Mandalit del Barco

Background Singers Hit Center Stage In 'Twenty Feet From Stardom'

Mandalit del Barco — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 07:16:00 +0000

Twenty Feet from Stardom, filmmaker Morgan Neville's new documentary, is a reminder that most of pop music's catchiest hooks, riffs and refrains were sung by voices harmonizing in the background.

The Doors' Keyboard Counterpoint Goes Silent: Remembering Ray Manzarek

Mandalit del Barco — Tue, 21 May 2013 07:15:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvVCCMG-JoQ

Nostalgia For Sale As Captain Kangaroo's Pals Are Auctioned Off

Mandalit del Barco — Mon, 20 May 2013 07:06:00 +0000

The classic children's show Captain Kangaroo aired on TV for nearly 30 years, starting in 1955. After its creator and star, Bob Keeshan, died in 2004, his estate donated a few of his beloved hand puppets to the Smithsonian.

But if you're like me and grew up in the 1960s and '70s, you have hazy memories of Captain Kangaroo telling stories, drawing pictures and palling around with a whole cast of sidekicks, including the bespectacled Mr. Bunny Rabbit, a dancing bear, farmhand Mr.

Draco Rosa: A Pop Survivor Returns From The Brink, With Friends

Mandalit del Barco — Sat, 18 May 2013 16:03:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHRjWauwpvE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3UVw3a7qIQ

How Does NBC Plan To Climb Back Up Rating's Ladder?

Mandalit del Barco — Fri, 10 May 2013 10:12:00 +0000

NBC was once must-see TV. Now, the network's ratings have slipped behind Spanish Language TV. What happened to this once mighty TV network?

A Tip Of The Mouse Ears To Annette Funicello, 1942-2013

Mandalit del Barco — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 21:59:00 +0000

Now it's time to say goodbye to former Mouseketeer Annette Funicello.

Visual Effects Firms Miss Out On A Film's Success

Mandalit del Barco — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 08:43:00 +0000

Hollywood studios are demanding more and more visual effects to make blockbuster films. But the artists who create this movie magic are protesting that they and their entire industry are in deep financial trouble. Even the most celebrated visual-effects companies face the risk of going under, and there are calls to revamp the way they do business.

The visual-effects community is still buzzing about Oscars night, when Life of Pi won four Academy Awards, including one for visual effects.

Angry Birds TV, Coming To A Mobile Screen Near You

Mandalit del Barco — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 09:12:00 +0000

People of all ages have been passing the time playing Angry Birds on their mobile devices. Now Rovio, the company that created the best-selling app, is offering fans a new cartoon series based on the game, which has so far been downloaded 1.7 billion times.

The concept behind Angry Birds is extremely simple: There are these colorful cartoon birds that are angry because some green pigs are after their eggs. Players of the digital game use slingshots to catapult the birds — who don't fly — to destroy structures hiding the pigs.

"At its heart, it's just fun to play.

Will 'Oz The Great And Powerful' Live Up To Emerald Status

Mandalit del Barco — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 09:48:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

"The Wizard of Oz" means to a lot of people, a young Judy Garland in sparkly ruby slippers. But in the hundred years since L. Frank Baum wrote the Oz stories, they, or stories featuring Oz characters, have been produced dozens of times. The latest, a prequel that opens in theaters this weekend, called "Oz the Great and Powerful."

NPR's Mandalit Del Barco has more.

MANDALIT DEL BARCO, BYLINE: This newest version begins like the classic 1939 "Wizard of Oz" movie, in Kansas, black and white, a tornado.

Spanish-Language Network Univision Ranks 3rd In U.S. Ratings

Mandalit del Barco — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 10:16:00 +0000

The latest TV ratings are out and CBS captured the top spot with help from its Super Bowl broadcast. Last fall, NBC was No. 1 but now it's fourth. What's surprising is that Spanish-language network Univision has surpassed NBC's ratings.

'Argo,' 'Life Of Pi' Win Top Oscars

Mandalit del Barco — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 14:11:00 +0000

The movies Argo and Life of Pi and actors Daniel Day-Lewis and Jennifer Lawrence were among the winners at Sunday's Academy Awards. But no one movie swept the show.

What You Didn't See At The Academy Awards

Mandalit del Barco — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 13:44:00 +0000

NPR's Sam Sanders and Mandalit del Barco were backstage at the Oscars on Sunday, covering the awards show. They sat in the press room, where winners go for interviews during and after the show.

The Story Of 'No' Is The Story Of Modern Chile

Mandalit del Barco — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 07:31:00 +0000

The film No revisits the moment in Chile's history when 56 percent of the country voted to oust a dictator from power. It's the tale of the ad campaign that helped persuade Chileans to cast their ballots against Gen. Augusto Pinochet in a national referendum.

"This is an epic story, the story of a triumph," says Director Pablo Larrain. "It's how they defeat a dictator — probably one of the biggest bastards that we ever had in humankind."

A CIA-backed coup d'etat got Pinochet into power in 1973.

