NPR

Before social media, the film <em>Purple Rain</em> gave audiences a peak into Prince’s musical life. Band members say the true genesis of the title song was much less combative than the version presented in the film.

Each week, guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: <em>This Is How You Lose the Time War,</em> GWAR covering “I’m Just Ken,” and the <em>Tested</em> podcast series from NPR's Embedded.

In the highly meta <em>Deadpool & Wolverine</em>, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman finally meet up for their own big movie. Deadpool is still smarmy, Wolverine is still tragic, and they have to get together to save the world. Along the way, Deadpool continues his usual routine of endless wisecracking. The movie is jam-packed with fan service and Easter eggs. But how will casual Marvel fans like the movie?

In Netflix's weirdly compelling dark comedy <em>The Decameron</em>, the bubonic plague is ravaging Florence in 1348. A group of rich nobles and their servants decide to retreat to a picturesque villa in the country to wait it all out. The large ensemble includes Tony Hale and Zosia Mamet. Every character is hiding something, and those secrets get revealed — and more than a few uglies get bumped.

The 2024 Olympics kick off in Paris with a splashy opening ceremony on Friday and will run through Aug. 11. Here's how to keep up with the action, from primetime viewing to occasional scrolling.

The verdict is in, and the ending is a dud: Rather than wriggling out of the original story’s sexism, the Apple TV+ series just makes the same mistakes in a new way.

In the latest revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's <em>Cats</em>, there are no singing cats. The actors have basically ditched the furry ears and velvet tails and reimagined the characters as competitors in the <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/06/14/1182123852/strike-a-pose-ballroom-culture-since-the-70s">ballroom scene</a>, vying for trophies and a new chance at life. This week, host Brittany Luse talks to <em>Cats: The Jellicle Ball</em> star Chasity Moore and co-director Zhailon Levingston about ballroom, spectacles and memories.<br><br><em>Want to be featured on IBAM? Record a voice memo responding to Brittany's question at the end of the episode and send it to ibam@npr.org.</em>

Social media is crying out with calls for Saturday Night Live veteran Maya Rudolph to bring back her Kamala Harris impression.

What makes a good karaoke song? In this encore episode, we're suggesting three great songs to sing at karaoke night.

In the new Apple TV+ series <em>Sunny</em>, Rashida Jones stars as a woman living in Kyoto, whose husband and young son go missing in a plane crash. To help console her, her husband's electronics company gives her a robot companion. The show is an interesting mix of styles and genres – it's a buddy comedy, a crime thriller and a drama about loss. But at the center of it all is the mystery of what happened to her husband and son – and why.

Aegon catches on to Aemond's power plays. Plus: Alicent shows symptoms of maternal instinct.

Each week, guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: Watching the WNBA, celebrities throwing first pitches, the novel<em> The God of the Woods, </em>and the Criterion sale at Barnes & Noble.