Edge of Fame

Joycelyn Savage was introduced to R. Kelly in 2015, when she was 19 years old. In December of 2016 she left college to move in with him. Her parents have not seen her since. This is their story.

There was a time when all David Letterman cared about was his late-night television show. He was at war. With Jay Leno. With the format. With himself. Then he walked away, after 33 years, to grow a relentless, white beard and seemingly disappear into the TV history books. But Letterman, at 70, remains a masterful storyteller. And perhaps the best story is how a kid from Indiana revolutionized the late-night dial.

With two seasons of HBO’s “Insecure” wrapped — and a third underway — creator and star Issa Rae has clearly made a name for herself. But Rae is the picture of the Web star in transition, the celebrity in progress. And the real Issa has saddled herself with an additional challenge: to try to live with the fake Issa. Because fans of “Insecure” are watching her every move.
Warning: This podcast contains explicit language

At one time, Hanson’s rise to megastardom may have seemed stunning in itself, but the band’s greatest feat may be how it has survived — and without a scandal, rehab or “Sharknado 4.” The Hanson way has been marked by the brothers’ special ability to say no — always politely, of course. These days, you’ll find Taylor, Isaac and Zac back in Tulsa, where they run what is effectively Hanson, Inc. It is here, 25 years after they became a band of brothers, that they’re proving there is life after “MMMBop.”

Billy Joe Shaver’s songs were the antidote to the glossy, string-soaked sound of 1960s Nashville. No wonder Bob Dylan declared, in a 2009 song, that “I’m listening to Billy Joe Shaver and I’m reading James Joyce.” Yet while so many of his peers — Willie, Waylon, Johnny — would be on a first-name basis with fame, Shaver continues his rolling attempt to introduce himself. Over two days in Texas, in a van rambling from gig to gig, Shaver talks about his past, his music and how he still holds out hope that the next record or TV show might finally land him the recognition he deserves.
Warning: This podcast contains explicit language

Patricia Williams, a.k.a. Ms. Pat, didn’t grow up dreaming of a life on stage. The girl nicknamed “Rabbit” just tried to survive. She was abused as a child, pregnant by 13 and in jail before she turned 21. Then, somehow, Williams found her calling. Comedy. Come to Indianapolis to meet the woman director Lee Daniels (“Precious,” “The Butler”) calls “the black Roseanne.” Ms. Pat takes us back into the darkest episodes of her life to show how she has turned unbearable tales of woe into a routine that is improbably horrifying and hilarious at the same time.
Warning: This podcast contains explicit language

In the good old days, Jimmy Kimmel didn’t have the slightest interest in lobbying for legislation. He told jokes. But a family crisis sparked an emotional, on-air transformation. “The Man Show” guy was now America’s conscience. Six hours in Kimmel’s office provides a glimpse into how he’s really changed – and how hard he still works for a laugh.

Did you know “Weird Al” Yankovic’s most recent album hit No. 1? That his biggest fans include “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and “The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon? The story of Yankovic is of a sheltered boy genius who rebelled the only way he knew how: with an accordion. Now, decades after he spoofed Michael Jackson’s hit “Beat It,” Yankovic hits the road without his fat suit.

She never went to film school, but Ava DuVernay may be the most important director in Hollywood. At Disney, she’s readying the big-budget adaptation of “A Wrinkle in Time” for theaters. Follow her inside the studio gates, where she’s also plotting a larger mission: To reshape the entire industry – with a little help from her team, her family and a former talk show host named Oprah.

Norm Macdonald, comic genius and former SNL star, is on the road to reinvention. Not that he’d say that. In this episode, he labors over his comic novel, searches (literally) for his jokes – he forgot them in his hotel room before appearing on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” – and tries to focus on a gig when he’s overcome by a gambling relapse. Will he bomb? Will he kill? Will the Trail Blazers cover the spread?