Pop Culture

Model and actress Leyna Bloom has become the first trans woman to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue.

Sports
Arts

Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue Has A Trans Model On The Cover For The 1st Time

5:39pm July 20, 2021

by Becky Sullivan

Leyna Bloom, the 27-year-old model and actress who graces the cover, has broken many barriers since she came out in 2014. Her selection "heals a lot of pain in the world," she tweeted.

The Olympic rings at Odori Park in Sapporo Hokkaido, Japan on Tuesday.

How To Watch The Tokyo Olympics

1:16pm July 20, 2021

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

There are lots of ways to watch the 2020 Olympic Games, from streaming to mobile app to good old-fashioned broadcast television. Here's how and where to catch your favorite events.

Disneyland's updated Jungle Cruise ride features tourists of various ethnic backgrounds getting chased by wildlife.

Arts

Disney Introduces A Revamped Jungle Cruise Ride Without The Racist Imagery

5:20pm July 19, 2021

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

The ride, which previously featured racist imagery of Africans as spear-waving headhunters, has been transformed into a slapstick comedy in which the wildlife bests clueless safari-goers.

The front gate of Mumbai's century-old Central Plaza cinema. The theater closed last spring.

India's Single-Screen Cinemas Were Struggling Before COVID-19. Now They're Dying Out

5:01am July 17, 2021

by Sushmita Pathak

Before multiplex cinemas, India had tens of thousands of single-screen movie houses. But the way Indians watch movies has changed, and the pandemic forced many old cinemas to shut their doors forever.

Books
Arts

Anthony Bourdain: The 'Fresh Air' Interview

1:43pm July 16, 2021

by Dave Davies

We listen back to our 2016 interview with the late food writer and TV host, who killed himself in 2018 while in France to film Parts Unknown. Bourdain is the subject of a new documentary, Roadrunner.

Queue Listen Now

Natasha Rothwell and Jennifer Coolidge in The White Lotus.

Arts

What's Making Us Happy: A Guide For Your Weekend Watching, Listening And Reading

12:00pm July 16, 2021

Each week, the guests and hosts on Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. Today it's The White Lotus, KennyHoopla's song "Estella," Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis' first album and more.

Britney Spears, seen here at an awards event in April 2018, has renewed the debate over conservatorships, with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressing support for the pop star.

From Ted Cruz To Elizabeth Warren, There's A Bipartisan Push To #FreeBritney

7:57pm July 14, 2021

by Barbara Sprunt

Congressional lawmakers of all political stripes have shared their support for the pop star, who continues a legal fight against her 13-year conservatorship.

Arts

Best Actor Or Actress? Gender-Expansive Performers Are Forced To Choose

4:28pm July 14, 2021

by Melissa Block

There's a growing call for entertainment award categories to no longer be split by gender. Some nonbinary performers say these gendered divisions erase their identity.

Mj Rodriguez as Blanca in Pose was nominated as best actress in a drama series.

Arts

5 Takeaways From The 2021 Emmy Nominations

7:31pm July 13, 2021

by Eric Deggans

From a banner year for a new generation of streaming platforms to historic inclusion and unexpected exclusions, NPR's Eric Deggans unpacks the 2021 Emmy nominations.

Jean Satterfield plays the revolutionary leader of an underground women's army in the 1983 feminist classic Born in Flames.

Arts

This 1983 Feminist Film Was Set In The Dystopian Future, So Basically Right Now

5:23pm July 11, 2021

by Neda Ulaby

Born in Flames was made by pioneering underground filmmaker Lizzie Borden. She vanished from screens for decades, and now her work is being rediscovered.