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Pop Literacy

Oct 29, 2018

Or: What is Dave Chappelle doing in A Star Is Born? We were intrigued when Chappelle showed up in the middle of that delirious fever dream of a trailer for A Star Is Born, so we investigated. Turns out he’s friends with director-star Bradley Cooper, so, voila! A dramatic acting cameo is born. Inspired by this chance...


Oct 22, 2018

In a culture where every day we’re afraid to look at the news, lest we hear of yet another public figure who’s caught up in an appalling scandal, Oscar winner Tom Hanks remains one of Hollywood’s best examples of a decent guy. Not perfect, not a scoundrel; not too political, but ready to stand up for what...


Oct 15, 2018

Women have been battling their way through Hollywood sexism behind the scenes for decades to get us to the point where more women than ever are now making television shows. This week we talk to two heroines of the male-dominated past.

First, Mary Tyler Moore Show writer Susan Silver, whose memoir Hot Pants in...


Oct 8, 2018

We’re certainly at Peak Reboot, with this fall’s Magnum P.I., Charmed, and Murphy Brown reimaginings hitting the air, and talk of rebooting everything from Frasier and Mad About You to Alf and The Twilight Zone. Few will argue passionately in favor of another round of Alf, but perhaps our griping about reboots...


Oct 1, 2018

In Episode 1, Pop Literacy investigates: Why the hell is BET’s new biographical miniseries about Bobby Brown so extraordinary?

The short answer is that it was written by the same guy who scripted BET’s last ingenious biographical excursion, The New Edition Story. Abdul Williams talks to Pop Literacy about doing...