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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

'The Great British Baking Show': Still Scrummy Or A Little Soggy?

The Great British Baking Show is currently airing on Netflix with co-host Noel Fielding and judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith, seen here in 2018. Netflix hide caption

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Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'The Great British Baking Show': Still Scrummy Or A Little Soggy?

Whether you like an éclair or a bagel, a biscuit or a Bakewell tart, The Great British Baking Show will bring all your feelings about baked goods to the surface. The hosts have changed, and the challenges have evolved, but it's still about getting that perfect bake. The current season is airing on Netflix, and was filmed in a so-called bubble to protect everyone from the pandemic. It also comes at a time when a lot of viewers at home have been taking out their sourdough starters and their cake pans.

'The Great British Baking Show': Still Scrummy Or A Little Soggy?

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Thursday

'Borat 2': Giuliani Made Headlines, But Is The Film Any Good?

Borat returns in the pithily titled sequel, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Amazon Studios hide caption

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Amazon Studios

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Borat 2': Giuliani Made Headlines, But Is The Film Any Good?

In 2006, Sacha Baron Cohen's movie Borat was an unlikely blockbuster. It starred Cohen as a fictional reporter from Kazakhstan who journeys across the U.S. and interacts with Americans who don't know they're part of a comedy. Borat made hundreds of millions of dollars. It spawned catchphrases, and became a pop-culture phenomenon. Now, 14 years later, that unlikely blockbuster has an equally unlikely sequel. The new movie Borat Subsequent Moviefilm grabbed headlines last week because of a controversial scene involving President Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. But is the film itself any good?

'Borat 2': Giuliani Made Headlines, But Is The Film Any Good?

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Tuesday

3 Great Horror Movies For Scaredy Cats

Peter Lorre stars in the 1931 film M, which is a great horror entry point for scaredy cats. Herbert Dorfman/Corbis via Getty Images hide caption

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Herbert Dorfman/Corbis via Getty Images

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

3 Great Horror Movies For Scaredy Cats

We are deep into the Halloween season, and many of us are cooped up at home with our streaming services, scrolling through movie after movie full of monsters, murderers, jump scares, and rivers of blood. But what about those of us who are scaredy cats? Maybe we're into the idea of horror movies, but aren't looking to be grossed out by gore or freaked out by jump scares? Well, this is the discussion for you.

3 Great Horror Movies For Scaredy Cats

Listen · 10:48
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Sunday

Friday

Does Netflix's 'Rebecca' Live Up To Its Predecessors?

Lily James plays Mrs. de Winter, and Armie Hammer plays Maxim de Winter in the new Netflix version of Rebecca. Kerry Brown/Netflix hide caption

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Kerry Brown/Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Does Netflix's 'Rebecca' Live Up To Its Predecessors?

You may know Rebecca as a 1938 novel by Daphne du Maurier. You might know it as a 1940 adaptation directed by Alfred Hitchcock that won Best Picture. But if you've always wanted a version with Armie Hammer playing the role once occupied by Laurence Olivier, Netflix is on it. The new Rebecca stars Lily James as a woman who becomes the second wife of Maxim de Winter, played by Hammer. When she gets to his massive estate, she finds it occupied by his housekeeper, played here by Kristin Scott Thomas. It's also haunted by the memory of his first wife. Her name was Rebecca.

Does Netflix's 'Rebecca' Live Up To Its Predecessors?

Listen · 25:52
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Monday

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour Goes Daily

Like many of you, the Pop Culture Happy Hour team is socially distancing at home. And we are watching more TV shows and movies than ever before. So that's one of the reasons we are going to start coming to you five days a week. We'll talk about great movies, television, books, music and videogames. So make sure to join us starting Monday, October 26th when Pop Culture Happy Hour goes daily.

Pop Culture Happy Hour Goes Daily

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Friday

Aaron Sorkin Goes Back To The Courtroom In 'The Trial Of The Chicago 7'

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Ben Shenkman, Mark Rylance, Eddie Redmayne and Alex Sharp in The Trial Of The Chicago 7. Nico Tavernise/Netflix hide caption

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Nico Tavernise/Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Aaron Sorkin Goes Back To The Courtroom In 'The Trial Of The Chicago 7'

Writer-director Aaron Sorkin knows his way around a courtroom drama: He wrote the screenplay for A Few Good Men nearly 30 years ago. Now, he's written and directed The Trial of the Chicago 7. The new movie dramatizes the trial of a far-flung group of anti-Vietnam War activists, including Abbie Hoffman, Tom Hayden and Bobby Seale, who were each charged with inciting violence at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

Aaron Sorkin Goes Back To The Courtroom In 'The Trial Of The Chicago 7'

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Wednesday

Is 'The Good Lord Bird' A White Savior Story, or Something Different?

Joshua Caleb Johnson as Onion and Ethan Hawke as John Brown in The Good Lord Bird. William Gray/Showtime hide caption

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William Gray/Showtime

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Is 'The Good Lord Bird' A White Savior Story, or Something Different?

Ethan Hawke plays the abolitionist John Brown in the new series The Good Lord Bird, which traces the events leading up to the 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry. Told from the point of view of a fictional Black teenager nicknamed "Onion," the series has plenty of drama. But it's also a dark comedy about following a leader who's extremely passionate and wildly unpredictable.

Is 'The Good Lord Bird' A White Savior Story, or Something Different?

Listen · 19:50
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Sunday

Wednesday

Latinx Songs That Helped Shape The Decade

J Balvin, Cardi B and Bad Bunny perform onstage during the 2018 American Music Awards. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images For dcp) Kevin Winter/Getty Images For dcp hide caption

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Kevin Winter/Getty Images For dcp

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Latinx Songs That Helped Shape The Decade

Latinx music has experienced a huge boom in the last 10 years. We've seen the rise of global superstars like Bad Bunny and J Balvin. We've seen Shakira and Jennifer Lopez take over this year's Super Bowl halftime show. And, of course, we've seen the chart domination of "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee. The decade has also produced countless musical discoveries across the Latin world. And the whole time, our pals at NPR Music's Alt.Latino have been there to guide us through it all.

Latinx Songs That Helped Shape The Decade

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Tuesday

Thursday

NPR Music's No. 1 Albums And Songs Of September

Clockwise from upper left: Masego, Adrianne Lenker, La Dame Blanche, Theo Alexander and Waylon Payne. Courtesy of the artists hide caption

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Courtesy of the artists

All Songs Considered

NPR Music's No. 1 Albums And Songs Of September

We pick our favorite music released in September 2020, featuring Cuban hip-hop artist La Dame Blanche, Masego's summer wanderlust, Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker and a reimagined mass.

NPR Music's No. 1 Albums And Songs Of September

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Wednesday

'The Legend Of Korra' Is Fire (And Air And Earth And Water)

Bolin, Korra, and Mako are three of the heroes in the Nickelodeon series The Legend of Korra. Nickelodeon hide caption

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Nickelodeon

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'The Legend Of Korra' Is Fire (And Air And Earth And Water)

The Legend of Korra is a sequel to the hugely popular animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender. It takes place 70 years later, in a darker, more industrialized world where bending the elements is commonplace. Korra is now the Avatar, and she's everything her predecessor Aang wasn't. She's a confident, headstrong teenage girl much more comfortable with combat than with the spiritual aspect of her role.

'The Legend Of Korra' Is Fire (And Air And Earth And Water)

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Monday