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Stephen Thompson Stephen Thompson is a host, writer and reviewer for NPR Music and Pop Culture Happy Hour. He appears frequently on All Songs Considered and NPR newsmagazines.
Washington, DC - May 03, 2016: Stephen Thompson CREDIT: Matt Roth
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Stephen Thompson

Friday

New Music Friday: The Top 8 Albums Out On Jan. 29

Celeste. Her new album, Not Your Muse, is on our shortlist for the best albums out on Jan. 29. Elizabeth Porodina/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Elizabeth Porodina/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The Top 8 Albums Out On Jan. 29

NPR Music's picks for the best new albums out this week include a Madlib-Four Tet collaboration, stunning debuts from Celeste and Arlo Parks, the Malian artist Nahawa Doumbia and more.

New Music Friday: The Top 8 Albums Out On Jan. 29

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Wednesday

20 Years Later, 'Almost Famous' Is Still A Golden God

Patrick Fugit and Kate Hudson in Cameron Crowe's 2000 film Almost Famous. Neal Preston/Dreamworks Llc/Kobal/Shutterstock hide caption

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Neal Preston/Dreamworks Llc/Kobal/Shutterstock

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

20 Years Later, 'Almost Famous' Is Still A Golden God

The film Almost Famous recently turned 20. Writer and director Cameron Crowe looks at the ecosystem surrounding a rising rock band in the early '70s. Starring Patrick Fugit, Kate Hudson, Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, and so many more, it's a coming-of-age story that touches on journalism, sex, rock and roll, parenthood, and the perils of trying to be cool.

20 Years Later, 'Almost Famous' Is Still A Golden God

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Friday

New Music Friday: The Top 8 Albums Out On Jan. 22

Willie Jones. His latest full-length, Right Now, is on our shortlist of the best new albums out on Jan. 22. Gordon Clark/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Gordon Clark/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The Top 8 Albums Out On Jan. 22

NPR Music's shortlist of the best albums out on Jan. 22 includes the country hip-hop of Willie Jones, electronic artist Yu Su, Atlanta rapper BRS Kash, Rhye and more.

New Music Friday: The Top 8 Albums Out On Jan. 22

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'WandaVision' Traps Its Stars In An Ever-Changing Sitcom

Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany star as Wanda Maximoff and Vision in WandaVision. Courtesy of Marvel Studios hide caption

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Courtesy of Marvel Studios

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

'WandaVision' Traps Its Stars In An Ever-Changing Sitcom

Disney Plus has big plans for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the first show to arrive from its slate of Phase Four projects is WandaVision. Wanda's got magic powers, Vision's a synthetic android and together, they're trapped in a series of simulations of comedies from decades past. However, slowly but surely, the superhero world you know and love begins to creep back in.

'WandaVision' Traps Its Stars In An Ever-Changing Sitcom

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Wednesday

'Cobra Kai' Is Eighties Nostalgia Done Right

William Zabka and Ralph Macchio star as Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso in Cobra Kai's second season. Guy D'Alema/Netflix hide caption

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Guy D'Alema/Netflix

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Cobra Kai' Is Eighties Nostalgia Done Right

When The Karate Kid ended with a crane kick in 1984, it seemed like it was all over. But then came sequels. Then came a remake. And now we have Cobra Kai, a surprisingly good series that catches up with the film's hero Daniel and villain Johnny many years later. In this encore episode, we revisit our conversation about Cobra Kai from back in 2018 when it premiered on YouTube Red. The show just dropped its third season earlier this month Netflix.

'Cobra Kai' Is Eighties Nostalgia Done Right

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Friday

Music News

With 2021 Off To A Rocky Start, There's At Least New Music To Listen To

Members of the NPR Music team this week have been previewing the new music out this year. Another member of the team spotlights two of the albums he's looking forward to hearing.

With 2021 Off To A Rocky Start, There's At Least New Music To Listen To

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Tuesday

Does Joel McHale Take 'Card Sharks' Higher Or Lower?

Host Joel McHale (right) with two contestants from Card Sharks. Eric McCandless/ABC hide caption

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Eric McCandless/ABC

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Does Joel McHale Take 'Card Sharks' Higher Or Lower?

