Glen Weldon
Glen Weldon is a host of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast. He reviews books, movies, comics and more for the NPR Arts Desk.
Over the course of his career, he has spent time as a theater critic, a science writer, an oral historian, a writing teacher, a bookstore clerk, a PR flack, a completely inept marine biologist and a slightly better-ept competitive swimmer.
Weldon is the author of two cultural histories: Superman: The Unauthorized Biography and The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture. He has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Republic, The Atlantic, Slate, McSweeney's and more; his fiction has appeared in several anthologies and other publications. He is the recipient of an NEA Arts Journalism Fellowship, an Amtrak Writers' Residency, a Ragdale Writing Fellowship and a Pew Fellowship in the Arts for Fiction.
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Glitter, vocal gymnastics, on-stage flames — the show goes on on the Eurovision stage in Vienna, even though five countries are boycotting this year's contest due to Israel's participation. -
As I watched the new series, I only cared about Piggy — the thoughtful, smart kid stranded on an island with other boys. That made me think about what we look for in art. -
Duvall appeared in over 90 films over the course of his career, imbuing stock Hollywood types — cowboys, cops, soldiers — with a nuanced sense of vulnerability. -
Another year, another glitter-filled spectacle known as the Eurovision Song Contest. The Grand Final airs Saturday at 3:00 p.m. ET on Peacock in the United States. -
Each week, the guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: The Menu, dancer Kim Hale, "Girlfriend" by Matthew Sweet, Drink Masters and more. -
Troubling times can lead you back to wander the hills and valleys of vast videogame worlds you've already beaten — or abandoned. -
The final chapter in "The Skywalker Saga" returns J.J. Abrams to the director's chair, and the result, while overstuffed with characters and plot, delivers on space-operatic action. -
Whether they're watching sitcoms, prime-time dramas or something else altogether, our television and pop culture critics present a guide to the new programs and series coming out soon. -
The film, about a wealthy clan who play a deadly game of hide-and-seek with a young woman (the fantastic Samara Weaving) marrying into the family, is fast, fun and not for the squeamish. -
We know it sounds sordid, but there's something missing in the 2019 version of Scar's bad-guy anthem — and it's the very thing that made the mustache-twirling original so iconic.
