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Pop Culture Happy Hour Get obsessed with us. Five days a week, Pop Culture Happy Hour serves you recommendations and commentary on the buzziest movies, TV, music, books, videogames and more. Join arts journalists Linda Holmes, Glen Weldon, Stephen Thompson, and Aisha Harris - plus a rotating cast of guest pop culture aficionados. The Happy Hour team leaves room at the table for exploring a range of reactions and opinions on every bit of the pop universe. From lowbrow to highbrow to the stuff in between, they take it all with a shot of cheer.
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Pop Culture Happy Hour

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Get obsessed with us. Five days a week, Pop Culture Happy Hour serves you recommendations and commentary on the buzziest movies, TV, music, books, videogames and more. Join arts journalists Linda Holmes, Glen Weldon, Stephen Thompson, and Aisha Harris - plus a rotating cast of guest pop culture aficionados. The Happy Hour team leaves room at the table for exploring a range of reactions and opinions on every bit of the pop universe. From lowbrow to highbrow to the stuff in between, they take it all with a shot of cheer.

Most Recent Episodes

A Dream Challenges A Family In 'Minari'

Steven Yeun, Alan S. Kim, Yuh-Jung Youn, Yeri Han and Noel Cho star in Minari. Josh Ethan Johnson/A24 hide caption

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Josh Ethan Johnson/A24

A Dream Challenges A Family In 'Minari'

Written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung, Minari follows a Korean-American family who moves to Arkansas in the 1980s to follow their father's dream of becoming a farmer. The grind of trying to make the farm a success strains the parents' marriage and often confounds the kids, but it's a story about the choices families make and the ways they stay together.

A Dream Challenges A Family In 'Minari'

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Still A Shoe-In: The Charms Of 'Cinderella'

Brandy Norwood and Whitney Houston play Cinderella and her fairy godmother in Disney's beloved production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella. Courtesy of Walt Disney/Storyline/Citadel/Kobal/Shutterstock hide caption

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Courtesy of Walt Disney/Storyline/Citadel/Kobal/Shutterstock

Still A Shoe-In: The Charms Of 'Cinderella'

There are many versions of Cinderella, but few are as beloved as Disney's production of the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, starring Brandy as the titular character and Whitney Houston as her fairy godmother.

Still A Shoe-In: The Charms Of 'Cinderella'

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You May Or May Not Care For 'I Care A Lot'

Rosamund Pike stars in the new Netflix film I Care A Lot. Seacia Pavao/Netflix hide caption

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Seacia Pavao/Netflix

You May Or May Not Care For 'I Care A Lot'

In the new Netflix comedy-thriller I Care A Lot, Rosamund Pike plays a slick grifter named Marla who tricks her way into becoming the legal guardian of elderly people, then drains their bank accounts. It's a well-oiled scheme, until she chooses a woman with a dangerous background as her new target.

You May Or May Not Care For 'I Care A Lot'

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Book Concierge: Nonfiction Recommendations
Becky Harlan/NPR

Book Concierge: Nonfiction Recommendations

Every year, NPR brings together some of the best books of the year in a searchable, explorable guide called the Book Concierge. Today, we're talking about some of the best nonfiction picks that show up in this year's guide.

Book Concierge: Nonfiction Recommendations

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'It's A Sin' Chronicles The Plague Years

Olly Alexander and Lydia West star as Ritchie Tozer and Jill Baxter in It's A Sin. Russ Ferguson/HBO Max hide caption

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Russ Ferguson/HBO Max

'It's A Sin' Chronicles The Plague Years

It's A Sin chronicles the AIDS epidemic as experienced by a group of friends in London in the early 1980s. They come from different backgrounds, and deal with the dawning realization that a virus is ravaging their community in different ways. None of them will get through it unchanged, and some of them won't get through it at all.

'It's A Sin' Chronicles The Plague Years

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'Nomadland' Is An Empathetic, Immersive Journey

Frances McDormand stars as Fern in Nomadland. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures hide caption

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Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

'Nomadland' Is An Empathetic, Immersive Journey

The new film Nomadland is about a woman named Fern who's lost her husband, her home and her entire community: a company town that collapsed when the company did. She's played by Frances McDormand, and in Chloé Zhao's film, she falls into a new community of people who live on the road, out of vans and RVs.

'Nomadland' Is An Empathetic, Immersive Journey

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Lara Jean Says Goodbye In 'To All The Boys: Always And Forever'

Lana Condor and Noah Centineo star in To All The Boys: Always And Forever. Katie Yu/Netflix hide caption

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Katie Yu/Netflix

Lara Jean Says Goodbye In 'To All The Boys: Always And Forever'

In 2018, To All The Boys I've Loved Before was a breakout hit for Netflix. Based on Jenny Han's novel, it followed Lara Jean Covey through the adventure of falling in love with one Peter Kavinsky. A sequel followed in 2020 and now, it's time for the finale, which finds Lara Jean and Peter dealing with the complication of graduating and heading off to college.

Lara Jean Says Goodbye In 'To All The Boys: Always And Forever'

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Diving Into 'Shark Tank'

Mark Cuban fields pitches from aspiring entrepreneurs on an episode of ABC's Shark Tank. ABC hide caption

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ABC

Diving Into 'Shark Tank'

On Shark Tank, a group of wealthy investors like Mark Cuban and "Queen of QVC" Lori Greiner listen to pitches from people who have invented something. Might be an app, might be a toy, might be a belt that can hold a beer can. Then the investors decide whether to invest in the business, and they negotiate with the entrepreneur — sometimes competing with each other to get the deal. In this encore episode, we revisit our conversation about the hit ABC show.

Diving Into 'Shark Tank'

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In 'Supernova', Stanley Tucci And Colin Firth Play A Couple Facing Dementia

Stanley Tucci and Colin Firth star in Supernova. Courtesy of Bleecker Street hide caption

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Courtesy of Bleecker Street

In 'Supernova', Stanley Tucci And Colin Firth Play A Couple Facing Dementia

In Supernova, Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci play a gay couple coming to terms with the fact that Tucci's character is experiencing early onset dementia. They take one last trip together around the British Lake District and try to enjoy these moments together, even though their shared knowledge of what's to come exposes their fears and secrets.

In 'Supernova', Stanley Tucci And Colin Firth Play A Couple Facing Dementia

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Desus And Mero On Politics, Fame And Life In The Pandemic

Desus Nice and The Kid Mero in the second season of Desus & Mero. Greg Endries/Showtime hide caption

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Greg Endries/Showtime

Desus And Mero On Politics, Fame And Life In The Pandemic

A special bonus episode from NPR's It's Been A Minute With Sam Sanders. Desus Nice and The Kid Mero went from calling up "anyone in their phone book" in the early days of their podcast Bodega Boys, to booking big names in politics like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and President Barack Obama on Desus & Mero, their late-night show airing on Showtime.

Desus And Mero On Politics, Fame And Life In The Pandemic

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