It's My Birthday, And

Plus: Disney+, a holiday movie guide and what's making us happy by Linda Holmes Welcome! It was the week [when Disney+ launched]( (with some technical difficulties to keep things interesting). It was the week when we learned that Ricky Gervais will once again host the Golden Globes. And it was the week when [John Legend officially became]( People 's Sexiest Man Alive. Let's get to it. Opening Argument No, really. It is. And for that reason, this is going to be a relatively brief note. I'm getting older every year, you know? I'm further from my first discoveries of films I loved, from my earliest favorite rom-coms, from my first experiences writing about what I liked. I've also reached the point where, on both sides of me, I meet adults whose experiences are very different from mine by decades. Decades older, decades younger, and me never quite sure how I fit into all this. [scene from the play 'Glory of the World'] Bill Brymer/BAM I had another entire career before I became a critic; people who started at about the same time I did are often 10 or 15 years younger than I am. I'm proud of that; I get insecure about it; I worry about it; I like it. I feel the tail of the kite getting longer behind me, where some things just feel too far away to see. I'm not the right age, I sometimes think, to appreciate some things. But I've finally grown into others. There are things I try to do about all this. I try hard to stay out of generational warfare, which I hate. I talk to a lot of people who are a lot younger and older than I am. I don't dismiss the musings of a 21-year-old. I don't assume they're especially incisive. I don't assume they're steeped in any particular experience just because of their birth year, because that's how you wind up declaring that everyone of a certain age loved Friends, which everyone did not. The one thing that's always true about getting older is that it just keeps on happening. You can't imagine being 20, then 30, then 40, and then it's almost a surprise not to feel that different as those milestones go by. I got another year older this year, but I also published a novel — that was a childhood dream. I bought my first house. I have my first yard. (Or, really, my dog has it.) Pieces of culture come up behind you — they push on you, challenge you, change your assumptions. Every birthday is celebrated in the company of some new favorite something. That's how I've been choosing something that's making me happy every week for almost 10 years. Oh, right. Pop Culture Happy Hour will be 10 years old next summer. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. We Recommend I've only just begun diving into the updated Joy of Cooking, but I can already tell you it's one fascinating book. Let's make stuff! I am loving [the third season]( of the Slate podcast Slow Burn, hosted by Joel Anderson. It's about the murders of Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G., and if you like a great podcast or a riveting story, you should give it a listen. Last weekend's episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver discussed [a lawsuit that dogged the show]( for many months and is now over. If nothing else, watch it for the very profane musical number at the end. What We Did This Week ['The Knight Before Christmas' film still]( Brooke Palmer/Netflix I have never gotten a combination of love and disgust quite like what came along after [I catalogued more than 60 upcoming new]( holiday movies on various cable channels and streaming services. Wheeee! [I wrote about]( Noah Baumbach's agonizing but excellent Marriage Story. I also found [the time to visit]( with some of the new Disney+ content. [Glen wrote about]( The Crown, back with a fresh cast. Our [Wednesday show]( is about Last Christmas. Hey, I liked it. And our [Friday show]( is about the podcast Dolly Parton's America. What's Making Us Happy Every week on the show, we talk about some other things out in the world that have been giving us joy lately. Here they are: - Stephen: Anamanaguchi’s [new album]( - Glen: [Dickinson]( on Apple TV+ - Katie: NRK TV’s [National Knitting Eve]( [The Nordic Cookbook]( by Magnus Nilsson - Linda: [Encore]( on Disney+ What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [pchh@npr.org](mailto:pchh@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Music, Books, Daily News and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Pop Culture Happy Hour emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy](