home movie footage.",
"title": "Donna Summer Documentary Review: An Uneven Examination | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "'Love to Love You, Donna Summer' Documents the Disco Queen — But at a Distance",
"datePublished": "2023-05-19T13:33:52-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T12:37:56-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "donna-summer-documentary-disco-queen-love-to-love-you",
"status": "publish",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=1176733530&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"templateType": "standard",
"nprStoryDate": "Thu, 18 May 2023 16:09:25 -0400",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Thu, 18 May 2023 16:09:30 -0400",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"nprHtmlLink": "https://www.npr.org/2023/05/18/1176733530/love-to-you-donna-summer-review-hbo-disco-documentary?ft=nprml&f=1176733530",
"nprAudio": "https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/atc/2023/05/20230518_atc_love_to_you_donna_summer_documents_the_disco_queen_but_at_a_distance.mp3?orgId=1&topicId=1163&d=243&p=2&story=1176733530&ft=nprml&f=1176733530",
"nprImageAgency": "HBO",
"nprAudioM3u": "http://api.npr.org/m3u/11176935532-5fccb8.m3u?orgId=1&topicId=1163&d=243&p=2&story=1176733530&ft=nprml&f=1176733530",
"nprStoryId": "1176733530",
"nprByline": "Eric Deggans",
"sticky": false,
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Thu, 18 May 2023 17:38:00 -0400",
"path": "/arts/13929372/donna-summer-documentary-disco-queen-love-to-love-you",
"audioUrl": "https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/atc/2023/05/20230518_atc_love_to_you_donna_summer_documents_the_disco_queen_but_at_a_distance.mp3?orgId=1&topicId=1163&d=243&p=2&story=1176733530&ft=nprml&f=1176733530",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>This may sound odd now, but when Donna Summer first hit America’s pop music charts in 1975, it was a steamy, scandalous moment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her first hit, “Love to Love You Baby,” featured Summer making noises of pleasure which sounded seriously sexual, inspiring the BBC to initially \u003ca href=\"https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/30-songs-banned-by-the-bbc/\">refuse to play the record \u003c/a>and interviewers to ask what exactly she was doing while tracking the vocals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But as Summer explains in a clip from HBO’s documentary \u003cem>Love to Love You, Donna Summer\u003c/em>, the singer was not actually a sultry, sexy seductress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It wasn’t me, it was something I was playing,” she says. “It was a role. Everyone that knew me would call me up and say, ‘That’s not you, [moaning on the record] is it?’ Yeah, it’s me.”\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/xQXInltKe8E'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/xQXInltKe8E'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003ch3>A secretive artist\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Unfortunately, HBO’s film struggles to define who Summer actually was, despite knitting together interviews with family members, archival clips and home movie footage — all guided, in part, by her daughter Brooklyn Sudano.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sudano co-directed the film with Oscar- and Emmy-winning documentarian Roger Ross Williams, searching for meaning in her mother’s story. The movie notes even Summer’s children sometimes found her tough to know — including one scene in which Sudano’s sister, Amanda Ramirez, talks about how secretive their mother could be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were never allowed in her room; the door was always locked,” Ramirez says. “We would find out things by reading newspaper articles … I actually remember the first time that we heard ‘Love to Love You.’ Didn’t even know it existed. Brooklyn came in the room and was like, ‘Have I got a song for you to hear!'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929374\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929374\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/brooklyn-sudano_custom-ad3232b6b888181b37cf5017567e591ba28b7bb6-800x602.jpe\" alt=\"A beautiful light-skinned Black womam with long curly hair faces forward. She is wearing a red shirt.\" width=\"800\" height=\"602\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/brooklyn-sudano_custom-ad3232b6b888181b37cf5017567e591ba28b7bb6-800x602.jpe 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/brooklyn-sudano_custom-ad3232b6b888181b37cf5017567e591ba28b7bb6-1020x768.jpe 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/brooklyn-sudano_custom-ad3232b6b888181b37cf5017567e591ba28b7bb6-160x120.jpe 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/brooklyn-sudano_custom-ad3232b6b888181b37cf5017567e591ba28b7bb6-768x578.jpe 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/brooklyn-sudano_custom-ad3232b6b888181b37cf5017567e591ba28b7bb6.jpe 1142w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Summer’s daughter, Brooklyn Sudano. \u003ccite>(HBO)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>One thing the film does make clear: Summer’s towering abilities as a singer, performer and songwriter. It shows how she suggested the title for “Love to Love You”; was inspired by an exhausted restroom attendant to write “She Works Hard for the Money”; and co-wrote the percolating synthesizer riff which powers her 1977 hit “I Feel Love” with disco-producing legend Giorgio Moroder.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "trulyca_3474",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Elton John spoke about that song’s impact in a clip used by the film. “I remember when ‘I Feel Love’ came on at Studio 54,” he says. “You just stopped in your tracks. What is this? It sounded like no other record.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Summer says they were going for a specific vibe in the studio. “When I went in to do it I had the sense that I was floating. And that’s what … we wanted to maintain, that floaty kind of — that elation that you feel when you’re in love.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929375\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929375\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/donna-summer-and-giorgio-moroder_custom-1d86d1a633efa8a88c37a4f5cbd9770f9db457e5-800x593.jpg\" alt=\"A Black woman and white bearded man sit behind the mixing desk of a recording studio. The walls are wood paneled. \" width=\"800\" height=\"593\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/donna-summer-and-giorgio-moroder_custom-1d86d1a633efa8a88c37a4f5cbd9770f9db457e5-800x593.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/donna-summer-and-giorgio-moroder_custom-1d86d1a633efa8a88c37a4f5cbd9770f9db457e5-1020x755.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/donna-summer-and-giorgio-moroder_custom-1d86d1a633efa8a88c37a4f5cbd9770f9db457e5-160x119.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/donna-summer-and-giorgio-moroder_custom-1d86d1a633efa8a88c37a4f5cbd9770f9db457e5-768x569.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/donna-summer-and-giorgio-moroder_custom-1d86d1a633efa8a88c37a4f5cbd9770f9db457e5-1536x1138.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/donna-summer-and-giorgio-moroder_custom-1d86d1a633efa8a88c37a4f5cbd9770f9db457e5.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Summer in the studio with disco-producing legend Giorgio Moroder. \u003ccite>(HBO)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Born LaDonna Adrian Gaines and raised in Boston, Summer grew up singing in church. Later, she moved to Germany for a production of the musical \u003cem>Hair\u003c/em> and began making records. The film offers lots of performance footage and behind-the-scenes clips, recounting her fights with her record company, abusive lovers and the struggle to be recognized as more than just a disco queen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "trulyca_3323",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>But perhaps because Summer held back from her family, the film rarely digs deeply into any aspect of her life before moving on. This is especially noticeable when Sudano asks her uncle Ric Gaines about allegations Summer was molested by a church pastor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It became a defining moment in her life,” Gaines says. “It’s not easy when you don’t tell or [don’t] have the ability to tell people.” But it’s tough to see exactly how this incident defined her life, or at least why her brother believed it did.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929376\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929376\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/donna-summer_0_custom-302e00d88ff1ce32e70fcccb6058875fe14e04d0-800x968.jpg\" alt=\"A Black womam sits at a piano, hands on keys, looking sullen.\" width=\"800\" height=\"968\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/donna-summer_0_custom-302e00d88ff1ce32e70fcccb6058875fe14e04d0-800x968.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/donna-summer_0_custom-302e00d88ff1ce32e70fcccb6058875fe14e04d0-1020x1234.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/donna-summer_0_custom-302e00d88ff1ce32e70fcccb6058875fe14e04d0-160x194.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/donna-summer_0_custom-302e00d88ff1ce32e70fcccb6058875fe14e04d0-768x929.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/donna-summer_0_custom-302e00d88ff1ce32e70fcccb6058875fe14e04d0-1269x1536.jpg 1269w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/donna-summer_0_custom-302e00d88ff1ce32e70fcccb6058875fe14e04d0.jpg 1332w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Summer at her piano. \u003ccite>(HBO)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>A structure that feeds confusion\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The film’s structure doesn’t help. Subjects speaking about Summer’s life are often not shown talking on camera, so it’s difficult to know if you’re hearing an archival interview or something recorded for the film. And Sudano doesn’t reveal much about how she pulled the movie together, making it hard to judge why some elements are used the way they are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "trulyca_3390",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Even Summer’s death in 2012 from lung cancer is handled obliquely, with fleeting glimpses of what she went through. Such pivotal moments deserve a bit more detail; without them, the audience remains at a distance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For those who only know Summer through hits like “She Works Hard for the Money” and “Last Dance,” HBO’s film offers important context about her talent and lots of great performance footage. But like the artist herself, the film can also be maddeningly enigmatic, just when you want to know more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/\">visit NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=%27Love+to+You%2C+Donna+Summer%27+documents+the+disco+queen+%E2%80%94+but+at+a+distance&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Love to Love You, Donna Summer’ premieres on HBO on May 20, 2023.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13929372/donna-summer-documentary-disco-queen-love-to-love-you",
"authors": [
"byline_arts_13929372"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_74",
"arts_69",
"arts_75"
],
"tags": [
"arts_13672",
"arts_8350",
"arts_20624",
"arts_585"
],
"affiliates": [
"arts_137"
],
"featImg": "arts_13929378",
"label": "arts_140"
},
"arts_13929332": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13929332",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13929332",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1684434652000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "arts",
"term": 137
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1684434652,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Heaven Has a Bathrobe-Clad Receptionist Named Denise. She’s Helping TikTok Grieve",
"headTitle": "Heaven Has a Bathrobe-Clad Receptionist Named Denise. She’s Helping TikTok Grieve | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>If you ask anyone on TikTok what happens when you die, there’s a decent chance they’ll put it this way: You appear in a waiting room. You’re wearing a bathrobe. And you’re greeted not by St. Peter or Mother Mary, but by a gum-snapping, keyboard-clacking \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21/video/7210484666183404846\">New Yorker named Denise\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As heaven’s receptionist, Denise will hand you a welcome packet and ask what you want your ghost outfit to be. She’ll fill you in on heaven’s amenities (there’s a free margarita bar), and she’ll likely leave you with a little bit of gossip, lowering her voice to gripe about Paul Revere’s latest email (all caps, subject line: URGENT) or that time in the nail salon when Jackie Kennedy met Marilyn Monroe (“like two cats on a hot tin roof”).\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" style=\"max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px\" cite=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21/video/7210484666183404846\" data-video-id=\"7210484666183404846\">\n\u003csection>\u003ca title=\"@taryntino21\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@taryntino21\u003c/a> \u003ca title=\"greenscreen\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/tag/greenscreen?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#greenscreen\u003c/a> there have been many requests for more footage of denise on the job. You go Denise \u003ca title=\"ghostoutfit\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/tag/ghostoutfit?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#ghostoutfit\u003c/a> \u003ca title=\"♬ Bossa nova that looks good in a cafe(976272) - MiYAMO\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/music/Bossa-nova-that-looks-good-in-a-cafe-976272-6941084509500606466?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">♬ Bossa nova that looks good in a cafe(976272) – MiYAMO\u003c/a>\u003c/section>\n\u003cp>[tiktok]\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>But for all her office-gal kvetching, Denise is a people person. When someone shows up in the waiting room with fear or confusion — having \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21/video/7218385592424336682\">died too young\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21/video/7213123155471224107\">too soon\u003c/a> — it’s Denise who’s there to scoop them up in a hug and show them all of heaven’s silver linings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And for the TikTokers watching along, she has become a tool for thinking through the afterlife — and for grieving those who’ve already made their way there.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>The real Denise is a 26-year-old pageant queen\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Though arguably just as poignant as \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/01/31/801540105/a-goodbye-to-the-good-place\">\u003cem>The Good Place\u003c/em>\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1213570\">\u003cem>Field of Dreams\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, the world of heaven’s reception is a low-fi, short-form experience. And like most TikTok series, it’s the imaginings of one person alone: Taryn Delanie Smith.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929334\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929334\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/gettyimages-1436869743-684d86d413c78aba2bef24d3f13d895af6b06b65-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"A beautiful young woman of color stands on the red carpet of the Lincoln Center, wearing a white dress and a sash.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/gettyimages-1436869743-684d86d413c78aba2bef24d3f13d895af6b06b65-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/gettyimages-1436869743-684d86d413c78aba2bef24d3f13d895af6b06b65-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/gettyimages-1436869743-684d86d413c78aba2bef24d3f13d895af6b06b65-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/gettyimages-1436869743-684d86d413c78aba2bef24d3f13d895af6b06b65-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/gettyimages-1436869743-684d86d413c78aba2bef24d3f13d895af6b06b65-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/gettyimages-1436869743-684d86d413c78aba2bef24d3f13d895af6b06b65-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/gettyimages-1436869743-684d86d413c78aba2bef24d3f13d895af6b06b65-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Taryn Delanie Smith, pictured here at the opening of New York’s David Geffen Hall, entered the Miss New York pageant after she’d built a strong following on TikTok. \u003ccite>(Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Lincoln Center)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The 26-year-old, better known as \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21\">@taryntino21\u003c/a>, considers herself first and foremost a content creator — she has gained 1.2 million TikTok followers in two years of posting. But she’s an offline celebrity in her own right as well, having been crowned 2022’s Miss New York and runner-up in the Miss America competition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But before Smith had any sort of platform, she herself was a receptionist, working long hours to pay her way through a master’s degree in international communication. It’s that experience that she pulls from to inform Denise’s character.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13893843']“I got promoted to the call center eventually, which was definitely not the promotion I thought it’d be,” Smith said in an interview with NPR.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even heaven’s receptionist has to go through the same mundane daily dramas as any earthly office worker.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s the slew of entitled folks who think they deserve the Angel Premium Plus package but are short on the cost: 7,899 good deeds. But then there’s the creepy resident with red eyes who keeps abusing a downstairs pass to terrorize a suburban family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" style=\"max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px\" cite=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21/video/7234535523090533674\" data-video-id=\"7234535523090533674\">\n\u003csection>\u003ca title=\"@taryntino21\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@taryntino21\u003c/a> So many tammy fans out here smh she IS trying to turn her ghoulish life around guys \u003ca title=\"heaven\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/tag/heaven?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#heaven\u003c/a> \u003ca title=\"receptionist\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/tag/receptionist?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#receptionist\u003c/a> \u003ca title=\"♬ It is a looped file of 3 minutes and 29 seconds.(1066513) - Clar Music\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/music/It-is-a-looped-file-of-3-minutes-and-29-seconds-1066513-6997857279706712065?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">♬ It is a looped file of 3 minutes and 29 seconds.(1066513) – Clar Music\u003c/a>\u003c/section>\n\u003cp>[tiktok]\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003ch3>“Why can’t we just let women do it all?”\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>It’s these types of creative, world-building details that keep Smith’s audience so hooked. But like all great ideas, Denise’s character was born in the least grandiose of ways — as a stray thought in the shower.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was standing there thinking, ‘If I die in a chicken suit, then I have to wear the chicken suit forever.’ Can you imagine a ghost coming to you in a chicken suit?” Smith said. “And I just couldn’t stop giggling.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She hopped out of the shower and into a robe and towel, found the first stock image of heaven that came up on Google and made what she thought would be the stupidest video on the internet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, the heaven’s receptionist videos have been viewed over 37 million times on Smith’s TikTok page, and at least 22 million times on other platforms. Smith gets recognized on the street as Denise more often than she does as Miss New York.\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" style=\"max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px\" cite=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21/video/7213844985483939115\" data-video-id=\"7213844985483939115\">\n\u003csection>\u003ca title=\"@taryntino21\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@taryntino21\u003c/a> Someone in Michigan is having a horrible 2023 \u003ca title=\"heaven\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/tag/heaven?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#heaven\u003c/a> \u003ca title=\"receptionist\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/tag/receptionist?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#receptionist\u003c/a> \u003ca title=\"♬ 4 beat Jazz instrumental music. Live style. - Masanobu\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/music/4-beat-Jazz-instrumental-music-Live-style-6817537371345520641?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">♬ 4 beat Jazz instrumental music. Live style. – Masanobu\u003c/a>\u003c/section>\n\u003cp>[tiktok]\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Holding those dual identities might be incongruous in some minds, but for Smith, it just works.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Why can’t we just let women do it all? Just let them be their beautiful, silly, authentic selves,” she said. “I didn’t really think I’d be pushing the envelope just by being myself and being a beauty queen.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13909111']The same authenticity that plays well with today’s Generation Z audiences helped her stand out onstage. Shunning \u003ca href=\"https://www.glamour.com/story/black-women-beauty-pageants-natural-hair\">archaic Black beauty standards\u003c/a>, Smith competed in Miss New York with her natural hair, a move that ultimately earned her \u003ca href=\"https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/tiktok-comedian-taryn-delanie-smith-195837879.html\">more praise than criticism\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If anything, she said, she has faced more criticism for her comedy than her looks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For people that are fans of pageantry, they don’t get my TikTok characters. Some of them would be like, ‘I don’t get it. Why is she being so weird?’ And I’m not being weird. I’m having fun. I’m being silly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I would love for more adults to be able to release that inhibition, even if it’s just in private,” she said. “I think humans were meant to create things. We just get in our own way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>When Denise gets personal, the comments get real\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The more Smith shows up as her uninhibited self, the more the audience adopts the same mindset. If you’re not careful, the humor can chip away at the hardened edges of grief, revealing something soft and raw underneath.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t want to kill the vibe,” one user \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21/video/7211276665647828267\">wrote in the comments section early on\u003c/a>, “but these make me so happy because I imagine someone sweet like you greeted my mom.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without warning, Smith broke with the humor in her sixth Denise video. As the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” ran low in the background, she tenderly welcomed another commenter’s mother into heaven by name.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No, it’s all right. Come forward. I know who you are. You’re Gerry, right?” \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21/video/7213123155471224107\">Denise says as she looks up from her laptop\u003c/a>, her face full of sheer kindness. “You are so loved. I’m already getting prayer mail for you.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" style=\"max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px\" cite=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21/video/7213123155471224107\" data-video-id=\"7213123155471224107\">\n\u003csection>\u003ca title=\"@taryntino21\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@taryntino21\u003c/a> Replying to @jennifertavernier13 for you and your mama ❤️ she absolutely qualified for angel premium plus btw! \u003ca title=\"heaven\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/tag/heaven?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#heaven\u003c/a> \u003ca title=\"receptionist\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/tag/receptionist?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#receptionist\u003c/a> \u003ca title=\"♬ Somewhere Over The Rainbow_What A Wonderful World - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/music/Somewhere-Over-The-RainbowWhat-A-Wonderful-World-6981484589350455298?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">♬ Somewhere Over The Rainbow_What A Wonderful World – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole\u003c/a>\u003c/section>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>[tiktok]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For such a personal message, it had wide resonance. The video has racked up over 10,000 comments, many of them filled with heart emojis and stories about even more lost loved ones — people missing mothers also, coincidentally, named Gerry, but also lost babies, aunts, great-uncles, older brothers, younger sisters, grandparents, celebrity idols and beloved pets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13922668']Smith said she receives many, sometimes “hundreds,” of emails and comments every week requesting that she insert specific people into her videos. The stories are so touching that she can’t read them all because of how much she’ll cry. But some days she still tries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m actually very spiritual. I believe in this stuff. I’ve lost people that I talk to all the time,” she said. “Because love just doesn’t … it can’t go away. It’s too big. When you love somebody the way my mom loves me, the way I love my friends, it can’t be contained in this boring earthly body.