Famous Behind The Scenes, A Hitmaker Covets The Spotlight

Mandalit del Barco — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 22:16:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv6dMFF_yts

Why Al Walser Got A Grammy Nomination And Justin Bieber Didn't

Mandalit del Barco — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 08:29:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k80DSWGcFIg

South L.A. Teens Doubt New Laws Will Change Gun Culture

Mandalit del Barco — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 22:05:00 +0000

On 53rd Street and Vermont Avenue in South Los Angeles, violent members of at least six gangs run the streets. A landmark church is boarded up and tagged. There are liquor stores and abandoned lots. On Tuesday night, there was a drive-by shooting two blocks away, and folks are expecting retaliation. This is an area where murders, robberies and rapes are common — and so are guns.

"There's too many guns out there," says Randolph Wright, 18. "I can tell you right now, every hood has an AK[-47].

Porn Industry Turned Off By L.A. Mandate For Condoms On Set

Mandalit del Barco — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 22:45:00 +0000

In November, more than 1.5 million Los Angeles County voters passed the Safer Sex in the Adult Film Industry Act.

South Park Duo Creates Production Studio

Mandalit del Barco — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 09:22:00 +0000

Having success in TV, movies and Broadway, Trey Parker and Matt Stone are now branching out with their own $300 million production company. They've named it Important Studios, and it's poised to approve TV, movie and theater projects.

In Pursuit of Recognition: An Undocumented Immigrant's Resilient Fight

Mandalit del Barco — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 09:04:00 +0000

Unlike many undocumented immigrants, Sofia Campos is not afraid to give her real name.

"It's deliberate, and it's liberating," she says. "It's kind of a shock to hear somebody say, 'I am undocumented' or wear the 'I am undocumented' T-shirt, just in your face."

The 22-year-old is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, and heads United We Dream — a national network of youth-led immigrant organizations.

Hollywood Execs Shift Programming After Newtown Shooting

Mandalit del Barco — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 21:31:00 +0000

Entertainers are making shifts in their programming because of the killings in Connecticut. The premiere for the violent movie Django Unchained was cancelled and a reality show about a funeral was delayed until January, among other moves.

A&M Records: Independent, With Major Appeal

Mandalit del Barco — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 08:17:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16B5Xm8_IKw

California Keeps Death Penalty, Amends 3-Strikes Law

Mandalit del Barco — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 10:51:00 +0000

Several thousand prisoners in California may be eligible to apply for sentence reductions, after voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot initiative Tuesday that alters the state's controversial three-strikes law.

But voters also rejected a proposition that would abolish the death penalty in the state.

Walt Disney Co. To Buy Lucasfilm

Mandalit del Barco — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 09:21:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Oh my gosh. You create the social equivalent of nuclear fusion when you combine the people who are obsessed with Star Wars and the people obsessed with Disney. The Walt Disney Company is apparently willing to take that risk. In a move that surprised industry observers, Disney announced, yesterday, it is buying Lucasfilm, the studio founded by George Lucas and home to the Star Wars franchise.

'Sábado Gigante' Celebrates 50 With Lots Of Variety

Mandalit del Barco — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 20:07:00 +0000

For 50 years, Spanish-speaking TV viewers have tuned into the weekly variety show Sábado Gigante. Host Don Francisco commands a festive live audience in Miami, with celebrity interviews, musical performances, goofy sidekicks and scantily clad dancers. The three-hour show is broadcast throughout the Americas.

Ivalisse Pina has been watching Sábado Gigante for 25 years. The 61-year-old retiree from the Dominican Republic is a die-hard fan. It's a fun show, she says from her home in Orlando, where she watches every week with her grandchildren.

From Tim Burton, Another Signature Lovable Loner

Mandalit del Barco — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 07:43:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE10-Mforlo

'Moon River' Singer Andy Williams Has Died

Mandalit del Barco — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 22:14:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LK4pmJQ6zgM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1S2kLTaUrM

Space Shuttle Endeavour Makes Final Landing

Mandalit del Barco — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 21:30:00 +0000

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

Finally this hour, to California, where space shuttle Endeavour made its final flight today. Endeavour left Andrews Air Force Base this morning on the back of a 747. It flew over San Francisco and Sacramento before heading south to Los Angeles. There, it will find new life as an exhibit in a science museum. Before Endeavour touched down, it made a low-level pass over a number of Southern California landmarks.

The Straight-To-DVD World Of 'Mockbusters'

Mandalit del Barco — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 20:32:00 +0000

Dreamworks' animated movie Puss in Boots was a big deal. It won an Oscar, and its swashbuckling, sloe-eyed kitty was voiced by Antonio Banderas.

The meticulous computer-generated animation took four years and something like $130 million to make. But another cartoon, Puss In Boots: A Furry Tail, was hand-drawn in six months for less than $1 million. It went straight to DVD — one of the many low-budget productions riding the coattails of Hollywood blockbusters.

Animator Darrell Van Citters once worked at Disney and Warner Bros.