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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

Monday

We Recap The 2020 MTV VMAs

A masked Lady Gaga accepts the Best collaboration award for "Rain on Me" onstage during the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards. Kevin Winter/MTV VMAs 2020/Getty Images for MTV hide caption

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Kevin Winter/MTV VMAs 2020/Getty Images for MTV

Pop Culture Happy Hour

We Recap The 2020 MTV VMAs

The 2020 MTV Video Music Awards took place Sunday night. The telecast was in the shadow of a pandemic, in the midst of major civil unrest, and in the aftermath of actor Chadwick Boseman's death. The VMAs couldn't have live audiences, so we got a lot of pre-taped performances in front of green screens from artists like BTS. Plus, it was a big night for masked Lady Gaga.

We Recap The 2020 MTV VMAs

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Friday

New Music Friday: The Top 8 Albums Out Aug. 28

Angel Olsen's Whole New Mess is one of our favorite albums out Aug. 28 Kylie Coutts/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Kylie Coutts/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The Top 8 Albums Out Aug. 28

NPR Music picks the best new albums out this week, including unadorned records from Angel Olsen and The Avett Brothers, the genre-bending Georgia Anne Muldrow and more.

New Music Friday: The Top 8 Albums Out Aug. 28

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'Bill And Ted Face The Music': Excellent, Bogus, Or Heinous?

Samara Weaving, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter star in Bill & Ted Face The Music. Patti Perret/Orion Pictures hide caption

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Patti Perret/Orion Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Bill And Ted Face The Music': Excellent, Bogus, Or Heinous?

Back in 1989, we met Bill S. Preston and Ted "Theodore" Logan in the movie Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. They returned in Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey in 1991. And now, almost 30 years later, they're back. In Bill and Ted Face the Music, Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves return as... well, Bill and Ted, respectively. And this time, they'll need not just their triumphant band to save the world, but also their daughters.

'Bill And Ted Face The Music': Excellent, Bogus, Or Heinous?

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Thursday

Wednesday

Friday

Passion And Politics In 'Boys State'

Robert MacDougall, one of several teenage boys featured in the documentary film Boys State, on Apple TV+. Apple TV+ hide caption

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Apple TV+

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Passion And Politics In 'Boys State'

The world of politics is not pretty, even in high school. That's one of the takeaways from the new documentary Boys State, about a week-long program sponsored by the American Legion. In it, a thousand Texas high-school boys form political parties, nominate candidates, and hold elections to form a government. The film shows how a few of these students think about politics and running for office. And it considers how they've been influenced by the last few years of American political discourse.

Passion And Politics In 'Boys State'

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Wednesday

In 'Star Trek: Lower Decks' Jokes Are The Final Frontier

Ensign Sam Rutherford (Eugene Cordero), Ensign D'Vana Tendi (Noel Wells), Ensign Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), and Ensign Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) in the new CBS All Access animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks. CBS All Access hide caption

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CBS All Access

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

In 'Star Trek: Lower Decks' Jokes Are The Final Frontier

The mega-franchise Star Trek has produced a slew of movies and ten different TV series — the latest of which is a brand-new animated comedy called Star Trek: Lower Decks. The show was created by Mike McMahan, who worked on Rick And Morty, and it tells the story of some of the least powerful officers on Starfleet's least important starship, the U.S.S. Cerritos. And, because it's animated, we also get epic battles, space zombies, and spectacular mass destruction.

In 'Star Trek: Lower Decks' Jokes Are The Final Frontier

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Friday

Kumail Nanjiani And A 10th Birthday Pop Culture Quiz

Kumail Nanjiani, pictured here in 2019, is a longtime friend of Pop Culture Happy Hour. He recently joined the panel for a virtual 10th birthday party. Jesse Grant/Getty Images for THR hide caption

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Jesse Grant/Getty Images for THR

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Kumail Nanjiani And A 10th Birthday Pop Culture Quiz

Ten years ago, we started Pop Culture Happy Hour. And ten years later, it's time to celebrate. Recently, we invited one of our great pals, actor and comedian Kumail Nanjiani, to join us for a quiz looking back at 2010. And this time, Linda wrote the questions, but she didn't come up with the right answers--our listeners did.

Kumail Nanjiani And A 10th Birthday Pop Culture Quiz

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Friday

New Music Friday: The Top 8 Albums Out On August 7

Portland rapper Aminé. His sophomore full-length, Limbo, tops our shortlist for the week's best new albums. Micaiah Carter/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Micaiah Carter/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The Top 8 Albums Out On August 7

NPR Music's picks for the week's best new albums include the latest from Portland rapper Aminé, Mary Chapin Carpenter, a posthumous release from Jason Molina, saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins and more.

New Music Friday: The Top 8 Albums Out On August 7

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Wednesday

'Black Is King': A Beyoncé Film With A Disney Twist

Beyoncé performs in "Mood 4 Eva" from the visual album Black Is King released on July 31 on Disney+. Disney hide caption

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Disney

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Black Is King': A Beyoncé Film With A Disney Twist

Last summer, Beyoncé released an album called The Lion King: The Gift. It was based around Disney's remake of The Lion King — a film that included voice acting from Beyoncé herself, among many others. Last Friday on Disney+, Beyoncé released a movie-length video that's meant to serve as a companion to the album. It's called Black Is King, it's visually grand and sumptuous, and it's got a huge cast — you'll see Lupita Nyong'o, Pharrell Williams, Kelly Rowland, and many looks at Beyoncé's children, her mother, and her husband Jay-Z.

'Black Is King': A Beyoncé Film With A Disney Twist

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Wednesday

Taylor Swift's Isolation And Artistry Fuel 'Folklore'

Taylor Swift surprised fans with her eighth studio album, Folklore, released on July 24. Beth Garrabrant/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Beth Garrabrant/Courtesy of the artist

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Taylor Swift's Isolation And Artistry Fuel 'Folklore'

Taylor Swift was supposed to spend this summer touring with songs from Lover, an album she'd put out last August. Instead, she wound up cooped up at home. The isolation sparked her creativity, leading her to write and record an entire new record in collaboration with producers Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner of The National. It's called Folklore, and it's a massive left turn in terms of style and subject matter. And it's already earned Taylor Swift some of the best reviews of her career.

Taylor Swift's Isolation And Artistry Fuel 'Folklore'

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Tuesday

Let's Talk About Taylor Swift's 'Folklore'

Taylor Swift's eighth album, Folklore, was surprise-released Friday. The record features production by The National's Aaron Dessner and a new set of songwriting tools. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

Music Features

Let's Talk About Taylor Swift's 'Folklore'

Three critics dive into a new album full of surprises — released on a day's notice, co-produced by The National's Aaron Dessner — and ask how it fits into an arguably unprecedented career.

Friday

New Music Friday: The Top 10 Albums Out July 24

Taylor Swift. Her surprise new album, Folklore tops our picks for the best new albums out on July 24. Beth Garrabrant/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Beth Garrabrant/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The Top 10 Albums Out July 24

Taylor Swift's surprise new album, Folklore tops our list of the week's best releases, along with new ones from Lupe Fiasco, a 50th anniversary edition of Roberta Flack's debut album and more.

New Music Friday: The Top 10 Albums Out July 24

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