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Grief arises on TikTok the way it does in the real world: randomly\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>In the real world, we carry a persistent expectation that our grief will expire. Funerals come and go. Bereavement leave ends. Friends stop asking how you’re doing out of fear of saying the wrong thing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But on TikTok, in what can often be an endless sea of noise and distraction, images of grief can arise randomly in the algorithm just as easily as reminders of your loved ones pop up uninvited as you move through the day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The difference on the platform is that you’re often, by default, not alone in the experience. The video may be confessional, theatrical or didactic, but there’s a good chance it’s going to feature a human you can see and connect to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s like each successive generation breaks a boundary when it comes to sharing grief,” said Megan Devine, a psychotherapist who studies grief and is the author of \u003cem>It’s OK That You’re Not OK.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“On TikTok, you get rewarded for immediacy, which feeds into the sense of, ‘We should be talking about this more,'” Devine said. “It’s making big overwhelming issues digestible. … It’s safer to explore the edges of what we can tell the truth about.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hashtag #Grief is among TikTok’s most popular, with over 9 billion individual posts. And even in that huge conversation, Smith’s videos about Denise manage to stand out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" style=\"max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px\" cite=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21/video/7232036504267164970\" data-video-id=\"7232036504267164970\">\n\u003csection>\u003ca title=\"@taryntino21\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@taryntino21\u003c/a> Parts of this email were shared with permission from @Becca Darling ❤️ it took me awhile to be able to record this one without getting teary. Hugs becca. \u003ca title=\"grief\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/tag/grief?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#grief\u003c/a> \u003ca title=\"heaven\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/tag/heaven?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#heaven\u003c/a> \u003ca title=\"receptionist\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/tag/receptionist?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#receptionist\u003c/a> \u003ca title=\"♬ original sound - Taryn Delanie🤠\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7232036530368318254?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">♬ original sound – Taryn Delanie🤠\u003c/a>\u003c/section>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>[tiktok]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What she does so intuitively well is pair grief with a dose of playfulness, and also with secularity and spirituality, authenticity and vulnerability, the personal and the universal — all combining into a potent catharsis cocktail.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13916203']But above all, “she’s speaking to the most human need: the need for connection,” Devine said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thankfully for Denise’s fans, Smith, too, is in it for the human connection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The only reason I do this is because of the collaborative nature of it,” she said, adding that she has found the most inspiration for the videos in the comments section. “As long as we’re still doing this together as a team, then I’m here for it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\">visit NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Heaven+has+a+bathrobe-clad+receptionist+named+Denise.+She%27s+helping+TikTok+grieve&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1877,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 44
},
"modified": 1705005483,
"excerpt": "Taryn Smith, a 26-year-old TikToker, is so beloved as heaven's receptionist, her videos have been viewed over 37 million times.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "Heaven Has a Bathrobe-Clad Receptionist Named Denise. She’s Helping TikTok Grieve",
"socialTitle": "Fans Adore TikTok Star Taryn Smith as Heaven's Receptionist %%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"ogTitle": "Heaven Has a Bathrobe-Clad Receptionist Named Denise. She’s Helping TikTok Grieve",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Taryn Smith, a 26-year-old TikToker, is so beloved as heaven's receptionist, her videos have been viewed over 37 million times.",
"title": "Fans Adore TikTok Star Taryn Smith as Heaven's Receptionist | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Heaven Has a Bathrobe-Clad Receptionist Named Denise. She’s Helping TikTok Grieve",
"datePublished": "2023-05-18T11:30:52-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T12:38:03-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "heaven-has-a-bathrobe-clad-receptionist-named-denise-shes-helping-tiktok-grieve",
"status": "publish",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=1176390628&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"templateType": "standard",
"nprStoryDate": "Thu, 18 May 2023 05:00:26 -0400",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Thu, 18 May 2023 11:07:57 -0400",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"nprHtmlLink": "https://www.npr.org/2023/05/18/1176390628/taryn-delanie-smith-tiktok-miss-new-york-heaven-receptionist-denise?ft=nprml&f=1176390628",
"nprImageAgency": "Screenshot by NPR",
"nprStoryId": "1176390628",
"nprByline": "Emily Olson",
"sticky": false,
"nprImageCredit": "TikTok @taryntino21",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Thu, 18 May 2023 11:07:00 -0400",
"path": "/arts/13929332/heaven-has-a-bathrobe-clad-receptionist-named-denise-shes-helping-tiktok-grieve",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>If you ask anyone on TikTok what happens when you die, there’s a decent chance they’ll put it this way: You appear in a waiting room. You’re wearing a bathrobe. And you’re greeted not by St. Peter or Mother Mary, but by a gum-snapping, keyboard-clacking \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21/video/7210484666183404846\">New Yorker named Denise\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As heaven’s receptionist, Denise will hand you a welcome packet and ask what you want your ghost outfit to be. She’ll fill you in on heaven’s amenities (there’s a free margarita bar), and she’ll likely leave you with a little bit of gossip, lowering her voice to gripe about Paul Revere’s latest email (all caps, subject line: URGENT) or that time in the nail salon when Jackie Kennedy met Marilyn Monroe (“like two cats on a hot tin roof”).\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" style=\"max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px\" cite=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21/video/7210484666183404846\" data-video-id=\"7210484666183404846\">\n\u003csection>\u003ca title=\"@taryntino21\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@taryntino21\u003c/a> \u003ca title=\"greenscreen\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/tag/greenscreen?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#greenscreen\u003c/a> there have been many requests for more footage of denise on the job. You go Denise \u003ca title=\"ghostoutfit\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/tag/ghostoutfit?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#ghostoutfit\u003c/a> \u003ca title=\"♬ Bossa nova that looks good in a cafe(976272) - MiYAMO\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/music/Bossa-nova-that-looks-good-in-a-cafe-976272-6941084509500606466?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">♬ Bossa nova that looks good in a cafe(976272) – MiYAMO\u003c/a>\u003c/section>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "tiktok",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>But for all her office-gal kvetching, Denise is a people person. When someone shows up in the waiting room with fear or confusion — having \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21/video/7218385592424336682\">died too young\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21/video/7213123155471224107\">too soon\u003c/a> — it’s Denise who’s there to scoop them up in a hug and show them all of heaven’s silver linings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And for the TikTokers watching along, she has become a tool for thinking through the afterlife — and for grieving those who’ve already made their way there.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>The real Denise is a 26-year-old pageant queen\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Though arguably just as poignant as \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/01/31/801540105/a-goodbye-to-the-good-place\">\u003cem>The Good Place\u003c/em>\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1213570\">\u003cem>Field of Dreams\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, the world of heaven’s reception is a low-fi, short-form experience. And like most TikTok series, it’s the imaginings of one person alone: Taryn Delanie Smith.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929334\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929334\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/gettyimages-1436869743-684d86d413c78aba2bef24d3f13d895af6b06b65-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"A beautiful young woman of color stands on the red carpet of the Lincoln Center, wearing a white dress and a sash.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/gettyimages-1436869743-684d86d413c78aba2bef24d3f13d895af6b06b65-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/gettyimages-1436869743-684d86d413c78aba2bef24d3f13d895af6b06b65-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/gettyimages-1436869743-684d86d413c78aba2bef24d3f13d895af6b06b65-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/gettyimages-1436869743-684d86d413c78aba2bef24d3f13d895af6b06b65-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/gettyimages-1436869743-684d86d413c78aba2bef24d3f13d895af6b06b65-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/gettyimages-1436869743-684d86d413c78aba2bef24d3f13d895af6b06b65-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/gettyimages-1436869743-684d86d413c78aba2bef24d3f13d895af6b06b65-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Taryn Delanie Smith, pictured here at the opening of New York’s David Geffen Hall, entered the Miss New York pageant after she’d built a strong following on TikTok. \u003ccite>(Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Lincoln Center)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The 26-year-old, better known as \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21\">@taryntino21\u003c/a>, considers herself first and foremost a content creator — she has gained 1.2 million TikTok followers in two years of posting. But she’s an offline celebrity in her own right as well, having been crowned 2022’s Miss New York and runner-up in the Miss America competition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But before Smith had any sort of platform, she herself was a receptionist, working long hours to pay her way through a master’s degree in international communication. It’s that experience that she pulls from to inform Denise’s character.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13893843",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“I got promoted to the call center eventually, which was definitely not the promotion I thought it’d be,” Smith said in an interview with NPR.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even heaven’s receptionist has to go through the same mundane daily dramas as any earthly office worker.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s the slew of entitled folks who think they deserve the Angel Premium Plus package but are short on the cost: 7,899 good deeds. But then there’s the creepy resident with red eyes who keeps abusing a downstairs pass to terrorize a suburban family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" style=\"max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px\" cite=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21/video/7234535523090533674\" data-video-id=\"7234535523090533674\">\n\u003csection>\u003ca title=\"@taryntino21\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@taryntino21\u003c/a> So many tammy fans out here smh she IS trying to turn her ghoulish life around guys \u003ca title=\"heaven\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/tag/heaven?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#heaven\u003c/a> \u003ca title=\"receptionist\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/tag/receptionist?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#receptionist\u003c/a> \u003ca title=\"♬ It is a looped file of 3 minutes and 29 seconds.(1066513) - Clar Music\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/music/It-is-a-looped-file-of-3-minutes-and-29-seconds-1066513-6997857279706712065?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">♬ It is a looped file of 3 minutes and 29 seconds.(1066513) – Clar Music\u003c/a>\u003c/section>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "tiktok",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003ch3>“Why can’t we just let women do it all?”\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>It’s these types of creative, world-building details that keep Smith’s audience so hooked. But like all great ideas, Denise’s character was born in the least grandiose of ways — as a stray thought in the shower.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was standing there thinking, ‘If I die in a chicken suit, then I have to wear the chicken suit forever.’ Can you imagine a ghost coming to you in a chicken suit?” Smith said. “And I just couldn’t stop giggling.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She hopped out of the shower and into a robe and towel, found the first stock image of heaven that came up on Google and made what she thought would be the stupidest video on the internet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, the heaven’s receptionist videos have been viewed over 37 million times on Smith’s TikTok page, and at least 22 million times on other platforms. Smith gets recognized on the street as Denise more often than she does as Miss New York.\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" style=\"max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px\" cite=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21/video/7213844985483939115\" data-video-id=\"7213844985483939115\">\n\u003csection>\u003ca title=\"@taryntino21\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@taryntino21\u003c/a> Someone in Michigan is having a horrible 2023 \u003ca title=\"heaven\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/tag/heaven?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#heaven\u003c/a> \u003ca title=\"receptionist\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/tag/receptionist?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#receptionist\u003c/a> \u003ca title=\"♬ 4 beat Jazz instrumental music. Live style. - Masanobu\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/music/4-beat-Jazz-instrumental-music-Live-style-6817537371345520641?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">♬ 4 beat Jazz instrumental music. Live style. – Masanobu\u003c/a>\u003c/section>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "tiktok",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Holding those dual identities might be incongruous in some minds, but for Smith, it just works.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Why can’t we just let women do it all? Just let them be their beautiful, silly, authentic selves,” she said. “I didn’t really think I’d be pushing the envelope just by being myself and being a beauty queen.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13909111",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The same authenticity that plays well with today’s Generation Z audiences helped her stand out onstage. Shunning \u003ca href=\"https://www.glamour.com/story/black-women-beauty-pageants-natural-hair\">archaic Black beauty standards\u003c/a>, Smith competed in Miss New York with her natural hair, a move that ultimately earned her \u003ca href=\"https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/tiktok-comedian-taryn-delanie-smith-195837879.html\">more praise than criticism\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If anything, she said, she has faced more criticism for her comedy than her looks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For people that are fans of pageantry, they don’t get my TikTok characters. Some of them would be like, ‘I don’t get it. Why is she being so weird?’ And I’m not being weird. I’m having fun. I’m being silly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I would love for more adults to be able to release that inhibition, even if it’s just in private,” she said. “I think humans were meant to create things. We just get in our own way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>When Denise gets personal, the comments get real\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The more Smith shows up as her uninhibited self, the more the audience adopts the same mindset. If you’re not careful, the humor can chip away at the hardened edges of grief, revealing something soft and raw underneath.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t want to kill the vibe,” one user \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21/video/7211276665647828267\">wrote in the comments section early on\u003c/a>, “but these make me so happy because I imagine someone sweet like you greeted my mom.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without warning, Smith broke with the humor in her sixth Denise video. As the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” ran low in the background, she tenderly welcomed another commenter’s mother into heaven by name.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No, it’s all right. Come forward. I know who you are. You’re Gerry, right?” \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21/video/7213123155471224107\">Denise says as she looks up from her laptop\u003c/a>, her face full of sheer kindness. “You are so loved. I’m already getting prayer mail for you.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" style=\"max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px\" cite=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21/video/7213123155471224107\" data-video-id=\"7213123155471224107\">\n\u003csection>\u003ca title=\"@taryntino21\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@taryntino21\u003c/a> Replying to @jennifertavernier13 for you and your mama ❤️ she absolutely qualified for angel premium plus btw! \u003ca title=\"heaven\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/tag/heaven?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#heaven\u003c/a> \u003ca title=\"receptionist\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/tag/receptionist?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#receptionist\u003c/a> \u003ca title=\"♬ Somewhere Over The Rainbow_What A Wonderful World - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/music/Somewhere-Over-The-RainbowWhat-A-Wonderful-World-6981484589350455298?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">♬ Somewhere Over The Rainbow_What A Wonderful World – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole\u003c/a>\u003c/section>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "tiktok",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For such a personal message, it had wide resonance. The video has racked up over 10,000 comments, many of them filled with heart emojis and stories about even more lost loved ones — people missing mothers also, coincidentally, named Gerry, but also lost babies, aunts, great-uncles, older brothers, younger sisters, grandparents, celebrity idols and beloved pets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13922668",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Smith said she receives many, sometimes “hundreds,” of emails and comments every week requesting that she insert specific people into her videos. The stories are so touching that she can’t read them all because of how much she’ll cry. But some days she still tries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m actually very spiritual. I believe in this stuff. I’ve lost people that I talk to all the time,” she said. “Because love just doesn’t … it can’t go away. It’s too big. When you love somebody the way my mom loves me, the way I love my friends, it can’t be contained in this boring earthly body.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Grief arises on TikTok the way it does in the real world: randomly\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>In the real world, we carry a persistent expectation that our grief will expire. Funerals come and go. Bereavement leave ends. Friends stop asking how you’re doing out of fear of saying the wrong thing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But on TikTok, in what can often be an endless sea of noise and distraction, images of grief can arise randomly in the algorithm just as easily as reminders of your loved ones pop up uninvited as you move through the day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The difference on the platform is that you’re often, by default, not alone in the experience. The video may be confessional, theatrical or didactic, but there’s a good chance it’s going to feature a human you can see and connect to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s like each successive generation breaks a boundary when it comes to sharing grief,” said Megan Devine, a psychotherapist who studies grief and is the author of \u003cem>It’s OK That You’re Not OK.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“On TikTok, you get rewarded for immediacy, which feeds into the sense of, ‘We should be talking about this more,'” Devine said. “It’s making big overwhelming issues digestible. … It’s safer to explore the edges of what we can tell the truth about.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hashtag #Grief is among TikTok’s most popular, with over 9 billion individual posts. And even in that huge conversation, Smith’s videos about Denise manage to stand out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" style=\"max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px\" cite=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21/video/7232036504267164970\" data-video-id=\"7232036504267164970\">\n\u003csection>\u003ca title=\"@taryntino21\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@taryntino21?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@taryntino21\u003c/a> Parts of this email were shared with permission from @Becca Darling ❤️ it took me awhile to be able to record this one without getting teary. Hugs becca. \u003ca title=\"grief\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/tag/grief?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#grief\u003c/a> \u003ca title=\"heaven\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/tag/heaven?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#heaven\u003c/a> \u003ca title=\"receptionist\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/tag/receptionist?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#receptionist\u003c/a> \u003ca title=\"♬ original sound - Taryn Delanie🤠\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7232036530368318254?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">♬ original sound – Taryn Delanie🤠\u003c/a>\u003c/section>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "tiktok",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What she does so intuitively well is pair grief with a dose of playfulness, and also with secularity and spirituality, authenticity and vulnerability, the personal and the universal — all combining into a potent catharsis cocktail.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13916203",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>But above all, “she’s speaking to the most human need: the need for connection,” Devine said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thankfully for Denise’s fans, Smith, too, is in it for the human connection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The only reason I do this is because of the collaborative nature of it,” she said, adding that she has found the most inspiration for the videos in the comments section. “As long as we’re still doing this together as a team, then I’m here for it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\">visit NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Heaven+has+a+bathrobe-clad+receptionist+named+Denise.+She%27s+helping+TikTok+grieve&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13929332/heaven-has-a-bathrobe-clad-receptionist-named-denise-shes-helping-tiktok-grieve",
"authors": [
"byline_arts_13929332"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_75"
],
"tags": [
"arts_12735",
"arts_2838",
"arts_2137",
"arts_8017"
],
"affiliates": [
"arts_137"
],
"featImg": "arts_13929333",
"label": "arts_137"
},
"arts_13929254": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13929254",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13929254",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1684347393000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "arts",
"term": 137
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1684347393,
"format": "standard",
"title": "What Happened ‘The Night of the 12th’? A Murder Remains a Mystery in This French Film",
