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Pop Culture Happy Hour: Wild Cards And More Regrettable Television

NPR
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First, a huge thank-you to everyone who came to our live show this past week, and especially to our many special guests who helped us out on stage. We had a great time, and you'll be hearing the two shows we taped that night in a couple of weeks.

But first! Our pal Gene Demby is on deck this week as we take on a listener suggestion and talk about wild cards. By this, we mean the artists who sometimes delight us and sometimes frustrate us. Be they television creators, leaders of bands, writers or actors, we talk about what makes a wild card unpredictable, whether it's really bad to be thus, and whether Glen can ever forgive us for our nebulous definitions.

If you've ever listened to the very first ever episode of PCHH, you know that the Regrettable Television Pop Quiz is built into our very foundations, and this week, it's back. Nudity! Social justice leaders! Dating! It all comes alive in this very lively round of our favorite quiz.

As always, we close the show with What's Making Us Happy This Week. Stephen is happy about a tribute project that warmed his heart. Gene is happy about a group that Stephen recommended not long ago that Gene himself has just discovered. Glen is happy about being able to play video games very, very soon, and he wants your help in figuring out what to do first. And I am happy about a swell documentary that may complicate your feelings regarding wine.

We're always happy to hear from you, so find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter: me, Stephen, Glen, Gene, producers Jessica and Lauren, and our pal Mike Katzif.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Linda Holmes is a pop culture correspondent for NPR and the host of Pop Culture Happy Hour. She began her professional life as an attorney. In time, however, her affection for writing, popular culture, and the online universe eclipsed her legal ambitions. She shoved her law degree in the back of the closet, gave its living room space to DVD sets of The Wire, and never looked back.

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