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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

Wednesday

'Once Upon A Time In... Hollywood': Tarantino's Fairy Tale Turns Grim

Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) and Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) in Quentin Tarantino's film Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood. Andrew Cooper/Sony Pictures Entertainment hide caption

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Andrew Cooper/Sony Pictures Entertainment

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Once Upon A Time In... Hollywood': Tarantino's Fairy Tale Turns Grim

Once Upon A Time In... Hollywood is writer-director Quentin Tarantino's ninth film. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a fading western actor named Rick Dalton and Brad Pitt as his loyal stuntman Cliff Booth. It's set in the changing Hollywood of 1969, and in many ways, it's a breezy romp through studio backlots and makeup trailers — but hanging over every frame is the threat of violence, in the form of a very real historical tragedy — the brutal Manson family murders in the Hollywood Hills. It's glossy L.A. nostalgia laced with grisly violence — it's peak Tarantino, but does it work?

'Once Upon A Time In... Hollywood': Tarantino's Fairy Tale Turns Grim

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Tuesday

Monday

Friday

New Music Friday: Our Top 7 Albums Out July 26

Cuco is the solo project of 21-year-old Omar Banos. His album Para Mí is on our shortlist for this week's best new albums. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: Our Top 7 Albums Out July 26

Our list of the week's best albums includes Cuco's highly anticipated Para Mí, a Spoon greatest hits compilation, rapper YBN Cordae's debut LP, devotional music from Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and more.

New Music Friday: Our Top 7 Albums Out July 26

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Thursday

Wednesday

'Jeopardy!'

Alex Trebek on the set of the Jeopardy! Million Dollar Celebrity Invitational Tournament on April 17, 2010. Amanda Edwards/Getty Images hide caption

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Amanda Edwards/Getty Images

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Jeopardy!'

Jeopardy! has been in the news a lot this year, both for James Holzhauer's historic championship run and for Alex Trebek's recent cancer diagnosis. But when we talked about the long-running game show last year, it was just an eternal juggernaut. (This episode originally aired July 11, 2018.)

'Jeopardy!'

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Friday

New Music Friday: Our Top 8 Albums For July 19

The Flaming Lips. Their new album, The King's Mouth, is on our shortlist for the week's best new releases. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: Our Top 8 Albums For July 19

The best new albums out this week include the latest from psych-pop mainstays The Flaming Lips, singer Freya Ridings' stunning debut full-length, Houston rapper Maxo Kream and more.

New Music Friday: Our Top 8 Albums For July 19

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'The Lion King' Is Like A Nature Documentary With A Backbeat

James Earl Jones returns as Mufasa, and JD McCrary plays Young Simba in Disney's remake of The Lion King. Disney Enterprises hide caption

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Disney Enterprises

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'The Lion King' Is Like A Nature Documentary With A Backbeat

For the last few years, Disney has been turning its beloved animated films into live-action revamps . But this revamp isn't live-action — even though it looks like it is. The digital animation is ridiculously advanced, bringing Simba, Mufasa, Scar, Nala, Timon and Pumbaa to eerie, ultra-realistic life. The voice cast is full of ringers — Chiwetel Ejiofor, John Oliver, Billy Eichner, Seth Rogen, Donald Glover and Beyoncé. But do the changes they make to the story — and the songs — improve on the original?

'The Lion King' Is Like A Nature Documentary With A Backbeat

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Wednesday

We Visit The Metropolitan Opera

The Metropolitan Opera's Rigoletto moves the setting from the sixteenth century to 1960 Las Vegas. Marty Sohl/Metropolitan Opera hide caption

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

We Visit The Metropolitan Opera

What has music, neon signs, classic cars, and Vegas gangsters in a dramatic story of love and death? Believe it or not, it's the Metropolitan Opera's production of Rigoletto, which we recently checked out in New York. Not only did we see the show, but we went backstage to see how they make the show happen.

We Visit The Metropolitan Opera

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Friday

New Music Friday: Our Top 8 Albums For July 12

Mississippi rapper Big K.R.I.T. His latest project K.R.I.T. IZ HERE is on our shortlist of the best albums out on July 12. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: Our Top 8 Albums For July 12

This week's edition of New Music Friday includes a features-heavy flex from Ed Sheeran, new efforts from Big K.R.I.T and Blood Orange, the return of Imperial Teen, K.Flay and more.

New Music Friday: Our Top 8 Albums For July 12

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'Los Espookys' Is Good And Weird

Cassandra Ciangherotti, Bernardo Velasco, and Julio Torres star in the new HBO show Los Espookys. Jennifer Clasen/HBO hide caption

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Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Los Espookys' Is Good And Weird

Los Espookys is a very odd HBO comedy series about a group of horror-loving friends who start up a business that provides scary experiences for their clients.The six-episode series, which is now four episodes into its run, is co-written by two of its stars — comedians Julio Torres and Ana Fabrega. Its biggest-name co-star, Fred Armisen, also co-wrote the pilot.

'Los Espookys' Is Good And Weird

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Thursday

Wednesday

It's a Cruel (Cruel!) 'Midsommar'

Florence Pugh stars at Deni in Ari Aster's new film Midsommar. Gabor Kotschy/A24 hide caption

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Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

It's a Cruel (Cruel!) 'Midsommar'

In the film Midsommar, writer-director Ari Aster follows up his cult horror hit Hereditary with a film about a literal cult. Florence Pugh plays a young woman who tags along with her awful boyfriend and his pals to a remote Swedish village as they enact their bloody rituals. We discuss the sun-drenched Scandanavian creepiness.

It's a Cruel (Cruel!) 'Midsommar'

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Sunday

Music

NPR Music Shares 2019's Songs Of The Summer

What will be the definitive song of summer 2019? NPR's Michel Martin invites Stephen Thompson and Lyndsey McKenna of NPR Music to share their picks.

NPR Music Shares 2019's Songs Of The Summer

Listen · 8:21
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