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Is “Kidz Bop: It’s the Devil” the song of the summer?

Why the charts were a mess this year. Javier Zayas/Getty Images hide caption

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Javier Zayas/Getty Images

It's Been a Minute

Is “Kidz Bop: It’s the Devil” the song of the summer?

KPop Demon Hunters, or as Brittany's mom keeps mistakenly calling it "Kidz Bop: It's the Devil," is dominating the music charts. And, thank god! These bombastic bangers are a welcome reprieve after a summer full of sad songs.

Bummer: why was there no song of the summer?

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Sabrina Carpenter's new album, Man's Best Friend.

Sabrina Carpenter's new album, Man's Best Friend. Bryce Anderson hide caption

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Bryce Anderson

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Sabrina Carpenter returns with the short and saucy 'Man's Best Friend'

Sabrina Carpenter is following her breakout album Short n’ Sweet with a new collection of cheeky earworms called Man’s Best Friend, which includes the breakout singles “Manchild” and “Tears.” Carpenter explores many of the same lyrical themes as she has in the past — winking innuendo and wry commentary on being a woman in the dating scene. But she kicks it up several notches while playing around with more retro-heavy sounds.

Sabrina Carpenter Man’s Best Friend

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New SNL cast members Tommy Brennan, Veronika Slowikowska and Kam Patterson (L-R).

From left to right: Tommy Brennan, Veronika Slowikowska and Kam Patterson are among the new cast members joining Saturday Night Live ahead of its 51st season. Rosalind O'Connor/NBC via Getty Images; Ashley Landis/AP; Samantha Burkardt/SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty Images hide caption

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Rosalind O'Connor/NBC via Getty Images; Ashley Landis/AP; Samantha Burkardt/SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty Images

Television

SNL announces 5 new cast members, including one from 'Please Don't Destroy'

Ben Marshall of "Please Don't Destroy" will join the cast alongside comedians Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Kam Patterson and Veronika Slowikowska. Here's what to know about them.

Helen Mirren in The Thursday Murder Club.

Helen Mirren in The Thursday Murder Club. Giles Keyte/Netflix hide caption

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Giles Keyte/Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

‘The Thursday Murder’ Club cozies up to murder

Netflix’s The Thursday Murder Club is a cozy British mystery set at a posh retirement community. The movie stars Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, and Ben Kingsley as retirees who have formed a club that researches cold cases to pass the time – until a real murder, and a plucky new member, show up on their incredibly bucolic doorstep.

The Thursday Murder Club

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Sabrina Carpenter's new album Man's Best Friend uses humor to cope with heartbreak.

Sabrina Carpenter's new album Man's Best Friend uses humor to cope with heartbreak. Bryce Anderson hide caption

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Bryce Anderson

Interview highlights

Sabrina Carpenter laughs at romantic heartbreak on 'Man's Best Friend'

Pop star Sabrina Carpenter tells NPR's Leila Fadel why she describes her new album as a "party for heartbreak," and "a celebration of disappointment."

Sabrina Carpenter laughs at romantic heartbreak on ‘Man’s Best Friend’

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Austin Butler in Caught Stealing.

Austin Butler in Caught Stealing. Niko Tavernise/Sony Pictures hide caption

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Niko Tavernise/Sony Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

The dream of the ’90s is alive in ‘Caught Stealing’

Austin Butler, Zoë Kravitz and Bad Bunny star in Caught Stealing, the new grungy, throwback film from Darren Aronofsky. Butler plays Hank, a sad sack bartender at a sticky East Village dive bar in the 1990s. When his British punk neighbor Russ, played by Matt Smith, asks him to cat sit, Hank finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. His life comes apart as the criminal underworld becomes convinced he knows where a huge cache of stolen cash can be found. Will Hank fight back? Can he?

Caught Stealing

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Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce need your attention

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's engagement announcement is one of the most like photos of all time on Instagram. This image is also a classic example of how Swift uses her relationships to bolster her public image. Taylor Swift / Travis Kelce hide caption

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Taylor Swift / Travis Kelce

It's Been a Minute

Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce need your attention

It's official: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce posted one of the most liked Instagram photos of all time. Also, they're officially engaged. 

Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce need your attention

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2025 Pokémon World Championships show how competitive the game still is

More than 25,000 people gathered at the Anaheim Convention Center in California for the 2025 Pokémon World Championships this year. Jamal Michel hide caption

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Jamal Michel

Gaming

2025 Pokémon World Championships show how competitive the game still is

The annual event pits some of the trading card and video game's most seasoned players against each other — and it demonstrates how Pokémon has maintained its grip on pop culture.

POKEMON WORLD NOSTALGIA

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Side-by-side photos of Michael Longfellow, Heidi Gardner and Devon Walker.

Michael Longfellow (from left), Heidi Gardner and Devon Walker are among the cast members leaving Saturday Night Live before its 51st season. John Lamparski/WireImage via Getty Images; Noam Galai/Getty Images for WSJ; John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images hide caption

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John Lamparski/WireImage via Getty Images; Noam Galai/Getty Images for WSJ; John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images

Television

SNL's Heidi Gardner and Michael Longfellow are among the stars leaving the show

Producer Lorne Michaels has said he is looking to shake things up ahead of SNL's 51st season, which starts in early October.

Darth Vader's lightsaber, used in "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi", was sold for $3.6 million.

Darth Vader's lightsaber, used in "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi", was sold for $3.6 million. Propstore hide caption

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Propstore

What was the winning bid for Darth Vader's iconic lightsaber? $3.6 million

One lucky Star Wars fan won the lightsaber on Sept. 4. Prior to the auction, NPR's Andrew Mambo interviewed Brandon Alinger, the COO of the auction house Propstore, which hosted the sale.

