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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

In 'No Hard Feelings,' Jennifer Lawrence throws herself into comedy

Andrew Barth Feldman and Jennifer Lawrence star in No Hard Feelings. Sony Pictures Entertainment hide caption

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Sony Pictures Entertainment

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

In 'No Hard Feelings,' Jennifer Lawrence throws herself into comedy

Jennifer Lawrence has starred in The Hunger Games, played a member of the X-Men, and won an Oscar — but she hasn't done a ton of broad comedy until now. She makes a left turn in the movie No Hard Feelings, in which rich helicopter parents hire a woman to seduce their teenage son, in the hopes that he'll come out of his shell in time for college.

In 'No Hard Feelings,' Jennifer Lawrence throws herself into comedy

Listen · 16:47
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Monday

Friday

Monday

Music

Three songs for the perfect summer road trip playlist

Pop Culture Happy Hour host Stephen Thompson and NPR Music contributor Marissa Lorusso suggest three songs to make your summer road trip playlist perfect.

Three songs for the perfect summer road trip playlist

Listen · 6:13
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Wednesday

'Vanderpump Rules,' 'Scandoval' and a fight that never ends

Raquel Leviss, Tom Sandoval, and Ariana Madix in Vanderpump Rules. Nicole Weingart/Bravo hide caption

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Nicole Weingart/Bravo

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Vanderpump Rules,' 'Scandoval' and a fight that never ends

Bravo's hit reality show Vanderpump Rules has become infamous due to a much-discussed affair between two members of its cast. The whole thing has been nicknamed "Scandoval" and has led to record-breaking ratings, countless memes, and even a joke at the White House Correspondents Dinner. In a world were reality television is synonymous with secret affairs and drama, why is "Scandoval" such a big deal?

'Vanderpump Rules,' 'Scandoval' and a fight that never ends

Listen · 27:12
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Tuesday

Tracy Chapman's 'Fast Car' is the country song we didn't know we had

Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" takes a simple, Springsteenian plea for escape and uses it as a jumping-off point for a life's story. Sounds like a country song. Bryan Bedder/Getty Images hide caption

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Bryan Bedder/Getty Images

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Tracy Chapman's 'Fast Car' is the country song we didn't know we had

In Luke Combs' unexpected cover of the Tracy Chapman classic, NPR's Stephen Thompson found hope for a world with fewer boundaries and binaries and roped-in genres.

'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' has got your fightin' robots right here

Peter Cullen voices Optimus Prime in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Paramount Pictures hide caption

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Paramount Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' has got your fightin' robots right here

In Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts, good space-robots and evil space-robots battle for the fate of the universe. Led by Optimus Prime, the Autobots return to do battle with the forces of the villainous Unicron, and our heroes enlist new helpers along the way. Directed by Steven Caple Jr., the movie stars Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, Pete Davidson, Michelle Yeoh and more.

'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' has got your fightin' robots right here

Listen · 13:14
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Thursday

Three great songs for your next road trip
Bun Lee/Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Three great songs for your next road trip

It's summer, and if you've maybe thought about taking a road trip, you're gonna need road-trip music. You might need a pick-me-up, a sing-along, or something for when you need a break from podcasts. Today we're recommending three songs to blast on your next road trip.

Three great songs for your next road trip

Listen · 7:08
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Friday

'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' thrills in every dimension

Miles Morales returns in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Sony Pictures hide caption

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Sony Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' thrills in every dimension

The new animated film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is the sequel to the Oscar-winning Into The Spider-Verse. It continues the story of Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), as he battles a new villain, The Spot (Jason Schwartzman). The stakes grow as Miles and Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) face greater conflicts as they traverse the multiverse.

'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' thrills in every dimension

Listen · 28:21
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Wednesday

Friday

What's making us happy: A guide to your weekend viewing and listening

Gretchen (Aya Cash) is a self-centered music publicist who falls in love with Jimmy (Chris Geere) in the FXX series You're the Worst. Prashant Gupta/FX hide caption

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Prashant Gupta/FX

What's Making Us Happy: Recommendations From 'Pop Culture Happy Hour'

What's making us happy: A guide to your weekend viewing and listening

Each week, the guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: You're the Worst, 60 Songs that Explain the '90s, and Little Moon wins the Tiny Desk.

'The Little Mermaid' takes the uncanny valley under the sea

Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric and Halle Bailey as Ariel in The Little Mermaid. Disney hide caption

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Disney

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'The Little Mermaid' takes the uncanny valley under the sea

The Little Mermaid is Disney's latest property to receive the live-action remake treatment. While some scenes match the original film, there are changes. Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote several new songs for the film. And it stars Halle Bailey as Ariel and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula. The film is directed by Rob Marshall and is in theaters now.

'The Little Mermaid' takes the uncanny valley under the sea

Listen · 21:31
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Tuesday