NPR Culture
Recent Stories

The thin line of good vs. bad plastic surgery
CultureWhat's the difference between "good" work and "bad" work? And how do we talk about the rise in plastic surgery without dehumanizing people for their choices? <br><br>Rates of plastic surgery are increasing, and minimally invasive procedures like filler and Botox are even more popular. It's also evident on social media that people (including plastic surgeons) are very comfortable speculating and commenting on other people's modifications, what procedures they might've had... and if they look busted.<br><br>Guest host B.A. Parker discusses the thorniness of beauty culture with <a href="https://www.jessica-defino.com/">Jessica DeFino</a>, a beauty reporter, advice columnist at <em>The Guardian</em>, and writer of "The Review of Beauty" Substack, and<a href="https://www.papermag.com/u/joansummers"> Joan Summers</a>, entertainment editor at <em>Paper </em>and co-host of the <em>Eating for Free</em> podcast.

'Eddington' goes back to 2020, but its vision is blurry
Culture<em>Eddington </em>plunges us back into that familiarly distressing time of the early days of the pandemic. Directed by Ari Aster (<em>Hereditary </em>and <em>Midsommar</em>) Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal star as political rivals in a small southwest town. Their conflict collides with the news of George Floyd's murder, which brings tensions to a full-on boil for the whole community. <br><br><a href="https://letterboxd.com/nprpopculture/">Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd at letterboxd.com/nprpopculture</a>

A COVID-era Western, a slasher sequel and a 50-year-old classic to watch this week
CultureFilmmaker Ari Aster, who wrote and directed <em>Midsommar </em>and <em>Hereditary</em>, returns to theaters this weekend with a conspiracy-laden story set in the spring of 2020.

'KPop Demon Hunters' is a viral smash that crushes the songs
CultureThe Netflix animated movie <em>KPop Demon Hunters</em> is a phenomenon, with a soundtrack that's climbing the Billboard charts, and a fandom rivaling that of just about any K-pop idol. The film is loads of fun, it's packed with some of the catchiest bangers you'll hear all summer. It's about a superstar girl group called HUNTR/X, who also keeps busy protecting humanity against an army of demons. <br><br><a href="https://letterboxd.com/nprpopculture/">Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd at letterboxd.com/nprpopculture</a><br><br><a href="https://plus.npr.org/happy">To access bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening for Pop Culture Happy Hour, subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour+ at plus.npr.org/happy.</a>

A longtime 'American Idol' music supervisor and her husband are found dead at home
CulturePolice found Robin Kaye and her husband, Thomas Deluca, shot to death in their Encino home Monday. They arrested a 22-year-old man, who they say was burglarizing the house when the couple returned

The economy is turbulent for influencers, too — here's how you might see it online
CultureSeesawing tariffs and turbulent financial markets are playing out on social media feeds, impacting the multibillion-dollar influencer industry in what could be a new recession indicator.

We unpack the 2025 Emmy nominations
CultureThis year's Emmy nominations are out, and it was a good year for familiar favorites like <em>Hacks</em>, <em>The Bear</em>, <em>Abbott Elementary</em>, <em>The Last of Us</em> and <em>The White Lotus. </em>There were also some newcomers that got some love as well including <em>The Pitt</em>, <em>Adolescence</em>, <em>The Studio</em>, <em>The Penguin</em>, and <em>Paradise. </em>We'll unpack this year's the notable nominees and make some predictions in the major categories. <br><br><a href="https://plus.npr.org/happy">To access bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening for Pop Culture Happy Hour, subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour+ at plus.npr.org/happy.</a>

5 takeaways from the 2025 Emmy nominations
CultureApple TV+ must be happy about how many nominations they've raked in this year for hit shows including <em>Severance </em>and <em>The Studio</em>, NPR critic Linda Holmes says.

How realistic are movie dinosaurs?
Culture<em>Jurassic Park: Rebirth</em> is the latest installment in the <em>Jurassic World</em> series. And while dinosaur paleontologist <a href="https://carnegiemnh.org/research/matthew-lamanna/">Matt Lamanna</a> has loved dinos — and the <em>Jurassic Park </em>franchise — his whole life, he says some of the films are more accurate than others. So how accurate are the ones unveiled in this latest movie? Matt gets into it with <em>Short Wave</em> host Regina G. Barber, who got a tour of the dinosaur exhibits where Matt works: the <a href="https://carnegiemnh.org/research/matthew-lamanna/">Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh.</a> They also discuss the accuracy of the beloved giant creatures in the newest <em>Jurassic World </em>film, as well as some of the hits from the franchise's archive — like the dinosaur he was partially responsible for discovering. <br><br><em>Want us to cover more natural history? Tell us by emailing </em><a href="mailto:shortwave@npr.org"><em>shortwave@npr.org</em></a><em>! We'd love to know what you want to hear from us.</em><br><br><em>Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at </em><a href="http://plus.npr.org/shortwave"><em>plus.npr.org/shortwave</em></a><em>.</em>

Richard Kind
CultureThis week's guest is Richard Kind. He is not a star. He does not want to be a star. He is perfectly fine with that. Richard loves to be the kind of character actor that shows up, lays down four pages of unforgettable dialogue... and goes on with his day. We share some laughs with Richard Kind. He gets into working with John Mulaney on<em> Everybody's Live</em> and the career he almost had instead of acting. Plus, what it was like to work with Martin Short on the cult-comedy <em>Clifford</em>.

Meg Stalter shines in the rom-com 'Too Much'
CultureWhen your long-term boyfriend leaves you for an Instagram influencer, what can you do? In the new Netflix romantic comedy series <em>Too Much</em>, the answer is to go to London for work, and meet a struggling musician who happens to be very, very handsome with a life almost as messy as yours. Starring Meg Stalter and Will Sharpe, and co-created by Lena Dunham, it features a cast full of comedy MVPs, a meet-cute, and a very unusual dog.<br><br><a href="https://plus.npr.org/happy">To access bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening for Pop Culture Happy Hour, subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour+ at plus.npr.org/happy.</a>
'Love Island USA' might decenter whiteness — but the show still won't face reality
CultureThe finale of <em>Love Island USA</em> airs Sunday night. Critic Aisha Harris says it's impossible to separate the season's racial and ethnic diversity from the show's mealy-mouthed handling of behind-the-scenes drama.
More from KCRW
Helping farmers with mental health means connecting their identity to the land
Food & DrinkSince stress for farmers is deeply intertwined with the land, social worker Kaila Anderson developed a tool to treat depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues among farmers.
Weekend film reviews: ‘Smurfs,’ ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’
EntertainmentCritics review the latest film releases: “Smurfs,” “Eddington,” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer.”
How Medieval Plague Still Shapes Your Health
Health & WellnessNearly 700 years ago the plague wiped out half of Europe. The genetic impacts are still present today.