Arts

The excellent summer movie season is what's making Chris Klimek happy this week. Above, a digitally de-aged Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

Arts

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

5:00am July 01, 2023

Each week, guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: Lady Audaci-Tea, a summer of good movies and Hair Plugs & Heartache.

Fran Drescher, left, president of SAG-AFTRA, and Meredith Stiehm, president of Writers Guild of America West, pose together during a rally by striking writers outside Paramount Pictures studio, Monday, May 8, 2023, in Los Angeles.

SAG-AFTRA agrees to contract extension with studios as negotiations continue

10:57pm June 30, 2023

by Mandalit del Barco

Talks have been underway since June 7. The union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers remain at odds on issues like the use of artificial intelligence and streaming residuals.

Bob the Drag Queen takes offense at YOUR offense

5:08pm June 30, 2023

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Bob the Drag Queen, tracing the thread of his career before and after winning RuPaul's Drag Race.

Arts

Remembering Broadway legend and 'Fiddler on the Roof' lyricist Sheldon Harnick

4:55pm June 30, 2023

by Terry Gross

Harnick, along with composer Jerry Bock, wrote the enduring music for Fiddler, as well as Fiorello and She Loves Me. He died June 23. Originally broadcast in 1988, 2004 and 2014.

Queue Listen Now

Arts

Alan Arkin has died — the star of 'Get Smart' and 'Little Miss Sunshine' was 89

11:17am June 30, 2023

by Neda Ulaby

Arkin knew from childhood that he wanted to be an actor, and he spent a lifetime performing — the Academy Award winner appeared in more than 100 films in a career spanning over seven decades.

Weekly news quiz: From ugly dogs to SCOTUS and a shiny new game show host

11:03am June 30, 2023

by Holly J. Morris

From ugly dogs to SCOTUS decisions and Ryan Seacrest, it's been another news-filled week. How well were you paying attention?

Musicians Denitia, Larysa Jaye and Tylar Bryant pose for a photo before their set at Lulu's Downstairs in Manitou Springs, Colo., on June 17, 2023. They are members of the Black Opry, a touring musical revue dedicated to uplifting Black artists in country music.

PHOTOS: Meet The Emerging Americana Stars Of The Black Opry Revue

10:42am June 30, 2023

The Black Opry Revue show emerged from a simple directory of Black country and Americana artists and blossomed into a full-blown community of artists and fans.

We met Bob the Drag Queen on a sunny day in New York recently.

Arts

An afternoon with Bob the Drag Queen

5:00am June 30, 2023

Bob the Drag Queen knows the world of drag is getting politicized. But as he prepares his next moves on stage and screen, he makes no apologies for expressing his signature flair.

Indiana Jones is back for his fifth (and perhaps final) adventure

4:51pm June 29, 2023

by Bob Mondello

The fifth (and possibly final) adventure for the intrepid archaeologist, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, is directed not by Steven Spielberg but by James Mangold.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

Central Park birder Christian Cooper on being 'a Black man in the natural world'

3:18pm June 29, 2023

by Terry Gross

Cooper was birdwatching in Central Park in 2020 when a white woman falsely accused him of threatening her. His book chronicles life as a Black birder, gay activist and Marvel comics writer and editor.

Queue Listen Now