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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Tom Hanks as lawyer James Donovan in Bridge of Spies.

Tom Hanks as lawyer James Donovan in Bridge of Spies. Jaap Buitendijk/DreamWorks Pictures/Fox 2000 Pictures hide caption

itoggle caption Jaap Buitendijk/DreamWorks Pictures/Fox 2000 Pictures

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'Bridge Of Spies' And Lots More Tom Hanks

On this week's show, Audie Cornish is with us to talk about the latest Steven Spielberg project and about the long career of its star.

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Russell Martin of the Toronto Blue Jays chose the Nicki Minaj song "Truffle Butter" for his walk-up music.

Russell Martin of the Toronto Blue Jays chose the Nicki Minaj song "Truffle Butter" for his walk-up music. Jason Miller and Ethan Miller/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Jason Miller and Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

The Giant Foam Finger: What's Your Walk-Up Music?

Four teams remain in the battle to crown a World Series champion. So it's a natural time for Stephen Thompson and Gene Demby to discuss the songs you hear when different players get up to bat.

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Matt Damon as Astronaut Mark Watney in The Martian.

Matt Damon as Astronaut Mark Watney in The Martian. Photo Credit: Courtesy Twentieth/Twentieth Century Fox hide caption

itoggle caption Photo Credit: Courtesy Twentieth/Twentieth Century Fox

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'The Martian' And How-To Stories

On this week's show, we chat about The Martian, consider other stories that enlighten us about the work people do, and — as always — offer up what's making us happy this week.

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Ms. Marvel comics.

Ms. Marvel comics. Jun Tsuboike/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Jun Tsuboike/NPR

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'Ms. Marvel' And Regrettable Television

This week's show has Ms. Marvel, terrible television, live show news, and a lot of laughing, not to mention what's making us happy this week.

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Linda and Glen look forward to watching Supergirl, the new CBS series starring Melissa Benoist.

Linda and Glen look forward to watching Supergirl, the new CBS series starring Melissa Benoist. Darren Michaels/CBS hide caption

itoggle caption Darren Michaels/CBS

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour: The Toronto International Film Festival And Our Fall TV Pool

This week, a big fall movie update from Toronto, plus our annual futile effort to predict the future of fall shows.

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Vice President Joe Biden and Stephen Colbert.

Vice President Joe Biden and Stephen Colbert. Jeffrey R. Staab hide caption

itoggle caption Jeffrey R. Staab

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Stephen Colbert's Return And Great Talk-Show Guests

The gang discusses CBS's Late Show With Stephen Colbert and describes what makes a great talk-show guest. And, as always, we run through What's Making Us Happy this week.

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Serena Williams serves to Roberta Vinci during their Women's Singles Semifinals match of the 2015 US Open on Friday.

Serena Williams serves to Roberta Vinci during their Women's Singles Semifinals match of the 2015 US Open on Friday. Alex Goodlett/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Alex Goodlett/Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

If Serena Williams Loses, Is It Still The U.S. Open?

On Pop Culture Happy Hour's sports spinoff, Stephen Thompson and Gene Demby discuss this weekend's U.S. Open final between two women not named Serena.

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Katherine Heigl, Leslie Mann, Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd in Knocked Up.

Katherine Heigl, Leslie Mann, Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd in Knocked Up. Suzanne Hanover/Universal/The Kobal Collection hide caption

itoggle caption Suzanne Hanover/Universal/The Kobal Collection

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Labor Pains And Inspirations

Thoughts on childbirth and pregnancy in pop culture, plus memories of the ways movies, TV shows, musicals and other moments have shaped our long-term interests. Plus, What's Making Us Happy this week.

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Rami Malek as Elliot Alderson on Mr. Robot.

Rami Malek as Elliot Alderson on Mr. Robot. Sarah Shatz/USA Network hide caption

itoggle caption Sarah Shatz/USA Network

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'Mr. Robot' And Title Sequences

The gang offers up its thoughts on a much-loved USA Network series and the way movies' opening credits can set the tone for what's to come. And, as always, What's Making Us Happy this week.

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Kanye West accepts the Video Vanguard award at Sunday night's MTV Video Music Awards.

Kanye West accepts the Video Vanguard award at Sunday night's MTV Video Music Awards. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Small Batch: The VMAs, From Speeches To Singing To Squads

Even if you didn't watch Sunday night's telecast — especially if you didn't watch — we've got good conversation about Kanye's speech, Miley's hosting, and even who won the awards at the awards show.

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Oscar Isaac and Carla Quevedo star in the HBO miniseries Show Me A Hero.

Oscar Isaac and Carla Quevedo star in the HBO miniseries Show Me A Hero. Paul Schiraldi/HBO hide caption

itoggle caption Paul Schiraldi/HBO

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'Show Me A Hero' And A Summer Update

This week's show has HBO, summer box office, pop songs and summer songs, television we forgot to tell you about, and a lot more. It's just packed — just like summer.

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Oh, sure, they got a trophy. But did they earn it?

