Accessibility links
Pop Culture News and commentary on popular culture trends. Download the Pop Culture podcast.

Pop Culture

National

What A Shocker — 'Voltswagen' Sparks Scorn With Stunt That Duped So Many, It Hertz

Volkswagen of America announced it was changing its name to "Voltswagen" — an early April Fool's Day joke that tricked many people.

What A Shocker — 'Voltswagen' Sparks Scorn With Stunt That Duped So Many, It Hertz

Listen · 3:39
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/983157364/983157365" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Tina Turner's Life Explored In New Documentary

Tina Turner and her children, photographed in 1967. Courtesy of HBO hide caption

toggle caption
Courtesy of HBO

Review

TV Reviews

Tina Turner's Life Explored In New Documentary

HBO's documentary on Tina Turner is presented as the 81-year-old singer's final word on her expansive life and career — a history she finds difficult to talk about.

Tina Turner's Life Explored In New Documentary

Listen · 3:47
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/979683306/979683307" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
A Year Of Falling Stars, Evening Swims And Friendship: Animal Crossing Turns One

Wish on stars in Animal Crossing: New Horizons and the next morning, jewel-bright star fragments will wash up on your beaches. Screenshot by Amal El-Mohtar/Nintendo hide caption

toggle caption
Screenshot by Amal El-Mohtar/Nintendo

Join The Game

A Year Of Falling Stars, Evening Swims And Friendship: Animal Crossing Turns One

Animal Crossing: New Horizons came out a year ago and quickly became the game of the pandemic era, offering a candy-colored fantasy world where the occasional bug bite is the worst that can happen.

The Latest Chapters In Gaming's Favorite Farm Story Wither On The Vine

Pioneers of Olive Town is flawed, but the actual farming is soothing and engaging. Screenshot by Kaity Kline/Marvelous/Xseed Games hide caption

toggle caption
Screenshot by Kaity Kline/Marvelous/Xseed Games

Join The Game

The Latest Chapters In Gaming's Favorite Farm Story Wither On The Vine

Harvest Moon: One World and Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town are the latest installments in a beloved, long-running series of farming sims — but fans may want to stick with older games.

'Invincible' Is Packed With Pulpy, Visceral Thrills — And Lots Of Pulpy Viscera

Young Mark Grayson (voiced by Steven Yeun) follows in his father's footsteps and adopts the heroic identity of Invincible in the Amazon Prime animated series. Amazon Prime Video hide caption

toggle caption
Amazon Prime Video

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Invincible' Is Packed With Pulpy, Visceral Thrills — And Lots Of Pulpy Viscera

A stellar voice cast helps ground this fantastical tale of a fledgling superhero's first forays into a job where the stakes — and the violence — are all too real.

Author Interviews

Leila Cobo's New Book Takes A Look At The Latin Music We Can't Get Enough Of

NPR's Felix Contreras speaks with Leila Cobo about her new book, Decoding Despacito, and the commercial history of Latin music in the U.S.

Leila Cobo's New Book Takes A Look At The Latin Music We Can't Get Enough Of

Listen · 6:25
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/979683468/979683472" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Health Care

Doctors Adapt 'Hamilton' Musical To Encourage Vaccination

Calling themselves the "Vax'n 8," a group of doctors in Vacaville, Calif., recorded a cover of "My Shot" from the musical Hamilton to promote vaccine confidence.

Doctors Adapt 'Hamilton' Musical To Encourage Vaccination

Listen · 2:52
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/979594973/979597237" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Movies

'Justice League' Fans Finally Get Access To Zack Snyder Cut Of Film On HBO Max

After years of campaigning on social media, fans can now stream the 4-hour Zack Snyder's Justice League. What does that say about the relationship between fandoms and movie studios?

'Justice League' Fans Finally Get Access To Zack Snyder Cut Of Film On HBO Max

Listen · 3:39
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/979056452/979056453" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Aretha Franklin Shines In, And Despite, The New Miniseries, 'Genius: Aretha'

Courtney B. Vance, left, as C.L. Franklin, with Cynthia Erivo as Aretha Franklin, in a scene from the miniseries Genius: Aretha set at The New Temple Missionary Baptist Church. Richard DuCree/National Geographic/Richard DuCree hide caption

toggle caption
Richard DuCree/National Geographic/Richard DuCree

Television

Aretha Franklin Shines In, And Despite, The New Miniseries, 'Genius: Aretha'

Debuting this Sunday on National Geographic, Genius: Aretha looks at the Queen of Soul's life through the lens of a television biopic.

Aretha Franklin Shines In, And Despite, The New Miniseries, 'Genius: Aretha'

Listen · 3:31
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/979056315/979056338" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
'The Island We Made': Lip-Sync Opera And High Drag Sing An Ode To Mothers

Sasha Velour stars in The Island We Made, an opera composed by Angélica Negrón and filmed in a mid-century Staten Island house. Matthew Placek/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption
Matthew Placek/Courtesy of the artist

Deceptive Cadence

'The Island We Made': Lip-Sync Opera And High Drag Sing An Ode To Mothers

Composer Angélica Negrón collaborates with 'RuPaul's Drag Race' winner Sasha Velour on a 10-minute film featuring original music, in a project for Opera Philadelphia.

'The Island We Made': Lip-Sync Opera And High Drag Sing An Ode To Mothers

Listen · 3:42
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/978900735/979056466" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Here At Long (Really Long) Last, 'Zack Snyder's Justice League' Is ... Not Bad?

Zack Snyder directs Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot. Zack Snyder's Justice League is the director's 2021 cut of the 2017 film. Clay Enos/HBO Max hide caption

toggle caption
Clay Enos/HBO Max

Review

Movie Reviews

Here At Long (Really Long) Last, 'Zack Snyder's Justice League' Is ... Not Bad?

Zach Snyder's Justice League drops on HBO Max on Thursday; despite being an eye-popping four hours long, it's a stronger film than the 2017 version finished by Joss Whedon after Snyder stepped away.

Here At Long (Really Long) Last, 'Zack Snyder's Justice League' Is ... Not Bad?

Listen · 3:50
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/978227026/978832120" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Television

The Bachelor Finale Brings To Light Systemic Issues Within The Show

Following the finale of The Bachelor, a look at what the season amounted to and issues that need to be addressed by the show.

The Bachelor Finale Brings To Light Systemic Issues Within The Show

Listen · 3:55
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/977928954/977928955" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
The Bachelor's Cluelessness About Race Comes To A Head In Season Finale

On Monday's After the Final Rose special, bachelor Matt James revealed why he broke things off with Rachael Kirkconnell after photos of her at an antebellum South-themed party surfaced on social media. Craig Sjodin/ABC hide caption

toggle caption
Craig Sjodin/ABC

Television

The Bachelor's Cluelessness About Race Comes To A Head In Season Finale

Matt James — the first Black bachelor in the franchise's history — broke things off with winner Rachael Kirkconnell after photos of her at an antebellum South-themed party surfaced on social media.