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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

Monday

2019 Oscars Recap: The Highs And Lows

Olivia Colman accepts the Oscar actress in a leading role for The Favourite. Kevin Winter/Getty Images hide caption

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Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

2019 Oscars Recap: The Highs And Lows

Green Book is your best picture, and Bohemian Rhapsody and Roma took a bunch of the top prizes, too. And it all got done in a ceremony without a host. We're breaking it all down: the winners, the speeches, the songs, why we're mad, and why we're glad.

2019 Oscars Recap: The Highs And Lows

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Saturday

Friday

New Music Friday: Our Top 8 Albums Out Feb. 22

Atlanta rapper Gunna's new album Drip Or Drown 2 is on our short list for the best albums out on Feb. 22. Spike Jordan/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Spike Jordan/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: Our Top 8 Albums Out Feb. 22

Our picks for the best albums out this week include an epic treatise on Americanism from Gary Clark Jr., the delicate and beautiful sounds of singer Julia Jacklin, Atlanta rapper Gunna and more.

New Music Friday: Our Top 8 Albums Out Feb. 22

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Oscars Preview: We Talk Who Will, Who Should And Who Won't Win

Alfonso Cuarón's Roma is nominated for 10 Oscars. Carlos Somonte/Netflix hide caption

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Carlos Somonte/Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Oscars Preview: We Talk Who Will, Who Should And Who Won't Win

Where will you find rock bands going up against jazz pianists, superheroes, and scheming women in beautiful dresses? At this year's Oscars. We're going to talk actors, directors, and much more. We'll also make some predictions, so we might help you win your Oscars pool.

Oscars Preview: We Talk Who Will, Who Should And Who Won't Win

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Wednesday

A Pop Culture Quiz

Brittany Luse, Eric Eddings, Glen Weldon, Linda Holmes and Stephen Thompson at the Bell House in Brooklyn on January 12, 2019. Mike Katzif/NPR hide caption

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Mike Katzif/NPR

Pop Culture Happy Hour

A Pop Culture Quiz

Pop Culture Happy Hour is in its ninth year, so Linda decided to write a quiz about the ninth seasons of television shows. Stephen and Glen faced off against one of our favorite podcast teams, Brittany Luse and Eric Eddings of The Nod. This episode was recorded live at the Bell House in Brooklyn.

A Pop Culture Quiz

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Friday

The Doc And Foreign-Language Oscar Noms: How To Watch, And What You Need To Know

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is the subject of the Oscar-nominated documentary RGB. Magnolia Pictures/CNN Films hide caption

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Magnolia Pictures/CNN Films

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

The Doc And Foreign-Language Oscar Noms: How To Watch, And What You Need To Know

We're diving into the Oscar-nominated documentaries and foreign language films. We'll tell you which ones to watch and where to find them, which might make you the star of your Oscar party.

The Doc And Foreign-Language Oscar Noms: How To Watch, And What You Need To Know

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Monday

The 2019 Grammys Were Better Than We Expected

Kacey Musgraves poses in the press room during the 61st Annual Grammy Awards on February 10, 2019. Amanda Edwards/Getty Images hide caption

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Amanda Edwards/Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

The 2019 Grammys Were Better Than We Expected

This year's awards were a big night for Childish Gambino and Kacey Musgraves. It was also a night of strong performances from artists like Janelle Monae and Cardi B. And don't forget Diana Ross, who wished herself a happy birthday a month and a half early.

The 2019 Grammys Were Better Than We Expected

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10 Takeaways From The 2019 Grammy Awards

Kacey Musgraves holds the four Grammys she won Sunday night. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy hide caption

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Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Pop Culture Happy Hour

10 Takeaways From The 2019 Grammy Awards

This year's telecast served up a string of satisfying winners, memorable performances and a GIF sure to endure until roughly the moment life on earth is extinguished.

10 Takeaways From The 2019 Grammy Awards

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Friday

'The Lego Movie 2': Once More Unto The Brick

In The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, Batman (Will Arnett) and Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) team up to fight a new enemy. Warner Bros. hide caption

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Warner Bros.

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'The Lego Movie 2': Once More Unto The Brick

The Lego Movie was a surprise commercial and critical hit. It starred Chris Pratt as an every-man construction worker named Emmet and Elizabeth Banks as a rugged bad ass called Wyldstyle. Together, they saved the Lego world. Now, five years later, Emmet is back — and so is the fusillade of cameos, both surprising and not so surprising — to take on a new threat to the extruded plastic world.

'The Lego Movie 2': Once More Unto The Brick

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Thursday

Monday

The 2019 Super Bowl

Adam Levine of Maroon 5 performs during the Super Bowl Halftime Show at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. Al Bello/Getty Images hide caption

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Al Bello/Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

The 2019 Super Bowl

Another year, another Patriots Super Bowl win. But was it a high scoring game? It was not. In fact, no one had even scored a touchdown when Maroon 5 came out to headline the halftime show. We recap the game, the halftime show, and the commercials.

The 2019 Super Bowl

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Friday

New Music Friday For Feb. 1: The 6 Albums You Need To Hear Now

Cherry Glazerr's fourth full-length, Stuffed and Ready, is on our short list for the best albums out on Feb. 01. Pamela Littky/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Pamela Littky/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday For Feb. 1: The 6 Albums You Need To Hear Now

Guitar rock dominates this week's list of the best new albums out on Feb. 1, including the gritty Norwegian band Spielbergs, Mexico's mighty Le Butcherettes, Cherry Glazerr's best album ever and more.

New Music Friday For Feb. 1: The 6 Albums You Need To Hear Now

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'Bohemian Rhapsody,' 'Vice' and 'Green Book' Are Best Picture Nominees — Why?

Gwilym Lee (as Brian May) and Rami Malek (as Freddie Mercury) star in Bohemian Rhapsody, which is nominated for best picture at the 91st Academy Awards. Twentieth Century Fox hide caption

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Twentieth Century Fox

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Bohemian Rhapsody,' 'Vice' and 'Green Book' Are Best Picture Nominees — Why?

What do Bohemian Rhapsody, Vice, and Green Book have in common? Two things: one, they're nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars; and two, they're based on events in the lives of real people. Today, awards season leads us to a wide-reaching conversation on some very different movies.

'Bohemian Rhapsody,' 'Vice' and 'Green Book' Are Best Picture Nominees — Why?

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Wednesday

'Tidying Up With Marie Kondo' Is A Spark Of Joy

Netflix's Tidying Up With Marie Kondo is a different kind of cleaning show — one that prioritizes self-care. Netflix hide caption

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Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Tidying Up With Marie Kondo' Is A Spark Of Joy

If you've noticed your friends have been a little more "tidy" than usual, or your thrift store a bit better stocked, it might be because of Netflix. The streaming series Tidying Up With Marie Kondo has spurred an organizational renaissance. Or at least a conversation about one.

'Tidying Up With Marie Kondo' Is A Spark Of Joy

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