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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

Monday

Three great horror movies for scaredy cats

Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer in a scene from Warm Bodies. Lionsgate hide caption

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Lionsgate

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Three great horror movies for scaredy cats

It's Halloween, and maybe you're into the idea of horror movies, but you aren't looking to be grossed out by gore or freaked out by jump scares. If that's the case then this is the episode for you. In this encore episode, we're revisiting a conversation about three great horror movies for scaredy cats.

Three great horror movies for scaredy cats

Listen · 9:46
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Friday

Wednesday

Taylor Swift stays up late for the introspective 'Midnights'

Midnights is the latest album from Taylor Swift. Republic Records hide caption

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Republic Records

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Taylor Swift stays up late for the introspective 'Midnights'

Taylor Swift's tenth studio album, Midnights, once again reshapes her music in unexpected ways. Along with producer and co-writer Jack Antonoff, she's working with a palette of buzzy electro-pop. Midnights showcases love songs, confessions, and anthems — and all of them are rendered in the singer's distinct songwriting voice.

Taylor Swift stays up late for the introspective 'Midnights'

Listen · 17:32
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Tuesday

We celebrate Carly Rae Jepsen's 'The Loneliest Time,' together

Carly Rae Jepsen's latest album The Loneliest Time was released on October 21, 2022. Meredith Jenks hide caption

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Meredith Jenks

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

We celebrate Carly Rae Jepsen's 'The Loneliest Time,' together

Carly Rae Jepsen is back with a new album called The Loneliest Time. The Canadian singer first broke through with the inescapable banger "Call Me Maybe." But in these last few years Jepsen has become a full-blown pop star, thanks to well-received albums like Emotion and Dedicated. Her new album mixes hard-driving pop jams with breezy ballads.

We celebrate Carly Rae Jepsen's 'The Loneliest Time,' together

Listen · 21:08
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Sunday

Grammy voting in controversy as Nicki Minaj claims her hit was wrongly categorized

Nicki Minaj, performing onstage at the 2022 MTV VMAs at Prudential Center on Aug. 28, 2022 in Newark, N.J. Theo Wargo/Getty Images for MTV/Paramount G hide caption

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Theo Wargo/Getty Images for MTV/Paramount G

Music News

Grammy voting in controversy as Nicki Minaj claims her hit was wrongly categorized

Nicki Minaj complained on social media that her hit had been deemed pop rather than rap.

Grammy voting in controversy as Nicki Minaj claims her hit was wrongly categorized

Listen · 3:57
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Wednesday

Does Halloween end in 'Halloween Ends?'

Rohan Campbell and Jamie Lee Curtis star in Halloween Ends. Universal Pictures hide caption

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Universal Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Does Halloween end in 'Halloween Ends?'

The lucrative horror franchise Halloween has spanned more than four decades and includes 13 films. And in that time it's amassed countless bloody deaths at the hands of the killer Michael Myers. The series has seemingly reached its conclusion with Halloween Ends, which brings Jamie Lee Curtis back for one last showdown.

Does Halloween end in 'Halloween Ends?'

Listen · 15:15
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Tuesday

Our favorite BTS deep cuts

Members of BTS perform onstage during the 2021 American Music Awards. Kevin Winter/Getty Images for MRC hide caption

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Kevin Winter/Getty Images for MRC

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Our favorite BTS deep cuts

The Korean pop band BTS will complete mandatory military service under South Korean law, meaning they will reconvene as a group around 2025. This break presses pause on a career that includes mega hits like "Dynamite" and "Butter." But their discography is farther-reaching than casual fans might think. So we're revisiting our episode from earlier this year that showcases some discoveries in the BTS catalog.

Our favorite BTS deep cuts

Listen · 22:19
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Monday

Our Favorite Spooky Seasonal Songs

Natalia LaFourcade performs a Tiny Desk Concert at NPR. Liam James Doyle/NPR hide caption

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Liam James Doyle/NPR

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Our Favorite Spooky Seasonal Songs

Halloween and Dia de los Muertos are creeping up on us, which means it's peak spooky music season. In this episode the hosts of NPR Music's Alt.Latino podcast share some of their favorite seasonal songs.

