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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

Tuesday

'Evil Dead Rise' takes us to the bloodbath, and beyond

Lily Sullivan in Evil Dead Rise. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures hide caption

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Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Evil Dead Rise' takes us to the bloodbath, and beyond

Sam Raimi's 1981 horror movie The Evil Dead became a cult classic, spawning two sequels, a TV series, and a 2013 film that "reimagined" the franchise. Now, the series gets another reset with Evil Dead Rise – complete with a new writer and director (Lee Cronin), a new cast (including Lily Sullivan and Alyssa Sutherland), and a truly extraordinary amount of blood.

'Evil Dead Rise' takes us to the bloodbath, and beyond

Listen · 16:04
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Friday

Marriage and politics are tough negotiations in 'The Diplomat'

Keri Russell in the Netflix series The Diplomat. Netflix hide caption

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Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Marriage and politics are tough negotiations in 'The Diplomat'

In the new Netflix drama, The Diplomat, Keri Russell plays an ambassador who's thrust into an international incident with massive stakes. She's also sorting through a tumultuous marriage with her husband, a hotshot veteran diplomat (Rufus Sewell). The series combines the tension of Homeland with the administrative drama of The West Wing – which makes sense, given that The Diplomat's creator worked on both shows.

Marriage and politics are tough negotiations in 'The Diplomat'

Listen · 21:07
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Sunday

Friday

New Music Friday: The best releases out on April 14

Kara Jackson's Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love? is on our shortlist of the best albums out April 14. Lawrence Agyei/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Lawrence Agyei/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The best releases out on April 14

NPR Music's picks for the best albums out this week include Black Thought from The Roots, the quietly powerful return of Feist and more.

New Music Friday: The best releases out on April 14

Listen · 29:14
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Tuesday

'Air' is a soleless podia-pic about the origins of a shoe

Ben Affleck directs and stars in Air. Courtesy of Prime hide caption

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Courtesy of Prime

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Air' is a soleless podia-pic about the origins of a shoe

Almost 40 years ago, a young Michael Jordan signed what was then the NBA's most lucrative sneaker deal with Nike. The new movie Air traces the origin of that deal and the creation of the culture-shifting Air Jordan. It's directed by Ben Affleck and stars Matt Damon, Viola Davis and Jason Bateman — and features a lot of talk about "greatness" and the meaning behind a shoe.

'Air' is a soleless podia-pic about the origins of a shoe

Listen · 21:58
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Friday

New Music Friday: The best releases out on April 7

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Cassanova Cabrera/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The best releases out on April 7

Our favorite new releases for April 7, 2023, include:

New Music Friday: The best releases out on April 7

Listen · 29:17
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'The Super Mario Bros. Movie': It's-a meh!

Chris Pratt voices Mario and Charlie Day voices Luigi in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Universal Studios hide caption

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Universal Studios

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'The Super Mario Bros. Movie': It's-a meh!

In The Super Mario Bros. Movie., Chris Pratt and Charlie Day play Mario and Luigi, two New York City plumbers who get transported to another world. Soon, Mario must team-up with Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) to stop Bowser (Jack Black) from destroying the Mushroom Kingdom. The animated movie is heavy on Easter eggs that draw from Nintendo's many decades of video games.

'The Super Mario Bros. Movie': It's-a meh!

Listen · 24:45
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Thursday

We pack our knives and go deep on 'Top Chef'

Tom Colicchio, Padma Lakshmi, and Gail Simmons in a season 20 episode of Top Chef. David Moir/Bravo hide caption

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David Moir/Bravo

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

We pack our knives and go deep on 'Top Chef'

Even after 20 seasons, we still get a thrill every time we hear "hands up utensils down" on Top Chef. Controversial winners, heartbreaking losses, food that looks good enough to eat, and the foolishness of even attempting risotto — they've all been backbones of the Top Chef franchise over its many, many years. So we thought now would be the perfect time to revisit our conversation about the Bravo series.

We pack our knives and go deep on 'Top Chef'

Listen · 20:20
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Wednesday

'The Big Door Prize' realizes its potential

Gabrielle Dennis and Chris O'Dowd in The Big Door Prize on Apple TV+. Apple TV+ hide caption

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Apple TV+

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'The Big Door Prize' realizes its potential

In The Big Door Prize, a small town is forever changed when a mysterious machine pops up in the local general store. Each person who gets in the "Morpho" machine receives a card that reveals their life's potential, and it often leads them to radically change their lives, sometimes in surprising ways. Starring Chris O'Dowd and Gabrielle Dennis, the series is now streaming on Apple TV+.

'The Big Door Prize' realizes its potential

Listen · 17:55
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Sunday

Friday

'Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves' has high charisma

Michelle Rodriguez and Chris Pine plays Edgin plays Holga in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Aidan Monaghan/Paramount Pictures hide caption

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Aidan Monaghan/Paramount Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves' has high charisma

In Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Chris Pine stars as a wise-cracking and charismatic thief who leads a band of misfits with different reasons to hate a malevolent ruler played by Hugh Grant. It's a fantasy epic meets heist movie, complete with some dragons, talking corpses, relics and spells, an epic quest, and LOTS of jokes.

'Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves' has high charisma

Listen · 24:29
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Thursday

Top 10 Muppets, as voted by listeners

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Disney+

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Top 10 Muppets, as voted by listeners

When we asked our listeners to tell us which Muppets were their favorites, we knew you'd all come through. More than 6,000 of you cast more than 18,000 votes — and we have the results.

Top 10 Muppets, as voted by listeners

Listen · 17:49
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