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

Pop Culture

Sunday

Nichelle Nichols, Lt. Uhura on 'Star Trek,' dies at 89

Nichelle Nichols made history for her role as communications officer Lt. Uhura on Star Trek. CBS via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
CBS via Getty Images

Television

Nichelle Nichols, Lt. Uhura on 'Star Trek,' dies at 89

Nichols broke ground and paved the way for Black actors in Hollywood as Uhura. Her castmate George Takei wrote, "We lived long and prospered together."

Nichelle Nichols, Lt. Uhura on 'Star Trek,' dies at 89

Listen · 2:01
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1114792935/1114821134" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Happy Birthday, George Jetson? The internet thinks he was born on July 31, 2022

Memes have been circulating claiming that July 31, 2022 is the birthday of the dopey patriarch from the vintage cartoon, "The Jetsons." Warner Bros./Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Warner Bros./Getty Images

Happy Birthday, George Jetson? The internet thinks he was born on July 31, 2022

According to memes circulating on the internet, July 31, 2022 may just be the birthday of the dopey patriarch from the vintage cartoon, The Jetsons.

Happy Birthday, George Jetson? The internet thinks he was born on July 31, 2022

Listen · 1:12
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1114759037/1114759038" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Saturday

Artist Tunde Olaniran's 'Made a Universe' opens a portal at a Detroit museum

Artist Tunde Olaniran Steven Piper/Tunde Olaniran hide caption

toggle caption
Steven Piper/Tunde Olaniran

Culture

Artist Tunde Olaniran's 'Made a Universe' opens a portal at a Detroit museum

Musician and artist Tunde Olaniran is a rising star from Flint, Michigan whose exuberant work comments on serious issues such as environmental injustice and the carceral state.

Artist Tunde Olaniran's 'Made a Universe' opens a portal at a Detroit museum

Listen · 5:37
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1113829988/1114697078" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

Bow down, Queen Bey's 'Renaissance' era has finally arrived

Beyoncé's seventh album, Renaissance, is now available worldwide. Carlijn Jacobs/Parkwood Entertainment hide caption

toggle caption
Carlijn Jacobs/Parkwood Entertainment

It's Been a Minute

Bow down, Queen Bey's 'Renaissance' era has finally arrived

Beyoncé's new album is here! Guest host Anna Sale chats with Dan Runcie, founder of the hip hop site Trapital, and Joey Guerra, music critic for the Houston Chronicle. They talk about Renaissance, what Beyoncé means to us and how this album meets the moment.

Bow down, Queen Bey's 'Renaissance' era has finally arrived

Listen · 33:54
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1114456545/1199267052" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Pop star Shakira could face 8 years in prison in a Spanish tax fraud trial

Performer Shakira answers questions at a news conference on Jan. 30, 2020, in Miami. Spanish prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of eight years for Colombian-born pop star Shakira in her expected trial for alleged tax fraud. Shakira is charged for failing to pay 14.5 million euros ($15 million) in taxes in Spain between 2012 and 2014. David J. Phillip/AP hide caption

toggle caption
David J. Phillip/AP

Pop star Shakira could face 8 years in prison in a Spanish tax fraud trial

Authorities say the Colombian spent at least half the year in Spain in 2012, 2013 and 2014, when she was married to an FC Barcelona football player. That would mean she dodged $15 million in taxes.

Rosanne Cash Reflects on Her Life and Legacy
Stacie McChesney/Stacie McChesney / TED

TED Radio Hour

Rosanne Cash Reflects on Her Life and Legacy

For decades, Rosanne Cash has soared through the ranks of music with her powerhouse poetic skills and wistful reflections on her past. This hour we explore Rosanne's life and legacy through her music.

Rosanne Cash Reflects on Her Life and Legacy

Listen · 52:29
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1114286907/1114457830" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
In 'Vengeance,' a podcast bro messes with Texas

Ashton Kutcher and B.J. Novak in a scene from the film Vengeance. Focus Features hide caption

toggle caption
Focus Features

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

In 'Vengeance,' a podcast bro messes with Texas

B.J. Novak (The Office) wrote, directed, and stars in the new indie comedy Vengeance. He plays Ben, a New York City journalist who decides to turn the mysterious death of his former hookup into fodder for a podcast. The film features Issa Rae as his podcast editor and Ashton Kutcher as a record producer.

In 'Vengeance,' a podcast bro messes with Texas

Listen · 20:18
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1114033983/1199264293" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Thursday

Like a mob hit – the passing of a generation of movie gangsters

James Caan was so persuasive as "Sonny" Corleone in The Godfather, that he got turned down when he tried to join a country club because its members thought that he, like his character, was a "made man." CBS Photo Archive/CBS via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
CBS Photo Archive/CBS via Getty Images

Movies

Like a mob hit – the passing of a generation of movie gangsters

Funerals for Ray Liotta, Paul Sorvino, James Caan, Paul Herman, and Tony Sirico — all in a few weeks. It's the passing of a generation of Hollywood's most celebrated "mobsters."

Like a mob hit – the passing of a generation of movie gangsters

Listen · 4:56
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1114209264/1114335506" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Actor Bernard Cribbins, who delighted U.K. kids for generations, dies at 93

Bernard Cribbins looks on after receiving the annual J M Barrie Award for a lifetime of unforgettable work for children on stage, film, television and record, at the Radio Theatre, Broadcasting House in London, on Nov. 13, 2014. Cribbins has died at age 93. Nicholas T Ansell/PA via AP, File hide caption

toggle caption
Nicholas T Ansell/PA via AP, File

Obituaries

Actor Bernard Cribbins, who delighted U.K. kids for generations, dies at 93

Bernard Cribbins, a beloved British entertainer whose seven-decade career ranged from the bawdy "Carry On" comedies to children's television and "Doctor Who," has died.

It's man vs. moustache on 'The Gray Man'

Ryan Gosling in The Gray Man. Netflix hide caption

toggle caption
Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

It's man vs. moustache on 'The Gray Man'

The Netflix movie The Gray Man stars Ryan Gosling as an inmate who becomes an assassin for the CIA in exchange for his freedom. When a mission goes awry, he has to contend with a sociopathic ex-agent played by Chris Evans. It's directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, who made the Captain America and Avengers movies for Marvel.

It's man vs. moustache on 'The Gray Man'

Listen · 20:07
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1113541710/1199264297" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Wednesday

Meet B.A. Parker — our new co-host!

The new voice — and face — of the Code Switch podcast! Courtesy of B.A. Parker hide caption

toggle caption
Courtesy of B.A. Parker

Opinion

Code Switch

Meet B.A. Parker — our new co-host!

Fam: We finally have a new co-host of the Code Switch podcast! And we're just a *tiny bit* excited. So today on the show, we're introducing you to B.A. Parker. Gene chats with Parker about who she is, what drew her to the race beat, and how her encyclopedic knowledge of Oscars trivia will be an asset to Code Switch listeners.

Meet B.A. Parker — our new co-host!

Listen · 24:08
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1113857106/1199264822" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Summer TV shows we missed (but liked)

Gavin Casalegno and Lola Tung star in Amazon Prime's The Summer I Turned Pretty. Peter Taylor/Amazon Prime Video hide caption

toggle caption
Peter Taylor/Amazon Prime Video

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Summer TV shows we missed (but liked)

Today there's more TV than ever before. And in such a crowded landscape, we can't get around to everything. That's why we wanted to highlight some of the recent shows that we didn't get around to, but we still think you might wanna check out. We recommend: The Summer I Turned Pretty, Dark Winds, Loot, Flowers In The Attic: The Origin, Chloe, and Trixie Motel.

Summer TV shows we missed (but liked)

Listen · 18:30
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1112566715/1199264301" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript