What’s Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend viewing and listening
This week, there was definitely news. But there was also a legend to celebrate, a former foppish fellow to talk to, and a Grammy Awards show to prepare for. Here’s what NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour crew was paying attention to — and what you should check out this weekend.
Daughters
The Critics Choice Documentary Awards are this Sunday and one of the many documentaries I watched in preparation for this was a beautiful documentary on Netflix called Daughters by Natalie Rae and Angela Patton. It’s the story of a few young girls whose fathers are incarcerated. For one afternoon, they have the chance to reunite for a daughter and dad dance. It is so beautiful and moving, if you’re alright for a good cry I highly recommend it. It is a really touching documentary. I’ve not been able to get it out of my head for many months. — Monica Castillo
Alligator Bites Never Heal
Doechii is one of my current favorite rappers and her most recent mixtape is Alligator Bites Never Heal. This new mixtape gives everything that I want; it is introspective, she’s got some bangers on here. I love the song “Nissan Altima,” but I think my favorite is “Denial Is a River,” which feels very ‘90s, a little bit of Biggie; she’s talking to her therapist alter ego and she just gets really raw and vulnerable about her insecurities and her flaws. So if you’re looking for a really sweeping, charismatic, fun and thoughtful album to listen to, definitely check this out. — Aisha Harris
Dexter
Netflix recently re-released all of Dexter from Showtime. I’ve heard people talk about Dexter for a long time, but I had never seen it before. I got sucked in so fast — the show is funny, clever, surprising and has great storytelling. Michael C. Hall stars as someone who investigates crimes but also murders bad guys who slip through the system. Dexter is the ultimate anti-hero: He’s somebody who is constantly trying to come across as normal on the surface, but he’s not really a normal guy. Whenever there are cracks in his façade it’s just such great tension and humor. It was originally on Showtime almost 20 years ago, but it still holds up. — Kristen Meinzer
More recommendations from the Pop Culture Happy Hour newsletter
by Linda Holmes
This week, I picked up Planet Coaster 2, a simulator game available on multiple platforms (I’m playing on Steam). As you might guess, it’s a sequel to Planet Coaster, and it continues your journey through creating your own amusement parks. It apparently has log flumes now, and I could not be more excited. If I could get the visitors to stop throwing their trash on the ground, I’d be golden.
I don’t play a lot of shooting games, but if you want a shooting game that is so absurd that it feels like playing a cartoon, I enjoyed Squirrel with a Gun. Which is exactly what it sounds like: You are a squirrel. You have a gun. You are fighting spies. That’s about the size of it.
I recently started listening to the audiobook of Rufi Thorpe’s Margo’s Got Money Troubles, narrated by Elle Fanning, and it hooked me right away. An interesting voice narratively, and a talented voice literally.
Dhanika Pineda 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.
With Trump coming into power, the NIH is in the crosshairs
The National Institutes of Health, the crown jewel of biomedical research in the U.S., could face big changes under the new Trump administration, some fueled by pandemic-era criticisms of the agency.
A man told 911 a bear chased him off a cliff. Weeks later, he was arrested for murder
Authorities say Nicholas Hamlett killed a man in Tennessee in an attempt to steal his identity, and reported it to police as a bear attack. He was arrested in South Carolina after a weekslong manhunt.
Federal judge blocks Louisiana law that requires classrooms to display Ten Commandments
The new Louisiana requirement that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public classroom by Jan. 1 was temporarily blocked Tuesday. The judge said the law is "unconstitutional on its face."
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigns over sex abuse scandal
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has resigned over accusations that he failed to report physical and sexual abuse to the police.
A man drove his car into a crowd in southern China, killing 35
A man who authorities said was upset over his divorce settlement rammed his car into a crowd of people exercising at a sports complex in southern China, police said.
Dutch appeals court overturns landmark climate ruling against Shell
The original 2021 ruling ordered Shell to cut its carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels. The appeals court said there is "insufficient consensus" on a specific reduction percentage.
