Neda Ulaby

"Dad jokes are just a verbal form of play," says behavioral scientist Peter McGraw. "It's just a different way to tickle and roughhouse with your kids."

The song "Imagine" is an international anthem of peace and, well, imagination. Until this week, John Lennon had sole credit for writing the song, but in his lifetime, Lennon wanted that changed.

Unconventional relationships are all over TV. Open marriages and three-ways have driven stories on scripted shows like House of Cards, Transparent and Orphan Black — and reality TV isn't far behind.

Bitty Bittle is a gay college hockey star who loves making pies. He's the main character in the popular hockey webcomic "Check Please," created by Ngozi Ukazu — who incidentally cannot skate.

A writers' strike was narrowly averted Tuesday, as a tentative three-year pact was reached between members of the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

A documentarian spent six days filming The New York Times obit desk at work. One staffer describes the process of writing an obituary as "equal parts exhilaration and terror."

Filmmaker Jonathan Demme died this morning in his New York apartment, of complications from esophageal cancer. He was 73 years old. Demme had the seemingly effortless ability to cross over from big budget Hollywood movies like "Silence of the Lambs" and "Philadelphia" to documentaries about Haiti and rockumentaries about Talking Heads and Neil Young.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance has been described as one of the most influential books of popular philosophy. Author Robert Pirsig died Monday "after a period of failing health."

"The World's Foremost Authority" has died at age 102. Professor Irwin Corey was a staple on late-night TV. In his 90s, he was panhandling for social causes in Manhattan.

Many Chinese-Americans are celebrating the start of the Lunar New Year Saturday. We'll meet the 97-year-old who helped revolutionize Chinese food in America and find out how she's celebrating.

Hollywood icon Debbie Reynolds has died at the age of 84. Reynolds had a celebrated career as a film actress - she was in the classic Singin' in the Rain and a TV, Broadway and Las Vegas star.

The legendary abolitionist hasn't had a big place in popular culture. But with an upcoming movie starring Viola Davis and her appearance in the TV show Underground, that's starting to change.

They sound completely disgusting. But cookie-dough-themed cocktails are a trend this holiday season, including at a D.C. pop-up where they're the most popular drinks.

The screen siren was probably most responsible for the notion of "famous for being famous." NPR's Neda Ulaby looks back at Gabor's contributions to pop culture and to our ideas about celebrity.

Longtime toymakers are broadening their horizons — offering dolls and other figures with hearing aids, wheelchairs and insulin pumps in city scenes, not just hospitals. That's a start, activists say.

A charity cookbook featuring soup recipes from Alice Waters, Anthony Bourdain and others, famous and not, has raised $300,000 so far for displaced Syrians. Why soup? It's a universal comfort food.

TV doesn't have the best track record with public transportation; in the '90s and early 2000s, even shows set in New York rarely showed characters on the subway or bus. Now, that's starting to change.

The first Thanksgiving most likely took place in 1621 at Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts. Plymouth Plantation, a living history museum, recently showcased the spiritual music of both the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians.

Pioneering African-American journalist Gwen Ifill has died. Ifill was best-known as host of the programs Washington Week and PBS NewsHour. She also moderated two vice presidential debates and presidential primary debates this year. She was 61.

The new film is based on a short story by Ted Chiang — a 49-year-old technical writer based in Seattle. "Fiction writing is very hard for me," he explains — and so Chiang takes his time.