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Linda Holmes Linda Holmes is a pop culture correspondent for NPR and the host of Pop Culture Happy Hour.
Linda Holmes
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Linda Holmes

Linda Holmes writes and edits NPR's entertainment and pop-culture blog, Monkey See.

Linda Holmes

Host, Pop Culture Happy Hour

Linda Holmes is a pop culture correspondent for NPR and the host of Pop Culture Happy Hour. She began her professional life as an attorney. In time, however, her affection for writing, popular culture, and the online universe eclipsed her legal ambitions. She shoved her law degree in the back of the closet, gave its living room space to DVD sets of The Wire, and never looked back.

Holmes was a writer and editor at Television Without Pity, where she recapped several hundred hours of programming — including both High School Musical movies, for which she did not receive hazard pay. Her first novel, Evvie Drake Starts Over, was published in the summer of 2019.

Story Archive

Wednesday

2023 Books We Love: Staff Picks

Illustration by Luke Medina. Luke Medina/NPR hide caption

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Luke Medina/NPR

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

2023 Books We Love: Staff Picks

NPR's Books We Love is a roundup of favorite books of the year, sorted and tagged to help you find exactly what you're looking for. Recommendations come in from critics and contributors and today, we're highlighting picks from NPR staff.

2023 Books We Love: Staff Picks

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Tuesday

Yippy-ki-yay, it's 'Die Hard' season again

Bruce Willis in a scene from Die Hard. FlixPix/Alamy hide caption

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Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Yippy-ki-yay, it's 'Die Hard' season again

Since the holiday season is upon us, it's time to talk about an action classic that many consider to be a Christmas classic: Die Hard. The Bruce Willis movie turned 35 this year, so today we're bringing you this encore episode about the film that was recorded back in 2018.

Yippy-ki-yay, it's 'Die Hard' season again

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Monday

'Saltburn' basks in excess and bleak comedy

Barry Keoghan and Archie Madekwe in Saltburn. MGM and Amazon Studios hide caption

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MGM and Amazon Studios

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Saltburn' basks in excess and bleak comedy

Saltburn is a provocative and fun thriller. Barry Keoghan plays Oliver, an outcast at Oxford University who befriends one of his popular and posh classmates, Felix (Jacob Elordi). When Felix invites Oliver to spend the summer at his family's lush estate, a twisty game of obsession and manipulation ensues. The film is written and directed by Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman), and it seems safe to say it will leave audiences in heated debate.

'Saltburn' basks in excess and bleak comedy

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Thursday

'Next Goal Wins' roots for the underdogs

Kaimana and Michael Fassbender in Next Goal Wins. Hilary Bronwyn Gayle/Searchlight Pictures hide caption

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Hilary Bronwyn Gayle/Searchlight Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Next Goal Wins' roots for the underdogs

The underdog sports comedy Next Goal Wins is based on the true story of American Samoa's soccer team and its attempts to improve its status as a worldwide laughingstock. Directed by Taika Waititi, the film stars Michael Fassbender as the real-life coach tasked with helping the team compete in a World Cup qualifying match.

'Next Goal Wins' roots for the underdogs

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Friday

'The Marvels' is a light comedy about light powers

Iman Vellani, Brie Larson, and Teyonah Parris in The Marvels. Laura Radford/Marvel Studios hide caption

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Laura Radford/Marvel Studios

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'The Marvels' is a light comedy about light powers

The new movie The Marvels is one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's breezier outings, full of energy and jokes and zappy light powers. Brie Larson returns as Captain Marvel, and sees her teaming up with newer characters, Monica Rambeau (played by Teyonah Parris) and Kamala Khan (played by Iman Vellani). They must team up when their powers become entangled and cause them to switch places whenever they try to use them.

'The Marvels' is a light comedy about light powers

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Thursday

'The Golden Bachelor' offers more years, same tears

Faith Martin and Gerry Turner on ABC's The Golden Bachelor. Craig Sjodin/ABC hide caption

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Craig Sjodin/ABC

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'The Golden Bachelor' offers more years, same tears

The Golden Bachelor is the latest show in ABC's long-running Bachelor franchise, in which the bachelor is a 72-year-old widower named Gerry Turner. Gerry's potential matches are also significantly older than the usual crop, so the priorities are a little different. But the weird dates, the awkward conversations, and the fixations on who has kissed remain.

