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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

Thursday

Three songs for when your flight is delayed

When you're stuck at the airport, you need the right soundtrack. Alex Wong/Getty Images hide caption

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Alex Wong/Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Three songs for when your flight is delayed

If you travel by plane with any regularity, you've been there: stuck in an airport because your flight is delayed. So we thought it best to give your most stressful travel moments a soundtrack. Today, we're recommending three songs for when your flight is delayed.

Three songs for when your flight is delayed

Listen · 10:21
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Tuesday

Yippy-ki-yay, it's 'Die Hard' season again

Bruce Willis in a scene from Die Hard. FlixPix/Alamy hide caption

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FlixPix/Alamy

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Yippy-ki-yay, it's 'Die Hard' season again

Since the holiday season is upon us, it's time to talk about an action classic that many consider to be a Christmas classic: Die Hard. The Bruce Willis movie turned 35 this year, so today we're bringing you this encore episode about the film that was recorded back in 2018.

Yippy-ki-yay, it's 'Die Hard' season again

Listen · 21:53
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Monday

Disney's 'Wish' conjures up familiar dreams

Ariana DeBose as Asha in Wish. Disney hide caption

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Disney

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Disney's 'Wish' conjures up familiar dreams

It's been said that a dream is a wish your heart makes. But what happens when you entrust your dream to a charismatic but shady leader? That's the premise of Disney's latest animated movie Wish. It's a musical fantasy that stars Ariana DeBose as an idealist who goes head-to-head with Chris Pine's selfish King. There are catchy songs, cute talking animals, and a few heartfelt moments — in other words, the Disney blueprint.

Disney's 'Wish' conjures up familiar dreams

Listen · 15:14
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Friday

Tuesday

'Napoleon' has big battles and a complicated marriage

Vanessa Kirby and Joaquin Phoenix in Napoleon. Aidan Monaghan/Apple hide caption

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Aidan Monaghan/Apple

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Napoleon' has big battles and a complicated marriage

In the new film Napoleon, director Ridley Scott tells the story of French leader Napoleon Bonaparte (Joaquin Phoenix). It's a lavish war epic that tracks Bonaparte's rise to power through epic military battles, and explores his tumultuous marriage to the love of his life Joséphine (Vanessa Kirby).

'Napoleon' has big battles and a complicated marriage

Listen · 21:53
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Monday

'Saltburn' basks in excess and bleak comedy

Barry Keoghan and Archie Madekwe in Saltburn. MGM and Amazon Studios hide caption

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MGM and Amazon Studios

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Saltburn' basks in excess and bleak comedy

Saltburn is a provocative and fun thriller. Barry Keoghan plays Oliver, an outcast at Oxford University who befriends one of his popular and posh classmates, Felix (Jacob Elordi). When Felix invites Oliver to spend the summer at his family's lush estate, a twisty game of obsession and manipulation ensues. The film is written and directed by Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman), and it seems safe to say it will leave audiences in heated debate.

'Saltburn' basks in excess and bleak comedy

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Friday

What's Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend viewing and listening

Isa Briones, left, Will Price, Miles McKenna, Zack Morris and Ana Yi Puig in Goosebumps. David Astorga/Disney hide caption

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David Astorga/Disney

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

What's Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend viewing and listening

Each week, guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: the Goosebumps TV series, New Blue Sun from André 3000, and Matt Rogers' Christmas album.

New Music Friday: The best releases out on Nov. 17

2 Chainz and Lil Wayne teamed up for Welcome 2 Collegrove. Courtesy of Def Jam hide caption

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Courtesy of Def Jam

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The best releases out on Nov. 17

NPR Music's picks for the best albums out this week include the pairing of 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne, drumless Daft Punk and more.

New Music Friday: The best releases out on Nov. 17

Listen · 18:39
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'The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes' is two movies in one

Rachel Zegler and Tom Blyth in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Murray Close/Lionsgate hide caption

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Murray Close/Lionsgate

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes' is two movies in one

The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes is the latest adaptation in the beloved blockbuster franchise. The new prequel film follows the early life of Coriolanus (Tom Blyth), the man who would one day become the evil President Snow, and Lucy Gray Baird, (Rachel Zegler), the singer who becomes his mentee.

'The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes' is two movies in one

Listen · 24:34
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Thursday

'Next Goal Wins' roots for the underdogs

Kaimana and Michael Fassbender in Next Goal Wins. Hilary Bronwyn Gayle/Searchlight Pictures hide caption

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Hilary Bronwyn Gayle/Searchlight Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Next Goal Wins' roots for the underdogs

The underdog sports comedy Next Goal Wins is based on the true story of American Samoa's soccer team and its attempts to improve its status as a worldwide laughingstock. Directed by Taika Waititi, the film stars Michael Fassbender as the real-life coach tasked with helping the team compete in a World Cup qualifying match.

'Next Goal Wins' roots for the underdogs

Listen · 17:02
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Friday

2024 Grammy Nominations: A guide to the best, worst and most surprising nominees

Billie Eilish is nominated for six Grammys at the 2024 awards ceremony. Five of those nominations are for her song "What Was I Made For," from the soundtrack to the film Barbie. Michael Tran/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Michael Tran/AFP via Getty Images

Music

2024 Grammy Nominations: A guide to the best, worst and most surprising nominees

Themes emerge quickly when you dig into the nominations for the 66th Grammy Awards. The major categories are dominated by women and seemingly up for grabs; elsewhere, progress is not always so clear.

Music News

A review of the 2023 Grammy nominations

NPR Music's Stephen Thompson breaks down the nominations for next year's Grammy Awards, out Friday. Some of the world's biggest pop stars got major nods, with SZA as the most-nominated artist.

A review of the 2023 Grammy nominations

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Wednesday

Friday

'Priscilla' takes the romance out of a storied relationship

Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi in Priscilla. A24 hide caption

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A24

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Priscilla' takes the romance out of a storied relationship

The new film Priscilla tells the story of Elvis Presley's wife, but it's not a by-the-book biopic. Written and directed by Sofia Coppola, the movie shows how Priscilla (Cailee Spaeny) and Elvis (Jacob Elordi) first meet, fall in love, get married, and eventually split in the early '70s. But it's also a moodier look at the way Priscilla is walled off, isolated from family, and kept at a distance from his life of superstardom.

'Priscilla' takes the romance out of a storied relationship

Listen · 26:28
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