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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

'The Legend Of Korra' Is Fire (And Air And Earth And Water)

Bolin, Korra, and Mako are three of the heroes in the Nickelodeon series The Legend of Korra. Nickelodeon hide caption

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Nickelodeon

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'The Legend Of Korra' Is Fire (And Air And Earth And Water)

The Legend of Korra is a sequel to the hugely popular animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender. It takes place 70 years later, in a darker, more industrialized world where bending the elements is commonplace. Korra is now the Avatar, and she's everything her predecessor Aang wasn't. She's a confident, headstrong teenage girl much more comfortable with combat than with the spiritual aspect of her role.

'The Legend Of Korra' Is Fire (And Air And Earth And Water)

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Monday

Our 2020 Emmys Recap

Daniel Levy, pictured here, picked up four Emmys for his work on the series Schitt's Creek. ABC hide caption

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ABC

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Our 2020 Emmys Recap

It was not your usual Emmy Awards ceremony. Because of the pandemic, there was no crowd, and host Jimmy Kimmel worked mostly alone. People accepted their awards from home. But surprisingly enough, it turned out pretty well. Schitt's Creek, Watchmen, and Succession all had big nights. And it was kind of fun to watch people dressed up in their own living rooms.

Our 2020 Emmys Recap

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Wednesday

Predictions Of How COVID-19 Will Impact Pop Culture

What will be the visual cues that film and television will one day use to depict 2020? Malorny/Getty Images hide caption

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Malorny/Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Predictions Of How COVID-19 Will Impact Pop Culture

It's hard to predict how the current pandemic will affect the work of artists in television and film and theater, but that doesn't mean we can't try. What will change? What won't change? How might creators react? Today, we're stepping back to make some guesses about the future of pop culture and think about what's to come.

Predictions Of How COVID-19 Will Impact Pop Culture

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Friday

New Music Friday: The Top 8 Albums Out Sept. 11

Rita Indiana released one of our favorite albums this week. Noelie Quintero/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Noelie Quintero/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The Top 8 Albums Out Sept. 11

NPR Music picks the best new albums out this week, including new releases by The Flaming Lips, Rita Indiana, Waylon Payne and more.

New Music Friday: The Top 8 Albums Out Sept. 11

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We're Still Thinking Of Things In 'I'm Thinking Of Ending Things'

Jesse Plemons, Jessie Buckley, Toni Collette, and David Thewlis sit for an awkward dinner in Charlie Kauffman's latest film, I'm Thinking Of Ending Things. Mary Cybulski/Netflix hide caption

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Mary Cybulski/Netflix

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

We're Still Thinking Of Things In 'I'm Thinking Of Ending Things'

In the Netflix film, I'm Thinking of Ending Things, the plot is easy to follow. A young couple played by Jessie Buckley and Jesse Plemons drives through a snowstorm to the farmhouse where Plemons' character grew up. They have dinner with his parents, played by Toni Collette and David Thewlis, then they drive home. That's it. That's the movie. Simple, right? Wrong! This is a Charlie Kaufman movie, and that means things are trippy and dreamlike and just plain weird from the jump. Note: This conversation delves into spoilers that discuss specific plot points and theories to try to unpack just what this movie is actually about!

We're Still Thinking Of Things In 'I'm Thinking Of Ending Things'

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Wednesday

'Avatar': We're Thinking Of Bending Things

In Avatar: The Last Airbender, Aang, the titular "last airbender" and his friends, Sokka (l) and Katara (r), travel on a flying bison on a quest to bring the world into balance. Nickelodeon hide caption

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Nickelodeon

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Avatar': We're Thinking Of Bending Things

The fantasy adventure Avatar: The Last Airbender aired on Nickelodeon from 2005 to 2008. But this year, as the pandemic struck, the animated series became one of the biggest streaming hits on Netflix. In the world of Avatar, some people are essentially equipped with superpowers: They can bend fire, water, earth, or air. Only the Avatar — in this case a 12-year-old boy named Aang — can develop the power to bend all four elements and keep the world in balance.

'Avatar': We're Thinking Of Bending Things

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Friday

New Music Friday: The Top 8 Albums Out Sept. 4

Bill Callahan released his new album, Gold Record, on Sept. 4. Hanly Banks Callahan/Courtesy of Drag City hide caption

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Hanly Banks Callahan/Courtesy of Drag City

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The Top 8 Albums Out Sept. 4

NPR Music picks the best new albums out this week, including new albums by Big Sean, Tricky, Lomelda, Bill Callahan and more. Click here to see all of our featured albums for the week of Sept. 4.

New Music Friday: The Top 8 Albums Out Sept. 4

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'Mulan': A Beloved Disney Classic Reimagined As Martial Arts Epic

Liu Yifei stars in the live-action reimagining of Disney's Mulan. Disney hide caption

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Disney

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Mulan': A Beloved Disney Classic Reimagined As Martial Arts Epic

The biggest movie so far to be bumped from theaters to home viewing during the pandemic is Disney's Mulan. The live-action reimagining of the 1998 animated musical doesn't have songs or a cartoon dragon. But the story still finds young Mulan disguising herself as a man so she can fight in her father's place.

'Mulan': A Beloved Disney Classic Reimagined As Martial Arts Epic

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Tuesday

NPR Music's No. 1 Albums And Songs Of August

Clockwise from upper left: Bartees Strange, Kelly Lee Owens, Bright Eyes, Victoria Monét. Courtesy of the artists hide caption

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Courtesy of the artists

All Songs Considered

NPR Music's No. 1 Albums And Songs Of August

On this edition of All Songs Considered, we pick our favorite music released in August 2020, featuring everything from the genre-busting indie rock of Bartees Strange and Victoria Monét's layered R&B to the return of Bright Eyes.

NPR Music's No. 1 Albums And Songs Of August

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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

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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