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

Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling in the action comedy The Nice Guys. Daniel McFadden/Warner Bros. hide caption

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Daniel McFadden/Warner Bros.

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

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

Each week, Pop Culture Happy Hour guests and hosts share what's bringing them joy. This week: The Nice Guys, Vanessa Williams' song "Legs," Arooj Aftab's album Night Reign, and the game Planet Zoo.

Fall for 'The Fall Guy' and its truly amazing stunts

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Eric Laciste/Universal Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Fall for 'The Fall Guy' and its truly amazing stunts

In the entertaining new film The Fall Guy, Ryan Gosling plays a down-on-his-luck stunt performer who gets a big new opportunity to get his career on track. And maybe get back the woman (Emily Blunt) whose heart he broke. Directed by David Leitch, it's a knowing comedy about action movies, and a character study of a man who likes to think he's invincible. And the movie has amazing stunts.

Fall for 'The Fall Guy' and its truly amazing stunts

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Anne Hathaway finds love with a pop star in 'The Idea of You'

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Prime Video

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Anne Hathaway finds love with a pop star in 'The Idea of You'

The new movie The Idea Of You tells the story of a boy band star (Nicholas Galitzine) who falls in love with an older divorced mother (Anne Hathaway). It's based on a hit novel that's at least partially inspired by Harry Styles' life and career.

Anne Hathaway finds love with a pop star in 'The Idea of You'

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'Baby Reindeer' has got everyone talking, including us

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Ed Miller/Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Baby Reindeer' has got everyone talking, including us

The new Netflix series Baby Reindeer has a lot of people talking, including us. It tells the haunting semi-autobiographical story of a man (Richard Gadd) who becomes the romantic obsession of a mentally ill woman (Jessica Gunning) who proceeds to stalk him. Eventually, her threatening actions force him to address a past trauma in his own life that leaves him shaken and confused.

'Baby Reindeer' has got everyone talking, including us

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How Chicago's Black press shaped America

Left: An Ebony Fashion Fair Model. Right: A hand holds up a copy of Ebony magazine in front of a Chicago skyline. (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)/ (Photo By Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty Images) hide caption

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(Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)/ (Photo By Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

It's Been a Minute

How Chicago's Black press shaped America

Host Brittany Luse sits down with Arionne Nettles, author of We Are the Culture: Black Chicago's Influence on Everything. Arionne shares how Black media in Chicago influenced the way Black Americans see themselves and why the city deserves to be called 'the heart of Black America.'

How Chicago's Black press shaped America

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The movies, TV and music we're excited about this summer

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Brian Roedel /Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

The movies, TV and music we're excited about this summer

Today, we're offering up a guide to spotlight some of the movies, TV, and music we are most excited about this summer.

The movies, TV and music we're excited about this summer

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In 'Dead Boy Detectives,' two best mates reject their deadly fates

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Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

In 'Dead Boy Detectives,' two best mates reject their deadly fates

The new show Dead Boy Detectives is a spinoff of Neil Gaiman's beloved series The Sandman – both the comic and the Netflix series. It's about a pair of detective ghosts (played by George Rexstrew and Jayden Revri) who refuse to move on to the afterlife. Aided by a young psychic (Kassius Nelson), they stick around and solve mysteries that will resolve the unfinished business of other ghosts.

In 'Dead Boy Detectives,' two best mates reject their deadly fates

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You know it when you see it: Here are some movies that got sex scenes right

It is a happy coincidence that our "What makes a good sex scene?" episode came out in the same week as Challengers, a film about a romance triangle in the tennis world starring Josh O'Connor, Zendaya and (not pictured) Mike Faist. Niko Tavernise/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures hide caption

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Niko Tavernise/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures

Pop Culture Happy Hour

You know it when you see it: Here are some movies that got sex scenes right

Good sex scenes are like any other kind of good filmmaking: It comes down to execution with purpose and care, done relative to whatever the function of the scene might be.

TikTok gets the boot; plus, a 'tradwife' fantasy

People gather for a press conference about their opposition to a TikTok ban. A couple looking at a cake. Brendan Smialowski / AFP; George Marks/Retrofile/Getty Images/Getty Images hide caption

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Brendan Smialowski / AFP; George Marks/Retrofile/Getty Images/Getty Images

It's Been a Minute

TikTok gets the boot; plus, a 'tradwife' fantasy

This week, President Biden signed a law that could ban TikTok nationwide unless its Chinese parent company sells the media platform within a year. Brittany is joined by NPR's Deirdre Walsh and Bobby Allyn to discuss the backdrop of this decision and its implications.

