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Pop Culture Happy Hour

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Pop Culture Happy Hour is a fun and freewheeling chat about the latest movies, television, books, and music.

Most Recent Episodes

A Conversation With Terry Gross

Terry Gross on stage during Advertising Week in New York on September 23, 2019. Mark Von Holden/Advertising Week and Shutterstock hide caption

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Mark Von Holden/Advertising Week and Shutterstock

A Conversation With Terry Gross

Last month at an Advertising Week event in New York, Linda Holmes had the chance to sit down with a legend of public radio and of good conversation. Terry Gross has hosted Fresh Air since 1975. She still brings listeners daily conversations about news and books, film and science. Today, we're sharing an edited version of that conversation.

A Conversation With Terry Gross

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Does Netflix's 'The Politician' Deserve Your Vote?

Georgina Hobart (Gwyneth Paltrow) in the new Netflix series The Politician Courtesy of NETFLIX hide caption

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Courtesy of NETFLIX

Does Netflix's 'The Politician' Deserve Your Vote?

Ryan Murphy and his collaborators are responsible for everything from Glee to American Horror Story. And now, they've made their first project for Netflix. It follows Payton Hobart, a high school student determined to be president of the student body, and one day the United States. Murphy has gathered another of his impressive casts: Ben Platt, Gwyneth Paltrow, Bob Balaban, Bette Midler, and of course Jessica Lange.

Does Netflix's 'The Politician' Deserve Your Vote?

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Our Fall Book Preview

Some of the books recommended in Pop Culture Happy Hour's fall book preview. Beth Novey/NPR hide caption

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Beth Novey/NPR

Our Fall Book Preview

Summer is turning to fall where we are, and that means it's time for a couch, a blanket, and a book. Fiction and nonfiction, essays and memoirs, we've got some ideas for things you can read this fall. And we're bringing in a couple of our favorite book lovers to help us out.

Our Fall Book Preview

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In 'Joker', Joaquin Phoenix Gives A Big Performance In A Flat Film

Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) in the new film Joker. Niko Tavernise/Warner Bros hide caption

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Niko Tavernise/Warner Bros

In 'Joker', Joaquin Phoenix Gives A Big Performance In A Flat Film

In the new Todd Phillips film Joker, Joaquin Phoenix plays Arthur Fleck, an aspiring comic. Neglected by the world and beaten down everywhere he turns, Fleck does what any discouraged clown would do: he becomes a menace.

In 'Joker', Joaquin Phoenix Gives A Big Performance In A Flat Film

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'Unbelievable' Is A Searing Drama About Violence And Justice

Merritt Wever and Toni Collette play two detectives investigating a series of sexual assaults. Beth Dubber/Netflix hide caption

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Beth Dubber/Netflix

'Unbelievable' Is A Searing Drama About Violence And Justice

The Netflix series Unbelievable brings together a group of actresses including Kaitlyn Dever, Toni Collette, Merritt Wever, Dale Dickey and Danielle MacDonald. It's based on a true story about a young woman named Marie who was sexually assaulted and pressured by the police into recanting her story. Based on reporting from ProPublica and the Marshall Project, the series follows Marie, but also the two detectives who, much later, gave her case a chance to be solved.

'Unbelievable' Is A Searing Drama About Violence And Justice

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Our 2019 Fall Movie Preview

Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver star as a couple going through a divorce in Noah Baumbach's new film Marriage Story. Wilson Webb/Netflix hide caption

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Wilson Webb/Netflix

Our 2019 Fall Movie Preview

In our fall movie preview, we will cover the ones we're excited about, the ones you'll be hearing more about, and the ones that might be picking up awards in a few months. Whether you like comedies or dramas, and whether you like to see your films in a theater or in the comfort of your own home, we're here to give you the scoop.

Our 2019 Fall Movie Preview

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The 2019 Emmys

Billy Porter poses with award for outstanding lead Actor in a drama series in the press room during the 71st Emmy Awards. Frazer Harrison/Getty Images hide caption

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Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

The 2019 Emmys

It was a huge night for Fleabag and a coronation for Game Of Thrones, and there were a few surprises and big moments along the way. The awards got spread out quite a bit this year, including a historic acting win for Billy Porter, several awards for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Ozark.

The 2019 Emmys

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'Downton Abbey' Returns For An Extravagant New Film

Laura Carmichael stars as Lady Hexham, Elizabeth McGovern as Lady Grantham and Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary Talbot in Downton Abbey. Liam Daniel/Focus Features hide caption

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Liam Daniel/Focus Features

'Downton Abbey' Returns For An Extravagant New Film

If you thought the end of the series Downton Abbey would be the end of the Crawley family's adventures, a new film has arrived to prove you wrong. The movie continues the story of this very wealthy group and their loyal staff. The large cast is reunited, from sharp-tongued dowagers to scheming butlers. And this time, the King and Queen are coming for a visit.

'Downton Abbey' Returns For An Extravagant New Film

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Girls Strip: Jennifer Lopez Shines In 'Hustlers'

Constance Wu and Jennifer star in the hit film Hustlers. STX films hide caption

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STX films

Girls Strip: Jennifer Lopez Shines In 'Hustlers'

Anyone who's surprised at the big weekend the new film Hustlers had at the box office probably shouldn't be. Not only does it star popular women like Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu, with drop-ins from Cardi B and Lizzo, but it got very good reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival. What's not to like? Hustlers is based on the true story of a group of women who danced at a strip club together and later drugged and scammed some of their wealthy Wall Street customers. Directed by Lorene Scafaria, the film is already generating awards buzz for Jennifer Lopez.

Girls Strip: Jennifer Lopez Shines In 'Hustlers'

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'The Goldfinch' Turns A Long Book Into An Overstuffed Movie

Ansel Elgort plays Theo Decker in The Goldfinch. Warner Bros. Pictures hide caption

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Warner Bros. Pictures

'The Goldfinch' Turns A Long Book Into An Overstuffed Movie

Donna Tartt's 2013 book The Goldfinch won a Pulitzer Prize for its story of a boy whose mother dies in a bombing. It's an epic tale of grief, abandonment, friendship, drugs, and a stolen painting of a goldfinch. Now, The Goldfinch has been adapted into a movie starring Ansel Elgort, Oakes Fegley, Nicole Kidman, Luke Wilson, Jeffrey Wright, Finn Wolfhard and Sarah Paulsen.

'The Goldfinch' Turns A Long Book Into An Overstuffed Movie

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