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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 6 Albums Out On May 28

Mereba's new EP, Azeb, is out now. Breyona Holt/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Breyona Holt/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The Top 6 Albums Out On May 28

NPR Music picks the best new albums out this week, including new releases by DMX, Bachelor, Mustafa, Natalia Lafourcade and more.

New Music Friday: The Top 6 Albums Out On May 28

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Thursday

BTS And Beyond: A Guide To K-Pop

BTS performs onstage during the KIIS FM's iHeartRadio Jingle Ball at in 2019. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

BTS And Beyond: A Guide To K-Pop

Last year, the South Korean pop group BTS topped the U.S. charts with the blockbuster earworm "Dynamite." Now, they've got a new hit, called "Butter." But the story of K-pop extends well beyond BTS. And it goes back decades with a huge array of styles and sounds.

BTS And Beyond: A Guide To K-Pop

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Wednesday

Ranking 'SNL' Musical Guests From Megan Thee Stallion To Morgan Wallen

Lil Nas X performs on the Season 46 finale of Saturday Night Live. Will Heath/NBC hide caption

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Will Heath/NBC

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Ranking 'SNL' Musical Guests From Megan Thee Stallion To Morgan Wallen

For the last four years over at NPR Music, Stephen Thompson has compiled a ranking of the best and worst musical guests from the latest season of Saturday Night Live. Season 46 just wrapped up with Lil Nas X, who joins the ranks of this season's best performances, which includes Megan Thee Stallion, Justin Bieber, Bruce Springsteen, Miley Cyrus and many others.

Ranking 'SNL' Musical Guests From Megan Thee Stallion To Morgan Wallen

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Monday

Olivia Rodrigo's 'Sour' Is Pretty Sweet

Olivia Rodrigo's debut album Sour is a follow-up to her singles "drivers license" and "deja vu." Grant Spanier/Geffen Records hide caption

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Grant Spanier/Geffen Records

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Olivia Rodrigo's 'Sour' Is Pretty Sweet

When this year began, Olivia Rodrigo hadn't even released a single as a recording artist. But by mid-January, she was setting streaming records and sitting atop the Billboard Hot 100. "Drivers License" was an instant sensation and one of this year's biggest songs. And now, Olivia Rodrigo has her first full-length album, called Sour.

Olivia Rodrigo's 'Sour' Is Pretty Sweet

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Friday

New Music Friday: The Top 6 Albums Out On May 21

Allison Russell's new album is called Outside Child. Francesca Cepero/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Francesca Cepero/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The Top 6 Albums Out On May 21

NPR Music picks the best new albums out this week, including new releases by Olivia Rodrigo, Allison Russell, Audrey Nuna and more.

New Music Friday: The Top 6 Albums Out On May 21

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Wednesday

We Pack Our Knives And Go Deep On 'Top Chef'

Judges Melissa King, Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons in Season 18 of Top Chef. David Moir/Bravo hide caption

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David Moir/Bravo

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

We Pack Our Knives And Go Deep On 'Top Chef'

Eighteen seasons of Top Chef, and we still get a thrill every time we hear "hands up, utensils down." The show has traveled to classic food cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, but this season, Top Chef filmed within a COVID-19 bubble in Portland, Oregon. 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.

We Pack Our Knives And Go Deep On 'Top Chef'

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Friday

Only You Can Prevent Very Dramatic Fires: 'Those Who Wish Me Dead'

Angelina Jolie stars as Hannah in Those Who Wish Me Dead. Courtesy of Warner Bros. hide caption

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Courtesy of Warner Bros.

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Only You Can Prevent Very Dramatic Fires: 'Those Who Wish Me Dead'

The new movie Those Who Wish Me Dead is a lot of things at once. It's the story of a smokejumper, played by Angelina Jolie, who battles terrifying forest fires. It's the story of a young kid chased by killers. And it's the story of a pregnant woman forced to defend herself. The film is directed by Taylor Sheridan, who wrote 2016's Hell Or High Water, and is now streaming on HBO Max.