"headTitle": "What Happened ‘The Night of the 12th’? A Murder Remains a Mystery in This French Film | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>The world is a big, unruly, ambiguous place. Which helps explain the boundless appeal of murder mysteries. Whether it’s Hercule Poirot exercising his famous little grey brain cells or all those CSI teams extracting DNA samples, mysteries offer the reassurance of seeing the messy realities of life get sorted out. When the murderer is caught, we feel that order is, at least temporarily, restored.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course, in reality, things don’t always work out so happily. The reverberations of this fact rumble through \u003cem>The Night of the 12th\u003c/em>, a skillfully turned French crime picture that swept the César awards, the French version of the Oscars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Made by veteran director Dominik Moll, the movie is adapted from the work of Pauline Guéna who spent a year following members of the Paris police. Focusing on a single, real-life murder investigation she covers, Moll has created a film that keeps looking like the conventional police procedural that it actually isn’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13929046']The action has been transposed to the picturesque Alpine city of Grenoble, where a vibrant student named Clara is walking home one night when a faceless man steps out of the darkness and sets her on fire. As it happens, this takes place on the very day that a police officer named Yohan — played by a glum faced Bastien Bouillon — has taken over the local homicide squad. Along with his bearded older sidekick Marceau — terrifically played by Bouli Lanners — Yohan sets about doing what the police do in seemingly every cop show: examining the corpse, gathering forensic evidence, informing distraught loved-ones and questioning suspects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As it happens there are a few, for Clara has had a series of sexual relationships with guys who weren’t really all that nice. These include a bartender who was cheating with her on his girlfriend, a rapper who has written a song about setting Clara on fire, and a convicted domestic abuser 20 years her senior. Yohan and his crew interrogate them all, but as time passes, Yohan grows increasingly haunted by his desire to bring Clara’s killer to justice. But we know something he doesn’t. You see, Moll has told us up front that 20% of French homicides never get solved, and that this case is one of them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58s-pXvTQss\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Indeed, \u003cem>The Night of the 12th\u003c/em> belongs to the category of mysteries about the failure to solve a crime, a fascinating sub-genre that includes the great Sicilian police novels of Leonardo Sciascia, David Fincher’s film \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2007/03/02/7687059/obsession-drives-finchers-look-at-zodiac-killer\">\u003cem>Zodiac\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/12/10/785090210/parasite-director-bong-joon-ho-wanted-to-reflect-the-truth-of-current-times\">Bong Joon-ho\u003c/a>‘s \u003cem>Memories of Murder\u003c/em>, the best cop movie ever made.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Such stories replace the familiar satisfaction of seeing the murder solved with an exploration of the personal costs of failing to do so — guilt, obsession and a rending sense of futility, embodied in this film by Yohan, a dry, monk-like figure who constantly pedals his bike in furious circles around the local velodrome.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13928883']Yohan’s not the only one with a feeling of futility. You sense the incessant grind of police work in all the members of his team, from the gallows humor with which they face the latest grisly sight to their reasonable complaints about broken equipment and endless paperwork. “We fight evil by writing reports,” says Marceau, a sensitive man who wanted to teach French literature but wound up as a cop who quotes the poet Verlaine and dreams of a different life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What makes this particular investigation so difficult is that, Yohan thinks, “Something is amiss between men and women.” Without ever hammering away at it, the story is a study in misogyny. Marked by sexual attitudes that run from contempt to crazed infatuation, any one of the suspects could’ve murdered Clara, who was killed, says her friend Nanie, simply because she was a girl. The suspects’ outlook finds an echo in the the joky, hypermasculine homicide squad, one of whom suggests that it’s not surprising that a young woman who keeps hooking up with bad boys might wind up getting killed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, \u003cem>The Night of the 12th\u003c/em> is merely a solid movie not a great one, but it shows that French cinema — which has tended to lag in awareness about race and gender — is catching up with the ideas of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/10/28/1131500833/me-too-harvey-weinstein-anniversary\">#MeToo\u003c/a> era. It suggests that what makes this murder case especially interesting is not whodunnit, but the sexual politics underlying the crime and the investigation. As the first female detective in Yohan’s division tells him, “Isn’t it weird that most crimes are committed by men and mostly men are supposed to solve them?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2023 Fresh Air. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/\">Fresh Air\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=What+happened+%27The+Night+of+the+12th%27%3F+A+murder+remains+a+mystery+in+this+French+film&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": true,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 821,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 12
},
"modified": 1705005488,
"excerpt": "The award-winning film is a study in misogyny — not a simple whodunnit.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "What Happened ‘The Night of the 12th’? A Murder Remains a Mystery in This French Film",
"socialTitle": "‘The Night of the 12th’ Review: Much More Than a Murder Mystery %%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"ogTitle": "What Happened ‘The Night of the 12th’? A Murder Remains a Mystery in This French Film",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "The award-winning film is a study in misogyny — not a simple whodunnit.",
"title": "‘The Night of the 12th’ Review: Much More Than a Murder Mystery | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "What Happened ‘The Night of the 12th’? A Murder Remains a Mystery in This French Film",
"datePublished": "2023-05-17T11:16:33-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T12:38:08-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "what-happened-the-night-of-the-12th-a-murder-remains-a-mystery-in-this-french-film",
"status": "publish",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=1176438220&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"templateType": "standard",
"nprStoryDate": "Wed, 17 May 2023 10:25:18 -0400",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Wed, 17 May 2023 10:25:59 -0400",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"nprHtmlLink": "https://www.npr.org/2023/05/17/1176438220/night-of-the-12th-review-cesar-award?ft=nprml&f=1176438220",
"nprAudio": "https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/fa/2023/05/20230517_fa_05d747a9-8375-4566-b2b9-18a461847d2a.mp3?orgId=427869011&topicId=4467349&d=394&p=13&story=1176438220&ft=nprml&f=1176438220",
"nprImageAgency": "Haut et Court",
"nprAudioM3u": "http://api.npr.org/m3u/11176715566-a55e2d.m3u?orgId=427869011&topicId=4467349&d=394&p=13&story=1176438220&ft=nprml&f=1176438220",
"nprStoryId": "1176438220",
"nprByline": "John Powers",
"sticky": false,
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Wed, 17 May 2023 13:32:00 -0400",
"path": "/arts/13929254/what-happened-the-night-of-the-12th-a-murder-remains-a-mystery-in-this-french-film",
"audioUrl": "https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/fa/2023/05/20230517_fa_05d747a9-8375-4566-b2b9-18a461847d2a.mp3?orgId=427869011&topicId=4467349&d=394&p=13&story=1176438220&ft=nprml&f=1176438220",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The world is a big, unruly, ambiguous place. Which helps explain the boundless appeal of murder mysteries. Whether it’s Hercule Poirot exercising his famous little grey brain cells or all those CSI teams extracting DNA samples, mysteries offer the reassurance of seeing the messy realities of life get sorted out. When the murderer is caught, we feel that order is, at least temporarily, restored.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course, in reality, things don’t always work out so happily. The reverberations of this fact rumble through \u003cem>The Night of the 12th\u003c/em>, a skillfully turned French crime picture that swept the César awards, the French version of the Oscars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Made by veteran director Dominik Moll, the movie is adapted from the work of Pauline Guéna who spent a year following members of the Paris police. Focusing on a single, real-life murder investigation she covers, Moll has created a film that keeps looking like the conventional police procedural that it actually isn’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13929046",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The action has been transposed to the picturesque Alpine city of Grenoble, where a vibrant student named Clara is walking home one night when a faceless man steps out of the darkness and sets her on fire. As it happens, this takes place on the very day that a police officer named Yohan — played by a glum faced Bastien Bouillon — has taken over the local homicide squad. Along with his bearded older sidekick Marceau — terrifically played by Bouli Lanners — Yohan sets about doing what the police do in seemingly every cop show: examining the corpse, gathering forensic evidence, informing distraught loved-ones and questioning suspects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As it happens there are a few, for Clara has had a series of sexual relationships with guys who weren’t really all that nice. These include a bartender who was cheating with her on his girlfriend, a rapper who has written a song about setting Clara on fire, and a convicted domestic abuser 20 years her senior. Yohan and his crew interrogate them all, but as time passes, Yohan grows increasingly haunted by his desire to bring Clara’s killer to justice. But we know something he doesn’t. You see, Moll has told us up front that 20% of French homicides never get solved, and that this case is one of them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/58s-pXvTQss'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/58s-pXvTQss'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Indeed, \u003cem>The Night of the 12th\u003c/em> belongs to the category of mysteries about the failure to solve a crime, a fascinating sub-genre that includes the great Sicilian police novels of Leonardo Sciascia, David Fincher’s film \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2007/03/02/7687059/obsession-drives-finchers-look-at-zodiac-killer\">\u003cem>Zodiac\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/12/10/785090210/parasite-director-bong-joon-ho-wanted-to-reflect-the-truth-of-current-times\">Bong Joon-ho\u003c/a>‘s \u003cem>Memories of Murder\u003c/em>, the best cop movie ever made.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Such stories replace the familiar satisfaction of seeing the murder solved with an exploration of the personal costs of failing to do so — guilt, obsession and a rending sense of futility, embodied in this film by Yohan, a dry, monk-like figure who constantly pedals his bike in furious circles around the local velodrome.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13928883",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Yohan’s not the only one with a feeling of futility. You sense the incessant grind of police work in all the members of his team, from the gallows humor with which they face the latest grisly sight to their reasonable complaints about broken equipment and endless paperwork. “We fight evil by writing reports,” says Marceau, a sensitive man who wanted to teach French literature but wound up as a cop who quotes the poet Verlaine and dreams of a different life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What makes this particular investigation so difficult is that, Yohan thinks, “Something is amiss between men and women.” Without ever hammering away at it, the story is a study in misogyny. Marked by sexual attitudes that run from contempt to crazed infatuation, any one of the suspects could’ve murdered Clara, who was killed, says her friend Nanie, simply because she was a girl. The suspects’ outlook finds an echo in the the joky, hypermasculine homicide squad, one of whom suggests that it’s not surprising that a young woman who keeps hooking up with bad boys might wind up getting killed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, \u003cem>The Night of the 12th\u003c/em> is merely a solid movie not a great one, but it shows that French cinema — which has tended to lag in awareness about race and gender — is catching up with the ideas of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/10/28/1131500833/me-too-harvey-weinstein-anniversary\">#MeToo\u003c/a> era. It suggests that what makes this murder case especially interesting is not whodunnit, but the sexual politics underlying the crime and the investigation. As the first female detective in Yohan’s division tells him, “Isn’t it weird that most crimes are committed by men and mostly men are supposed to solve them?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2023 Fresh Air. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/\">Fresh Air\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=What+happened+%27The+Night+of+the+12th%27%3F+A+murder+remains+a+mystery+in+this+French+film&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13929254/what-happened-the-night-of-the-12th-a-murder-remains-a-mystery-in-this-french-film",
"authors": [
"byline_arts_13929254"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_74",
"arts_75"
],
"tags": [
"arts_2798",
"arts_12322"
],
"affiliates": [
"arts_137"
],
"featImg": "arts_13929255",
"label": "arts_137"
},
"arts_13929006": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13929006",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13929006",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1683828438000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "arts"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1683828438,
"format": "standard",
"title": "From ‘Psycho’ to a New Crop of Horror Movies, the Genre Has Some Mommy Issues",
"headTitle": "From ‘Psycho’ to a New Crop of Horror Movies, the Genre Has Some Mommy Issues | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>If you’re stumped for how to spend this Mother’s Day, consider relishing a good scare. Since the genre’s inception, horror movies have tapped into the psychological trauma and terror that can only come from a mother, and a number of recent films are embracing that time-honored tradition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13928607']Take, for example, Brandon Cronenberg’s \u003cem>Infinity Pool\u003c/em>, which became one of the buzziest films to come out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s no surprise it was replete with disturbing moments. The director, after all, has surely learned a thing or two from his filmmaker dad and giant of the genre, David Cronenberg.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In one talked-about scene, Gabi (Mia Goth) exposes her bare chest to James (Alexander Skarsgård) in an invitation to breastfeed, revealing a complicated tension between his actual mother and his understanding of Gabi as his new one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVnIMvVEkrA\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the genre has often been dismissed as low-brow, Adam Lowenstein, a film and media studies professor at the University of Pittsburgh who specializes in horror, said it is well-suited for grappling with these kinds of deep-seated, psychological issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Horror is, at its core, a very primal genre,” he said. “It makes absolute sense that things like family, sex, death would all be things that the horror film is constantly mining because those are primal fascinations and experiences.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perhaps the seminal example of mommy issues in a horror film is Alfred Hitchcock’s \u003cem>Psycho\u003c/em> (1960).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWHYmNrAFlI\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In it, the infamous Norman Bates of the Bates Motel develops a split personality after killing his controlling mom and her lover out of jealousy. His grief and guilt cause him to keep her corpse stashed away, and assume her personality when he commits violence against women he becomes attracted to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13904911']Part of what makes the maternal bond such a fertile one for exploring psychological trauma, Lowenstein said, is that it is so universal and freighted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We all have real mothers, just the way we have real constructs about motherhood that we subscribe to. And these things are very hard to separate,” he said. The gap between expectation and reality becomes fruitful territory for a good scare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Zach Cregger’s \u003cem>Barbarian\u003c/em> (2022) also turns breastfeeding into a spectacle, not from an inviting yet depraved sexual partner as in \u003cem>Infinity Pool\u003c/em>, but from a monstrous maternal creature who forces her victims to feast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqQNO7BzN08\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other films let the dynamic between mother and child carry the drama. \u003cem>Evil Dead Rise\u003c/em>, now available to rent on streaming services, plays with the fear-inducing extreme of a mom being possessed by a demon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it’s very terrifying to imagine somebody so familiar to you in your world becoming a subversion of that, and becoming something really dangerous and evil,” said director Lee Cronin. “It just lent itself to this exploration of maternal fears and what it might mean if your mother was to turn on you.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Ari Aster’s new \u003cem>Beau is Afraid\u003c/em>, the central theme is the fear and pain that can come from the mother-child bond. The movie — about a man trying to get to his mom’s house — is as much a surrealist epic as it is a horror movie.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuiWDn976Ek\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And while Aster’s third movie is admittedly less scary than his \u003cem>Midsommar\u003c/em> or \u003cem>Hereditary\u003c/em>, another film that exploits the terrors of family dynamics and mother-induced trauma, it is safe to conclude by the end that Beau’s fear of his guilt-inducing mother was warranted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When I left \u003cem>Beau Is Afraid\u003c/em>, I heard a teenage woman ahead of me walking out of the theater saying to her friends, ‘That just made me want to call my mom and say I’m sorry for everything,’” Lowenstein recounted. “We think horror and we think fear and dread and haunting, but we don’t necessarily think guilt, shame, humiliation. And Ari Aster clearly understands the connection between these things.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is not insignificant that almost all of these scary movies about protagonists’ relationships with their mothers are directed by men.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13923159']But Lowenstein maintains that the genre’s mommy issues began with a woman, and long before film: Mary Shelley’s classic 1818 horror novel, \u003cem>Frankenstein\u003c/em>, is often considered to be the inception of modern horror.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Her story is about a man who wants to be God, but he also wants to be a mother. Really, he wants to create life without the intervention of women,” he said. “What Mary Shelley shows us is what a bad idea this really is, and how male hubris really does monstrous things with motherhood.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Copyright 2023 Associated Press. To see more, \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/\" rel=\"noopener\">visit AP\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": true,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 856,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 22
},
"modified": 1705005511,
"excerpt": "Happy Mother's Day! Horror has long been preoccupied with mother-child dynamics. These are the movies that do it best.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "From ‘Psycho’ to a New Crop of Horror Movies, the Genre Has Some Mommy Issues",
"socialTitle": "Horror Movies for Mother's Day %%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"ogTitle": "From ‘Psycho’ to a New Crop of Horror Movies, the Genre Has Some Mommy Issues",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Happy Mother's Day! Horror has long been preoccupied with mother-child dynamics. These are the movies that do it best.",
"title": "Horror Movies for Mother's Day | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "From ‘Psycho’ to a New Crop of Horror Movies, the Genre Has Some Mommy Issues",
"datePublished": "2023-05-11T11:07:18-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T12:38:31-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "from-psycho-to-a-new-crop-of-horror-movies-the-genre-has-some-mommy-issues",
"status": "publish",
"templateType": "standard",
"nprByline": "Krysta Fauria",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"sticky": false,
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13929006/from-psycho-to-a-new-crop-of-horror-movies-the-genre-has-some-mommy-issues",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>If you’re stumped for how to spend this Mother’s Day, consider relishing a good scare. Since the genre’s inception, horror movies have tapped into the psychological trauma and terror that can only come from a mother, and a number of recent films are embracing that time-honored tradition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13928607",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Take, for example, Brandon Cronenberg’s \u003cem>Infinity Pool\u003c/em>, which became one of the buzziest films to come out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s no surprise it was replete with disturbing moments. The director, after all, has surely learned a thing or two from his filmmaker dad and giant of the genre, David Cronenberg.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In one talked-about scene, Gabi (Mia Goth) exposes her bare chest to James (Alexander Skarsgård) in an invitation to breastfeed, revealing a complicated tension between his actual mother and his understanding of Gabi as his new one.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/PVnIMvVEkrA'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/PVnIMvVEkrA'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the genre has often been dismissed as low-brow, Adam Lowenstein, a film and media studies professor at the University of Pittsburgh who specializes in horror, said it is well-suited for grappling with these kinds of deep-seated, psychological issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Horror is, at its core, a very primal genre,” he said. “It makes absolute sense that things like family, sex, death would all be things that the horror film is constantly mining because those are primal fascinations and experiences.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perhaps the seminal example of mommy issues in a horror film is Alfred Hitchcock’s \u003cem>Psycho\u003c/em> (1960).\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/xWHYmNrAFlI'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/xWHYmNrAFlI'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>In it, the infamous Norman Bates of the Bates Motel develops a split personality after killing his controlling mom and her lover out of jealousy. His grief and guilt cause him to keep her corpse stashed away, and assume her personality when he commits violence against women he becomes attracted to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13904911",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Part of what makes the maternal bond such a fertile one for exploring psychological trauma, Lowenstein said, is that it is so universal and freighted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We all have real mothers, just the way we have real constructs about motherhood that we subscribe to. And these things are very hard to separate,” he said. The gap between expectation and reality becomes fruitful territory for a good scare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Zach Cregger’s \u003cem>Barbarian\u003c/em> (2022) also turns breastfeeding into a spectacle, not from an inviting yet depraved sexual partner as in \u003cem>Infinity Pool\u003c/em>, but from a monstrous maternal creature who forces her victims to feast.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/BqQNO7BzN08'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/BqQNO7BzN08'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Other films let the dynamic between mother and child carry the drama. \u003cem>Evil Dead Rise\u003c/em>, now available to rent on streaming services, plays with the fear-inducing extreme of a mom being possessed by a demon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it’s very terrifying to imagine somebody so familiar to you in your world becoming a subversion of that, and becoming something really dangerous and evil,” said director Lee Cronin. “It just lent itself to this exploration of maternal fears and what it might mean if your mother was to turn on you.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Ari Aster’s new \u003cem>Beau is Afraid\u003c/em>, the central theme is the fear and pain that can come from the mother-child bond. The movie — about a man trying to get to his mom’s house — is as much a surrealist epic as it is a horror movie.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/PuiWDn976Ek'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/PuiWDn976Ek'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>And while Aster’s third movie is admittedly less scary than his \u003cem>Midsommar\u003c/em> or \u003cem>Hereditary\u003c/em>, another film that exploits the terrors of family dynamics and mother-induced trauma, it is safe to conclude by the end that Beau’s fear of his guilt-inducing mother was warranted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When I left \u003cem>Beau Is Afraid\u003c/em>, I heard a teenage woman ahead of me walking out of the theater saying to her friends, ‘That just made me want to call my mom and say I’m sorry for everything,’” Lowenstein recounted. “We think horror and we think fear and dread and haunting, but we don’t necessarily think guilt, shame, humiliation. And Ari Aster clearly understands the connection between these things.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is not insignificant that almost all of these scary movies about protagonists’ relationships with their mothers are directed by men.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13923159",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>But Lowenstein maintains that the genre’s mommy issues began with a woman, and long before film: Mary Shelley’s classic 1818 horror novel, \u003cem>Frankenstein\u003c/em>, is often considered to be the inception of modern horror.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Her story is about a man who wants to be God, but he also wants to be a mother. Really, he wants to create life without the intervention of women,” he said. “What Mary Shelley shows us is what a bad idea this really is, and how male hubris really does monstrous things with motherhood.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Copyright 2023 Associated Press. To see more, \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/\" rel=\"noopener\">visit AP\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13929006/from-psycho-to-a-new-crop-of-horror-movies-the-genre-has-some-mommy-issues",
