Pop Culture Happy Hour guests and hosts share what brings them joy: NPR

Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling in action comedy Nice guys.

Daniel McFadden/Warner Bros.

hide caption

toggle caption

Daniel McFadden/Warner Bros.

Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling in action comedy Nice guys.

Daniel McFadden/Warner Bros.

This week, Jerry Seinfeld was crazy about… something again, Baby reindeer Became more and more complicated and the Tony nominations were released.

Here’s what NPR Pop Culture Happy Hour the crew was attentive – and what you should check out this weekend.

The nice guys

If The guy who falls just in time It doesn’t do it for you, try it Nice guys, a 2016 film starring Ryan Gosling as a private detective and Russell Crowe as a tough guy who teams up to solve a mystery about a missing teenage girl. Set in Los Angeles in 1977, it’s got this whole glitzy, sleazy, underbelly noir vibe – it’s all shag carpet and leather. There are stunts, set pieces, crackling and funny dialogue, a great soundtrack – and Ryan Gosling plays an even dumber and funnier character than Ken. This is a smart action film in the genre that makes you care about its characters. (Not to be confused with Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg’s copycat film The other guys.) -Glen Weldon

Vanessa Williams song “Legs”

When I’m in my 60s, I hope to still be able to move my legs and dance like the one and only Vanessa Williams, who recently released a fantastic song called “Legs.” In the music video she looks fantastic – she sings about her body and feels more comfortable, older and wiser and doesn’t worry about anything. I’m in my 30s and I worry less about things now than I did when I was 20. I hope that in my 60s, I’ll care even less about the things I shouldn’t care about – and that’s what this song represents to me. -Aisha Harris

Arooj Aftab new album Night Reign

My favorite album of 2021 was this beautiful, atmospheric record called Vulture Prince by singer-songwriter Arooj Aftab. She’s a Pakistani singer based in Brooklyn, and I played that record over and over again to bring the blood pressure down, to set the scene, just to set the mood for the night. And Aftab has a new record coming out on May 31 called Reign of the night. It’s not necessarily a summer record like you think, but I think a lot of people are going to really love it. She is fantastic. -Stephen Thompson

Planet Zoo

All I want right now is to make my ostriches happy. That is to say: Planet Zoo, my favorite zoo simulator, is now on consoles. You build a zoo, you hire staff, you provide food, water and toys. When you get your animals, it will tell you which other animals they can share space with. So I created this gigantic enclosure which houses ostriches, zebras, buffalo, wildebeest and warthogs. They get enrichment points for everyone who lives together – which is a good way to remind us that we all benefit from being surrounded by creatures that aren’t exactly like us, as long as we’re compatible and don’t. We weren’t trying to eat each other. I have ultimate control over the conditions of my zoo and this gives me a sense of control over the world that I normally lack. -Linda Holmes

More recommendations from Pop Culture Happy Hour newsletter

by Linda Holmes

Rachel Martin, who many of you know from her years at Morning editionnow hosts a hybrid interview/game show podcast called Joker. The first episode features a conversation with Jenny Slate, and I highly recommend checking it out.

If you follow the talk about public performances and unethical television, you may have heard of a Japanese game show in which a man known as Nasubi lived naked and starving in a small room for more than a year. he. But the new Hulu documentary The candidate benefits not only from Nasubi’s participation, but also from producer Toshio Tsuchiya, who directed the show and continues to seem proud of it.

Netflix continues to try to make live TV events work; The latest effort finds John Mulaney in Los Angeles for the streamer’s comedy festival talking to the many funny people who are in town. They call him John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in Los Angeles It premieres tonight (Friday) at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, and then there will be episodes every night for the next week, Monday through Friday. Will it be good? I don’t know. Will Netflix have a better live presentation than in the past? I hope!

Beth Novey adapted the Pop Culture Happy Hour segment “What’s Making Us Happy” for the web. If you like these suggestions, consider subscribe to our newsletter to get recommendations every week. And listen to Pop Culture Happy Hour on Apple Podcasts And Spotify.