Pop Culture

TikTok is known for short videos but other types are going viral too

11:55am March 01, 2024

TikTok is known for short videos. So what explains the success of longform series like "Who TF Did I Marry?" NPR's A Martinez asks Chapman University marketing professor Niklas Myhr.

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The Oscar-nominated documentary Four Daughters blends truth and fiction with rare transparency — you won't see another film like it.

Yes, these 5 Oscar-nominated documentaries take on tough topics — watch them anyway

4:11pm February 29, 2024

by Linda Holmes

From war to injustice and religious extremism, the documentary finalists are thematically harrowing stories from around the world. Each is a triumph of storytelling and craft.

Mel Brooks' satirical Western Blazing Saddles got mixed reviews when it opened in February 1974, but it became the year's biggest box office hit. Above, Cleavon Little, left, as Sheriff Bart and Gene Wilder as the Waco Kid.

Arts

50 years ago, 'Blazing Saddles' broke wind — and box office expectations

2:00pm February 29, 2024

by Bob Mondello

Mel Brooks' satirical Western got mixed reviews when it opened in February 1974, but it became the year's biggest box office hit.

The Indigo Girls on how their song ended up in 'Barbie,' which is up for 8 Oscars

6:36pm February 28, 2024

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with the Indigo Girls, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, about their 1989 hit "Closer to Fine" being featured prominently in the Barbie movie, which is up for eight Oscars.

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The internet is obsessed with a woman's TikTok story about marrying a compulsive liar

4:37pm February 28, 2024

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Rachelle Hampton and Candice Lim, hosts of the Slate podcast ICYMI, about "Who the F Did I Marry," the TikTok saga that now has tens of millions of views.

2024 is a leap year and there's an Irish tradition associated with leap day

10:45am February 28, 2024

This leap year, we look at the origins of a custom associated with an Irish tradition: women proposing to men on February 29.

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Enzo Vogrincic as Numa in Society of the Snow, one of five films nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature.

Arts

Oscars guide: We map out the 5 films nominated for best international feature

4:01pm February 27, 2024

by Glen Weldon

They range in themes, languages and political urgency, but this year's stellar five nominees for the Best International Feature Film Oscar are each deserving of your time for their distinct pleasures.

Shane Gillis returned to host Saturday Night Live five years after he was fired from the show. Above, Gillis performs at the Stand Up For Heroes Benefit in November 2023 in New York City.

Shane Gillis struggles in a 'Saturday Night Live' monologue which avoids the obvious

3:02am February 25, 2024

by Eric Deggans

Gillis didn't spend much time joking about the controversy that got him fired from the show. Instead, his opening monologue felt like an attempt to insulate himself from criticism and avoid backlash.

An outpost of The Second City has opened in Brooklyn. Above, the Brooklyn Bridge and lower Manhattan skyline are pictured at sunset.

Arts

The Second City, named for its Chicago location, opens an outpost in New York

7:53am February 24, 2024

by Jeff Lunden

The improv and comedy organization that famously shuns New York City has just opened in Brooklyn — with a 200-seat mainstage, a 60-seat second stage, classrooms and a restaurant.

Eugénie (Juliette Binoche) and Dodin Bouffant (Benoît Magimel) in The Taste of Things.

Arts

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

5:00pm February 23, 2024

Each week, Pop Culture Happy Hour guests and hosts share what's bringing them joy. This week: The show Homicide: Life on the Street, the film The Taste of Things and the novel Poor Things is based on.