Current:Home > reviewsWhat's Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend reading, watching and listening -FundPrime
What's Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend reading, watching and listening
View
Date:2025-04-13 21:05:08
This week we paid homage to an epic summer trifecta, saw new efforts to unionize in Hollywood, and bid farewell to DJ Casper, William Friedkin and Mark Margolis.
Here's what the NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour crew was paying attention to — and what you should check out this weekend.
Burn It Down by Maureen Ryan
I have been reading Burn It Down: Power, Complicity and a Call for Change in Hollywood by Maureen Ryan. It is one of those books that, while you read, you're screaming, you're gasping, you're tearing your hair out. You're running to Reddit to see if you can try to unravel who these anonymous sources are and what project they're talking about. It is just one of those books that you want to talk to everybody about. It is an incredible feat of reporting of how many sources Ryan talked to, how much knowledge she has collected, and how carefully she's thought about a lot of these issues. If you are a lover of media, this is recommended reading. — Cyrena Touros
The film crowdfunding site Seed&Spark
There's a website called Seed&Spark where the mission is to help independent filmmakers create long careers through developing audiences who support them, either financially, or through trading and offering services. The films that are coming out of there are so sweet, and beautiful, and passionate, and weird, and funny. It encouraged me to start going back into filmmaking — I haven't made a film since I graduated from film school. It's been a really incredible experience to watch people succeed, thrive and launch careers that are sustainable through this space. If you're the kind of person who just wants to support films I highly recommend Seed&Spark. — Joelle Monique
"All Over Again" from Brandy Clark's self-titled album
Lately we've been hearing a lot about the culture wars playing out in country music. As someone who's from the South and is a country music fan, I don't want those things to overshadow the amazing musicians who are making just phenomenal country music. What's making me happy in the last couple months is the new album by Brandy Clark. She is one of the most impressive songwriters — she writes for herself and others. She's also queer and her self-titled album, Brandy Clark, is one of my favorites of the year. — Jeffrey Masters
The musical episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
"Subspace Rhapsody" is a musical episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which is streaming on Paramount+. In it, the crew of the Enterprise encounters — wait for it — a strange space anomaly that causes them to burst into song and reveal their most closely held secrets to each other. If you think: Well, that sounds an awful lot like the Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical episode, you're right — and they know it. They acknowledge it several times in the episode with fun little shout outs I won't spoil. It's got a terrific opening number and a grand finale that is corny as hell — but that kind of kind of works, right? They've got several great singers in the cast, including Celia Rose Gooding, who was nominated for a Tony for Jagged Little Pill on Broadway. Most shows wait a bit longer to pull out a stunt like this, but Strange New Worlds has always had a really good sense of humor about itself, and it really pays off here. — Glen Weldon
More recommendations from the Pop Culture Happy Hour newsletter
by Linda Holmes
Eric Deggans had a terrific piece this week about brawl memes and folding chairs.
Also from our team at NPR, Bilal Qureshi looked at the billion-dollar summer of Taylor Swift, Barbie and Beyoncé.
I very much like the HBO docuseries Telemarketers, which premieres on Sunday. Focused on the Civic Development Group, a telemarketing outfit that did a lot of those "I'm calling on behalf of injured police officers" calls, it starts out seeming like it's about one thing — the grift of pretending to be representing the police — and ends up being about a bunch of other things. It's also a highly entertaining character portrait of some guys from New Jersey who you just need to watch to fully understand. It will also make you never answer a call again if you don't know who's on the line.
Emma Cline's The Guest is a very buzzy book right now, about a woman who gets kicked out of her rich boyfriend's house and has to figure out how to survive for a few days in the Hamptons with no resources except her ability to weasel into people's lives. I liked it a lot, and it gets its work done economically.
Beth Novey adapted the Pop Culture Happy Hour segment "What's Making Us Happy" for the Web. If you like these suggestions, consider signing up for our newsletter to get recommendations every week. And listen to Pop Culture Happy Hour on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
veryGood! (34)
Related
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Much of New Mexico is under flood watch after 100 rescued from waters over weekend
- Justice Department presents plea deal to Boeing over alleged violations of deferred prosecution agreement
- Lawsuit accuses Iran, Syria and North Korea of providing support for Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- Wildfire forces Alaska’s Denali National Park to temporarily close entrance
- Mbappé and France into Euro 2024 quarterfinals after Muani’s late goal beats Belgium 1-0
- Texas man dies while hiking at Grand Canyon National Park, authorities say
- Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
- Much of New Mexico is under flood watch after 100 rescued from waters over weekend
Ranking
- Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
- California to bake under 'pretty intense' heat wave this week
- What to Watch: The Supreme Court’s decision on Trump immunity is expected Monday
- How can you be smarter with your money? Follow these five tips
- Brianna LaPaglia Reveals The Meaning Behind Her "Chickenfry" Nickname
- Redbox owner Chicken Soup for the Soul files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection
- NHL teams cut ties with four players charged in 2018 sexual assault case
- Married at First Sight New Zealand Star Andrew Jury Dead at 33
Recommendation
Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
California budgets up to $12 million for reparations bills, a milestone in atoning for racist legacy
Authorities say 13-year-old armed with replica handgun fatally shot by police after chase in upstate New York
Some Gen Xers can start dipping into retirement savings without penalty, but should you?
Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
Lawsuit accuses Iran, Syria and North Korea of providing support for Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel
Hurricane Beryl maps show path and landfall forecast
Former Raiders coach Jon Gruden loses bid for state high court reconsideration in NFL emails lawsuit