TikTok gets the boot; plus, a 'tradwife' fantasy

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The Zendaya-led 'Challengers' is much more than a sexy tennis movie

Zendaya stars as Tashi in Challengers. Niko Tavernise/Amazon MGM Studios hide caption

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Niko Tavernise/Amazon MGM Studios

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

The Zendaya-led 'Challengers' is much more than a sexy tennis movie

The terrific new film Challengers is about being intense about tennis, sex, and competition. Directed by Luca Guadagnino, the film stars Zendaya as Tashi, a tennis coach and object of desire to two men. She's married to Art (Mike Faist), who is facing his old friend Patrick (Josh O'Connor) at a Challengers event. This reopens all the trio's old wounds, and they excavate all of their relationships with each other.

The Zendaya-led 'Challengers' is much more than a sexy tennis movie

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What makes a good sex scene?

Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon star in the 1996 film Bound. Alamy hide caption

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Alamy

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

What makes a good sex scene?

It's easy to notice when a sex scene is bad. But what makes a sex scene good? Today, we are recommending films with good sex scenes, including Bound, Love & Basketball, Magic Mike's Last Dance, and Oppenheimer.

What makes a good sex scene?

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In a collection of 40+ interviews, author Adam Moss tries to find the key to creation

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Penguin Press

Author Interviews

In a collection of 40+ interviews, author Adam Moss tries to find the key to creation

Author Adam Moss interviewed more than 40 creative minds to find out how they went from a blank page to finished work of art.

In a collection of 40+ interviews, author Adam Moss tries to find the key to creation

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'Mary & George' is full of schemes, schisms, corsets, and collars

Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine in Starz series Mary & George. Rory Mulvey/Starz hide caption

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Rory Mulvey/Starz

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Mary & George' is full of schemes, schisms, corsets, and collars

In the new Starz series Mary & George, Julianne Moore plays a low-born, scheming woman who recognizes that her handsome son George (Nicolas Galitztine) could seduce the king and become his favorite. Inspired by the true story of King James I, the series is packed with seduction, vicious dialogue, and ruthless political intrigue.

'Mary & George' is full of schemes, schisms, corsets, and collars

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Dating skills vs. dating gimmicks in 'Love on the Spectrum'

Love on the Spectrum US participant Dani Bowman on a date. Courtesy of Netflix hide caption

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Courtesy of Netflix

It's Been a Minute

Dating skills vs. dating gimmicks in 'Love on the Spectrum'

One of Brittany's latest TV obsessions has been Netflix's Love on the Spectrum. It's a reality series that follows several autistic adults as they wade through the dating pool, guided by relationship coach Jennifer Cook. Brittany sits down with Jennifer to unpack how her own experience with autism informs the advice she gives.

Dating skills vs. dating gimmicks in 'Love on the Spectrum'

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'Shōgun' banked on authenticity. It became one of 2024's most successful shows

Hiroyuki Sanada plays in the FX miniseries Shōgun the role of Yoshii Toranaga, a fictionalized version of Ieyasu Tokugawa, who ultimately founded Japan's Tokugawa Shogunate. Katie Yu/FX hide caption

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Katie Yu/FX

Television

'Shōgun' banked on authenticity. It became one of 2024's most successful shows

Hiroyuki Sanada, lead actor and producer of FX miniseries Shōgun, says authenticity was a "lifeline for this show."

'Shōgun' banked on authenticity. It became one of 2024's most successful shows

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On 'The Tortured Poets Department,' Taylor Swift spares no one

The Tortured Poets Department is the latest album from Taylor Swift. Beth Garrabrant/Republic Records hide caption

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Beth Garrabrant/Republic Records

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

On 'The Tortured Poets Department,' Taylor Swift spares no one

Taylor Swift dropped an epic new album that spans two hours — and two high-profile breakups. The Tortured Poets Department delves deeply into two of the singer's recent relationships — one with the English actor Joe Alwyn and the other with Matty Healy, who's the lead singer of The 1975. And while Taylor Swift indulges in a few beefs on this record, the target she returns to most often is herself.

On 'The Tortured Poets Department,' Taylor Swift spares no one

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