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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

Friday

New Music Friday: The Top 8 Albums Out On May 29

Ondara (formerly known as JS Ondara). He's latest release, Folk N Roll Vol. 1 – Tales of Isolation, is on our shortlist of the best new albums out on May 29. Ian Flomer/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Ian Flomer/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The Top 8 Albums Out On May 29

If there's a common theme to the best new albums out this week, it's joy, from the relentlessly jubilant rock of the band Vistas, to singer Nicole Atkins' love letter to the Jersey Shore.

use this one

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In Tune With 'The High Note'

Dakota Johnson stars as Maggie Sherwood, Ice Cube as Jack Robertson and Tracee Ellis Ross as Grace Davis in The High Note. Glen WIlson/Focus Features hide caption

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Glen WIlson/Focus Features

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

In Tune With 'The High Note'

There have been countless movies about real and fictional musicians. And in the new movie The High Note, Tracee Ellis Ross plays the fictional legendary singer Grace Davis. Dakota Johnson plays Maggie, an aspiring record producer and Grace's personal assistant. The two women have to figure out everything from whether Maggie has a future in the music industry to whether Grace should take a residency in Vegas.

In Tune With 'The High Note'

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Wednesday

Why You Should Stream 'Booksmart'

Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever, star in the 2019 comedy Booksmart. Courtesy of Annapurna Pictures hide caption

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Courtesy of Annapurna Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Why You Should Stream 'Booksmart'

Last year we talked about the movie Booksmart, and we really, really liked it. It's about two young women about to graduate from high school who spend one last night trying to catch up on everything they missed. Starring Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever, it's the directing debut of actress Olivia Wilde. The comedy came out last summer — and it's currently streaming on Hulu and available to rent on demand. And because so many students are wrapping up their school year and graduating, we thought, what better time to look back at this terrific movie? (This episode originally aired on May 31, 2019.)

Why You Should Stream 'Booksmart'

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Saturday

Friday

New Music Friday: The Top 6 Albums Out On May 22

The 1975. The English band's latest release, Notes on a Conditional Form, tops our list of the best new albums out on May 22. Jordan Hughes/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Jordan Hughes/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The Top 6 Albums Out On May 22

The best albums out this week include The 1975's sprawling masterpiece, Notes On A Conditional Form, the return of Indigo Girls, The Airborne Toxic Event, the rapper Gunna and more.

New Music Friday: The Top 6 Albums Out On May 22

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Great Recent Movies We Missed

Lakeith Stanfield and Issa Rae star in The Photograph, written and directed by Stella Meghie. Emily Aragones/Universal Pictures hide caption

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Emily Aragones/Universal Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Great Recent Movies We Missed

This is not a normal summer movie season. Theaters are closed, big projects are delayed, and we're missing the flood of new films that would usually have already started. But you don't have to go without movies. That's because even if you see a lot, you miss even more. We do too, and that's what we're talking about today: some recent films we missed that are well worth your time. Plus, we remember the lives and work of Fred Willard and Lynn Shelton.

Great Recent Movies We Missed

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Wednesday

Huzzah! We're Russian To Finish 'The Great'

Elle Fanning stars as Catherine and Nicholas Hoult as Peter in Hulu's The Great. Hulu hide caption

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Hulu

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Huzzah! We're Russian To Finish 'The Great'

Hulu's new series The Great bills itself as "An Occasionally True Story." And it's a big story: a sweeping epic about Russia in the 1700s, full of palace intrigue, sex and violence, and the rise of Catherine the Great. Elle Fanning plays Catherine, and Nicholas Hoult also stars as the sociopathic emperor Peter. The show shares a lot of thematic DNA with the 2018 film The Favourite -- it was created by one of the film's screenwriters, Tony McNamara. And it's more than willing to scramble history in the service of a good story.

Huzzah! We're Russian To Finish 'The Great'

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Friday

New Music Friday: The Top 8 Albums Out On May 15

Charli XCX. Her latest release, How I'm Feeling Now, tops our list of the best new albums out on May 15. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The Top 8 Albums Out On May 15

Charli XCX's how i'm feeling now made entirely while quarantined, leads our shortlist of the week's best new albums, along with Jason Isbell, Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, Perfume Genius and more.

New Music Friday: The Top 8 Albums Out On May 15

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The Movies From The Year 2000

Were you or were you not entertained by Russell Crowe in Gladiator back in 2000? Universal/Getty Images hide caption

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Universal/Getty Images

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

The Movies From The Year 2000

Twenty years ago, before the Harry Potter movies or the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the movie landscape looked really different. Take a look back at some of the movies that came out in 2000 and why we think they're still relevant today.

The Movies From The Year 2000

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Thursday

Wednesday

'Never Have I Ever' Binged A Show So Fast

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan stars as Devi Vishwakumar on the high school romantic comedy series Never Have I Ever. Netflix hide caption

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Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Never Have I Ever' Binged A Show So Fast

The new comedy Never Have I Ever is a great binge from Netflix. It might remind you of a lot of warm and funny shows about navigating high school. Its hero is an Indian-American girl named Devi. She is juggling her friends, the boys she's interested in, and plenty of drama at home. One of the creators is Mindy Kaling, who gives the show some of the same energy she put into The Mindy Project. Devi is a little confused, a little selfish, and very consumed by her dreams of romance

'Never Have I Ever' Binged A Show So Fast

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Tuesday

'Hamilton' Coming To Disney+ On July 3, Bypassing 2021 Theatrical Release

Phillipa Soo (from left), Christopher Jackson, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Anthony Ramos attend Miranda's final performance of Hamilton on Broadway, on July 9, 2016. Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images hide caption

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Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images

Television

'Hamilton' Coming To Disney+ On July 3, Bypassing 2021 Theatrical Release

A film of the original Broadway cast performing Hamilton was scheduled to hit theaters on Oct. 15, 2021. Now it's coming to Disney+ 15 months ahead of schedule.

Monday

Friday

New Music Friday: The Top 9 Albums Out On May 8

Hayley Williams. Her debut solo album, Petals For Armor, tops this week's list of the best new albums out on May 8. Lindsey Byrnes/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Lindsey Byrnes/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The Top 9 Albums Out On May 8

Our shortlist of the best new albums out this week includes a debut solo release from Paramore's Hayley Williams, the latest from R&B singer Kehlani, rapper Bishop Nehru and more.

New Music Friday: The Top 9 Albums Out On May 8

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