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

Pop Culture

Elvis songwriter Mike Stoller looks back on his hits

Mike Stoller, 89, the songwriter and producer who, with his producing partner, wrote many of Elvis's biggest songs, poses for a portrait at his home in Los Angeles, CA. Jessica Pons for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Jessica Pons for NPR

Music

Elvis songwriter Mike Stoller looks back on his hits

Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber wrote hit songs for Elvis, along with a whos-who of other artists including Big Mama Thornton, Ben E. King, and more.

Elvis songwriter Mike Stoller looks back on his hits

Listen · 4:59
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1107340892/1109629203" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
What's making us happy: A guide to your weekend reading, listening and viewing

Samara Weaving as Olivia and Eugenio Derbez as Antonio in the new Hulu film The Valet. Dan McFadden/Hulu hide caption

toggle caption
Dan McFadden/Hulu

What's Making Us Happy: Recommendations From 'Pop Culture Happy Hour'

What's making us happy: A guide to your weekend reading, listening and viewing

Each week, the guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: The Valet on Hulu, watching wrestling, and a playlist crafted for the perfect summer vibe.

Those chaotic tater tots return in 'Minions: The Rise of Gru'

Minions: The Rise of Gru is the latest movie in the Despicable Me film franchise. Universal Pictures hide caption

toggle caption
Universal Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Those chaotic tater tots return in 'Minions: The Rise of Gru'

Minions: The Rise Of Gru is the fifth film in the animated Despicable Me series. Set in the late 1970s, the new movie chronicles the early days of the supervillain Gru (voiced again by Steve Carell) and his relationship with the silly yellow babbling banana-loving henchmen who do his bidding.

Those chaotic tater tots return in 'Minions: The Rise of Gru'

Listen · 26:22
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1108401197/1108913521" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Mo Willems' naked mole rats owe their rock 'n' roll sound to this composer

Composer Deborah Wicks La Puma writes music for Mo Willems' musicals including Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Underground Rock Experience. A new animated version is on HBO Max. HBO Max hide caption

toggle caption
HBO Max

Mo Willems' naked mole rats owe their rock 'n' roll sound to this composer

Composer Deborah Wicks La Puma has written music for Mo Willems' famous Pigeon, Elephant and Piggie - and now for Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed on HBO Max.

Mo Willems' naked mole rats owe their rock 'n' roll sound to this composer

Listen · 5:34
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1107827979/1109607721" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Can't sleep? Catch some zzzs with these songs

If you like to fall asleep to a soundtrack, we have three great recommendations to help you doze away. Angela Hsieh/NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Angela Hsieh/NPR

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Can't sleep? Catch some zzzs with these songs

There are songs you want to groove to, and songs you want to pump up to. But sometimes, you just want something for the come down at the end of a long day. If you're having trouble sleeping in silence, or are just looking for some new songs to throw into your bedtime rotation, we've got you covered.

Can't sleep? Catch some zzzs with these songs

Listen · 9:27
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1108298105/1108308260" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Should you pick up 'The Black Phone'?

Ethan Hawke stars in The Black Phone the latest film from Scott Derrickson. Universal Pictures hide caption

toggle caption
Universal Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Should you pick up 'The Black Phone'?

In the supernatural horror film The Black Phone, Ethan Hawke plays the Grabber, a sinister masked figure who abducts a series of teenage boys in a Colorado suburb. When 13-year-old Finney (Mason Thames) gets grabbed, he's locked in a dank basement, waiting to be murdered, when suddenly a disconnected telephone on the wall starts to ring.

Should you pick up 'The Black Phone'?

Listen · 17:03
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1106697548/1108215855" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
When parents say sorry on-screen
Allyson Riggs/A24

It's Been a Minute

When parents say sorry on-screen

Family conflict is a cinema staple. But recently Hollywood has come out with a slew of stories about parents and children confronting gaps in culture, generation and identity — from animated films like Encanto and Turning Red, to the recent miniseries Ms. Marvel and the indie hit Everything Everywhere All at Once. Vox entertainment critic Emily St. James calls the subgenre the "millennial parent apology fantasy." She shares with guest host B.A. Parker how the form came to be, what its limits are and how it could pave the way for new perspectives about trauma and family.

