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Monday

How we entertain and amuse ourselves on a road trip
Kiran Ridley/Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

How we entertain and amuse ourselves on a road trip

It's summer, so we're talking all about road trips. Should you blast music that's familiar or unfamiliar? What makes for a good road trip audiobook? What are some road trip games we hate? Pop Culture Happy Hour talked all about how to entertain and amuse ourselves in the car way back in 2012. Today, in this encore episode, we're revisiting that conversation.

How we entertain and amuse ourselves on a road trip

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Sunday

Saturday

Jon Landau stands for a portrait at the 95th Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon in February 2023 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. Landau, an Oscar-winning producer who worked closely with director James Cameron on “Titanic

Jon Landau stands for a portrait at the 95th Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon in February 2023 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. Landau, an Oscar-winning producer who worked closely with director James Cameron on “Titanic" and the “Avatar” series, has died. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP hide caption

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Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

Obituaries

Jon Landau, the Oscar-winning 'Titanic' and 'Avatar' producer, dies at 63

Landau's partnership with James Cameron led to a best picture win for 1997's "Titanic." Together they account for some of the biggest blockbusters in movie history, including "Avatar" and its sequel.

Spotlight Award honoree, Ellie Kemper attends SCAD aTVfest 2019 at SCADshow on February 7, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for SCAD aTVfest 2019 )

Spotlight Award honoree, Ellie Kemper attends SCAD aTVfest 2019 at SCADshow on February 7, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for SCAD aTVfest 20/Getty Images North America hide caption

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Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for SCAD aTVfest 20/Getty Images North America

Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!

'Wait Wait' for July 6, 2024: Happy Independence Day!

This week, Wait Wait celebrates the 4th of July with some of our favorite guests!

'Wait Wait' for July 6, 2024: Happy Independence Day!

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Screenwriter Robert Towne poses at The Regency Hotel in New York on March 7, 2006.

Screenwriter Robert Towne poses at The Regency Hotel in New York on March 7, 2006. Jim Cooper/AP hide caption

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Jim Cooper/AP

Opinion

Simon Says

Opinion: Remembering the star screenwriter Robert Towne

NPR's Scott Simon remembers screenwriter Robert Towne, who died this week. Towne won an Oscar for Chinatown, which is considered one of the best screenplays in American cinema.

Opinion: Remembering the star screenwriter, Robert Towne

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We celebrate 4th of July with Ellie Kemper, Ruth E. Gordon, and more!
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for SCAD aTVfest 20

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

We celebrate 4th of July with Ellie Kemper, Ruth E. Gordon, and more!

This week, we celebrate the 4th of July with some of our favorite guests!

We celebrate 4th of July with Ellie Kemper, Ruth E. Gordon, and more!

Listen · 47:18
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Friday

Joey Chestnut (right) holds a gold belt after winning the Fort Bliss hot dog contest, as the Impossible Foods CEO holds a giant check onstage.

Joey Chestnut (right) won a hot dog-eating contest against soldiers at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, on Thursday, with Impossible Foods pledging to donate $1,000 in support of military families for each hot dog downed. Impossible Foods hide caption

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Impossible Foods

National

Joey Chestnut, banned from Coney Island, takes his hot dog-eating skills to Fort Bliss

Chestnut ate 57 hot dogs in five minutes, beating a team of four soldiers who downed 49 total. He not only broke his own record, but nearly tied the Coney Island winner, who ate 58 dogs in 10 minutes.

Music Interviews

For David Byrne, Talking Heads was about making emotional sense — not literal sense

In November 2023, Byrne spoke about the 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense and described the band's hit song "Burning Down the House" as a compilation of "non-sequiturs" with an emotional impact.

For David Byrne, Talking Heads was about making emotional sense — not literal sense

Listen · 43:40
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Jennifer Privett takes her Himalayan cat Jean Claude out for a stroll in San Francisco on June 28, 2024.

Jennifer Privett takes her Himalayan cat Jean Claude out for a stroll in San Francisco on June 28. Chloe Veltman/NPR hide caption

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Chloe Veltman/NPR

Cats on leashes ... yes, it's a thing

For some cats, leashed walks "can certainly create environmental enrichment, get them some more exercise," says veterinarian Grace Cater. Other cats? Not so much.

CAT WALKING

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'MaXXXine' closes a grisly trilogy in style

Mia Goth and Halsey in MaXXXine. Justin Lubin/A24 hide caption

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Justin Lubin/A24

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'MaXXXine' closes a grisly trilogy in style

The new movie MaXXXine stars Mia Goth as an adult-film actress who gets her big break in Hollywood, only to be revisited by horrors from her past. Set in 1985 Los Angeles, it's the final film in director Ti West's beloved horror trilogy that began with the movie X. MaXXXine also features performances from Kevin Bacon, Elizabeth Debicki, and Giancarlo Esposito.

'MaXXXine' closes a grisly trilogy in style

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Defining 2024 so far; plus, why brands 'de-woked'
Dia Dipasupil; Neilson Barnard; Antony Jones; Arnold Jerocki; Emma McIntyre; Saul Loeb / AFP; Brandon Bell; Kevin Winter/Getty Images

It's Been a Minute

Defining 2024 so far; plus, why brands 'de-woked'

It is the first week of July, which means we are officially halfway through the year. And what a year it's been! Brittany sat down with NPR Politics reporter Elena Moore and co-host of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour Stephen Thompson, to take stock of what's happened so far in 2024.

Defining 2024 so far; plus, why brands 'de-woked'

Listen · 34:37
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