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

Pop Culture

Saturday

Bob and Erin Odenkirk talk poetry and debate the who's funniest member of the family
Michael Leyva/LAist

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

Bob and Erin Odenkirk talk poetry and debate the who's funniest member of the family

This week, we're live in LA with comedy legend Bob Odenkirk, and his daughter Erin. They talk their new book of poems, growing up with a dad on TV, and more.

Bob and Erin Odenkirk talk poetry and debate the who's funniest member of the family

Listen · 47:59
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1198908024/1202820656" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Friday

Hasan Minhaj and the limits of representation

Stephanie Mills in The Wiz, and Hasan Minhaj on stage. Hulton Archive/Kevin Winter hide caption

toggle caption
Hulton Archive/Kevin Winter

It's Been a Minute

Hasan Minhaj and the limits of representation

A recent New Yorker piece on Hasan Minhaj found that some crucial bits of his stand-up act didn't stand up to fact-checking. Stretching the truth in comedy is par for the course, but how does that work for a figure like Minhaj, who'd previously doubled down on these stories in interviews and is known for his political satire shows? Brittany is joined by writer Imran Siddiquee and journalist Allana Akhtar to make sense of an entertainment industry that created the conditions for his fame.

Hasan Minhaj and the limits of representation

Listen · 37:28
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197954046/1202761863" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
'The Creator' is based on big ideas — and a lot of spare parts

John David Washington as Joshua in The Creator. 20th Century Studios hide caption

toggle caption
20th Century Studios

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'The Creator' is based on big ideas — and a lot of spare parts

In the new movie The Creator, humanity is at war with artificial intelligence. It stars John David Washington as a former soldier who's been recruited to find and kill the creator of a powerful AI weapon. Directed by Gareth Edwards, the film's big themes involve the role of AI, the brutality of war, and the building blocks of life and society.

'The Creator' is based on big ideas — and a lot of spare parts

Listen · 22:09
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197954388/1202370060" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Thursday

T.J. Mack wants you to know it's OK to sit

T.J. Mack — AKA Brian Jordan Alvarez. Brennan Goldstein hide caption

toggle caption
Brennan Goldstein

Main Character of the Day

T.J. Mack wants you to know it's OK to sit

Actor and comedian Brian Jordan Alvarez is a prolific poster online. Now, one of his latest videos has taken on a new life.

T.J. Mack wants you to know it's OK to sit

Listen · 5:30
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1202431179/1202506869" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Michael Gambon, who played Dumbledore in 'Harry Potter,' dies at 82

Actor Michael Gambon took over the role of Albus Dumbledore in The Prisoner of Azkaban. Carl Court/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Carl Court/AFP via Getty Images

Obituaries

Michael Gambon, who played Dumbledore in 'Harry Potter,' dies at 82

Gambon was best known for playing Albus Dumbledore in most of the Harry Potter movies. The Irish-born actor got his start on stage and worked under Laurence Olivier.

Michael Gambon, who played Dumbledore in 'Harry Potter,' dies at 82

Listen · 2:35
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1202300771/1202527095" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Talking Heads' 'Stop Making Sense' is still burning down the house

David Byrne of the Talking Heads in Stop Making Sense. A24 hide caption

toggle caption
A24

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Talking Heads' 'Stop Making Sense' is still burning down the house

Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense has been called the greatest concert film of all time. Directed by Jonathan Demme, the iconic 1984 film takes the audience onstage with the band and captures them at the height of their power. Now, a restored version of the film is back in theaters, featuring propulsive performances of early hits like "Psycho Killer," along with deeper and funkier cuts, too.

Talking Heads' 'Stop Making Sense' is still burning down the house

Listen · 19:24
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197954366/1202078724" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Wednesday

What happens when your secret fiancee becomes your boss? Find out in 'Fair Play'

A cutthroat power couple Luke (Alden Ehrenreich) and Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) end up in a power struggle in Fair Play. Sergej Radovic/Netflix hide caption

toggle caption
Sergej Radovic/Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

What happens when your secret fiancee becomes your boss? Find out in 'Fair Play'

A power couple crumbles when one gets promoted over the other at their cutthroat hedge fund firm. Fair Play is a withering melodrama, depicting a relationship contaminated by ambition and jealousy.

