Tag: humor

Keep in mind that we don’t get to pick which quests we go on, and most of them are pretty Jesus-y.

Publishing this week: new fiction from Susan Choi, essays from Evan Osnos and memoir from Molly Jong-Fast. Plus, Melissa Febos reflects on her year of abstinence.

NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly talks to former Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern about balancing leadership and motherhood.

Alexander Skarsgård joins us to talk about the new Apple TV + sci-fi series Murderbot. He also gets into his upbringing and what it was like growing up around different artists and performers. Plus, he’ll chat with us about some of his most memorable red carpet outfits.

(Image credit: Jamie McCarthy)

The success of I Love Lucy is often credited to Lucille Ball’s comedic talent, but biographer Todd Purdum says Arnaz was more than just “second banana” to Lucy. He also helped shape the modern sitcom.

(Image credit: AP)

We have been so touched by the flood of D.M.s, the comments posted on Nextdoor, and the notes tied to rocks thrown through our window with heartfelt concerns like “ARE YOU KEEPING THEM UP FOREVER??!!!”

The stereotype is that Canadians are kind, but they by and large do not take kindly to President Trump’s idea of making Canada our 51st state. As of April, two-thirds of Canadians considered the U.S. to be “unfriendly” or an “enemy,” and 61% say they have started boycotting American companies. However, Canadian dislike and distrust of the U.S. is not new. Canadian views of the U.S. have trended down for decades, from a high of 81% of Canadians holding favorable views of the U.S. under Clinton in the ’90’s, to hovering in the 50-60% range in the aughts, to only 24% favorable as of March. Meanwhile, 87% of Americans view Canada favorably. There’s a huge mismatch there. So what’s behind these decades of resentment? How does culture play into it? And what does it mean for our politics that our nations have fundamentally different ideas about our relationship to one another? Brittany discusses with Scaachi Koul, senior writer at Slate, and Jon Parmenter, associate professor of history at Cornell.

The hit Australian horror movie Talk To Me was both very good and deeply unsettling. Now its directors (Danny and Michael Philippou) have returned with Bring Her Back, which ups the ante when it comes to disturbing, nightmarish storytelling. The film stars Sally Hawkins as a woman whose grief manifests in terrifying, ugly ways.

To access bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening for Pop Culture Happy Hour, subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour+ at plus.npr.org/happy.

(Image credit: Ingvar Kenne)

Elaine Wirth always loved sports cars, but at age 76 thought she’d never get to ride in a Mustang convertible. Her assisted living home made that dream come true.

NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe speaks with Australian twins and popular YouTubers Danny and Michael Philippou about their new movie, a horror film called “Bring Her Back.”