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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

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The Curse Of The Black Lotus (Update)

Stand in awe before the Black Lotus. Jim Bruso hide caption

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Jim Bruso

Planet Money

The Curse Of The Black Lotus (Update)

When the popular card game Magic: The Gathering entered a speculative bubble, its creators found a way to keep it from bursting. We check in to see if their strategy is still working. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

The Curse Of The Black Lotus (Update)

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'Godzilla Vs. Kong' Is A Flawed Monster Movie Mashup

Godzilla Vs. Kong puts two franchise stars in epic battles on land and sea. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures hide caption

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Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Godzilla Vs. Kong' Is A Flawed Monster Movie Mashup

Godzilla Vs. Kong is a collision of two classic film franchises. As the sequel to 2017's Kong: Skull Island and 2019's Godzilla: King Of The Monsters, the film's excessive plot largely serves as window dressing for a heightened epic battle. However, its action-packed story also neglects to properly acknowledge the complicated layers of these two cinematic monsters.

'Godzilla Vs. Kong' Is A Flawed Monster Movie Mashup

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In 'The Falcon And The Winter Soldier,' Sam And Bucky Are Vib(ranium)ing

Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) reluctantly participate in a therapy session together, while their therapist (Amy Aquino) looks on. Marvel Studios hide caption

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Marvel Studios

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

In 'The Falcon And The Winter Soldier,' Sam And Bucky Are Vib(ranium)ing

As the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues its march across Disney Plus, it needs a buddy show, specifically The Falcon And The Winter Soldier. Both old allies of Captain America, the two find themselves up against villains, a therapist and sometimes each other.

In 'The Falcon And The Winter Soldier,' Sam And Bucky Are Vib(ranium)ing

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'Die Hard': Welcome to the podcast, Pal

Bruce Willis in the 1988 film Die Hard. 20th Century-Fox/Getty Images hide caption

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20th Century-Fox/Getty Images

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Die Hard': Welcome to the podcast, Pal

There's no wrong time to talk about an influential Hollywood classic. So that's why we are talking about Die Hard. We will never get tired of Hans Gruber versus John McClane — Alan Rickman versus Bruce Willis — the real clash of the titans. So that's why we are bringing you this encore episode.

'Die Hard': Welcome to the podcast, Pal

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Beverly Cleary's Essential Books

Author Beverly Cleary created numerous memorable characters including Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins, and Ralph S. Mouse. San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images hide caption

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San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Beverly Cleary's Essential Books

Legendary children's author Beverly Cleary died last week at the age of 104. Cleary wrote more than 40 books over about 50 years. Her characters, like Ramona Quimby and Henry Huggins, entertained kids for decades. So we decided to talk about some of Cleary's essential books.

Beverly Cleary's Essential Books

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Tina Turner's Life Explored In New Documentary

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

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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

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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

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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.

Gun Violence Never Went Away, Plus The Overlooked Talent Of Asian Actors

Star Samkus, who works at the King Soopers grocery store and knew three of the victims of a mass shooting at the store a day earlier, cries while kneeling in front of crosses placed in honor of the victims, Tuesday, March 23, 2021, in Boulder, Colo. David Zalubowski/AP hide caption

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David Zalubowski/AP

It's Been a Minute

Gun Violence Never Went Away, Plus The Overlooked Talent Of Asian Actors

It might have seemed like mass shootings were down last year, but 2020 was actually one of the deadliest years for gun violence in decades. Sam talks to Abené Clayton, reporter for The Guardian, about why some shootings get more coverage than others. Plus, Sam talks to Shirley Li, staff writer at The Atlantic, about Minari and the way stereotypes inform how white audiences view the performances of Asian actors. Then, Hannah Giorgis, also of The Atlantic, joins Sam and Shirley to play Who Said That.

Gun Violence Never Went Away, Plus The Overlooked Talent Of Asian Actors

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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

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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

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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.

'King Of The Hill' Endures, I Tell You Whut

King Of The Hill focuses on the Hill family - Luanne, Peggy, Bobby, and Hank - living life in the fictional suburb of Arlen, Texas. Fox Network/Kobal/Shutterstock hide caption

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Fox Network/Kobal/Shutterstock

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'King Of The Hill' Endures, I Tell You Whut

If you're looking for the next show to binge, we've got a great suggestion for you. The animated sitcom King Of The Hill ran on FOX from 1997 to 2010, and all 13 seasons are now streaming on Hulu. The show, created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels pokes gentle fun at its characters without mocking them.

'King Of The Hill' Endures, I Tell You Whut

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Stuck In A Streaming Rut? We've Got You Covered

The multitude of content available today can be overwhelming, but we have a few recommendations to help get through your streaming fatigue. Angela Hsieh/NPR hide caption

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Angela Hsieh/NPR

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Stuck In A Streaming Rut? We've Got You Covered

For a year, many of us have found ourselves planted at home, with a lot more time on our hands for movies and television. Maybe you've already finished the umpteenth binge-watch of your favorite show, or you're just in a very different headspace than you were a few months ago. Today, we're teaming up with the hosts of the Movie Therapy podcast to help a few listeners out with some personal recommendations.

Stuck In A Streaming Rut? We've Got You Covered

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