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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

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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Friday

'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' Is a Blues-Soaked Triumph

Chadwick Boseman, Colman Domingo, Viola Davis, Michael Potts, and Glynn in the new Netflix film adaptation of the August Wilson play, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. David Lee/Netflix hide caption

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David Lee/Netflix

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' Is a Blues-Soaked Triumph

The excellent new film Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is a story about art. It's a story about anger, and it's a story about respect. Directed by George C. Wolfe and adapted from August Wilson's play, the film is inspired by the life of real blues singer Ma Rainey, and includes performances from Viola Davis, Glynn Turman, and the late Chadwick Boseman.

'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' Is a Blues-Soaked Triumph

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Thursday

Tuesday

Taylor Swift Does It Again (And Again) On 'Evermore'

Taylor Swift's latest album, Evermore, features collaborations with HAIM, Marcus Mumford, and The National. Beth Garrabrant/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Beth Garrabrant/Courtesy of the artist

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Taylor Swift Does It Again (And Again) On 'Evermore'

On Friday, Dec. 11, just four and a half months after she released the heavily Grammy-nominated Folklore, Taylor Swift released her ninth album, Evermore. Swift describes Evermore as a "sister" album to Folklore, and once again, she's crafting moody and autumnal folk songs with Aaron Dessner of The National, Jack Antonoff and Bon Iver.

Taylor Swift Does It Again (And Again) On 'Evermore'

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Thursday

Bad Bunny Breaks New Ground On 'El Último Tour Del Mundo'

Bad Bunny performs on March 1, 2019 in Vina del Mar, Chile. CLAUDIO REYES/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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CLAUDIO REYES/AFP via Getty Images

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Bad Bunny Breaks New Ground On 'El Último Tour Del Mundo'

Singer and rapper Bad Bunny started releasing songs on SoundCloud in 2016. He has released three albums in 2020 and his latest, El Último Tour Del Mundo, is the first entirely Spanish-language record ever to hit No. 1 on the Billboard albums chart. On Spotify, Bad Bunny is the most-streamed artist of 2020.

Bad Bunny Breaks New Ground On 'El Último Tour Del Mundo'

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Friday

'Mank' Takes On Hollywood Politics And The Legend of 'Citizen Kane'

Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried star in director David Fincher's Mank. Netflix hide caption

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Netflix

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Mank' Takes On Hollywood Politics And The Legend of 'Citizen Kane'

Starring Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried, Mank captures the artistic process behind the conception and writing of Orson Welles' first movie, Citizen Kane. Director David Fincher's black-and-white ode to classic film is a story about tycoons, studio heads, addiction, creative credit, and the politics of Old Hollywood during the Great Depression.

'Mank' Takes On Hollywood Politics And The Legend of 'Citizen Kane'

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Wednesday

BTS Embraces The World Stage On 'BE'

BE is the fifth Korean-language studio album from BTS (seen here performing in 2019). Noam Galai/Getty Images hide caption

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Noam Galai/Getty Images

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

BTS Embraces The World Stage On 'BE'

BE is the latest album from Korean boy band BTS, making it their fifth record to top the U.S. album charts in two and a half years. Along with their earworm Dynamite, BE feels like a milestone in BTS' career, which has yielded billions of dollars and one of the world's most intensely devoted fan bases. You can support NPR by donating to your local member station at donate.npr.org/happy

BTS Embraces The World Stage On 'BE'

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Monday

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

Clockwise from top row: Kali Uchis, Tierra Whack, Salaam Remi, Jucifer. 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 November

We pick our favorite music released in November 2020, featuring Kali Uchis' heart-struck devotionals, Tierra Whack's playful pop, metal duo Jucifer's tribute to Arabic music and Salaam Remi's star-studded soundtrack of the Black experience.

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

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Saturday

Music News

Music Review: Secretary Of State Pick Antony Blinken

The Biden administration's pick for Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, is a musician who's released two songs on Spotify under the name "ABlinken."

Music Review: Secretary Of State Pick Antony Blinken

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