"authors": [
"byline_arts_13929006"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_74",
"arts_75"
],
"tags": [
"arts_3669",
"arts_977",
"arts_4813"
],
"featImg": "arts_13929009",
"label": "arts"
},
"arts_13928974": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13928974",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13928974",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1683821377000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "arts",
"term": 140
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1683821377,
"format": "aside",
"title": "When Art You Love Was Made by ‘Monsters’: A Critic Lays Out the ‘Fan’s Dilemma’",
"headTitle": "When Art You Love Was Made by ‘Monsters’: A Critic Lays Out the ‘Fan’s Dilemma’ | KQED",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928975\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928975\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/9780525655114_custom-6207346a1004c379f66a37b2236d641be08625ba-800x1184.jpg\" alt=\"A book cover depicting a shirtless man standing on a beach wearing a horned mask.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1184\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/9780525655114_custom-6207346a1004c379f66a37b2236d641be08625ba-800x1184.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/9780525655114_custom-6207346a1004c379f66a37b2236d641be08625ba-1020x1510.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/9780525655114_custom-6207346a1004c379f66a37b2236d641be08625ba-160x237.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/9780525655114_custom-6207346a1004c379f66a37b2236d641be08625ba-768x1137.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/9780525655114_custom-6207346a1004c379f66a37b2236d641be08625ba-1038x1536.jpg 1038w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/9780525655114_custom-6207346a1004c379f66a37b2236d641be08625ba.jpg 1206w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma,’ by Claire Dederer. \u003ccite>(Penguin Random House)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Last month, I gave a talk at a conference in honor of the late writer \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2007/11/10/15573385/norman-mailer-author-and-social-critic-dies-at-84\">Norman Mailer\u003c/a>. When I mentioned this conference in class to my Georgetown students, a couple of them blurted out, “But, he stabbed his wife.” I could feel the mood in that classroom shifting: The students seemed puzzled, disappointed even. What was I doing speaking at a conference in honor of a man capable of such an act?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='forum_2010101892940']The situation was reversed at the conference itself: When I confessed in my talk that, much as I revere Mailer’s nonfiction writing, I was just as glad never to have met him, some audience members were taken aback, offended on Mailer’s behalf.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If Mailer’s writing had always been as bad as his \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2013/10/26/240289747/norman-mailer-warts-and-all-in-a-double-life\">sporadic behavior\u003c/a> there would be no problem. But as \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101892940/can-you-love-the-art-of-a-person-you-loathe\">Claire Dederer\u003c/a> points out in her superb new book, \u003cem>Monsters\u003c/em>, the problem arises when great art is made by men who’ve done bad things: men like Picasso, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/03/30/982637327/ken-burns-hemingway-docuseries-dives-into-the-writers-complicated-life\">Hemingway\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/07/18/1112004834/polanski-sex-case-sentencing\">Roman Polanski\u003c/a>, Miles Davis, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/03/06/812687472/after-woody-allens-memoir-was-signed-book-publisher-s-employees-walk-out\">Woody Allen\u003c/a> and, yes, Mailer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Do we put blinders on and just focus on the work? Do geniuses, as Dederer asks, get a “hall pass” for their behavior? Or, do we “cancel” the art of men — and some women — who’ve done “monstrous” things?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I hope that Dederer herself doesn’t turn out to be a monster because I flat-out admire her book and want to share it with my students. As a thinker, Dederer is smart, informed, nuanced and very funny. She started out as a film critic and credits Pauline Kael as a model for grounding her judgments in her own subjectivity, her own emotions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13923921']The subtitle of \u003cem>Monsters \u003c/em>is \u003cem>A Fan’s Dilemma\u003c/em>: the dilemma being still loving, say, the music of Wagner or \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/03/05/699995484/michael-jackson-a-quarter-century-of-sexual-abuse-allegations\">Michael Jackson\u003c/a>; still being caught up in movies like \u003cem>Chinatown\u003c/em> or maybe even \u003cem>Manhattan\u003c/em>. In short, Dederer wants to dive deep into the murk of being “unwilling to give up the work [of art you love], and [yet, also being] unwilling to look away from the stain [of the monster who created it].”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/10/28/1131500833/me-too-harvey-weinstein-anniversary\">#MeToo \u003c/a>movement propels this exploration but so, too, does our own social media, biography-saturated moment: “When I was young,” Dederer writes, “it was hard to find information about artists whose work I loved. Record albums and books appeared before us as if they had arrived after hurtling through space’s black reaches, unmoored from all context.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These days, however, “[w]e turn on \u003cem>Seinfeld\u003c/em>, and whether we want to or not, we think of Michael Richard’s racist rant … Biography used to be something you sought out, yearned for, actively pursued. Now it falls on your head all day long.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maybe you can hear in those quotes how alive Dederer’s own critical language is. She also frequently flings open the door of the stuffy seminar room, so to speak, to take her readers along on field trips: There’s a swank dinner in New York with an intimidating “man of letters” who, she says, likes to play the part, “ironically but not — ties and blazers and low-key misogyny and brown alcohol in a tumbler.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When she expresses distaste for Allen’s \u003cem>Manhattan \u003c/em>normalizing a middle-aged man in a relationship with a 17-year-old he tells her to “Get over it. You really need to judge it strictly on aesthetics.” Dederer confesses to finding herself put off-balance in that conversation, doubting herself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13928256']We also march through a Picasso show at the Vancouver Art Gallery in the company of Dederer and her children. At the time, she says they “possessed the fierce moral sense to be found in teenagers and maniacs, [and] were starting to look a bit nettled” at the exhibit’s disclosures of Picasso’s abusive treatment of the women in his life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So where does all this walking and talking and thinking and reacting get us on the issues of monsters and their art? Still in the murk, perhaps, but maybe buoyed up a bit by a sharp question Dederer tosses out in the middle of her book:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>What if criticism involves trusting our feelings — not just about the crime, which we deplore, but about the work we love.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To do that we’ll have to think \u003cem>and \u003c/em>feel with much greater urgency and, yet, more care than we are currently doing. As Dederer suggests — and \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2011/11/03/140824540/a-critic-to-remember-pauline-kael-at-the-movies\">Pauline Kael \u003c/a>famously did — we should go ahead and lose it at the movies and then think hard about what we’ve lost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2023 Fresh Air. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/\">Fresh Air\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=When+art+you+love+was+made+by+%27Monsters%27%3A+A+critic+lays+out+the+%27Fan%27s+Dilemma%27&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 839,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 16
},
"modified": 1705005513,
"excerpt": "Do geniuses get a hall pass for their behavior? Or, do we cancel the art of artists who've done monstrous things?",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "When Art You Love Was Made by ‘Monsters’: A Critic Lays Out the ‘Fan’s Dilemma’",
"socialTitle": "‘Monsters’ by Claire Dederer Explores the Art vs. Artist Dilemma %%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"ogTitle": "When Art You Love Was Made by ‘Monsters’: A Critic Lays Out the ‘Fan’s Dilemma’",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Do geniuses get a hall pass for their behavior? Or, do we cancel the art of artists who've done monstrous things?",
"title": "‘Monsters’ by Claire Dederer Explores the Art vs. Artist Dilemma | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "When Art You Love Was Made by ‘Monsters’: A Critic Lays Out the ‘Fan’s Dilemma’",
"datePublished": "2023-05-11T09:09:37-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T12:38:33-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "when-art-you-love-was-made-by-monsters-a-critic-lays-out-the-fans-dilemma",
"status": "publish",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=1174293359&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"templateType": "standard",
"nprStoryDate": "Wed, 10 May 2023 05:00:08 -0400",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Wed, 10 May 2023 10:12:52 -0400",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"nprHtmlLink": "https://www.npr.org/2023/05/10/1174293359/monsters-a-fans-dilemma-review-claire-dederer?ft=nprml&f=1174293359",
"nprAudio": "https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/fa/2023/05/20230510_fa_a78cf4bb-7d14-404b-b2be-b67746be2f8a.mp3?orgId=427869011&topicId=1034&d=449&p=13&story=1174293359&ft=nprml&f=1174293359",
"nprImageAgency": "Penguin Random House",
"nprAudioM3u": "http://api.npr.org/m3u/11175261198-5c64e6.m3u?orgId=427869011&topicId=1034&d=449&p=13&story=1174293359&ft=nprml&f=1174293359",
"nprStoryId": "1174293359",
"nprByline": "Maureen Corrigan",
"sticky": false,
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Wed, 10 May 2023 13:50:00 -0400",
"path": "/arts/13928974/when-art-you-love-was-made-by-monsters-a-critic-lays-out-the-fans-dilemma",
"audioUrl": "https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/fa/2023/05/20230510_fa_a78cf4bb-7d14-404b-b2be-b67746be2f8a.mp3?orgId=427869011&topicId=1034&d=449&p=13&story=1174293359&ft=nprml&f=1174293359",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928975\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928975\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/9780525655114_custom-6207346a1004c379f66a37b2236d641be08625ba-800x1184.jpg\" alt=\"A book cover depicting a shirtless man standing on a beach wearing a horned mask.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1184\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/9780525655114_custom-6207346a1004c379f66a37b2236d641be08625ba-800x1184.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/9780525655114_custom-6207346a1004c379f66a37b2236d641be08625ba-1020x1510.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/9780525655114_custom-6207346a1004c379f66a37b2236d641be08625ba-160x237.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/9780525655114_custom-6207346a1004c379f66a37b2236d641be08625ba-768x1137.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/9780525655114_custom-6207346a1004c379f66a37b2236d641be08625ba-1038x1536.jpg 1038w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/9780525655114_custom-6207346a1004c379f66a37b2236d641be08625ba.jpg 1206w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma,’ by Claire Dederer. \u003ccite>(Penguin Random House)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Last month, I gave a talk at a conference in honor of the late writer \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2007/11/10/15573385/norman-mailer-author-and-social-critic-dies-at-84\">Norman Mailer\u003c/a>. When I mentioned this conference in class to my Georgetown students, a couple of them blurted out, “But, he stabbed his wife.” I could feel the mood in that classroom shifting: The students seemed puzzled, disappointed even. What was I doing speaking at a conference in honor of a man capable of such an act?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "forum_2010101892940",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The situation was reversed at the conference itself: When I confessed in my talk that, much as I revere Mailer’s nonfiction writing, I was just as glad never to have met him, some audience members were taken aback, offended on Mailer’s behalf.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If Mailer’s writing had always been as bad as his \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2013/10/26/240289747/norman-mailer-warts-and-all-in-a-double-life\">sporadic behavior\u003c/a> there would be no problem. But as \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101892940/can-you-love-the-art-of-a-person-you-loathe\">Claire Dederer\u003c/a> points out in her superb new book, \u003cem>Monsters\u003c/em>, the problem arises when great art is made by men who’ve done bad things: men like Picasso, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/03/30/982637327/ken-burns-hemingway-docuseries-dives-into-the-writers-complicated-life\">Hemingway\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/07/18/1112004834/polanski-sex-case-sentencing\">Roman Polanski\u003c/a>, Miles Davis, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/03/06/812687472/after-woody-allens-memoir-was-signed-book-publisher-s-employees-walk-out\">Woody Allen\u003c/a> and, yes, Mailer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Do we put blinders on and just focus on the work? Do geniuses, as Dederer asks, get a “hall pass” for their behavior? Or, do we “cancel” the art of men — and some women — who’ve done “monstrous” things?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I hope that Dederer herself doesn’t turn out to be a monster because I flat-out admire her book and want to share it with my students. As a thinker, Dederer is smart, informed, nuanced and very funny. She started out as a film critic and credits Pauline Kael as a model for grounding her judgments in her own subjectivity, her own emotions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13923921",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The subtitle of \u003cem>Monsters \u003c/em>is \u003cem>A Fan’s Dilemma\u003c/em>: the dilemma being still loving, say, the music of Wagner or \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/03/05/699995484/michael-jackson-a-quarter-century-of-sexual-abuse-allegations\">Michael Jackson\u003c/a>; still being caught up in movies like \u003cem>Chinatown\u003c/em> or maybe even \u003cem>Manhattan\u003c/em>. In short, Dederer wants to dive deep into the murk of being “unwilling to give up the work [of art you love], and [yet, also being] unwilling to look away from the stain [of the monster who created it].”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/10/28/1131500833/me-too-harvey-weinstein-anniversary\">#MeToo \u003c/a>movement propels this exploration but so, too, does our own social media, biography-saturated moment: “When I was young,” Dederer writes, “it was hard to find information about artists whose work I loved. Record albums and books appeared before us as if they had arrived after hurtling through space’s black reaches, unmoored from all context.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These days, however, “[w]e turn on \u003cem>Seinfeld\u003c/em>, and whether we want to or not, we think of Michael Richard’s racist rant … Biography used to be something you sought out, yearned for, actively pursued. Now it falls on your head all day long.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maybe you can hear in those quotes how alive Dederer’s own critical language is. She also frequently flings open the door of the stuffy seminar room, so to speak, to take her readers along on field trips: There’s a swank dinner in New York with an intimidating “man of letters” who, she says, likes to play the part, “ironically but not — ties and blazers and low-key misogyny and brown alcohol in a tumbler.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When she expresses distaste for Allen’s \u003cem>Manhattan \u003c/em>normalizing a middle-aged man in a relationship with a 17-year-old he tells her to “Get over it. You really need to judge it strictly on aesthetics.” Dederer confesses to finding herself put off-balance in that conversation, doubting herself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13928256",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>We also march through a Picasso show at the Vancouver Art Gallery in the company of Dederer and her children. At the time, she says they “possessed the fierce moral sense to be found in teenagers and maniacs, [and] were starting to look a bit nettled” at the exhibit’s disclosures of Picasso’s abusive treatment of the women in his life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So where does all this walking and talking and thinking and reacting get us on the issues of monsters and their art? Still in the murk, perhaps, but maybe buoyed up a bit by a sharp question Dederer tosses out in the middle of her book:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>What if criticism involves trusting our feelings — not just about the crime, which we deplore, but about the work we love.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To do that we’ll have to think \u003cem>and \u003c/em>feel with much greater urgency and, yet, more care than we are currently doing. As Dederer suggests — and \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2011/11/03/140824540/a-critic-to-remember-pauline-kael-at-the-movies\">Pauline Kael \u003c/a>famously did — we should go ahead and lose it at the movies and then think hard about what we’ve lost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2023 Fresh Air. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/\">Fresh Air\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=When+art+you+love+was+made+by+%27Monsters%27%3A+A+critic+lays+out+the+%27Fan%27s+Dilemma%27&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13928974/when-art-you-love-was-made-by-monsters-a-critic-lays-out-the-fans-dilemma",
"authors": [
"byline_arts_13928974"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_73",
"arts_75"
],
"tags": [
"arts_2798",
"arts_928",
"arts_977",
"arts_1420",
"arts_4919",
"arts_901",
"arts_5050"
],
"affiliates": [
"arts_137"
],
"featImg": "arts_13928981",
"label": "arts_140"
},
"arts_13928931": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13928931",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13928931",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1683739019000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "arts",
"term": 137
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1683739019,
"format": "aside",
"title": "‘Sesame Street’ Introduces TJ, the Show’s First Filipino American Muppet",
"headTitle": "‘Sesame Street’ Introduces TJ, the Show’s First Filipino American Muppet | KQED",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928932\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928932\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601-800x1278.jpg\" alt=\"A brown muppet with brown hair and purple nose smiles and waves. He is wearing a yellow and brown hoodie.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1278\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601-800x1278.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601-1020x1630.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601-160x256.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601-768x1227.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601-961x1536.jpg 961w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601-1282x2048.jpg 1282w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601.jpg 1408w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">TJ is the first Filipino muppet on ‘Sesame Street.’ \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Sesame Workshop. Photographer: John Barrett)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sesame Street\u003c/em> has debuted TJ, its first Filipino muppet. TJ joins Ji-Young, the show’s first Asian American character, who was introduced in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/11/20/1057684571/puppeteer-discusses-the-newest-character-on-sesame-street\">special Thanksgiving episode\u003c/a> in 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbjL8fNM1vE&ab_channel=SesameStreet\">segment of the children’s TV show\u003c/a>, TJ spends time with fellow muppets Ji-Young and Grover, and actor Kal Penn, who discusses the word of the day: confidence. “Confidence is when you believe in yourself and your abilities, or in the abilities of others,” Penn explains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbjL8fNM1vE\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>TJ then talks about his growing confidence while learning Tagalog, one of the main languages spoken in the Philippines. “I’m confident because I can always ask my \u003cem>lola\u003c/em> for help when I don’t know a word,” he says, using the Tagalog term for grandmother.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Filipino American animator Bobby Pontillas collaborated with puppeteer Louis Mitchell to create the muppet. On Instagram, Pontillas shared concept artwork for the character, who he said was inspired by Max and Mateo, the children of lifelong friends. TJ is played by voice actor and puppeteer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr9MhK5OPLP/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D\">Yinan Shentu\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr98OnUu8hA\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rosemary Espina Palacios, Sesame Workshop’s director of talent outreach, inclusion and content development, also posted on Instagram about TJ’s debut, saying that his arrival came “just in time for API Heritage Month to show the range in our diaspora.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr9oqPUpvUw/\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She added that she personally felt the topic of confidence could help “unravel the model minority stereotype.” The model minority is a persistent myth about Asian Americans’ collective, monolithic success. The stereotype ignores disparities within specific Asian ethnic groups and minimizes the role racism plays in the struggles of other minority groups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\">visit NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=%27Sesame+Street%27+introduces+TJ%2C+the+show%27s+first+Filipino+American+muppet&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": true,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 328,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 8
},
"modified": 1705005517,
"excerpt": "TJ the muppet joined actor Kal Penn and Korean American muppet Ji-Young this week to discuss the word of the day: confidence.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "TJ the muppet joined actor Kal Penn and Korean American muppet Ji-Young this week to discuss the word of the day: confidence.",
"title": "‘Sesame Street’ Introduces TJ, the Show’s First Filipino American Muppet | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "‘Sesame Street’ Introduces TJ, the Show’s First Filipino American Muppet",
"datePublished": "2023-05-10T10:16:59-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T12:38:37-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "sesame-street-introduces-tj-the-shows-first-filipino-american-muppet",
"status": "publish",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=1175204348&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"templateType": "standard",
"nprStoryDate": "Wed, 10 May 2023 12:47:50 -0400",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Wed, 10 May 2023 13:00:08 -0400",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"nprHtmlLink": "https://www.npr.org/2023/05/10/1175204348/sesame-street-filipino-muppet-tj?ft=nprml&f=1175204348",
"nprImageAgency": "Courtesy of Sesame Workshop. Photographer: John Barrett",
"nprStoryId": "1175204348",
"nprByline": "Suzanne Nuyen",
"sticky": false,
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Wed, 10 May 2023 13:00:00 -0400",
