Pop Culture

Ellen Degeneres, seen in the press room during the 2017 People's Choice Awards, announced she will end her show in 2022.

Arts

Ellen DeGeneres Will End Her Daytime Talk Show In 2022

1:35pm May 12, 2021

by Mandalit del Barco

The groundbreaking TV host announced her show would end after 19 seasons, citing a desire for new challenges. Ratings had dropped after allegations of a toxic work place surfaced in 2020.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk strikes a pose at a December 2020 awards ceremony in Germany. This weekend, he hosted NBC's Saturday Night Live.

Arts

Elon Musk Takes An Awkward Turn As 'Saturday Night Live' Host

5:01pm May 09, 2021

by Eric Deggans

The Tesla CEO got to cement his image as a celebrity with pop culture cachet, appearing with the SNL cast in silly sketches that promoted his pet projects and dressing up as a video game character.

A Kid's Guide to Fandom, by Amy Ratcliffe

Books
Arts

Fandom Can Be A Lot Like High School — Here's How To Avoid The Bad Stuff

1:25pm May 09, 2021

by Alan Yu

Finding a supportive fandom — a group of people who love what you love — is a great experience. But some fan communities can be toxic, so here are a few tips for kids looking for fan connections.

Arts

Wondering How Much Your Pokemon Cards Are Worth? You May Need To Wait

8:05am May 08, 2021

There has been a trading card accreditation bonanza that is leading to massive backlogs, hiring shortages, and big money as people seek to determine the worth of their Pokemon cards.

L to R: Walter/Brainwave (Ben Daniels) and Sheldon/The Utopian (Josh Duhamel) agree to table their discussion in Netflix's Jupiter's Legacy.

Arts

'Jupiter's Legacy' Decodes The Superhero Genre Without Subverting It

8:05am May 07, 2021

by Glen Weldon

There are lots of familiar trappings in Netflix's latest "realistic superheroes" series, but the way it grapples with the moral code at the heart of the superhero genre sets it apart.

The historical Yasuke was a warrior who served the 16th-century Japanese feudal lord Oda Nobunaga.

Arts

A Black Samurai Fighting Giant Mechas? 'Yasuke' Asks, Why Not?

5:00am May 07, 2021

by Andrew Limbong

The new Netflix series mashes up the story of a real-life Black samurai with giant mechas and wizards — Thomas calls it "Trojan horse-ing" the real history through the medium of Japanese anime.

The ladies of Girls5eva: Gloria (Paula Pell), Dawn (Sara Bareilles), Wickie (Renée Elise Goldsberry), and Summer (Busy Philipps).

'Girls5eva' Is Just Catchy Enough

5:34am May 06, 2021

by Aisha Harris

The Peacock comedy series about a has-been fictional girl group from the '90s has great, big performances and a lot of nostalgia.

Ed Ward, photographed in the Rolling Stone office in December, 1970 in San Francisco.

Ed Ward, Rock Critic And Historian, Dead At 72

4:43pm May 05, 2021

Ward spent time writing and editing reviews for a young Rolling Stone – and later became both a broadcast critic and historian, publishing two volumes on the beginnings of rock and roll.

Au Revoir, Yahoo! Answers

4:24pm May 04, 2021

Yahoo! Answers shut down Tuesday after nearly 16 years of inquiries from the internet's curious minds. As a final send-off, NPR gets to the bottom of some of these important questions.

Eric Andre's 'Bad Trip' Is Unlike A Lot Of Prank Comedies You Might Have Seen

4:38pm April 30, 2021

by Sam Sanders

Sam Sanders, host of NPR's It's Been A Minute, talks with comedian Eric Andre about making a prank movie while Black, pranking mostly people of color, and how it differs from, say, Johnny Knoxville.