Oh, sure, they got a trophy. But did they earn it? iStockphoto.com hide caption

itoggle caption iStockphoto.com

Pop Culture Happy Hour

The Giant Foam Finger: Is Winning Everything?

On Pop Culture Happy Hour's sports spinoff, Stephen Thompson and Gene Demby discuss the recent controversy over an athlete's decision to return his children's participation trophies.

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MC Ren (Aldis Hodge), DJ Yella (Neil Brown Jr.), Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell), Ice Cube (O'Shea Jackson Jr.) and Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins) form N.W.A in Straight Outta Compton.

MC Ren (Aldis Hodge), DJ Yella (Neil Brown Jr.), Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell), Ice Cube (O'Shea Jackson Jr.) and Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins) form N.W.A in Straight Outta Compton. Jaimie Trueblood/Courtesy of Universal Pictures hide caption

itoggle caption Jaimie Trueblood/Courtesy of Universal Pictures

Television 2015

Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'Straight Outta Compton' And Too Much TV

Audie Cornish and Gene Demby join the show to discuss a new N.W.A biopic and the idea that there are more TV shows than the public could ever watch. Plus, What's Making Us Happy this week.

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Jason Segel as David Foster Wallace in The End Of The Tour.

Jason Segel as David Foster Wallace in The End Of The Tour. A24 hide caption

itoggle caption A24

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour Small Batch: The End Of The Tour

Glen Weldon and Katie Presley discuss the new film, which is based on a series of interviews between David Lipsky and the late writer David Foster Wallace.

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Brett Favre serves as a sturdy metaphor for, well, a lot of things.

Brett Favre serves as a sturdy metaphor for, well, a lot of things. Mark Konezny/NFL Photo Library/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Mark Konezny/NFL Photo Library/Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

What We Talk About When We Talk About Brett Favre

In Pop Culture Happy Hour's sports spinoff, Stephen Thompson and Gene Demby tackle the many metaphors at the heart of the retired quarterback's public persona.

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What's a ferris-wheel ride without the sweet sounds of REO Speedwagon?
Uglinica/iStockphoto.com

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'Difficult People' And Amusement Parks

The gang tackles a new Hulu comedy starring Julie Klausner and Billy Eichner, as well as outdoor entertainment: theme parks, water parks, you name it. And, as always, What's Making Us Happy this week.

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From left: Ben Grimm (Jamie Bell), Johnny Storm (Michael B. Jordan), Reed Richards (Miles Teller), Sue Storm (Kate Mara) in the new Fantastic Four.

From left: Ben Grimm (Jamie Bell), Johnny Storm (Michael B. Jordan), Reed Richards (Miles Teller), Sue Storm (Kate Mara) in the new Fantastic Four. Twentieth Century Fox hide caption

itoggle caption Twentieth Century Fox

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour Small Batch: Fantastic Four

Glen Weldon and Chris Klimek discuss the latest attempt to turn the Marvel Comics super-team into a blockbuster film franchise.

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Amy Poehler and Bradley Cooper in Wet Hot American Summer: First Day Of Camp.

Amy Poehler and Bradley Cooper in Wet Hot American Summer: First Day Of Camp. Saeed Adyani/Netflix hide caption

itoggle caption Saeed Adyani/Netflix

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'Wet Hot American Summer' And Impossible Missions

The gang gathers to discuss an unlikely Netflix prequel and a far-more-likely Tom Cruise action movie. And, as always, we summarize What's Making Us Happy this week.

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Jeremy Jordan and Anna Kendrick in The Last Five Years.

Jeremy Jordan and Anna Kendrick in The Last Five Years. Thomas Concordia/TIFF hide caption

itoggle caption Thomas Concordia/TIFF

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Music, Movies And Music In Movies

Ari Shapiro and Bob Mondello join the gang to discuss soundtracks and other cinematic songs. And, as always, we discuss what's making us happy this week.

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Amy Schumer and Bill Hader in Trainwreck.

Amy Schumer and Bill Hader in Trainwreck. Universal Pictures hide caption

itoggle caption Universal Pictures

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'Trainwreck' And 'Ant-Man'

This week brings two summer movies into our field of vision: an unconventional romantic comedy and a shrunken (in the good way) superhero adventure.

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Mr. Peanutbutter (Paul F. Tompkins) and BoJack Horseman (Will Arnett).

Mr. Peanutbutter (Paul F. Tompkins) and BoJack Horseman (Will Arnett). Netflix hide caption

itoggle caption Netflix

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'BoJack Horseman' And People We're Pulling For

This week's show brings an old pal home for a discussion of Netflix's favorite cartoon horse, as well as baseball, Lily Tomlin, graphic novels, other podcasts and more.

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Oh, shut up, Freddie Mitchell. And what are you smiling about, No. 31?

Oh, shut up, Freddie Mitchell. And what are you smiling about, No. 31? Doug Pensinger/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour On Sports: Introducing 'The Giant Foam Finger'

In the first installment of a new series on sports memories, Stephen Thompson and Gene Demby discuss "4th and 26," a single play between the Eagles and the Packers in the 2003-04 NFL playoffs.

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