"path": "/arts/13928931/sesame-street-introduces-tj-the-shows-first-filipino-american-muppet",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928932\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928932\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601-800x1278.jpg\" alt=\"A brown muppet with brown hair and purple nose smiles and waves. He is wearing a yellow and brown hoodie.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1278\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601-800x1278.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601-1020x1630.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601-160x256.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601-768x1227.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601-961x1536.jpg 961w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601-1282x2048.jpg 1282w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601.jpg 1408w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">TJ is the first Filipino muppet on ‘Sesame Street.’ \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Sesame Workshop. Photographer: John Barrett)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sesame Street\u003c/em> has debuted TJ, its first Filipino muppet. TJ joins Ji-Young, the show’s first Asian American character, who was introduced in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/11/20/1057684571/puppeteer-discusses-the-newest-character-on-sesame-street\">special Thanksgiving episode\u003c/a> in 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbjL8fNM1vE&ab_channel=SesameStreet\">segment of the children’s TV show\u003c/a>, TJ spends time with fellow muppets Ji-Young and Grover, and actor Kal Penn, who discusses the word of the day: confidence. “Confidence is when you believe in yourself and your abilities, or in the abilities of others,” Penn explains.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/pbjL8fNM1vE'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/pbjL8fNM1vE'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>TJ then talks about his growing confidence while learning Tagalog, one of the main languages spoken in the Philippines. “I’m confident because I can always ask my \u003cem>lola\u003c/em> for help when I don’t know a word,” he says, using the Tagalog term for grandmother.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Filipino American animator Bobby Pontillas collaborated with puppeteer Louis Mitchell to create the muppet. On Instagram, Pontillas shared concept artwork for the character, who he said was inspired by Max and Mateo, the children of lifelong friends. TJ is played by voice actor and puppeteer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr9MhK5OPLP/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D\">Yinan Shentu\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "instagramLink",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"instagramUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr98OnUu8hA"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Rosemary Espina Palacios, Sesame Workshop’s director of talent outreach, inclusion and content development, also posted on Instagram about TJ’s debut, saying that his arrival came “just in time for API Heritage Month to show the range in our diaspora.”\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "instagramLink",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"instagramUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr9oqPUpvUw/"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She added that she personally felt the topic of confidence could help “unravel the model minority stereotype.” The model minority is a persistent myth about Asian Americans’ collective, monolithic success. The stereotype ignores disparities within specific Asian ethnic groups and minimizes the role racism plays in the struggles of other minority groups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\">visit NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=%27Sesame+Street%27+introduces+TJ%2C+the+show%27s+first+Filipino+American+muppet&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13928931/sesame-street-introduces-tj-the-shows-first-filipino-american-muppet",
"authors": [
"byline_arts_13928931"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_75",
"arts_990"
],
"tags": [
"arts_11007",
"arts_2855",
"arts_1176",
"arts_1191"
],
"affiliates": [
"arts_137"
],
"featImg": "arts_13928937",
"label": "arts_137"
},
"arts_13928681": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13928681",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13928681",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1683670647000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "arts",
"term": 140
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1683670647,
"format": "standard",
"title": "The Colorful History of 1990s Graffiti Zines Comes Alive in New SF Exhibition",
"headTitle": "The Colorful History of 1990s Graffiti Zines Comes Alive in New SF Exhibition | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>If you were a skater, punk or hip-hop fan in the ’90s, graffiti zines were just another part of the culture. The hand-stapled, photocopied scene reports were a product of graf writers and street art enthusiasts banding together, taking photos with cheap point-and-shoot cameras, developing the images, and then collaging the best ones to share with eager readers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://letterformarchive.org/news/subscription-to-mischief-graffiti-zines-of-the-1990s-exhibition/\">\u003cem>Subscription to Mischief: Graffiti Zines of the 1990s\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, a new exhibition at \u003ca href=\"https://letterformarchive.org/\">Letterform Archive\u003c/a>, seeks to capture that community as it was before the new millennium rolled in. It’s a time machine for anyone who was there the first time around, and a valuable glimpse into a since-changed underground scene for those who weren’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928902\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928902\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-09-at-2.07.53-PM-800x477.png\" alt=\"A sheet of six images featuring the face of Andre the Giant with the text, 'Andre the Giant has a posse' and his height and weight.\" width=\"800\" height=\"477\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-09-at-2.07.53-PM-800x477.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-09-at-2.07.53-PM-1020x608.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-09-at-2.07.53-PM-160x95.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-09-at-2.07.53-PM-768x458.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-09-at-2.07.53-PM.png 1130w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shepard Fairey’s ‘Andre the Giant has a posse’ stickers were ubiquitous in the latter half of the ’90s. This unusual full color set is on display at Letterform Archive as part of ‘Subscription to Mischief.’ \u003ccite>(Rae Alexandra)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The small-but-dense exhibition was curated by Letterform Archive’s Kate Long Stellar and Rob Saunders, working in tandem with \u003ca href=\"http://www.greglamarche.com/\">Greg Lamarche\u003c/a> (a.k.a. \u003ca href=\"https://dirtypilot.com/collections/spone\">Sp.One\u003c/a>), the artist and former publisher of \u003cem>Skills\u003c/em> magazine. Fellow graffiti writers \u003ca href=\"https://www.keltroughtonstudio.com/\">Kel Troughton\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/chinobyi/?hl=en\">David Villorente\u003c/a> (a.k.a. \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chino_BYI\">Chino BYI\u003c/a>, former editor of \u003cem>The Source\u003c/em> magazine’s\u003cem> Graf Flix\u003c/em> column) also curated. As such, the final result is an authentic look at the underground scene from those immersed in it. Many of the items on display come from Lamarche’s own personal archive of graffiti-related artifacts he’s faithfully collected for more than three decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Glimpses of early works by street art giants like Barry McGee, Shepard Fairey and Steve Powers share equal billing with handwritten correspondence between those in the subculture at the time. The letters are often works of art in and of themselves, with highly stylized lettering and adjoining sketches. Their content is also a reminder of just how time- and effort-intensive these kinds of projects were in the days before the internet. “Take your time with my pictures,” a writer named The Dekster says in one letter. “I’m in no rush to get them back. I know they are in good hands.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928683\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928683\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/LfA_Mischief_press_11-800x683.jpg\" alt=\"A hand written letter and sketch of a man done in 90s hip hop style lays on a sheet next to a photo of graffiti, a sticker with a JOKER tag on it and some artwork of a guillotine.\" width=\"800\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/LfA_Mischief_press_11-800x683.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/LfA_Mischief_press_11-1020x871.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/LfA_Mischief_press_11-160x137.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/LfA_Mischief_press_11-768x656.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/LfA_Mischief_press_11-1536x1311.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/LfA_Mischief_press_11.jpg 1749w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘I’m back in the SF Bay Area where a lot of people are painting,’ this letter from Jerry (a.k.a. Joker) says. ‘So enclosed is (hopefully!) good photos of some of the new stuff that’s running.’ \u003ccite>(Letterpress Archive)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Though \u003cem>Subscription to Mischief\u003c/em> is focused largely on the east coast — starting with the New York subway art of the ’70s and ’80s — it also reflects a global community. Zines from as far afield as Copenhagen, London and Stockholm are included. San Francisco is represented by \u003cem>Girlzbomb\u003c/em>, a zine by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jocelyn_superstar/?hl=en\">Jocelyn Superstar\u003c/a> about female graffiti writers, and \u003cem>Graffiti\u003c/em>, by Nate Smith and \u003ca href=\"https://rvca.com/anp/artists/josh-lazcano.html\">Josh Lazcano\u003c/a>. Artwork from longtime SF resident \u003ca href=\"https://www.mikegiant.com/\">Mike Giant\u003c/a> is also featured via a 1997 issue of \u003cem>Huffer\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Subscription to Mischief\u003c/em> is a fascinating look at an incredibly specific moment in time. One that was forever changed by the arrival of the internet, legal clampdowns on graffiti and the advancement of street artists into mainstream culture. If you were a young person in the ’90s, expect pangs of intense nostalgia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>‘Subscription to Mischief: Graffiti Zines of the 1990s’ is on display through Nov. 1, 2023, at Letterform Archive (2325 Third St., Floor 4R, San Francisco). \u003ca href=\"https://letterformarchive.org/news/subscription-to-mischief-graffiti-zines-of-the-1990s-exhibition/\">Details here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 599,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 9
},
"modified": 1705005522,
"excerpt": "‘Subscription to Mischief: Graffiti Zines of the 1990s’ is a time machine back to the decade's subcultures.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "‘Subscription to Mischief: Graffiti Zines of the 1990s’ is a time machine back to the decade's subcultures.",
"title": "The Colorful History of 1990s Graffiti Zines Comes Alive in New SF Exhibition | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "The Colorful History of 1990s Graffiti Zines Comes Alive in New SF Exhibition",
"datePublished": "2023-05-09T15:17:27-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T12:38:42-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "san-francisco-graffiti-exhibit-letterform-archive-fanzines",
"status": "publish",
"templateType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"sticky": false,
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13928681/san-francisco-graffiti-exhibit-letterform-archive-fanzines",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>If you were a skater, punk or hip-hop fan in the ’90s, graffiti zines were just another part of the culture. The hand-stapled, photocopied scene reports were a product of graf writers and street art enthusiasts banding together, taking photos with cheap point-and-shoot cameras, developing the images, and then collaging the best ones to share with eager readers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://letterformarchive.org/news/subscription-to-mischief-graffiti-zines-of-the-1990s-exhibition/\">\u003cem>Subscription to Mischief: Graffiti Zines of the 1990s\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, a new exhibition at \u003ca href=\"https://letterformarchive.org/\">Letterform Archive\u003c/a>, seeks to capture that community as it was before the new millennium rolled in. It’s a time machine for anyone who was there the first time around, and a valuable glimpse into a since-changed underground scene for those who weren’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928902\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928902\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-09-at-2.07.53-PM-800x477.png\" alt=\"A sheet of six images featuring the face of Andre the Giant with the text, 'Andre the Giant has a posse' and his height and weight.\" width=\"800\" height=\"477\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-09-at-2.07.53-PM-800x477.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-09-at-2.07.53-PM-1020x608.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-09-at-2.07.53-PM-160x95.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-09-at-2.07.53-PM-768x458.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-09-at-2.07.53-PM.png 1130w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shepard Fairey’s ‘Andre the Giant has a posse’ stickers were ubiquitous in the latter half of the ’90s. This unusual full color set is on display at Letterform Archive as part of ‘Subscription to Mischief.’ \u003ccite>(Rae Alexandra)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The small-but-dense exhibition was curated by Letterform Archive’s Kate Long Stellar and Rob Saunders, working in tandem with \u003ca href=\"http://www.greglamarche.com/\">Greg Lamarche\u003c/a> (a.k.a. \u003ca href=\"https://dirtypilot.com/collections/spone\">Sp.One\u003c/a>), the artist and former publisher of \u003cem>Skills\u003c/em> magazine. Fellow graffiti writers \u003ca href=\"https://www.keltroughtonstudio.com/\">Kel Troughton\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/chinobyi/?hl=en\">David Villorente\u003c/a> (a.k.a. \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chino_BYI\">Chino BYI\u003c/a>, former editor of \u003cem>The Source\u003c/em> magazine’s\u003cem> Graf Flix\u003c/em> column) also curated. As such, the final result is an authentic look at the underground scene from those immersed in it. Many of the items on display come from Lamarche’s own personal archive of graffiti-related artifacts he’s faithfully collected for more than three decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Glimpses of early works by street art giants like Barry McGee, Shepard Fairey and Steve Powers share equal billing with handwritten correspondence between those in the subculture at the time. The letters are often works of art in and of themselves, with highly stylized lettering and adjoining sketches. Their content is also a reminder of just how time- and effort-intensive these kinds of projects were in the days before the internet. “Take your time with my pictures,” a writer named The Dekster says in one letter. “I’m in no rush to get them back. I know they are in good hands.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928683\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928683\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/LfA_Mischief_press_11-800x683.jpg\" alt=\"A hand written letter and sketch of a man done in 90s hip hop style lays on a sheet next to a photo of graffiti, a sticker with a JOKER tag on it and some artwork of a guillotine.\" width=\"800\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/LfA_Mischief_press_11-800x683.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/LfA_Mischief_press_11-1020x871.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/LfA_Mischief_press_11-160x137.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/LfA_Mischief_press_11-768x656.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/LfA_Mischief_press_11-1536x1311.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/LfA_Mischief_press_11.jpg 1749w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘I’m back in the SF Bay Area where a lot of people are painting,’ this letter from Jerry (a.k.a. Joker) says. ‘So enclosed is (hopefully!) good photos of some of the new stuff that’s running.’ \u003ccite>(Letterpress Archive)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Though \u003cem>Subscription to Mischief\u003c/em> is focused largely on the east coast — starting with the New York subway art of the ’70s and ’80s — it also reflects a global community. Zines from as far afield as Copenhagen, London and Stockholm are included. San Francisco is represented by \u003cem>Girlzbomb\u003c/em>, a zine by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jocelyn_superstar/?hl=en\">Jocelyn Superstar\u003c/a> about female graffiti writers, and \u003cem>Graffiti\u003c/em>, by Nate Smith and \u003ca href=\"https://rvca.com/anp/artists/josh-lazcano.html\">Josh Lazcano\u003c/a>. Artwork from longtime SF resident \u003ca href=\"https://www.mikegiant.com/\">Mike Giant\u003c/a> is also featured via a 1997 issue of \u003cem>Huffer\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Subscription to Mischief\u003c/em> is a fascinating look at an incredibly specific moment in time. One that was forever changed by the arrival of the internet, legal clampdowns on graffiti and the advancement of street artists into mainstream culture. If you were a young person in the ’90s, expect pangs of intense nostalgia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>‘Subscription to Mischief: Graffiti Zines of the 1990s’ is on display through Nov. 1, 2023, at Letterform Archive (2325 Third St., Floor 4R, San Francisco). \u003ca href=\"https://letterformarchive.org/news/subscription-to-mischief-graffiti-zines-of-the-1990s-exhibition/\">Details here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13928681/san-francisco-graffiti-exhibit-letterform-archive-fanzines",
"authors": [
"11242"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_75",
"arts_70"
],
"tags": [
"arts_19562",
"arts_10278",
"arts_903",
"arts_831",
"arts_585",
"arts_901"
],
"featImg": "arts_13928684",
"label": "arts_140"
},
"arts_13928788": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13928788",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13928788",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1683592524000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "arts"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1683592524,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Good Dogs Pull Stupid Faces at Westminster Dog Show’s Dock-Diving Competition",
"headTitle": "Good Dogs Pull Stupid Faces at Westminster Dog Show’s Dock-Diving Competition | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>As animal lovers everywhere know, the Westminster Kennel Club has never been a place where dogs could freely derp.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rather, it’s a place where basset hounds wear turbans:\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928814\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928814\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253154883-scaled-e1683577383188-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"A basset hound stands with its eyes closed, wearing a purple and gold coat and a gold sequined wrap around its ears.\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253154883-scaled-e1683577383188-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253154883-scaled-e1683577383188-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253154883-scaled-e1683577383188-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253154883-scaled-e1683577383188-768x514.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253154883-scaled-e1683577383188-1536x1027.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253154883-scaled-e1683577383188.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“At first I was afraid! I was petrified! Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side…” \u003ccite>(Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Löwchens are forced to wear assless bellbottoms:\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928824\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928824\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1485796534-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A medium-sized long-haired dog with shaven hind quarters and long white fur from the knee down.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1485796534-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1485796534-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1485796534-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1485796534-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1485796534-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1485796534-2048x1364.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1485796534-1920x1279.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cold bottom, warm feet. \u003ccite>(Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Westminster Kennel Club)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And even the lowly pugs have to don bowties:\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928805\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928805\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253158754-scaled-e1683576989712-800x523.jpg\" alt=\"A pug sits on a platform next to a bouquet of purple flowers, wearing a white shirt, lilac bowtie and a black hat with a feather in its band. \" width=\"800\" height=\"523\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253158754-scaled-e1683576989712-800x523.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253158754-scaled-e1683576989712-1020x667.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253158754-scaled-e1683576989712-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253158754-scaled-e1683576989712-768x502.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253158754-scaled-e1683576989712-1536x1005.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253158754-scaled-e1683576989712.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“How did I get here? What does it all mean? What is the feather in my hat for?” \u003ccite>(Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At least the poodles get to be poodles, I guess?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928826\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928826\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253159142-scaled-e1683578089810-800x552.jpg\" alt=\"A white poodle with blown out fur lies on a platform, head resting on a large purple cushion.\" width=\"800\" height=\"552\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253159142-scaled-e1683578089810-800x552.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253159142-scaled-e1683578089810-1020x704.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253159142-scaled-e1683578089810-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253159142-scaled-e1683578089810-768x530.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253159142-scaled-e1683578089810-1536x1060.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253159142-scaled-e1683578089810.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“Oh, it’s a good feeling when you realize that someone has money. ’Cause then you don’t have to worry about them wanting yours.” \u003ccite>(Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13898819']So, what an immensely special treat that this year, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/\">Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show\u003c/a> decided to add a new activity to the competition roster: \u003ca href=\"https://www.akc.org/sports/title-recognition-program/dock-diving/\">dock diving\u003c/a>. The principal is simple:\u003c/p>\n\u003col>\n\u003cli>Dog and handler stand on platform next to a long pool\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Handler throws toy\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Dog loses damn mind\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Dog throws itself towards toy, regardless of water situation\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Dog lands with a splash, face plastered with expressions that poodles would frown upon\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The dog who jumps the furthest wins\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cp>Sounds straightforward enough, but dock diving in action is quite a thing to behold. Just check out this chaos monster named Ruger doing his thing on Saturday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt7-MWqJq2Y\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Something extra special happens, however, when you capture diving dogs with still photography. The photos that have emerged from the 2023 Westminster competition have evoked a variety of very specific moods and feelings, while also effectively portraying these dogs’ personalities in all their stupid glory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Let’s see how this played out for some of the Very Good Pups in question.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The ‘I Immediately Regret My Decision’ Dive\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928789\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928789\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252782134-800x532.jpg\" alt=\"A medium sized dog wears a shocked expression in mid-air.\" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252782134-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252782134-1020x678.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252782134-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252782134-768x510.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252782134-1536x1021.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252782134-2048x1361.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252782134-1920x1276.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“Linda, I didn’t think this through, okay? Can we stop it now?” \u003ccite>(Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Those eyeballs and outstretched paws say one thing and one thing only. “Look, ma, I just wanted my toy. And now you’ve tricked me into big bathtime in front of all of these strangers. And you better believe revenge is a dish best served cold because it may not happen today and it may not happen tomorrow, but I’ll get you for this, you hear me? Eventually I’ll get you for this…”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The Anya Taylor-Joy in ‘The Witch’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928790\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928790\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252783790-scaled-e1683572072958-800x538.jpg\" alt=\"A dog appears to stand on its hind legs while in mid-air. Its handler is aggressively throwing a toy in the background.\" width=\"800\" height=\"538\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252783790-scaled-e1683572072958-800x538.