In 'Cassandro,' a gay luchador finds himself, and international fame

Gael García Bernal stars in Cassandro. Amazon Prime Studios hide caption

toggle caption
Amazon Prime Studios

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

In 'Cassandro,' a gay luchador finds himself, and international fame

In the new film Cassandro, Gael García Bernal plays the real-life Mexican-American wrestler who came to international stardom by adopting the persona of the flamboyant Cassandro, the Liberace of Lucha Libre. It's the story of a queer man who challenges a macho and homophobic system through sheer showmanship – and earns the respect of his fellow wrestlers and audiences.

In 'Cassandro,' a gay luchador finds himself, and international fame

Listen · 20:20
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197954330/1201748229" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Tuesday

In 'Dumb Money,' the mischievous are eating the rich

Pete Davidson and Paul Dano in Dumb Money. Claire Folger/Sony Pictures hide caption

toggle caption
Claire Folger/Sony Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

In 'Dumb Money,' the mischievous are eating the rich

The snappy "eat the rich" comedy Dumb Money is about a sly bunch of Reddit users who made some Wall Street billionaires sweat, in an infamous stock market incident known as the Game Stop short squeeze. With a star-studded ensemble including Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, and Pete Davidson, the movie has got class warfare and needle drops galore. But will it inspire you to fight the power or just go out and buy some stocks?

In 'Dumb Money,' the mischievous are eating the rich

Listen · 21:39
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197954281/1201499611" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Sunday

'Here I am, closer to the gutter than ever': John Waters gets his Hollywood star

Self-described "filth elder" John Waters unveiled his sidewalk star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday. "It's about time," said fan Kyle Montgomery, who attended the event. "The world is trash. He knew it all along." Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

Movies

'Here I am, closer to the gutter than ever': John Waters gets his Hollywood star

A new exhibition at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures celebrates the life and outrageous cinema of John Waters, queer icon and proud maker of "filth."

'Here I am, closer to the gutter than ever': John Waters gets his Hollywood star

Listen · 6:13
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1200624382/1201383761" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

'Sex Education' teaches valuable lessons in empathy

Ncuti Gatwa in season 4 of Netflix's Sex Education. Samuel Taylor/Netflix hide caption

toggle caption
Samuel Taylor/Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Sex Education' teaches valuable lessons in empathy

Netflix's hit series Sex Education is a refreshing and frank coming-of-age story about modern teens learning about their bodies and themselves in awkward, relatable ways. In the final season, amateur sex therapist Otis (Asa Butterfield), his best friend Eric (Ncuti Gatwa), and their friends juggle academic life and young adulthood.

'Sex Education' teaches valuable lessons in empathy

Listen · 26:34
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197954209/1200861045" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Thursday

How comic Leslie Jones went from funniest person on campus to 'SNL' star

Leslie Jones says she was 19 when Jamie Foxx told her she needed to live life — get hired, get fired, fall in love — in order to be truly funny. Jen Rosenstein/HGBUSA hide caption

toggle caption
Jen Rosenstein/HGBUSA

Television

How comic Leslie Jones went from funniest person on campus to 'SNL' star

Fresh Air

Jones says performing stand-up for the first time as a freshman in college felt like putting on a shirt that fit perfectly: "It was just so natural." Her memoir is Leslie F*cking Jones.

How comic Leslie Jones went from funniest person on campus to 'SNL' star

Listen · 36:02
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1200560901/1200847901" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
In 'Starfield', human destiny is written in the stars

Bethesda's new game Starfield features over 1000 planets. Bethesda Softworks hide caption

toggle caption
Bethesda Softworks

Pop Culture Happy Hour

In 'Starfield', human destiny is written in the stars

Starfield is one of the biggest and most anticipated video game releases of the year. It's a massive open world game set in humanity's future, when we've settled on star systems throughout the galaxy. There's over 1000 planets to explore, multiple factions to join, spaceships to pilot and quests to go on. But does Starfield live up to the hype?

In 'Starfield', human destiny is written in the stars

Listen · 22:54
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197954178/1200578765" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript