March 2, 2016

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Entertainment March 2, 2016

Today in Movie Culture: Deadpool Goes 'Back to the Future,' 'Jurassic Park' Without the Dinosaurs and More

Here are a bunch of little bites to satisfy your hunger for movie culture:

Mashup of the Day:

This fan art by Mike S. Miller has us wanting Deadpool 2 to just be a remake of Back to the Future starring Deadpool and Cable (via Live for Films):

Movie Comparison of the Day:

You think Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down are the same? Here’s Couch Tomato with 24 ways they’re different:

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Fake Movie of the Day:

There’s a Reddit user who’s turning postings of photos and art and turning them into fake movie posters. In honor of London Has Fallen, below is one starring Gerard Butler. See more at io9.

Filmmaker in Focus:

Edited by the great Jacob T. Swinney, here is Steven Spielberg‘s career summed up in 30 shots from 30 movies, from Duel through The BFG:

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Reworked Movie of the Day:

Speaking of Spielberg, here’s what Jurassic Park looks like without any dinosaurs (via Devour):

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Spoilers of the Day:

If you think you’ve seen every major movie of last year, you might find it safe to watch the annual Fine Brothers rundown of their spoilers. Watch if you dare:

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Supercut of the Day:

Speaking of spoilers, here’s a video that tries to tell a story using the final lines from 129 movies (via Devour):

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Star Wars of the Day:

Time to throw away your Snuggie and get yourself one of these Star Wars-inspired crocheted X-wing fighter blankets (via Geekologie):

Cosplay of the Day:

Check out Sneaky Zebra’s compilation of cosplay from this year’s London Super Comic Con, which includes plenty of Star Wars: The Force Awakens costumes:

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Classic Trailer of the Day:

In honor of Zootopia, here’s an old VHS trailer for Disney’s 1973 animated feature Robin Hood, which is said to be a huge influence on the studio’s new release:

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Health March 2, 2016

Protestors Gather Outside Supreme Court As Justices Consider Abortion

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The Supreme Court Wednesday heard what could be its most consequential abortion case in a generation. Hundreds of protestors crowded the steps of the building while arguments took place inside.

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

As we mentioned earlier, people on both sides of the issue rallied outside of the court. That’s where NPR’s Jennifer Ludden was posted.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: If you love an abortion provider, make some noise.

(CHEERING)

JENNIFER LUDDEN, BYLINE: Abortion rights supporters vastly outnumbered abortion opponents. They packed the steps of the Supreme Court, spreading in a dense crowd to the edge of the sidewalk, where police struggled to keep people off the street. Mary Beth Hastings took time off work to be here. She said the stakes seem even higher with the death of Antonin Scalia and the need to pick a new justice.

MARY BETH HASTINGS: I think it’s tremendously important for people to think about this in terms of the election, in terms about – of Supreme Court justices. This is not something we can take for granted.

LUDDEN: Valerie Peterson came up from Texas to rally with the National Abortion Federation. Last summer, she was devastated to learn her 16-week fetus had a fatal brain abnormality. She said the Texas law being debated today meant a long wait for an abortion, with a mandated ultrasound and counseling, so she flew to Florida to get the procedure.

VALERIE PETERSON: I think that women that don’t have the means that I did will have no choice but to take matters into their own hands. And so this is a really cruel and grueling ruling process for women.

LUDDEN: Most of the few abortion opponents gathered in a small circle, pressed in on all sides by the crowd surrounding them. John Nagourney held a photo of a baby that said life counts.

JOHN NAGOURNEY: We’re kind of hemmed in, so just trying to do my part to, you know, to try to stand up for, you know, truth.

LUDDEN: Next to him, Annie Piper had driven three hours from Liberty University.

ANNIE PIPER: I think that a lot of abortion clinics don’t uphold women’s health standards, and so this is a very, very important issue for women.

LUDDEN: Most in the crowd were young, but not all. Sonia Conly is 77. She’s long supported abortion rights and remembers before Roe v. Wade.

SONIA CONLY: I did have a need for an abortion, but I know women who did. And I know women who had to go to Mexico, so I just think that we’re going backwards.

LUDDEN: Conly remembers walking by the Supreme Court back in 1976, during an early protest against abortion. She was pregnant then. She says she’d never have guessed she’d be here four decades later, still fighting for abortion rights. Jennifer Ludden, NPR news, Washington.

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NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio.