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252783790-scaled-e1683572072958-1020x686.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252783790-scaled-e1683572072958-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252783790-scaled-e1683572072958-768x517.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252783790-scaled-e1683572072958-1536x1034.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252783790-scaled-e1683572072958.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“Black Phillip told me to do it.” \u003ccite>(Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>You know that final scene in \u003cem>The Witch\u003c/em>, when Anya Taylor-Joy starts levitating over an open fire with a group of naked witches? And she’s all poised and stoked and perfectly comfortable with her life decisions? This dog. This dog right here. Same thing.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The Long Boi\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928841\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928841\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/long-boi-scaled-e1683580918946-800x550.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"550\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/long-boi-scaled-e1683580918946-800x550.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/long-boi-scaled-e1683580918946-1020x701.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/long-boi-scaled-e1683580918946-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/long-boi-scaled-e1683580918946-768x528.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/long-boi-scaled-e1683580918946-1536x1055.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/long-boi-scaled-e1683580918946.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bow (wow wow) down to the Michael Phelps of dogs, y’all. \u003ccite>(Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>You can tell that this slender, majestic fella has been training for this his whole life. He’s also been watching Michael Phelps diving footage on YouTube around the clock for the last year, giving his pawrents cause for concern. “Why don’t you take a break and go play with the other dogs?” his mom would plead. “I want you to find some joy while you’re still young!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have to be a winner,” long boi would reply earnestly. “Winning \u003cem>is\u003c/em> my only joy. You know that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The Kate Winslet in ‘Titanic’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928796\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928796\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252782279-scaled-e1683573770757-800x523.jpg\" alt=\"A border collie in midair, front paws outstretched, hind legs tucked underneath.\" width=\"800\" height=\"523\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252782279-scaled-e1683573770757-800x523.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252782279-scaled-e1683573770757-1020x667.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252782279-scaled-e1683573770757-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252782279-scaled-e1683573770757-768x502.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252782279-scaled-e1683573770757-1536x1004.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252782279-scaled-e1683573770757.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“I’m flying Jack! I’m flying!” \u003ccite>(Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Near, far, wherever you are, here’s a floofy sweetheart who still has wonder in her eyes and warmth in her heart. Might she turn out to be a door hog once she’s in the water? Sure. But while she’s floating above it, looking out on the horizon? That’s all love, baby.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The Calm Down, Bruh\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928848\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928848\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1488028344-scaled-e1683584970625-800x1221.jpg\" alt=\"A small spaniel leaps off a platform, its ears flying upwards as it jumps. On the platform is a man wearing a tie-dye shirt, shouting aggressively.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1221\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1488028344-scaled-e1683584970625-800x1221.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1488028344-scaled-e1683584970625-1020x1557.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1488028344-scaled-e1683584970625-160x244.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1488028344-scaled-e1683584970625-768x1172.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1488028344-scaled-e1683584970625-1006x1536.jpg 1006w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1488028344-scaled-e1683584970625.jpg 1258w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“Chill. I’m jumping already. I’m jumping.” \u003ccite>(Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>We all know about stage moms — the parents who will stop at nothing to turn their little darlings into superstars. Did you know about dog diver daddies though? We didn’t either but, boy howdy, looks like the same thing from this angle.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The ‘Jaws’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928798\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928798\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252781839-800x492.jpg\" alt=\"A dog's upturned nose is surrounded by violent splashes of water in a pool.\" width=\"800\" height=\"492\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252781839-800x492.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252781839-1020x627.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252781839-160x98.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252781839-768x472.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252781839-1536x944.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252781839-2048x1259.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252781839-1920x1180.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water… \u003ccite>(Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Out of the depths! A boop-worthy snoot, thrashing in the water and, above all, the thrill of the hunt! … Hope you found your squeaky ball, dude.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Best of luck to all the woofers competing.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": true,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 864,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 19
},
"modified": 1705005527,
"excerpt": "The dog competition that prides itself on poise has introduced dog diving to the 2023 competition — and it’s hilarious.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "Good Dogs Pull Stupid Faces at Westminster Dog Show’s Dock-Diving Competition",
"socialTitle": "Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show Embraces Dock Diving %%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"ogTitle": "Good Dogs Pull Stupid Faces at Westminster Dog Show’s Dock-Diving Competition",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "The dog competition that prides itself on poise has introduced dog diving to the 2023 competition — and it’s hilarious.",
"title": "Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show Embraces Dock Diving | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Good Dogs Pull Stupid Faces at Westminster Dog Show’s Dock-Diving Competition",
"datePublished": "2023-05-08T17:35:24-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T12:38:47-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "westminster-kennel-club-dog-show-dock-diving-competition",
"status": "publish",
"templateType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"sticky": false,
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13928788/westminster-kennel-club-dog-show-dock-diving-competition",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>As animal lovers everywhere know, the Westminster Kennel Club has never been a place where dogs could freely derp.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rather, it’s a place where basset hounds wear turbans:\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928814\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928814\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253154883-scaled-e1683577383188-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"A basset hound stands with its eyes closed, wearing a purple and gold coat and a gold sequined wrap around its ears.\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253154883-scaled-e1683577383188-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253154883-scaled-e1683577383188-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253154883-scaled-e1683577383188-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253154883-scaled-e1683577383188-768x514.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253154883-scaled-e1683577383188-1536x1027.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253154883-scaled-e1683577383188.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“At first I was afraid! I was petrified! Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side…” \u003ccite>(Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Löwchens are forced to wear assless bellbottoms:\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928824\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928824\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1485796534-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A medium-sized long-haired dog with shaven hind quarters and long white fur from the knee down.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1485796534-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1485796534-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1485796534-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1485796534-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1485796534-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1485796534-2048x1364.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1485796534-1920x1279.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cold bottom, warm feet. \u003ccite>(Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Westminster Kennel Club)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And even the lowly pugs have to don bowties:\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928805\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928805\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253158754-scaled-e1683576989712-800x523.jpg\" alt=\"A pug sits on a platform next to a bouquet of purple flowers, wearing a white shirt, lilac bowtie and a black hat with a feather in its band. \" width=\"800\" height=\"523\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253158754-scaled-e1683576989712-800x523.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253158754-scaled-e1683576989712-1020x667.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253158754-scaled-e1683576989712-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253158754-scaled-e1683576989712-768x502.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253158754-scaled-e1683576989712-1536x1005.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253158754-scaled-e1683576989712.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“How did I get here? What does it all mean? What is the feather in my hat for?” \u003ccite>(Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At least the poodles get to be poodles, I guess?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928826\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928826\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253159142-scaled-e1683578089810-800x552.jpg\" alt=\"A white poodle with blown out fur lies on a platform, head resting on a large purple cushion.\" width=\"800\" height=\"552\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253159142-scaled-e1683578089810-800x552.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253159142-scaled-e1683578089810-1020x704.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253159142-scaled-e1683578089810-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253159142-scaled-e1683578089810-768x530.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253159142-scaled-e1683578089810-1536x1060.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1253159142-scaled-e1683578089810.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“Oh, it’s a good feeling when you realize that someone has money. ’Cause then you don’t have to worry about them wanting yours.” \u003ccite>(Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13898819",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>So, what an immensely special treat that this year, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/\">Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show\u003c/a> decided to add a new activity to the competition roster: \u003ca href=\"https://www.akc.org/sports/title-recognition-program/dock-diving/\">dock diving\u003c/a>. The principal is simple:\u003c/p>\n\u003col>\n\u003cli>Dog and handler stand on platform next to a long pool\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Handler throws toy\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Dog loses damn mind\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Dog throws itself towards toy, regardless of water situation\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Dog lands with a splash, face plastered with expressions that poodles would frown upon\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The dog who jumps the furthest wins\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cp>Sounds straightforward enough, but dock diving in action is quite a thing to behold. Just check out this chaos monster named Ruger doing his thing on Saturday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/Mt7-MWqJq2Y'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/Mt7-MWqJq2Y'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Something extra special happens, however, when you capture diving dogs with still photography. The photos that have emerged from the 2023 Westminster competition have evoked a variety of very specific moods and feelings, while also effectively portraying these dogs’ personalities in all their stupid glory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Let’s see how this played out for some of the Very Good Pups in question.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The ‘I Immediately Regret My Decision’ Dive\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928789\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928789\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252782134-800x532.jpg\" alt=\"A medium sized dog wears a shocked expression in mid-air.\" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252782134-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252782134-1020x678.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252782134-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252782134-768x510.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252782134-1536x1021.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252782134-2048x1361.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252782134-1920x1276.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“Linda, I didn’t think this through, okay? Can we stop it now?” \u003ccite>(Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Those eyeballs and outstretched paws say one thing and one thing only. “Look, ma, I just wanted my toy. And now you’ve tricked me into big bathtime in front of all of these strangers. And you better believe revenge is a dish best served cold because it may not happen today and it may not happen tomorrow, but I’ll get you for this, you hear me? Eventually I’ll get you for this…”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The Anya Taylor-Joy in ‘The Witch’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928790\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928790\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252783790-scaled-e1683572072958-800x538.jpg\" alt=\"A dog appears to stand on its hind legs while in mid-air. Its handler is aggressively throwing a toy in the background.\" width=\"800\" height=\"538\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252783790-scaled-e1683572072958-800x538.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252783790-scaled-e1683572072958-1020x686.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252783790-scaled-e1683572072958-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252783790-scaled-e1683572072958-768x517.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252783790-scaled-e1683572072958-1536x1034.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252783790-scaled-e1683572072958.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“Black Phillip told me to do it.” \u003ccite>(Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>You know that final scene in \u003cem>The Witch\u003c/em>, when Anya Taylor-Joy starts levitating over an open fire with a group of naked witches? And she’s all poised and stoked and perfectly comfortable with her life decisions? This dog. This dog right here. Same thing.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The Long Boi\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928841\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928841\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/long-boi-scaled-e1683580918946-800x550.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"550\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/long-boi-scaled-e1683580918946-800x550.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/long-boi-scaled-e1683580918946-1020x701.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/long-boi-scaled-e1683580918946-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/long-boi-scaled-e1683580918946-768x528.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/long-boi-scaled-e1683580918946-1536x1055.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/long-boi-scaled-e1683580918946.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bow (wow wow) down to the Michael Phelps of dogs, y’all. \u003ccite>(Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>You can tell that this slender, majestic fella has been training for this his whole life. He’s also been watching Michael Phelps diving footage on YouTube around the clock for the last year, giving his pawrents cause for concern. “Why don’t you take a break and go play with the other dogs?” his mom would plead. “I want you to find some joy while you’re still young!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have to be a winner,” long boi would reply earnestly. “Winning \u003cem>is\u003c/em> my only joy. You know that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The Kate Winslet in ‘Titanic’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928796\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928796\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252782279-scaled-e1683573770757-800x523.jpg\" alt=\"A border collie in midair, front paws outstretched, hind legs tucked underneath.\" width=\"800\" height=\"523\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252782279-scaled-e1683573770757-800x523.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252782279-scaled-e1683573770757-1020x667.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252782279-scaled-e1683573770757-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252782279-scaled-e1683573770757-768x502.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252782279-scaled-e1683573770757-1536x1004.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252782279-scaled-e1683573770757.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“I’m flying Jack! I’m flying!” \u003ccite>(Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Near, far, wherever you are, here’s a floofy sweetheart who still has wonder in her eyes and warmth in her heart. Might she turn out to be a door hog once she’s in the water? Sure. But while she’s floating above it, looking out on the horizon? That’s all love, baby.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The Calm Down, Bruh\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928848\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928848\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1488028344-scaled-e1683584970625-800x1221.jpg\" alt=\"A small spaniel leaps off a platform, its ears flying upwards as it jumps. On the platform is a man wearing a tie-dye shirt, shouting aggressively.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1221\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1488028344-scaled-e1683584970625-800x1221.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1488028344-scaled-e1683584970625-1020x1557.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1488028344-scaled-e1683584970625-160x244.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1488028344-scaled-e1683584970625-768x1172.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1488028344-scaled-e1683584970625-1006x1536.jpg 1006w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1488028344-scaled-e1683584970625.jpg 1258w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“Chill. I’m jumping already. I’m jumping.” \u003ccite>(Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>We all know about stage moms — the parents who will stop at nothing to turn their little darlings into superstars. Did you know about dog diver daddies though? We didn’t either but, boy howdy, looks like the same thing from this angle.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The ‘Jaws’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928798\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928798\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252781839-800x492.jpg\" alt=\"A dog's upturned nose is surrounded by violent splashes of water in a pool.\" width=\"800\" height=\"492\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252781839-800x492.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252781839-1020x627.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252781839-160x98.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252781839-768x472.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252781839-1536x944.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252781839-2048x1259.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1252781839-1920x1180.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water… \u003ccite>(Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Out of the depths! A boop-worthy snoot, thrashing in the water and, above all, the thrill of the hunt! … Hope you found your squeaky ball, dude.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Best of luck to all the woofers competing.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13928788/westminster-kennel-club-dog-show-dock-diving-competition",
"authors": [
"11242"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_75"
],
"tags": [
"arts_9124",
"arts_8819",
"arts_10278"
],
"featImg": "arts_13928845",
"label": "arts"
}
},
"podcastsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"podcasts": {}
},
"radioProgramsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"radioPrograms": {}
},
"radioSearchSegmentsReducer": {},
"programsReducer": {
"all-things-considered": {
"id": "all-things-considered",
"title": "All Things Considered",
"info": "Every weekday, \u003cem>All Things Considered\u003c/em> hosts Robert Siegel, Audie Cornish, Ari Shapiro, and Kelly McEvers present the program's trademark mix of news, interviews, commentaries, reviews, and offbeat features. Michel Martin hosts on the weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 1pm-2pm, 4:30pm-6:30pm\u003cbr />SAT-SUN 5pm-6pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/All-Things-Considered-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/all-things-considered/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/all-things-considered"
},
"american-suburb-podcast": {
"id": "american-suburb-podcast",
"title": "American Suburb: The Podcast",
"tagline": "The flip side of gentrification, told through one town",
"info": "Gentrification is changing cities across America, forcing people from neighborhoods they have long called home. Call them the displaced. Now those priced out of the Bay Area are looking for a better life in an unlikely place. American Suburb follows this migration to one California town along the Delta, 45 miles from San Francisco. But is this once sleepy suburb ready for them?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/American-Suburb-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 19
},
"link": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/RBrW",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=1287748328",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/American-Suburb-p1086805/",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/feed/podcast",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMzMDExODgxNjA5"
}
},
"baycurious": {
"id": "baycurious",
"title": "Bay Curious",
"tagline": "Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time",
"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Bay-Curious-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Bay Curious",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/baycurious",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 3
},
"link": "/podcasts/baycurious",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/category/bay-curious-podcast/feed/podcast",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9a90d476-aa04-455d-9a4c-0871ed6216d4/bay-curious",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/bay-curious",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6O76IdmhixfijmhTZLIJ8k"
}
},
"bbc-world-service": {
"id": "bbc-world-service",
"title": "BBC World Service",
"info": "The day's top stories from BBC News compiled twice daily in the week, once at weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9pm-10pm, TUE-FRI 1am-2am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BBC-World-Service-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_world_service",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "BBC World Service"
},
"link": "/radio/program/bbc-world-service",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/global-news-podcast/id135067274?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/BBC-World-Service-p455581/",
"rss": "https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/p02nq0gn.rss"
}
},
"californiareport": {
"id": "californiareport",
"title": "The California Report",
"tagline": "California, day by day",