The game show Card Sharks has lived many lives: It's been on NBC, on CBS, in syndication, and now it's on ABC, in prime time, hosted by Joel McHale. The game seems simple — you're guessing whether a card will be higher or lower than the one before it. But it's also complicated. And now, in its latest iteration, there's big money involved.

Does Joel McHale Take 'Card Sharks' Higher Or Lower?

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Saturday

Pop Culture

How Our Entertainment Changed In 2020

NPR's Michel Martin talks with Aisha Harris, host of the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast, and NPR Music's Stephen Thompson, about how the events of 2020 have forever changed the entertainment industry.

How Our Entertainment Changed In 2020

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Thursday

Our 2021 Pop Culture Resolutions

It's been a year like no other, but here at Pop Culture Happy Hour, we're sticking with tradition by revisiting our 2020 resolutions and making new ones for next year. Kristin Lee/Getty Images/Tetra images RF hide caption

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Kristin Lee/Getty Images/Tetra images RF

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Our 2021 Pop Culture Resolutions

It's the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021, as much as it seemed like we might never get here. That means we're looking back, and we're looking ahead. What did we resolve to do in 2020, did we accomplish them and what do we want to do in the year ahead? We've still got goals, plans and the willingness to look back at our ambitious plans and wonder what in the world happened to all of them.

Our 2021 Pop Culture Resolutions

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Wednesday

Our 2021 Pop Culture Predictions

2020 was an unpredictable year, but Pop Culture Happy Hour is sticking with our annual tradition of looking into the future and predicting what the new year might bring. Nora Carol Photography/Getty Images hide caption

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Nora Carol Photography/Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Our 2021 Pop Culture Predictions

To say we could not have predicted the course of 2020 is a ridiculous understatement. But nevertheless, we press on. We'll check in on last year's predictions, while turning our eyes to the future to try and figure out what the next year will bring, even when that seems nearly impossible.

Our 2021 Pop Culture Predictions

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Tuesday

'Coco' Follows A Boy's Journey In A Technicolor Afterlife

Miguel and Date are prominently displayed at the the U.S. premiere of Coco at El Capitan Theatre on November 8, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. Barry King/Getty Images hide caption

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Barry King/Getty Images

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Coco' Follows A Boy's Journey In A Technicolor Afterlife

The 2017 movie Coco is about a Mexican boy named Miguel who has an adventure on Día de los Muertos, a holiday dedicated to remembering the dead. He finds himself in the Land of the Dead, where he learns about the importance of memory and how we tell the stories of our families. In this encore episode, we revisit our conversation about the excellent Disney-Pixar film.

'Coco' Follows A Boy's Journey In A Technicolor Afterlife

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Monday

'Soul' Is A Jazzy, Joyful Celebration Of Life

Pixar's Soul is the story of a jazz musician who falls down a manhole and winds up learning a lot about the afterlife, the not-quite afterlife and what it means to be human. Pixar hide caption

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Pixar

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Soul' Is A Jazzy, Joyful Celebration Of Life

In Disney and Pixar's Soul, a jazz musician voiced by Jamie Foxx falls down a manhole and finds himself teetering between life and the afterlife. He winds up on a New York adventure with a wandering soul, voiced by Tina Fey, who needs help getting ready to be reborn on Earth.

'Soul' Is A Jazzy, Joyful Celebration Of Life

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Thursday

'Wonder Woman 1984': Waiting For Gadot

Gal Gadot returns as Diana Prince in Wonder Woman 1984. Warner Bros. hide caption

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Warner Bros.

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Wonder Woman 1984': Waiting For Gadot

Wonder Woman 1984 arrives as one of the biggest films yet to stream at home at the same time it hits theaters. Like its successful predecessor, 2017's Wonder Woman, it's directed by Patty Jenkins and stars Gal Gadot as our heroine. Chris Pine is back as Steve Trevor, and new cast members include Kristen Wiig and Pedro Pascal.

'Wonder Woman 1984': Waiting For Gadot

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Monday

Our 12 Favorite Things of 2020

Catherine O'Hara as Moira Rose in the series finale of Schitt's Creek. Comedy Central hide caption

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Comedy Central

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Our 12 Favorite Things of 2020

At the end of the year, we like to look back on some of our favorite things from the last 12 months of pop culture. We revisit some of the TV, film and music that helped us make it through.

Our 12 Favorite Things of 2020

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