Only You Can Prevent Very Dramatic Fires: 'Those Who Wish Me Dead'

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Monday

Selena's Legacy Lives On, In 'Selena: The Series' And Beyond

Christian Serratos plays Selena Quintanilla in the Netflix drama Selena: The Series. Netflix hide caption

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Netflix

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Selena's Legacy Lives On, In 'Selena: The Series' And Beyond

Selena Quintanilla was known as the "Queen Of Tejano Music," a major Latin star who was crossing over into the mainstream U.S. pop world when she was shot and killed in 1995. She was 23 years old. Her story spawned a 1997 movie starring Jennifer Lopez, as well as an 18-episode series streaming now on Netflix called Selena: The Series. Maria Garcia, the host and creator of the Anything For Selena podcast, joins us to talk about the legacy of Selena, who would have turned 50 years old this year.

Selena's Legacy Lives On, In 'Selena: The Series' And Beyond

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Tuesday

'Star Wars' And Other Merchandise

Star Wars action figures are seen for sale at a Target store on September 4, 2015 in Miami, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

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Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Star Wars' And Other Merchandise

Today is May the 4th, also known as Star Wars Day. The first Star Wars film spawned many sequels, TV series, videogames and a multi-billion dollar merchandise industry. So we thought it would be a good time to revisit our conversation about movie merchandise. In this encore episode, we talk about everything from Jar Jar Binks lollipops and E.T. dolls to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cereal, and more.

'Star Wars' And Other Merchandise

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Friday

New Music Friday: The Top 7 Albums Out On April 30

Marie Ulven, who writes and records as girl in red. Her debut full-length, If I Could Make It Go Quiet, is on our shortlist of the best albums out on April 30. Jonathan Kise/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Jonathan Kise/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The Top 7 Albums Out On April 30

NPR Music's picks for the best albums out this week include girl in red's long-awaited debut, the Flying Lotus soundtrack for Yasuke and more.

New Music Friday: The Top 7 Albums Out On April 30

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'Without Remorse': Michael B. Jordan, But Make It Clancy

Jodie Turner-Smith and Michael B. Jordan star in Tom Clancy's Without Remorse. Nadja Klier/Amazon Studios hide caption

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Nadja Klier/Amazon Studios

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Without Remorse': Michael B. Jordan, But Make It Clancy

Michael B. Jordan has played a range of characters, from sympathetic figures like Wallace on The Wire, to an underdog in Creed and a swaggering antagonist in Black Panther. But Without Remorse marks a new era for Jordan as an action star. Based on Tom Clancy's best-selling 1993 novel of the same name, Without Remorse serves as the origin story for John Clark, an ex-Navy SEAL turned CIA operative.

'Without Remorse': Michael B. Jordan, But Make It Clancy

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Monday

Our 2021 Oscars Recap

Nomadland's Chloé Zhao became the first woman of color to win an Oscar for best director. Chris Pizzello/Pool/Getty Images hide caption

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Chris Pizzello/Pool/Getty Images

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Our 2021 Oscars Recap

We are wrapping up this year's Oscars. It was a big night for Nomadland, which took best picture, best actress for Frances McDormand, and a historic best director win for Chloé Zhao. But there were also huge upsets, most notably in best actor, where Anthony Hopkins won over Chadwick Boseman. And the telecast took some big risks that didn't always pay off.

Our 2021 Oscars Recap

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Friday

New Music Friday: The Top 6 Albums Out On April 23

Singer and rapper Houston Kendrick. His new album, Small Infinity, tops our shortlist of the best albums out on April 23. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The Top 6 Albums Out On April 23

NPR Music's shortlist for the best albums out on April 23 includes Nashville singer and rapper Houston Kendrick's technicolor pop, Malian Kora player Toumani Diabaté, Dinosaur Jr. and more.

New Music Friday: The Top 6 Albums Out On April 23

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2021 Oscars Preview: Who Will Win And Who Should Win

Oscar statuettes on display backstage at the 90th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre on March 4, 2018. Matt Sayles/A.M.P.A.S./Getty Images hide caption

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Matt Sayles/A.M.P.A.S./Getty Images

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

2021 Oscars Preview: Who Will Win And Who Should Win

There are always two big questions as we approach the Oscars: Who will win, and who should win. We're diving into both, so you can win your Oscar pool and see some fine movies at the same time.

2021 Oscars Preview: Who Will Win And Who Should Win

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