Glen Weldon

Glen Weldon appears in the following:

Terrible but bingeable TV shows

Thursday, March 06, 2025

What is it about a show that turns you into a bitter-ender, that keeps you dutifully watching every last episode, long after the train has jumped the tracks? Even when you know it's not good, but, for you anyway, it's just good enough to muddle through, all the way to the finale? Today, we're revisiting our conversation about terrible but bingeable TV shows

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Our 2025 Oscars Recap

Monday, March 03, 2025

This year's Oscars was a big night for Sean Baker's Anora, including wins for best picture and director. The film's star Mikey Madison scored one of the night's few upsets, winning best actress. Adrien Brody, Kieran Culkin and Zoe Saldaña also took home acting wins. We also recap the hilarious bits from host Conan O'Brien, the long and discursive speeches, and show stopping musical numbers.

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Our favorite actors who've never been nominated for an Oscar

Monday, February 24, 2025

The standard line for awards season goes: "It's an honor just to be nominated." But when it comes to the Oscars, there's quite a long list of great performers who have never received this honor. Today, we're talking about some of our favorites who should have at least one Oscar on their mantle — including Pam Grier, John Goodman, Oscar Isaac, and Regina Hall.

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In 'The Monkey' the goring is never boring

Friday, February 21, 2025

In the new horror-comedy The Monkey, Theo James plays a pair of identical twin brothers who get saddled with a cursed wind-up toy monkey that causes people around them to die freakish, gory deaths. It's based on a Stephen King short story, and directed by Osgood Perkins, who made last year's Longlegs.

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We fantasy cast 'The Traitors'

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

The Peacock reality show The Traitors continues to be a delightful mix of treachery, foolishness, and Alan Cumming's outfits. In the United States, the cast is made up exclusively of so-called celebrities. So today on the show we're fantasy casting who we think should be on the next season of The Traitors.

In the run-up to the Oscars, Pop Culture Happy Hour is watching all 10 best picture nominees – and you're invited to join us! Sign up for the NPR Movie Club newsletter series and tell us what you thought of the movies you watched this week.

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'Paddington in Peru' puts a mild bear in the wild jungle

Monday, February 17, 2025

In the new movie Paddington In Peru, Paddington Bear and the Brown family fly across the globe, into the wilds of Peru, in search of Paddington's Aunt Lucy. Along the way, they meet a not-remotely-suspicious singing nun (Olivia Colman) and a boat captain (Antonio Banderas). The adventure that follows involves lost treasure and narrow escapes — and leads to new revelations about Paddington's past, and a new appreciation for what it means to be home.

In the run-up to the Oscars, Pop Culture Happy Hour is watching all 10 best picture nominees – and you're invited to join us! Sign up for the NPR Movie Club newsletter series and tell us what you thought of the movies you watched this week.

Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd at letterboxd.com/nprpopculture


Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus at plus.npr.org/happyhour

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'Captain America: Brave New World' is a major misfire

Friday, February 14, 2025

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there's a new Captain America, played by Anthony Mackie. And with Captain America: Brave New World, he's finally got his own movie. Cap finds himself battling a literally monstrous president played by Harrison Ford whose rages threaten to destabilize the whole world.

In the run-up to the Oscars, Pop Culture Happy Hour is watching all 10 best picture nominees – and you're invited to join us! Sign up for the NPR Movie Club newsletter series and tell us what you thought of the movies you watched this week.

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Demi Moore's 'The Substance' will get under your skin

Thursday, February 13, 2025

The Substance is a bloody, campy, fiercely feminist body horror film. Demi Moore plays a TV aerobics instructor who learns of a mysterious drug that causes another younger, entirely separate version of herself (Margaret Qualley) to splurt out of her back and assume her consciousness. The movie has earned Moore her first Oscar nomination, and she's the frontrunner in this year's best actress race. So we thought it would be the perfect time to revisit our conversation about the movie.

In the run-up to the Oscars, Pop Culture Happy Hour is watching all 10 best picture nominees – and you're invited to join us! Sign up for the NPR Movie Club newsletter series and tell us what you thought of the movies you watched this week.

Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus at plus.npr.org/happyhour

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Is 'Saturday Night' ready for prime time?

Friday, October 11, 2024

The new film Saturday Night attempts to capture the chaotic 90 minutes leading up to the very first broadcast of Saturday Night Live. Untried producer Lorne Michaels (played by Gabriel LaBelle) and his cast of complete unknowns prepare to make television history. At the same time, network suits breathe down their necks, and just about everything that can go wrong does.

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'Megalopolis' is a sprawling megalopo-mess

Friday, September 27, 2024

Francis Ford Coppola, the legendary filmmaker behind The Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now, is back with his first new film in over a decade. It reimagines the fall of Rome through a futuristic American city, and has a lot of big and messy ideas about time and the fate of humanity. It's also jam-packed with stars like Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, and Aubrey Plaza. We try to make sense of it all.

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We unpack the 2024 Emmy nominations

Wednesday, July 17, 2024

The nominations the Emmy Awards were just announced, and it was a good day for The Bear, which set a new record in the comedy category. And plenty of our favorites also got Emmy nods, including Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Shōgun, Reservation Dogs and What We Do in the Shadows. We'll help you unpack this year's the notable nominees and snubs.

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Switzerland wins Eurovision with song 'The Code'

Monday, May 13, 2024

Switzerland won the Eurovision Song Contest this weekend in Malmo, Sweden. The singer Nemo and their song "The Code" came out on top in a Grand Final of 25 countries.

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Time again for glamour, golden statuettes and speeches — the Oscars are Sunday

Friday, March 08, 2024

Ahead of this weekend's Academy Awards ceremony, we find out what to watch for, and how to host a delicious viewing party.

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What makes a movie so bad that it's good? 'Madame Web' might have answers

Sunday, February 25, 2024

The movie "Madame Web" got terrible reviews, but some still found it deliciously good. So what makes a bad movie ... good?

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A guide to the upcoming Emmys, which were delayed due to strikes

Friday, January 12, 2024

After months of delays due to Hollywood strikes, the 2023 Emmys will be held in Los Angeles on Jan. 15. We look at the confusing eligibility rules and the strikes' impact on TV's biggest awards night.

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Have the Golden Globes redeemed themselves? Here's a look at Sunday's ceremony

Monday, January 08, 2024

The 81st Golden Globes were held Sunday night. Was it a comeback after a scandal, or a ho hum awards ceremony? We discuss the highs and lows.

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NPR staffers share their favorite memoirs from the 2023 Books We Love list

Sunday, December 31, 2023

We have five biography and memoir suggestions from NPR's Books We Love: "Spare," "Congratulations! The Best is Over," "Sunshine," "Thicker Than Water," and "Sure, I'll Join Your Cult."

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'The Marvels' earned a disappointing $47 million in its opening weekend

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

The Marvels crashed at the box office. What does this mean for the franchise?

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What's Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend viewing and reading

Friday, November 10, 2023

Each week, guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: the movies Long Shot and Fingernails, the YA novel True True and the cookbook Start Here.

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What's Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend viewing, reading, and listening

Friday, October 27, 2023

Each week, guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: Sampha's album Lahai, the film Tori and Lokita, rewatching Doctor Who, and the Phillies, sort of.

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