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Business March 2, 2016

Indicted Ex-Oil CEO Aubrey McClendon Dies In Car Crash

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Aubrey McClendon, one of the pioneers of the shale oil revolution in the U.S. died in a car crash Wednesday at age 56 years. McClendon was indicted Tuesday on charges he conspired to rig the bidding process on oil and gas leases in Oklahoma.

Transcript

KELLY MCEVERS, HOST:

A pioneer of the U.S. fracking industry died today suddenly. Oklahoma police say Aubrey McClendon drove his car into an overpass wall. Just yesterday, the Justice Department had indicted McClendon on charges that he rigged the bidding process for oil and gas leases in Oklahoma. McClendon denied the charges, calling them unprecedented and wrong, but the circumstances of his death are bound to raise questions. Joining us now is Joe Wertz of State Impact Oklahoma. He’s speaking to us from KOSU in Oklahoma City. And, Joe, what else are police saying about how McClendon died?

JOE WERTZ: Well, the Oklahoma City police aren’t saying a whole lot. At a press conference here this afternoon, they said they don’t know what caused the accident. They just know the former Chesapeake Energy CEO was alone in an SUV that was likely traveling faster than the speed limits. The SUV left the road, hit the wall of an overpass and burst into flames. McClendon died. Police – the only other detail police had was that there appeared to be plenty of space for McClendon to get back on the road and avoid the wall.

MCEVERS: Do they suspect that he took his own life?

WERTZ: They haven’t – again, they haven’t said. They’re going to do an autopsy, and they promise more details in the days and weeks to come. But we just don’t know at this point.

MCEVERS: I mean, when you read about McClendon, he’s obviously this larger-than-life figure in the energy industry. He’s the co-founder of an energy company that took off the mid-’90s – a company he was later forced out of. I mean, given the impact he’s had on Oklahoma, how are people there reacting?

WERTZ: Oklahoma is reacting with shock and disbelief. McClendon had a big impact on the state and Oklahoma City, in particular. But McClendon and Chesapeake Energy were also a force in world energy markets. McClendon didn’t invent hydraulic fracturing or fracking, but he was certainly one of the technology’s biggest evangelists. He was a high-profile and unapologetic oil man and, really, one of the principle architects of the recent energy boom here in the U.S. And all of that was made possible by fracking’s ability to unlock oil and gas from shale rock, and McClendon was at the center of all that.

MCEVERS: He was also a major philanthropist, I understand, supporting lots of arts organizations in the city and state, and also a big basketball fan. Am I right?

WERTZ: Yeah, that’s right. You know, McClendon cut a wide path in Oklahoma and Oklahoma City especially, both individually and at the helm of Chesapeake Energy. He gave a lot of money to charities, you know, community groups and arts organizations. He was active in city development issues. And he played a key role in bringing the NBA franchise to Oklahoma City. He owned an estimated 20 percent of the team, and Oklahoma City Thunder is a huge deal in Oklahoma City, and he was a regular on the sideline there at the arena – the Chesapeake Arena, of course, named after the company.

MCEVERS: Quickly – I mean, the Justice Department has said their bid-rigging investigation is ongoing, which means there might be additional indictments. Talk about that just a little bit.

WERTZ: Yeah, you know, it’s bad news on top of bad news. The news of the indictment just broke Tuesday, so we don’t have a lot of details. It’s a bid-rigging charge, and the feds say that the charges that McClendon faced are part of an ongoing probe, so we just don’t know a lot more – a lot of unanswered questions.

MCEVERS: That’s Joe Wertz of State Impact Oklahoma. Thank you so much.

WERTZ: Thank you.

Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio.

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Sports March 2, 2016

Basketball's 3-Pointer: From Tacky Gimmick To Strategic Platform

Stephen Curry (right) of the Golden State Warriors dribbles toward Pablo Prigioni of the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half of a game at Staples Center on Feb. 20.
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Stephen Curry (right) of the Golden State Warriors dribbles toward Pablo Prigioni of the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half of a game at Staples Center on Feb. 20. Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

It was not that long ago when the accepted wisdom in football was that the running game had to be established — that was always the obligatory verb: established — before passes could become effective. My, we know how that has changed. Now the pass is established from the get-go, and running is an afterthought.

Well, I think it is certified now that basketball has experienced the same sort of offensive sea change. At all levels — with men and women — the 3-point shot has utterly transformed the way the game is played. More and more, the players are spread out, looking to pop behind the 3-point arc. More and more teams are, in the vernacular, “going small,” with only one big man down deep. Good grief, the position of power forward is in the process of going the way of short shorts.

Click the audio to hear Frank Deford’s full 2 cents on the 3-point shot.

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