Pop Culture

Commentator Leslie Savan has some thoughts on Nissan's "Infiniti" and Toyota's "Lexus" car ads.

Writer and critic Patricia McLaughlin looks at the wave of "Batmania" now at full force throughout the country.

Commentator Maureen Corrigan explains why she hates summer festivals, be they music, ethnic, food, or whatever.

Critic-at-large Laurie Stone says that recent advertisements, TV shows, and theater betray a cultural shift toward a new traditionalism that debases feminism and expects women to return to conventionally feminine roles.

Fresh Air broadcasts a portion of Dmae Roberts's upcoming radio documentary, Waiting for the Great Leap Forward, produced for the Soundprint program. The feature includes interviews with teenagers about their attitudes toward school, relationships, drugs, and sex.

Folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand discusses the urban legend of a dead rabbit, which someone finds, cleans, and replaces in its cage.

Folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand recently came back from New Zealand, where he learned some of the local urban legends. Several of them echoed familiar tales in the United States.

Humorist Alice Kahn reflects on the difficulty of returning to your childhood home.

Humorist Alice Kahn looks at the 28-year relationship between Barbie and Ken, America's best-known dolls.

Humorist Al Gingold expounds on the purchase of a sofa, a key milepost in the coming of age in America.