'The Golden Bachelor' offers more years, same tears

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Monday

In 'The Holdovers,' three broken people get schooled

Dominic Sessa, Da'Vine Joy Rudolph and Paul Giamatti star in The Holdovers. Focus Features hide caption

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Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

In 'The Holdovers,' three broken people get schooled

In the funny, melancholic and weirdly moving new film, The Holdovers, Paul Giamatti plays a widely disliked teacher at a prestigious New England boarding school in 1970. He's forced to look after the boys who can't go home for the Christmas break, including one kid (Dominic Sessa) who's a particular pain in the butt. The film is directed by Alexander Payne, and also stars Da'Vine Joy Randolph as the school cook, who's spending the first Christmas without her son.

In 'The Holdovers,' three broken people get schooled

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Friday

What's Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend viewing, reading, and listening

Lokita (Joely Mbundu) and Tori (Pablo Schils) are two migrant children making their way in Belgium in Tori and Lokita. Janus Films hide caption

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Janus Films

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

What's Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend viewing, reading, and listening

Each week, guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: Sampha's album Lahai, the film Tori and Lokita, rewatching Doctor Who, and the Phillies, sort of.

'Naked Attraction' offers low-hanging fruit

Anna Richardson hosts the Channel 4 reality dating show, Naked Attraction which is now available on Max. Channel 4 / Nicky Johnston hide caption

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Channel 4 / Nicky Johnston

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Naked Attraction' offers low-hanging fruit

It's weird, it's funny, and it's very, very naked. The title of the dating show Naked Attraction tells you everything you need to know. A single person is presented with six entirely naked strangers and whittles them down to one person they want to go on a date with. The long-running U.K. dating show has recently found success in the U.S after streaming on Max. There's some controversy and consternation, but do a bunch of naked bodies really merit all this chatter?

'Naked Attraction' offers low-hanging fruit

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Thursday

A match made in fandom: Travis, Taylor and the weirdness of celebrity relationships

Taylor Swift wears a friendship bracelet with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce's number 87 while watching a game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers on Oct. 22, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. Charlie Riedel/AP hide caption

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Charlie Riedel/AP

Analysis

Pop Culture Happy Hour

A match made in fandom: Travis, Taylor and the weirdness of celebrity relationships

Did you know that Big Brother has resulted in more lasting marriages than The Bachelor? The course of true love never did run smooth ... and all the more so for famous people.

A match made in fandom: Travis, Taylor and the weirdness of celebrity relationships

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Tuesday

Can a rebooted 'Frasier' still scramble our eggs?

Jack Cutmore-Scott as Freddy Crane and Kelsey Grammer as Frasier Crane. Chris Haston/Paramount hide caption

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Chris Haston/Paramount

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Can a rebooted 'Frasier' still scramble our eggs?

Kelsey Grammer is back as Frasier Crane. After nine seasons on Cheers and 11 more on the spin-off Frasier, the snobby psychiatrist joins the long list of characters rebooted for the streaming age. In the new Frasier series on Paramount+, Dr. Crane returns to Boston with a new supporting cast and a new set of challenges. But what made the original series so watchable, and how does the new show stack up?

Can a rebooted 'Frasier' still scramble our eggs?

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Saturday

The recipe for a better 'Bake-Off'? Fun format, good casting, and less host shtick

The Great British Baking Show has had a long and bumpy ride, but it's finally righted the ship by focusing on the fundamentals. Mark Bourdillon/Love Productions/Channel 4 hide caption

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Mark Bourdillon/Love Productions/Channel 4

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

The recipe for a better 'Bake-Off'? Fun format, good casting, and less host shtick

The Great British Baking Show has had a long and bumpy ride, but it's finally righted the ship by focusing on the fundamentals.

Tuesday

Three great movies over three hours

Tom Cruise and Jason Robards in Magnolia. Maximum Film/Alamy hide caption

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Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Three great movies over three hours

Sometimes there's a time and place for a long movie — whether it's because you've got an afternoon off, or you just aren't in the mood to flip from one entertainment to another. Martin Scorsese's latest movie Killers of the Flower Moon clocks in at over three hours, so today we're recommending other great movies over three hours long.