When parents say sorry on-screen

Listen · 14:33
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1107965680/1108075138" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
The celebrity crypto nexus

Images from the Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT series. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Mario Tama/Getty Images

The Indicator from Planet Money

The celebrity crypto nexus

From Jimmy Fallon to Reese Witherspoon, why are so many celebrities promoting crypto? We untangle the web of connections between Hollywood A-listers, Bored Apes, and one influential talent agency, with journalist Max Read. He wrote about this in his Substack newsletter, Read Max.

The celebrity crypto nexus

Listen · 9:21
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1108033471/1108055259" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
We recap the 2022 BET Awards

Jack Harlow and Brandy perform onstage during the 2022 BET Awards. Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images for BET hide caption

toggle caption
Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images for BET

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

We recap the 2022 BET Awards

Sunday's BET Awards were a four-hour celebration of Black culture, with a heavy emphasis on music. The night was packed with live performances from Latto and Jack Harlow, and surprise guests Mariah Carey and Brandy, and featured a lavish tribute to Lifetime Achievement Award winner Sean "Diddy" Combs.

We recap the 2022 BET Awards

Listen · 21:02
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1107800150/1108032080" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Stars use BET Awards stage to criticize Roe v. Wade ruling

Janelle Monae presents the award for best female R&B/pop artist at the BET Awards on Sunday, June 26, 2022, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Chris Pizzello/Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Chris Pizzello/Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

Culture

Stars use BET Awards stage to criticize Roe v. Wade ruling

Hosts and entertainers at the annual show recognizing Black excellence in the arts and sports criticize the recent Supreme Court decision the landmark overturning Roe v. Wade.

Let's get small with 'Marcel The Shell With Shoes On'

Jenny Slate voices Marcel in the new film Marcel The Shell With Shoes On. A24 hide caption

toggle caption
A24

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Let's get small with 'Marcel The Shell With Shoes On'

The new film Marcel The Shell With Shoes On tells the story of a tiny shell who searches for his long-lost family. He's voiced by Jenny Slate and rendered using stop-motion animation. Based on a series of viral YouTube shorts, the feature-length movie is directed by Dean Fleischer Camp, who also appears on-screen as a filmmaker who discovers and interviews Marcel while living in an Airbnb.

Let's get small with 'Marcel The Shell With Shoes On'

Listen · 13:36
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1106990224/1107010794" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
'Peanuts,' one of the world's most popular cartoons, pushed for Title IX in the 1970s

The Peanuts characters reminded readers of the importance of Title IX at a moment when many schools and athletic programs were resistant to it. Peanuts © 1979 Peanuts Worldwide LLC hide caption

toggle caption
Peanuts © 1979 Peanuts Worldwide LLC

Culture

'Peanuts,' one of the world's most popular cartoons, pushed for Title IX in the 1970s

Peanuts was a place where female athletes saw their presence on the playing field explicitly supported.

'Peanuts,' one of the world's most popular cartoons, pushed for Title IX in the 1970s

Listen · 4:04
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1106886757/1107691325" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Frustrated by society's erasure, the Lesbian Avengers fought back

In 1993, the Lesbian Avengers organized the first Dyke March. Within a few years, its membership grew to more than 50 chapters nationwide. Carolina Kroon hide caption

toggle caption
Carolina Kroon

Culture

Frustrated by society's erasure, the Lesbian Avengers fought back

They were secretaries, cab drivers, teachers and artists — brought together on a mission for lesbian visibility and political change.

Frustrated by society's erasure, the Lesbian Avengers fought back

Listen · 5:21
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1106444650/1107244537" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
'Elvis' is a hunk-a hunk-a burnin' excess

Austin Butler stars as Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann's Elvis. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures hide caption

toggle caption
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Elvis' is a hunk-a hunk-a burnin' excess

The legacy of Elvis Presley is often reduced to gaudy iconography and tales of excess: the white jumpsuit, Las Vegas, drugs. So what happens when director Baz Luhrmann takes on the man, the myth, the legend? You get the dizzying biopic Elvis. Austin Butler stars as "the King of Rock and Roll," and Tom Hanks plays Elvis' shady longtime manager Colonel Tom Parker.

'Elvis' is a hunk-a hunk-a burnin' excess

Listen · 25:53
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1107019718/1107058720" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Browse archive or search npr.org