This Darth Vader lightsaber is heading to auction for the first time

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Benedict Cumberbatch in The Roses.

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Roses. Jaap Buitendijk/Searchlight Pictures hide caption

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Jaap Buitendijk/Searchlight Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

In 'The Roses,' Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch spar for a new generation

First a novel and a 1989 hit film, the story of The Roses has been told before. This time around, Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman play a couple whose love curdles into resentment and then hatred. The film features Andy Samberg and Kate McKinnon, and is directed by Jay Roach (Meet the Parents, Austin Powers) and written by Tony McNamara (Poor Things, The Favourite).

The Roses And What's Making Us Happy

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Steven Spielberg's Jaws turns 50 this year.

Steven Spielberg's Jaws turns 50 this year. Universal Pictures/FlixPix/Alamy hide caption

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Universal Pictures/FlixPix/Alamy

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

‘Jaws’ is still stuck in our teeth, 50 years later

Steven Spielberg's Jaws turns 50 this year. It’s been called the perfect movie, the first blockbuster, and the film that changed why we go to the movies. As it returns to theaters, we head back into the water to revisit the classic creature feature with fresh eyes – lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll’s eyes.

PCHH - Jaws

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Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift celebrated publicly after the Kansas City Chiefs won the 2024 Super Bowl.

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift celebrated publicly after the Kansas City Chiefs won the 2024 Super Bowl. They announced their engagement on Tuesday. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images hide caption

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Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Brands are loving Taylor Swift's engagement. Do they need to calm down?

Companies from Pillsbury to Invisalign to Olipop are cheering — and trying to cash in on — the couple's engagement. Experts spoke to NPR about how brands can strike a better balance.

When you're stuck at the airport, you need the right soundtrack.

When you're stuck at the airport, you need the right soundtrack. Alex Wong/Getty Images hide caption

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Alex Wong/Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Three songs for when your flight is delayed

If you travel by plane with any regularity, you've been there: stuck in an airport because your flight is delayed. So we thought it best to give your most stressful travel moments a soundtrack. Today, we're recommending three songs for when your flight is delayed.

Songs For When Your Flight Is Delayed

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"George Bush doesn't care about Black people" 20 years later

Kanye West, George W. Bush, and the lasting impact of Hurricane Katrina. Getty Images/New York Daily News hide caption

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Getty Images/New York Daily News

It's Been a Minute

"George Bush doesn't care about Black people" 20 years later

On September 2, 2005, on a telethon to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina, Kanye West went off script and said, "George Bush doesn't care about Black people." 20 years later, would those words have the same impact today?

"George Bush doesn't care about Black people" 20 years later

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Angelique Cabral and Ben Feldman voice Jen and Avi in Long Story Short.

Angelique Cabral and Ben Feldman voice Jen and Avi in Long Story Short. Netflix hide caption

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Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Long Story Short' is a hilarious examination of generational tsuris

Long Story Short is a very funny and surprisingly moving new Netflix animated comedy series from the folks behind BoJack Horseman and Tuca & Bertie. The show follows members of one Jewish family by hopping around in time. We see the three siblings (voiced by Ben Feldman, Abbi Jacobson and Max Greenfield) as kids, young adults and in middle-age, as they start having kids of their own. They deal with all the things families deal with – the ups and downs of romantic relationships, parenting, work and, ultimately, loss – but it’s also very funny.

Long Story Short

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Théodore Pellerin in Lurker.

Théodore Pellerin in Lurker. MUBI hide caption

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MUBI

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

The intoxicating power of fame takes center stage in ‘Lurker’

Fame does strange things to people. In the new film Lurker, Théodore Pellerin plays a young retail clerk making his way into the inner circle of a popular rising musician (Archie Madekwe). This friendship is not really built to last and things between them become uncomfortable. Who is manipulating who, and who holds the power, become complicated and painful questions.

Lurker And What's Making Us Happy

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Matthew McConaughey and Sandra Bullock in A Time to Kill.

Matthew McConaughey and Sandra Bullock in A Time to Kill. Warner Bros/Monarchy Ent. and Regency Ent.USA Supplied by Online USA, Inc./Getty Images / Stringer hide caption

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Warner Bros/Monarchy Ent. and Regency Ent.USA Supplied by Online USA, Inc./Getty Images / Stringer

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Top 5 John Grisham adaptations, ranked

There’s a new TV version of The Rainmaker out, so today, we’re ranking the five best John Grisham adaptations – including The Firm, The Pelican Brief, and A Time To Kill. But which one is the very best?

Best John Grisham Adaptations, Ranked

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Beyoncé performs during the first weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2018.

Beyoncé performs during the first weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2018. Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Coachella hide caption

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Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Coachella

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Our 15th anniversary time capsule

We launched Pop Culture Happy Hour 15 years ago this summer, and we had a lot of pent-up hot takes. To celebrate this milestone, today we’re breaking open a time capsule to revisit some of our memorable early moments and see how they’ve held up.

Pop Culture Happy Hour-08.19.2025

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Denzel Washington in Highest 2 Lowest.

Denzel Washington in Highest 2 Lowest. David Lee/A24 hide caption

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David Lee/A24

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Highest 2 Lowest' is a tour of Spike Lee's many influences

Spike Lee's new crime thriller Highest 2 Lowest reunites him with his favorite leading man, Denzel Washington. The film is based on Akira Kurosawa’s classic High and Low, and it’s a tense story about a very rich man with a very big problem. Part morality play and part action movie, Washington plays a music mogul who confronts questions of responsibility and power when he believes his son has been kidnapped.

Highest 2 Lowest

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