Our Favorite Spooky Seasonal Songs

Listen · 12:24
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Friday

New Music Friday: The best releases out on Oct. 14

Tove Lo's Dirt Femme is on our shortlist for the best new albums out this week. Moni Haworth/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Moni Haworth/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The best releases out on Oct. 14

NPR Music's picks for the best albums out this week include the long-awaited return of M.I.A., plus new records from Tove Lo, The 1975, Mykki Blanco and more.

New Music Friday: The best releases out on Oct. 14

Listen · 27:17
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Friday

What's making us happy: A guide to your weekend reading, listening and viewing

Dale (voiced by Andy Samberg) and Chip (voiced by John Mulaney) in Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers on Disney+. Courtesy of Disney Enterprises hide caption

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Courtesy of Disney Enterprises

What's Making Us Happy: Recommendations From 'Pop Culture Happy Hour'

What's making us happy: A guide to your weekend reading, listening and viewing

Each week, the guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: the novel Thistlefoot, "Blessed" by GloRilla, Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers and more.

New Music Friday: The best releases out Oct. 7

WILLOW's is one of the best albums out Oct. 7. Dana Trippe/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Dana Trippe/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The best releases out Oct. 7

WILLOW's first single, "Whip My Hair," came out just shy of the singer's 10th birthday. Now 21, she's returned with her fifth full-length album, titled . The record has big arena-rock vibes to go with its spiky pop-punk songcraft, and it effectively captures WILLOW's gift for conveying deeply felt emotions and the thrum of anxiety. We've also got new albums from genre-smashing singer, rapper and multi-instrumentalist NNAMDÏ, arty rapper Open Mike Eagle, dance-music producer TSHA and the venerated space-jazz ensemble Sun Ra Arkestra.

New Music Friday: The best releases out Oct. 7

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'Hocus Pocus 2' conjures nostalgia, but does it recapture the magic?

Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker in Hocus Pocus 2. Matt Kennedy/Disney hide caption

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Matt Kennedy/Disney

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Hocus Pocus 2' conjures nostalgia, but does it recapture the magic?

The witchy Disney comedy Hocus Pocus wasn't a huge hit when it came out in 1993. But it found a devoted following and became a Halloween staple over time, so much so that it's finally got a sequel 29 years later. Hocus Pocus 2 brings back the Sanderson sisters, played by Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker, as they sing songs, get into mischief and contend with a new world of confusing technology. But does it live up the original?

'Hocus Pocus 2' conjures nostalgia, but does it recapture the magic?

Listen · 20:41
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Tuesday

'Los Espookys' is a very odd and very good show

The cast of Los Espookys in a scene from the second season. Pablo Arellano Spataro/HBO hide caption

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Pablo Arellano Spataro/HBO

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Los Espookys' is a very odd and very good show

Los Espookys is very odd and very good comedy series about a group of horror-loving friends who start up a business that provides scary experiences for their clients. It's co-written by two of its stars, comedians Julio Torres and Ana Fabrega. The second season is currently airing on HBO so we thought it would be a good time to encore our episode about the first season.

'Los Espookys' is a very odd and very good show

Listen · 16:27
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Friday

New Music Friday: The best releases out Sept. 30

Icelandic icon Björk is back with a deeply inventive set called Fossora. Vidar Logi/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Vidar Logi/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The best releases out Sept. 30

It's been five years since Björk last released an album, but now the Icelandic icon is back with a deeply inventive set called Fossora. Every sound on the record feels as if it's springing into the mix from a different direction, as her vibrant voice shares space with everything from bass clarinets to the voices of Björk's own offspring. Fossora was inspired, at least in part, by the death of the singer's mother, but joy also abounds.

New Music Friday: The best releases out Sept. 30

Listen · 26:59
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