"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-the-california-report/id79681292",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/26099305-72af-4542-9dde-ac1807fe36d5/kqed-s-the-california-report",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432285393/the-california-report",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-the-california-report-podcast-8838",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcram/feed/podcast"
}
},
"californiareportmagazine": {
"id": "californiareportmagazine",
"title": "The California Report Magazine",
"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
"airtime": "FRI 4:30pm-5pm, 6:30pm-7pm, 11pm-11:30pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Magazine-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report Magazine",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareportmagazine",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 10
},
"link": "/californiareportmagazine",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-california-report-magazine/id1314750545",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/564733126/the-california-report-magazine",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-california-report-magazine",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcrmag/feed/podcast"
}
},
"city-arts": {
"id": "city-arts",
"title": "City Arts & Lectures",
"info": "A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/cityartsandlecture-300x300.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.cityarts.net/",
"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
"subscribe": {
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/City-Arts-and-Lectures-p692/",
"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
"title": "Close All Tabs",
"tagline": "Your irreverent guide to the trends redefining our world",
"info": "Close All Tabs breaks down how digital culture shapes our world through thoughtful insights and irreverent humor.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CAT_2_Tile-scaled.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Close All Tabs",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 1
},
"link": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/close-all-tabs/id214663465",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC6993880386",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/92d9d4ac-67a3-4eed-b10a-fb45d45b1ef2/close-all-tabs",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6LAJFHnGK1pYXYzv6SIol6?si=deb0cae19813417c"
}
},
"code-switch-life-kit": {
"id": "code-switch-life-kit",
"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
"airtime": "SUN 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Code-Switch-Life-Kit-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/code-switch-life-kit",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/1112190608?mt=2&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy9yc3MvcG9kY2FzdC5waHA_aWQ9NTEwMzEy",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3bExJ9JQpkwNhoHvaIIuyV",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510312/podcast.xml"
}
},
"commonwealth-club": {
"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.commonwealthclub.org/podcasts",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/commonwealth-club-of-california-podcast/id976334034?mt=2",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Commonwealth-Club-of-California-p1060/"
}
},
"forum": {
"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/forum",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
"link": "/forum",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-forum/id73329719",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432307980/forum",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-forum-podcast",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9557381633"
}
},
"freakonomics-radio": {
"id": "freakonomics-radio",
"title": "Freakonomics Radio",
"info": "Freakonomics Radio is a one-hour award-winning podcast and public-radio project hosted by Stephen Dubner, with co-author Steve Levitt as a regular guest. It is produced in partnership with WNYC.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio"
}
},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
"title": "Fresh Air",
"info": "Hosted by Terry Gross, \u003cem>Fresh Air from WHYY\u003c/em> is the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues. One of public radio's most popular programs, Fresh Air features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Fresh-Air-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Fresh-Air-p17/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
}
},
"here-and-now": {
"id": "here-and-now",
"title": "Here & Now",
"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
"airtime": "MON-THU 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Here-And-Now-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/here-and-now",
"subsdcribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=426698661",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Here--Now-p211/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/hiddenbrain.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain",
"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-brain/id1028908750?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Science-Podcasts/Hidden-Brain-p787503/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510308/podcast.xml"
}
},
"how-i-built-this": {
"id": "how-i-built-this",
"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Arts--Culture-Podcasts/How-I-Built-This-p910896/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510313/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
"imageAlt": "KQED Hyphenación",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hyphenaci%C3%B3n/id1191591838",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
"youtube": "https://www.youtube.com/c/kqedarts",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/6c3dd23c-93fb-4aab-97ba-1725fa6315f1/hyphenaci%C3%B3n",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC2275451163"
}
},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/790253322/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/jerrybrown/feed/podcast/",
"tuneIn": "http://tun.in/pjGcK",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/54C1dmuyFyKMFttY6X2j6r?si=K8SgRCoISNK6ZbjpXrX5-w",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/44420f75-3b0e-4301-ab3b-16da6b09e543/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown"
}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/xtTd",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Latino-USA-p621/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201853034&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/APM-Marketplace-p88/",
"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
}
},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Masters-of-Scale-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindshift-podcast/id1078765985",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0MxSpNYZKNprFLCl7eEtyx"
}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/onourwatch",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0OLWoyizopu6tY1XiuX70x",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-Our-Watch-p1436229/",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/show/on-our-watch",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "pbs"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Perspectives",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id73801135",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/perspectives/category/perspectives/feed/",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvcGVyc3BlY3RpdmVzL2NhdGVnb3J5L3BlcnNwZWN0aXZlcy9mZWVkLw"
}
},
"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/sections/money/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/M4f5",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Business--Economics-Podcasts/Planet-Money-p164680/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
}
},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Political Breakdown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 5
},
"link": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-breakdown/id1327641087",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e0c2d153-ad36-4c8d-901d-f1da6a724824/political-breakdown",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/572155894/political-breakdown",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/political-breakdown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/07RVyIjIdk2WDuVehvBMoN",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/political-breakdown/feed/podcast"
}
},
"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/possible/id1677184070",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
}
},
"pri-the-world": {
"id": "pri-the-world",
"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pri.org/programs/the-world",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "PRI"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pri-the-world",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pris-the-world-latest-edition/id278196007?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/PRIs-The-World-p24/",
"rss": "http://feeds.feedburner.com/pri/theworld"
}
},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
"title": "Radiolab",
"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
"airtime": "SUN 12am-1am, SAT 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/radiolab1400.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/radiolab/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/radiolab",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/radiolab/id152249110?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/RadioLab-p68032/",
"rss": "https://feeds.wnyc.org/radiolab"
}
},
"reveal": {
"id": "reveal",
"title": "Reveal",
"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
"airtime": "SAT 4pm-5pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/reveal300px.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/reveal",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/reveal/id886009669",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Reveal-p679597/",
"rss": "http://feeds.revealradio.org/revealpodcast"
}
},
"rightnowish": {
"id": "rightnowish",
"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Rightnowish-Podcast-Tile-500x500-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Rightnowish with Pendarvis Harshaw",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 16
},
"link": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/721590300/rightnowish",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/programs/rightnowish/feed/podcast",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rightnowish/id1482187648",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/rightnowish",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMxMjU5MTY3NDc4",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/7kEJuafTzTVan7B78ttz1I"
}
},
"science-friday": {
"id": "science-friday",
"title": "Science Friday",
"info": "Science Friday is a weekly science talk show, broadcast live over public radio stations nationwide. Each week, the show focuses on science topics that are in the news and tries to bring an educated, balanced discussion to bear on the scientific issues at hand. Panels of expert guests join host Ira Flatow, a veteran science journalist, to discuss science and to take questions from listeners during the call-in portion of the program.",
"airtime": "FRI 11am-1pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Science-Friday-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/science-friday",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/science-friday",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=73329284&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Science-Friday-p394/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/science-friday"
}
},
"snap-judgment": {
"id": "snap-judgment",
"title": "Snap Judgment",
"tagline": "Real stories with killer beats",
"info": "The Snap Judgment radio show and podcast mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic radio. Snap's musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. This is storytelling... with a BEAT!! Snap first aired on public radio stations nationwide in July 2010. Today, Snap Judgment airs on over 450 public radio stations and is brought to the airwaves by KQED & PRX.",
"airtime": "SAT 1pm-2pm, 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Snap-Judgment-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Snap Judgment",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 4
},
"link": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/snap-judgment/id283657561",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/449018144/snap-judgment",
"stitcher": "https://www.pandora.com/podcast/snap-judgment/PC:241?source=stitcher-sunset",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3Cct7ZWmxHNAtLgBTqjC5v",
"rss": "https://snap.feed.snapjudgment.org/"
}
},
"soldout": {
"id": "soldout",
"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
"info": "Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Sold-Out-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/soldout",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 13
},
"link": "/podcasts/soldout",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/911586047/s-o-l-d-o-u-t-a-new-future-for-housing",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/introducing-sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america/id1531354937",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/soldout",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/38dTBSk2ISFoPiyYNoKn1X",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america",
"tunein": "https://tunein.com/radio/SOLD-OUT-Rethinking-Housing-in-America-p1365871/"
}
},
"spooked": {
"id": "spooked",
"title": "Spooked",
"tagline": "True-life supernatural stories",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spooked-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Spooked",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 7
},
"link": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spooked/id1279361017",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/549547848/snap-judgment-presents-spooked",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/76571Rfl3m7PLJQZKQIGCT",
"rss": "https://feeds.simplecast.com/TBotaapn"
}
},
"tech-nation": {
"id": "tech-nation",
"title": "Tech Nation Radio Podcast",
"info": "Tech Nation is a weekly public radio program, hosted by Dr. Moira Gunn. Founded in 1993, it has grown from a simple interview show to a multi-faceted production, featuring conversations with noted technology and science leaders, and a weekly science and technology-related commentary.",
"airtime": "FRI 10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Tech-Nation-Radio-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://technation.podomatic.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "Tech Nation Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tech-nation",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://technation.podomatic.com/rss2.xml"
}
},
"ted-radio-hour": {
"id": "ted-radio-hour",
"title": "TED Radio Hour",
"info": "The TED Radio Hour is a journey through fascinating ideas, astonishing inventions, fresh approaches to old problems, and new ways to think and create.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm, SAT 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/tedRadioHour.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/?showDate=2018-06-22",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/ted-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/8vsS",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=523121474&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/TED-Radio-Hour-p418021/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510298/podcast.xml"
}
},
"thebay": {
"id": "thebay",
"title": "The Bay",
"tagline": "Local news to keep you rooted",
"info": "Host Devin Katayama walks you through the biggest story of the day with reporters and newsmakers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Bay-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Bay",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/thebay",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 2
},
"link": "/podcasts/thebay",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bay/id1350043452",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d800ea4c-7a2c-42f2-b861-edaf78a5db0b/the-bay",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/586725995/the-bay",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-bay",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/4BIKBKIujizLHlIlBNaAqQ",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC8259786327"
}
},
"thelatest": {
"id": "thelatest",
"title": "The Latest",
"tagline": "Trusted local news in real time",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/The-Latest-2025-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Latest",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/thelatest",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 6
},
"link": "/thelatest",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-latest-from-kqed/id1197721799",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/1257949365/the-latest-from-k-q-e-d",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/5KIIXMgM9GTi5AepwOYvIZ?si=bd3053fec7244dba",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9137121918"
}
},
"theleap": {
"id": "theleap",
"title": "The Leap",
"tagline": "What if you closed your eyes, and jumped?",
"info": "Stories about people making dramatic, risky changes, told by award-winning public radio reporter Judy Campbell.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Leap-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Leap",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/theleap",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 17
},
"link": "/podcasts/theleap",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leap/id1046668171",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/447248267/the-leap",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-leap",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3sSlVHHzU0ytLwuGs1SD1U",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/programs/the-leap/feed/podcast"
}
},
"the-moth-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-moth-radio-hour",
"title": "The Moth Radio Hour",
"info": "Since its launch in 1997, The Moth has presented thousands of true stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. Moth storytellers stand alone, under a spotlight, with only a microphone and a roomful of strangers. The storyteller and the audience embark on a high-wire act of shared experience which is both terrifying and exhilarating. Since 2008, The Moth podcast has featured many of our favorite stories told live on Moth stages around the country. For information on all of our programs and live events, visit themoth.org.",
"airtime": "SAT 8pm-9pm and SUN 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/theMoth.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://themoth.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "prx"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-moth-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-moth-podcast/id275699983?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/The-Moth-p273888/",
"rss": "http://feeds.themoth.org/themothpodcast"
}
},
"the-new-yorker-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"title": "The New Yorker Radio Hour",
"info": "The New Yorker Radio Hour is a weekly program presented by the magazine's editor, David Remnick, and produced by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker. Each episode features a diverse mix of interviews, profiles, storytelling, and an occasional burst of humor inspired by the magazine, and shaped by its writers, artists, and editors. This isn't a radio version of a magazine, but something all its own, reflecting the rich possibilities of audio storytelling and conversation. Theme music for the show was composed and performed by Merrill Garbus of tUnE-YArDs.",
"airtime": "SAT 10am-11am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-New-Yorker-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/tnyradiohour",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1050430296",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/New-Yorker-Radio-Hour-p803804/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/newyorkerradiohour"
}
},
"the-sam-sanders-show": {
"id": "the-sam-sanders-show",
"title": "The Sam Sanders Show",
"info": "One of public radio's most dynamic voices, Sam Sanders helped launch The NPR Politics Podcast and hosted NPR's hit show It's Been A Minute. Now, the award-winning host returns with something brand new, The Sam Sanders Show. Every week, Sam Sanders and friends dig into the culture that shapes our lives: what's driving the biggest trends, how artists really think, and even the memes you can't stop scrolling past. Sam is beloved for his way of unpacking the world and bringing you up close to fresh currents and engaging conversations. The Sam Sanders Show is smart, funny and always a good time.",
"airtime": "FRI 12-1pm AND SAT 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/The-Sam-Sanders-Show-Podcast-Tile-400x400-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "KCRW"
},
"link": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feed.cdnstream1.com/zjb/feed/download/ac/28/59/ac28594c-e1d0-4231-8728-61865cdc80e8.xml"
}
},
"the-splendid-table": {
"id": "the-splendid-table",
"title": "The Splendid Table",
"info": "\u003cem>The Splendid Table\u003c/em> hosts our nation's conversations about cooking, sustainability and food culture.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Splendid-Table-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.splendidtable.org/",
"airtime": "SUN 10-11 pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-splendid-table"
},
"this-american-life": {
"id": "this-american-life",
"title": "This American Life",
"info": "This American Life is a weekly public radio show, heard by 2.2 million people on more than 500 stations. Another 2.5 million people download the weekly podcast. It is hosted by Ira Glass, produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media, delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange, and has won all of the major broadcasting awards.",
"airtime": "SAT 12pm-1pm, 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/thisAmericanLife.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wbez"
},
"link": "/radio/program/this-american-life",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201671138&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"rss": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/podcast/rss.xml"
}
},
"tinydeskradio": {
"id": "tinydeskradio",
"title": "Tiny Desk Radio",
"info": "We're bringing the best of Tiny Desk to the airwaves, only on public radio.",
"airtime": "SUN 8pm and SAT 9pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/300x300-For-Member-Station-Logo-Tiny-Desk-Radio-@2x.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/g-s1-52030/tiny-desk-radio",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tinydeskradio",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/g-s1-52030/rss.xml"
}
},
"wait-wait-dont-tell-me": {
"id": "wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"title": "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!",
"info": "Peter Sagal and Bill Kurtis host the weekly NPR News quiz show alongside some of the best and brightest news and entertainment personalities.",
"airtime": "SUN 10am-11am, SAT 11am-12pm, SAT 6pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Wait-Wait-Podcast-Tile-300x300-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/Xogv",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=121493804&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Wait-Wait-Dont-Tell-Me-p46/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/344098539/podcast.xml"
}
},
"weekend-edition-saturday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-saturday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Saturday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Saturday wraps up the week's news and offers a mix of analysis and features on a wide range of topics, including arts, sports, entertainment, and human interest stories. The two-hour program is hosted by NPR's Peabody Award-winning Scott Simon.",
"airtime": "SAT 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-saturday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-saturday"
},
"weekend-edition-sunday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-sunday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Sunday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Sunday features interviews with newsmakers, artists, scientists, politicians, musicians, writers, theologians and historians. The program has covered news events from Nelson Mandela's 1990 release from a South African prison to the capture of Saddam Hussein.",
"airtime": "SUN 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-sunday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-sunday"
}
},
"racesReducer": {},
"racesGenElectionReducer": {},
"racesGenElection2026Reducer": {},
"radioSchedulesReducer": {},
"listsReducer": {
"posts/arts?category=popculture": {
"isFetching": false,
"latestQuery": {
"from": 984,
"size": 12
},
"vitalsOnly": false,
"totalRequested": 12,
"isLoading": false,
"isLoadingMore": true,
"total": {
"value": 2976,
"relation": "eq"
},
"items": [
"arts_13930072",
"arts_13930048",
"arts_13930006",
"arts_13929879",
"arts_13929372",
"arts_13929332",
"arts_13929254",
"arts_13929006",
"arts_13928974",
"arts_13928931",
"arts_13928681",
"arts_13928788"
],
"complete": true
}
},
"recallGuideReducer": {
"intros": {},
"policy": {},
"candidates": {}
},
"savedArticleReducer": {
"articles": [],
"status": {}
},
"newslettersReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"newsletters": {},
"isSubscribing": false,
"isUnsubscribing": false,
"subscribedNewsletters": {}
},
"termsReducer": {
"about": {
"name": "About",
"type": "terms",
"id": "about",
"slug": "about",
"link": "/about",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"arts": {
"name": "Arts & Culture",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"description": "KQED Arts provides daily in-depth coverage of the Bay Area's music, art, film, performing arts, literature and arts news, as well as cultural commentary and criticism.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts",
"slug": "arts",
"link": "/arts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"artschool": {
"name": "Art School",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "artschool",
"slug": "artschool",
"link": "/artschool",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareabites": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareabites",
"slug": "bayareabites",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareahiphop": {
"name": "Bay Area Hiphop",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareahiphop",
"slug": "bayareahiphop",
"link": "/bayareahiphop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"campaign21": {
"name": "Campaign 21",
"type": "terms",
"id": "campaign21",
"slug": "campaign21",
"link": "/campaign21",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"careers": {
"name": "Careers",
"type": "terms",
"id": "careers",
"slug": "careers",
"link": "/careers",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"checkplease": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "checkplease",
"slug": "checkplease",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"education": {
"name": "Education",
"grouping": [
"education"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "education",
"slug": "education",
"link": "/education",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"elections": {
"name": "Elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "elections",
"slug": "elections",
"link": "/elections",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"events": {
"name": "Events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "events",
"slug": "events",
"link": "/events",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"event": {
"name": "Event",
"alias": "events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "event",
"slug": "event",
"link": "/event",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"filmschoolshorts": {
"name": "Film School Shorts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "filmschoolshorts",
"slug": "filmschoolshorts",
"link": "/filmschoolshorts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"food": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "food",
"slug": "food",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"forum": {
"name": "Forum",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/forum?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "forum",
"slug": "forum",
"link": "/forum",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"futureofyou": {
"name": "Future of You",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "futureofyou",
"slug": "futureofyou",
"link": "/futureofyou",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"jpepinheart": {
"name": "KQED food",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/food,bayareabites,checkplease",
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "jpepinheart",
"slug": "jpepinheart",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"liveblog": {
"name": "Live Blog",
"type": "terms",
"id": "liveblog",
"slug": "liveblog",
"link": "/liveblog",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"livetv": {
"name": "Live TV",
"parent": "tv",
"type": "terms",
"id": "livetv",
"slug": "livetv",
"link": "/livetv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"lowdown": {
"name": "The Lowdown",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/lowdown?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "lowdown",
"slug": "lowdown",
"link": "/lowdown",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"mindshift": {
"name": "Mindshift",
"parent": "news",
"description": "MindShift explores the future of education by highlighting the innovative – and sometimes counterintuitive – ways educators and parents are helping all children succeed.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift",
"slug": "mindshift",
"link": "/mindshift",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"news": {
"name": "News",
"grouping": [
"news",
"forum"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "news",
"slug": "news",
"link": "/news",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"newsletters": {
"name": "newsletters",
"type": "terms",
"id": "newsletters",
"slug": "newsletters",
"link": "/newsletters",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"perspectives": {
"name": "Perspectives",
"parent": "radio",
"type": "terms",
"id": "perspectives",
"slug": "perspectives",
"link": "/perspectives",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"podcasts": {
"name": "Podcasts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "podcasts",
"slug": "podcasts",
"link": "/podcasts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pop": {
"name": "Pop",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pop",
"slug": "pop",
"link": "/pop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pressroom": {
"name": "Pressroom",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pressroom",
"slug": "pressroom",
"link": "/pressroom",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"quest": {
"name": "Quest",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "quest",
"slug": "quest",
"link": "/quest",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"radio": {
"name": "Radio",
"grouping": [
"forum",
"perspectives"
],
"description": "Listen to KQED Public Radio – home of Forum and The California Report – on 88.5 FM in San Francisco, 89.3 FM in Sacramento, 88.3 FM in Santa Rosa and 88.1 FM in Martinez.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "radio",
"slug": "radio",
"link": "/radio",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"root": {
"name": "KQED",
"image": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"imageWidth": 1200,
"imageHeight": 630,
"headData": {
"title": "KQED | News, Radio, Podcasts, TV | Public Media for Northern California",
"description": "KQED provides public radio, television, and independent reporting on issues that matter to the Bay Area. We’re the NPR and PBS member station for Northern California."
},
"type": "terms",
"id": "root",
"slug": "root",
"link": "/root",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"science": {
"name": "Science",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"description": "KQED Science brings you award-winning science and environment coverage from the Bay Area and beyond.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "science",
"slug": "science",
"link": "/science",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"stateofhealth": {
"name": "State of Health",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth",
"slug": "stateofhealth",
"link": "/stateofhealth",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"support": {
"name": "Support",
"type": "terms",
"id": "support",
"slug": "support",
"link": "/support",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"thedolist": {
"name": "The Do List",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "thedolist",
"slug": "thedolist",
"link": "/thedolist",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"trulyca": {
"name": "Truly CA",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "trulyca",
"slug": "trulyca",
"link": "/trulyca",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"tv": {
"name": "TV",
"type": "terms",
"id": "tv",
"slug": "tv",
"link": "/tv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"voterguide": {
"name": "Voter Guide",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "voterguide",
"slug": "voterguide",
"link": "/voterguide",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"guiaelectoral": {
"name": "Guia Electoral",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "guiaelectoral",
"slug": "guiaelectoral",
"link": "/guiaelectoral",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"arts_category_popculture": {
"isLoading": true
},
"arts_75": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_75",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "75",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Pop Culture",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Pop Culture Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 76,
"slug": "popculture",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/popculture"
},
"arts_1": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Arts",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Arts Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1,
"slug": "arts",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/arts"
},
"arts_967": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_967",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "967",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Theater",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Theater Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 985,
"slug": "theater",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/theater"
},
"arts_977": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_977",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "977",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Film",
"slug": "film",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Film Archives | KQED Arts",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 995,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/film"
},
"arts_13825": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_13825",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13825",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "musicals",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "musicals Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 13837,
"slug": "musicals",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/musicals"
},
"arts_137": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_137",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "137",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2014/04/logo-npr-lg1.png",
"name": "NPR",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "affiliate",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "NPR Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 138,
"slug": "npr",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/affiliate/npr"
},
"arts_990": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_990",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "990",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "TV",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "TV Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1008,
"slug": "tv",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/tv"
},
"arts_11323": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_11323",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "11323",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "celebrities",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "celebrities Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 11335,
"slug": "celebrities",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/celebrities"
},
"arts_8350": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_8350",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "8350",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "HBO",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "HBO Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 8362,
"slug": "hbo",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/hbo"
},
"arts_20624": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_20624",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "20624",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Max",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Max Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20636,
"slug": "max",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/max"
},
"arts_8904": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_8904",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "8904",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Succession",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Succession Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 8916,
"slug": "succession",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/succession"
},
"arts_74": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_74",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "74",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Movies",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Movies Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 75,
"slug": "movies",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/movies"
},
"arts_585": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_585",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "585",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "thedolist",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "thedolist Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 590,
"slug": "thedolist",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/thedolist"
},
"arts_9222": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_9222",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "9222",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Apple TV+",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Apple TV+ Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 9234,
"slug": "apple-tv",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/apple-tv"
},
"arts_8273": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_8273",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "8273",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "football",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "football Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 8285,
"slug": "football",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/football"
},
"arts_4506": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_4506",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "4506",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Sports",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Sports Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 4518,
"slug": "sports",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/sports"
},
"arts_140": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_140",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "140",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "The Do List",
"slug": "the-do-list",
"taxonomy": "program",
"description": null,
"featImg": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/11/The-Do-LIst-logo-2014-horizontal-015.png",
"headData": {
"title": "The Do List Archives | KQED Arts",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 141,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/program/the-do-list"
},
"arts_69": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_69",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "69",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Music",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Music Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 70,
"slug": "music",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/music"
},
"arts_13672": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_13672",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13672",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Documentaries",
"slug": "documentaries",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Documentaries | KQED Arts",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 13684,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/documentaries"
},
"arts_12735": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_12735",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "12735",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Gen Z",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Gen Z Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 12747,
"slug": "gen-z",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/gen-z"
},
"arts_2838": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_2838",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "2838",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "grief",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "grief Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2850,
"slug": "grief",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/grief"
},
"arts_2137": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_2137",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "2137",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "social media",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "social media Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2149,
"slug": "social-media",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/social-media"
},
"arts_8017": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_8017",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "8017",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "tiktok",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "tiktok Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 8029,
"slug": "tiktok",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/tiktok"
},
"arts_2798": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_2798",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "2798",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "#MeToo",
"slug": "metoo",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "#MeToo | KQED Arts",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 2810,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/metoo"
},
"arts_12322": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_12322",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "12322",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "films",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "films Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 12334,
"slug": "films",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/films"
},
"arts_3669": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_3669",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "3669",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "alfred hitchcock",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "alfred hitchcock Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3681,
"slug": "alfred-hitchcock",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/alfred-hitchcock"
},
"arts_4813": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_4813",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "4813",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "mothers day",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "mothers day Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 4825,
"slug": "mothers-day",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/mothers-day"
},
"arts_73": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_73",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "73",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Books",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Books Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 74,
"slug": "literature",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/literature"
},
"arts_928": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_928",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "928",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "books",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "books Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 946,
"slug": "books",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/books"
},
"arts_1420": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1420",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1420",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "jazz",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "jazz Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1432,
"slug": "jazz",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/jazz"
},
"arts_4919": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_4919",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "4919",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Michael Jackson",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Michael Jackson Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 4931,
"slug": "michael-jackson",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/michael-jackson"
},
"arts_901": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_901",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "901",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "visual art",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "visual art Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 919,
"slug": "visual-art",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/visual-art"
},
"arts_5050": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_5050",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "5050",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Woody Allen",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Woody Allen Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 5062,
"slug": "woody-allen",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/woody-allen"
},
"arts_11007": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_11007",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "11007",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "AAPI",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "AAPI Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 11019,
"slug": "aapi",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/aapi"
},
"arts_2855": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_2855",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "2855",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Filipino",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Filipino Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2867,
"slug": "filipino",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/filipino"
},
"arts_1176": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1176",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1176",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Filipino-American",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Filipino-American Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1188,
"slug": "filipino-american",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/filipino-american"
},
"arts_1191": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1191",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1191",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Sesame Street",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"socialTitle": "Sesame Street in the Bay: Fun & Learning for the Bay's Little Ones",
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "Learn with Elmo, Grover & friends in sunny San Francisco! KQED shares Sesame Street's Bay Area adventures, songs, and educational resources.",
"metaRobotsNoIndex": "index",
"title": "Sesame Street in the Bay: Fun & Learning for the Bay's Little Ones",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1203,
"slug": "sesame-street",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/sesame-street"
},
"arts_70": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_70",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "70",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Visual Arts",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Visual Arts Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 71,
"slug": "visualarts",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/visualarts"
},
"arts_19562": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_19562",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "19562",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "fanzines",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "fanzines Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 19574,
"slug": "fanzines",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/fanzines"
},
"arts_10278": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_10278",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "10278",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "featured-arts",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "featured-arts Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 10290,
"slug": "featured-arts",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/featured-arts"
},
"arts_903": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_903",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "903",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "graffiti",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "graffiti Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 921,
"slug": "graffiti",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/graffiti"
},
"arts_831": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_831",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "831",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Hip Hop",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"socialTitle": "Fresh Off the Streets: Get Amped by the Bay's Hottest Hip-Hop Stories",
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "Discover rising stars, hidden gems, and live events that'll keep your head nodding. Find your next favorite local hip hop artist right here.",
"metaRobotsNoIndex": "index",
"title": "Fresh Off the Streets: Get Amped by the Bay's Hottest Hip-Hop Stories",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 849,
"slug": "hip-hop",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/hip-hop"
},
"arts_9124": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_9124",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "9124",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Animals",
"slug": "animals",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Animals | KQED Arts",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 9136,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/animals"
},
"arts_8819": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_8819",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "8819",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "dogs",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "dogs Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 8831,
"slug": "dogs",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/dogs"
}
},
"userPermissionsReducer": {
"wpLoggedIn": false
},
"eventsReducer": {},
"fssReducer": {},
"tvDailyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvWeeklyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvPrimetimeScheduleReducer": {},
"tvMonthlyScheduleReducer": {},
"userAccountReducer": {
"user": {
"email": null,
"emailStatus": "EMAIL_UNVALIDATED",
"loggedStatus": "LOGGED_OUT",
"loggingChecked": false,
"articles": [],
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"phoneNumber": null,
"fetchingMembership": false,
"membershipError": false,
"memberships": [
{
"id": null,
"startDate": null,
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"familyNumber": null,
"memberNumber": null,
"memberSince": null,
"expirationDate": null,
"pfsEligible": false,
"isSustaining": false,
"membershipLevel": "Prospect",
"membershipStatus": "Non Member",
"lastGiftDate": null,
"renewalDate": null,
"lastDonationAmount": null
}
]
},
"authModal": {
"isOpen": false,
"view": "LANDING_VIEW"
},
"error": null
},
"youthMediaReducer": {},
"checkPleaseReducer": {
"filterData": {
"region": {
"key": "Restaurant Region",
"filters": [
"Any Region"
]
},
"cuisine": {
"key": "Restaurant Cuisine",
"filters": [
"Any Cuisine"
]
}
},
"restaurantDataById": {},
"restaurantIdsSorted": [],
"error": null
},
"userAgentReducer": {
"userAgent": "Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)",
"isBot": true
}
}
