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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Each week, guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: A Dolly Parton memoir, the show Reacher, the game Dredge, and the song "Bittersweet" by Semma. -
Each week, guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: The film Flow, a Pete Seeger album, Deal or No Deal Island, and the documentary Sly Lives! -
If you're having friends over to watch Hollywood's biggest night, we've got 10 recipes that will at least work on a conceptual level. -
There are 10 movies in the running for best picture. Our critics are split over whether Anora or Nickel Boys should take home the prize. -
The Academy Awards are Sunday night, and that means we're in the thick of Oscar predictions. Glen Weldon of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour helps prep us for the big night.
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If you ask us, Pam Grier, John Goodman, Oscar Isaac and Regina Hall are all long overdue for Oscar nominations. Here's why. -
Each week, guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: the TV show Silo, Rilo Kiley's reunion tour, and a send up of Emilia Pérez. -
There is something about a heist movie that's just fun. We dissect them and explain why they're such a crowd favorite.
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From Emilia Pérez and its 13(!) nominations to the profoundly gross The Substance getting a Best Picture nod, the 2025 Oscar nominees addressed big social and political issues, all to varying degrees. -
Pop culture critic Glen Weldon says he can't separate the art from the artist. But in light of the sexual abuse allegations against Gaiman, he will separate himself from the author's future work. -
Each week, guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: the shows The Agency and The Pitt, audiobooks by Philomena Cunk, and cinema from the late director David Lynch. -
Check out the big Oscar contenders all you want, but 2024 was also a solid year for movies that didn't have big names, big studios and big marketing departments behind them.
