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Gerard Alessandrini is the creator of Forbidden Broadway, a show that spoofs hit Broadway shows. Alessandrini sees every show that opens, to mine its comic potential out of and create parodies. He offers his predictions for Sunday night's Tony Awards.

Demand for Apple's iPhone 5 is expected to be so big that one economist predicted sales could boost the U.S. economy 1/2 percent. And Apple's going to court to shut down what it sees as copycats. Slate columnist Farhad Manjoo talks about who's competing with Apple, and whether it's working.

Brilliant arms-merchant playboy dons advanced battle armor to save the world from evil plot. Latest Marvel Comics adaptation wants to be this summer's first blockbuster, but it's too overloaded for takeoff.

First-person shooter games have become more cinematic and aesthetically pleasing over the years and dominate the video game industry. Stephen Totilo, editor in chief of online video game publication Kotaku, explains the appeal of point-and-shoot games.

NPR's Bob Mondello says similarities often emerge among movies sharing a season, and that is especially apparent this year. The most obvious are the 19th-century war movies (Master and Commander, The Last Samurai, and Cold Mountain) -- but there are more obscure trends, like films that include a dead child in their plots (Mystic River, In America, 21 Grams).

Some 15 percent of the U.S. population lived below the poverty line in 2011, according to a report from the Census Bureau. Tavis Smiley and Cornel West, co-authors of The Rich and the Rest of the U.S., argue that both political parties virtually ignore the issue of poverty.

On Thursday, Friends airs its last episode. The long-running Frasier is also winding to a close. Both shows have been keys to NBC's success and the network has been looking for replacements for years. But there hasn't been a breakout sitcom on any network hit since Will and Grace had its debut six seasons back. Some even say that sitcoms have lost their appeal. Two sitcom veterans -- Paul Reiser and Jim Burrows -- are trying to prove that the traditional sitcom lives. NPR's Kim Masters reports.

The highly anticipated animated films Monsters University, Despicable Me 2 and Turbo hit theaters this summer. From cel technology to full-length, computer-animated, celebrity-studded movies, animation has come a long way.

The Treasury and Federal Reserve both announced new rules Thursday that seek to curb soaring pay at U.S. financial institutions. U.S. pay czar Kenneth Feignberg laid out the details of his plan to slash pay for top executives at seven firms that received government bailout money. The Fed intends to reduce "systemic risk" by monitoring compensation practices for the first time.

Jane Gardam has spent her long career writing dry, honest books about British life. Her new novel, The Man in the Wooden Hat, showcases the regrets of a woman never quite sure that marrying her husband was the right choice. Critic Maureen Corrigan calls Gardam the best British writer you've never heard of.