Top Picks: The app Aurora, NBC's 'Maya and Marty,' and more
On the Parquet Courts' album 'Human Performance,' the band oozes ironic cool, photographer Richard Nicholson's 'The Projectionists' gives viewers a glimpse into a hidden world, and more top picks.
HBO
Bryan Cranston as L.B.J.
Acclaimed actor Bryan Cranston鈥檚 Tony-winning performance as President Lyndon B. Johnson comes to the small screen with ,an HBO film based on the play of the same name. The movie depicts important events and figures of Johnson鈥檚 presidency such as Martin Luther King Jr. (Anthony Mackie) and J. Edgar Hoover (Stephen Root), but the highlight is Cranston鈥檚 impressive performance. The film is streaming on HBO Go and HBO Now. Warning: There鈥檚 strong language and adult content.
The people behind the movies
When you go to a movie theater, how often do you consider the person who鈥檚 making the movie happen? Photographer Richard Nicholson gives viewers a glimpse into a hidden world with his series The Projectionists, which depicts the people who hold that job and where they do it 鈥� an area tucked away from moviegoers. Nicholson鈥檚 images show walls papered with movie posters and rooms filled with intriguing equipment. Check them out at .
Podcast suggestions
Looking for a new podcast for your commute? The app will help you find new ones, with editors submitting their top picks. The app also suggests podcasts based on what you鈥檝e listened to in the past. Aurora just may have your new favorite program. It鈥檚 available free of charge for iOS.
Variety on NBC
The variety TV genre makes another return with the NBC program , starring comedians Maya Rudolph and Martin Short. Modern takes on this genre haven鈥檛 always succeeded, but the proven talents of Rudolph and Short, both of whom starred on 鈥淪aturday Night Live,鈥� inspire confidence. 鈥淢aya and Marty鈥� debuts May 31 on NBC at 10 p.m.
Parquet Courts鈥� ironic cool
It鈥檚 hard to resist a band as comfortable in their own quirky skin as Parquet Courts. The Brooklyn indie quartet oozes ironic cool on their new album, , as the brave, in-your-face vocals of frontman Andrew Savage suck you into their off-kilter worldview. The spaghetti western guitar of 鈥淏erlin Got Blurry鈥� and romantic paranoia of the album鈥檚 title song illustrate the band鈥檚 newfound depth.