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This week’s big release is “Snow White and the Huntsman,” starring Kristen Stewart of “Twilight” fame, and Charlize Theron as her wicked stepmother. Rafer Guzman and Kristen Meinzer, our Movie Date team, are here as usual. In addition to hosting the podcast, Rafer is film critic for Newsday and Kristen is culture producer for the Takeaway.

At age 18, an American is old enough to fight, and die, for his or her country, but not old enough to buy a beer. At age 16, one can obtain a driver’s license, but not rent a car. And at age 17, one can get married in some states, but not in others. When, exactly, is a kid no longer a kid? When does childhood end and adulthood begin?

The semifinals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee begin today. And who better to talk through it all than 1999 champion Nupur Lala? Nupur won the bee with the word “logorrhea,” which means “the excessive use of words.” Her journey to the top was documented in the Oscar-nominated film “Spellbound.” 

Does technology hurt a child's character development? Psychotherapist Sheri Noga believes there are potentially negative sides. As she sees it, today’s technology amplifies the mindset of immediate gratification; and that can be bad for children, parents and the world.

No doubt, from time to time, every working person has wanted to scream, “take this job and shove it.” What if you could keep your job, and give your boss the boot instead?

Just over a year after the release of his Oscar-winning documentary “Inside Job,” Charles Ferguson returns to the topic of the 2008 financial crisis with his latest book “Predator Nation.”

Over the course of its short life, Twitter has been many things to many people… from not-so-personal diary to celebrity sounding board; from advertising platform to political tool for the collective masses. And now, Twitter can add one more title to its list of uses: Literary device for Pulitzer Prize winners. Beginning last Thursday night, the New Yorker began publishing Jennifer Egan’s new short story “Black Box,” one tweet at a time.

This year's Cannes Film Festival just wrapped up last night, and Sharon Waxman, founder and CEO of TheWrap.com, was there. She reviews this year's biggest films and oddest happenings.

It’s Memorial Day, a day that Americans often conflate with Veterans Day. Just to clarify: Memorial Day, once known as Decoration Day, was founded just after the Civil War; Veterans Day, once known as Armistice Day, was founded after World War I. Veterans Day is in November; Memorial Day, of course, is the last Monday in May. Kenneth C. Davis, author "Don't Know Much About History," gives a more comprehensive history of the origins and evolution of Memorial Day.

It’s Friday, when we talk about movies at the Takeaway. This week’s big release is “Men In Black 3,” starring Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, and Josh Brolin as a young Tommy Lee Jones. We also have Wes Anderson’s newest movie “Moonrise Kingdom.” Rafer Guzman and Kristen Meinzer, our Movie Date team, are here as usual to give their recommendations on what to see and what to skip.

This week's Movie Date podcast is out of this world! No, really. Kristen and Rafer get extraterrestrial reviewing this week's blockbuster, "Men in Black 3." Listen to The Takeaway's Movie Date team engage in some Will Smith gossip and hear about Kristen's emotional reaction to the end of the film.

A new study suggests that children born via C-section are twice as likely to be obese by age three than those delivered vaginally way. On the surface, this might appear to be breakthrough work in our understanding of obesity, but how seriously should expectant mothers take it?

All this week, we’ve been talking about how students are learning today, both in and out of the classroom. Our conversations have looked at cell phones as educational tools, and at whether college students are studying less now than they did forty years ago. Today, we take a closer look at the study habits of primary and middle school students. In the past several years, a growing number of parents, teachers, and researchers have argued that kids are being assigned too much homework. After eight hours in school, they wonder if studying for hours at home afterward is really necessary.

Whether you love or hate politics, it’s hard to deny that when it comes to identity and culture, this year’s presidential election is truly historic. The incumbent is, of course, half black and thus, a racial minority. The challenger is Mormon, and thus, a religious minority. What if you’re one of the one million Americans who is both black and Mormon? How does identity factor in? Two African-American Mormons join us today to share their thoughts.

College is a time for academic inquiry, personal growth, and, of course, studying. But three studies published in the past three years suggest there might be less studying happening on college campuses than there used to be. According to one of them, by economists from the University of California, Santa Barbara, college students today spend about 40 percent less time studying outside of class than they did in 1961.

A bipartisan group of mayors and business leaders from across the country thinks we need to look at immigration differently. The Partnership for a New American Economy released a new report yesterday that suggests our economic prosperity depends on increasing opportunities for immigrants to enter the United States.

If you’re a parent, teacher, or student, you probably won’t be surprised by these statistics: In schools that permit cell phones, 71 percent of students text during class. In schools that ban cell phones entirely, the percentage is nearly as high: 58 percent. While we frequently hear teachers and parents complaining about these statistics, not all adults see these numbers as a bad thing. In fact, a small but growing number of educators are exploring how cell phones might be used to help students learn more and learn better.

In study after study, we’re told that the economic recovery is real. But tell that to unemployed Americans over 55. More than half of jobless seniors, about 1.1 million people, have been unemployed for more than six months, up from 23 percent four years ago, according to a government report released last week. But these aren’t just numbers — they’re people all over the country.

Babies are cute, but the nine months before they come out aren't usually the best. That's at least true for some of the faux-moms in the new romantic comedy, "What to Expect When You're Expecting." The dads aren't at their most glamorous either, but the film delivers on the comedy of having a kid. Wondering if this pregnancy movie will make a good date? Kristen and Rafer let us in on what to expect out of this ensemble rom-com.

There are several movies coming out that are either targeting women, or depicting them in ways that have critics up in arms. They range from the chick flick “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” to the “The Dictator,” which stars Sacha Baron Cohen as a misogynistic totalitarian leader. Rafer Guzman and Kristen Meinzer, The Takeaway's Movie Date team, are here as usual. In addition to hosting the podcast, Rafer is film critic for Newsday and Kristen is the culture producer for The Takeaway.