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Renee Montagne and Steve Inskeep

Waking up is hard to do, but it's easier with NPR's Morning Edition. NPR's Renée Montagne and Steve Inskeep, along with WNIJ's Dan Klefstad, bring the day's stories and news to radio listeners on the go. Morning Edition provides news in context, airs thoughtful ideas and commentary, and reviews important new music, books, and events in the arts. All with voices and sounds that invite listeners to experience the stories.

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Dan Klefstad

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News/Talk

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Watching College Basketball's Slump Into Anonymity

Credit Streeter Lecka / Getty Images

Duke freshman Austin Rivers, seen here in the Blue Devils' loss to Lehigh in the NCAA tournament, is leaving school for the NBA draft. The trend of athletes spending only one year in college has hurt the sport, says Frank Deford.

By Frank Deford

Originally published on Wed March 28, 2012 9:31 am

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This year's Final Four seems more like Best in Show at the Westminster. Such pedigree: Kentucky, Kansas, Ohio State and Louisville –– four of the very top dogs in the history of the sport. Well, it's a Meryl Streep kind of year, isn't it?

But if the Final Four might delight fans by giving them aristocracy in its teams, unfortunately the whole of college basketball is plagued by anonymity in its players, and external issues that have diminished the popularity of the game.

Good grief. This year, there has been more buzz about Mad Men than about March Madness.

11:01 pm

Tue March 27, 2012

In Japan, 'Sliced-Up Actors' Are A Dying Breed

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Credit Toei Kyoto Studio Park

Fukumoto in one of the numerous period costume dramas he has acted in for the Toei Company's film studios since he began work there in 1959.

Credit Toei Kyoto Studio Park

Seizo Fukumoto (right) falls to the sword of the leading man in one of Japan's chanbara or samurai films. Fukumoto is known as Japan's leading kirareyaku, or "chopped-up actor."

Credit Toei Company

Over a career spanning five decades, Fukumoto has been killed more than 50,000 times on screen in samurai and ninja films, with some work in gangster flicks as well.

By Anthony Kuhn

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Japan is home to Asia's oldest and largest motion-picture industry, with its own unique genres and traditions. While every film industry has stuntmen, only Japan has a class of actors whose main job is to be sliced and diced by samurai sword-wielding protagonists. But the decline of period dramas means that this class of actors is literally a dying breed.

6:36 am

Tue March 27, 2012

Semi-Nude Painting Smuggled Into Canadian Museum

By editor

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DAVID GREENE, HOST:

6:25 am

Tue March 27, 2012

Misbehaving Parents Ruin Easter Egg Hunt

By editor

Originally published on Tue March 27, 2012 6:27 am

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3:00 am

Tue March 27, 2012

Business News

By editor

Apple CEO Tim Cook has flown in to China to meet with government leaders. He's trying to work out issues ranging from trademark concerns to treatment of local factory workers who make Apple products.

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