Three great movies over three hours

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Saturday

'Moonlighting,' a weird, wonderful '80s detective romcom, is now streaming on Hulu

Bruce Willis is a vulgar, wisecracking man-child, and Cybill Shepherd is a classy tough broad horrified by his shenanigans. But don't be turned off by the cliché premise: this was a sharp, experimental show and all five of its seasons are now on Hulu. Hulu hide caption

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Hulu

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Moonlighting,' a weird, wonderful '80s detective romcom, is now streaming on Hulu

Bruce Willis is a vulgar, wisecracking man-child, and Cybill Shepherd is a classy tough broad horrified by his shenanigans. But cliché premise notwithstanding: it was a sharp, experimental show.

Friday

What's Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend viewing and listening

Brett Yang and Eddy Chen are the classical music comedy duo TwoSet Violin. The Photo Studio Glebe/TwoSet Violin hide caption

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The Photo Studio Glebe/TwoSet Violin

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, guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: A violin comedy duo, Moonlighting on Hulu, the movie The Royal Hotel, and more.

All's 'Fair Play' in love and office promotions

Phoebe Dynevor (left) as Emily and Alden Ehrenreich (right) as Luke in Fair Play. Sergej Radovic/Netflix hide caption

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Sergej Radovic/Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

All's 'Fair Play' in love and office promotions

The Netflix movie Fair Play stars Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich as a couple that's young, in love, and hot for one another. At least until one gets a promotion over the other at the hedge fund where they both work, and things get tense at home and in the office. Can their relationship withstand the pull of cutthroat ambition and male ego, or is their stock doomed for a free fall?

All's 'Fair Play' in love and office promotions

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Sunday

Friday

Review

Movies

The best '90s thrillers according to NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour

NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour hosts Stephen Thompson and Linda Holmes give us their picks for the best 90's thrillers.

The best '90s thrillers according to NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour

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Wednesday

Three great 90s thrillers

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PictureLux / The Hollywood Archive / Alamy Stock Photo

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Three great 90s thrillers

When you're talking about the movies of the 1990s, you have to mention the decade's huge assortment of thrillers. From courtroom standoffs and frantic chases to wild twists and A-list stars, today, we are recommending three of our favorite 90s thrillers.

Three great 90s thrillers

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Tuesday

Here are the movies we can't wait to watch this fall

Clockwise from top left: Invisible Beauty, Foe, All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 and Nyad. Magnolia Pictures; Amazon Studios; A24; Murray Close/Lionsgate; Focus Features; Liz Parkinson/Netflix hide caption

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Magnolia Pictures; Amazon Studios; A24; Murray Close/Lionsgate; Focus Features; Liz Parkinson/Netflix

Review

Movie Reviews

Here are the movies we can't wait to watch this fall

With Hollywood on strike for most of the summer, we check in on the new releases for the fall. Our critics share their recommendations for more than 25 films coming out between now and Thanksgiving.

'The Other Black Girl' explores identity and unease

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Hulu

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'The Other Black Girl' explores identity and unease

Part blistering workplace satire, part creepy thriller, Hulu's The Other Black Girl packs a lot of punches. Nella (Sinclair Daniel) is a young editorial assistant who forms a fast-friendship with her new-coworker, Hazel (Ashleigh Murray) as they both navigate working in a mostly white publishing company. Hazel is confident, a bit mysterious, and full of secrets. The Other Black Girl is based on the novel by Zakiya Dalila Harris.

'The Other Black Girl' explores identity and unease

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Sunday

Maybe think twice before making an innocent stranger go viral?

Other people just going about their lives in public are not fodder for your social media. Let's think a little harder about the etiquette of putting pictures and videos of strangers up online. Delmaine Donson/Getty Images hide caption

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Delmaine Donson/Getty Images

Opinion

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Maybe think twice before making an innocent stranger go viral?

Other people just going about their lives in public are not fodder for your social media. Let's think a little harder about the etiquette of putting pictures and videos of strangers up online.

Friday

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