My 12 Days of Pop Culture Christmas

Plus: Top Gun, Barbie and Avatar [View this email online]( [Pop Culture Happy Hour]( by Linda Holmes Welcome! It was the week when Meghan and Harry [finished this part]( of their story. It was the week when [we saw Barbie](. And it was the week when [an Army began to prepare]( in earnest. Let's get to it. Opening Argument: My 12 Days of Pop Culture Christmas Listen, I don't need French hens, I don't need leaping lords, and I certainly don’t need pipers piping. But that doesn't mean I don’t have my own year-end requests -- and since it's List Season, here’s what I’d like pop culture to bring me for Christmas this year: Betsie Van der Meer/Getty Images 12 second seasons: Entirely too many shows are getting axed after a single season in our era of impermanence. Even more lose out after maybe two, when there's clearly much more to come. All I ask of streaming services is that they give shows time to play out. 11 chaos kitchens: Now that I've seen The Bear, all I want to watch is more shows where people cook at scale. 10 fresh perspectives: More than 10. Twenty. Fifty. The biggest thing I want to watch right now is something that comes from a fresh voice, whether it's fresh because it explores issues of identity television has shortchanged, or because it's got a great idea, or even because it puts a new spin on a familiar genre. 9 stellar costumes: Costume design was one of my greatest pleasures of the year -- you know if you heard our show this week that Jenny Eagan's work on Glass Onion was a highlight. Whether it's a stylish mystery, a family adventure like Everything Everywhere All at Once, or Sandra Bullock's purple jumpsuit in The Lost City, I want more, more, more. 8 humane contracts: Most of the guilds in Hollywood are either at risk of labor unrest or already experiencing it. The economies of streaming and consolidation are crunching creative people in ways that, among other things, make some of the other things on my list less likely. A writers' strike seems to be the most immediately looming, and nobody benefits when writers can't write. 7 kisses kissing: We talk about the state of the romantic comedy almost every year. And while it's had some real highlights this year (the aforementioned The Lost City, among others), I long for the days when there were more -- sparkly love stories starring sparkly people. Give it to me. 6 short awards shows: Last year on Oscar night, there was a flood in my basement. So this year can really only be an improvement. Let's start with bringing the whole thing in on time. Noooooo Golden Globes: Enough said. 4 cartoon dogs: I don't have a reason; I just love cartoon dogs. 3 fresh heists: I also love heists. 2 scammer docs: So sue me. I love a scammer. And a lot less existing IP: Existing IP, if you're not the kind of nerd who follows these things, is what leads to sequels and remakes and reboots and reimaginings and franchises and limp follow-ups. Does some existing IP delight me? Of course. Would I reduce its market share if I could? Yes. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- Listen to the Podcast Sponsor-Free Support your favorite pop culture junkies AND listen without sponsor interruptions with a subscription to [Pop Culture Happy Hour+]( Learn more and sign up at [plus.npr.org/happy](. [Learn More]( We Recommend Can we talk about a couple things I caught up on this week that I want to encourage you to catch up on as well, if you haven't? Oh, good. I was a little wary of The Banshees of Inisherin, from Martin McDonagh, because I did not like Three Billboards (enough said), but I found it very engaging and curious. The performances from Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan in particular are top-notch. It reminded me of the very similarly titled McDonagh play I [saw on Broadway a few years ago with Daniel Radcliffe]( The Cripple of Inishmaan. Good stuff. I also [finally finished]( FX/Hulu's The Bear, which I had started and liked but somehow never found time to finish. I have some questions about what happens at the end, some big logistical questions (without spoiling, I'll say: how is that a net benefit?), but the performances are superb, and I absolutely loved the delicacy of some of the conversations that take place in the noisiest spaces. I enjoyed, up to a point, Top Gun: Maverick, as a throwback, as a piece of extravagantly indulgent fan service and as an example of some really exciting flight sequences. I find the idea of it getting a best picture nomination genuinely hilarious given the script (I will no longer be listening to any complaints about the awards that went to Titanic, I'll tell you that much), but for what it is -- among other things, a crowd-pleaser that gave a lot of people who missed movie theaters a chance to enjoy them again -- I give it all the respect in the world. What We Did This Week 20th Century Films Aisha and Priya Krishna [broke down]( the Hulu series Welcome to Chippendales. Glen and Guy Branum had a [fascinating, funny, engaging and very smart discussion]( about The Whale. We shared some of our [favorite moments of 2022]( from Abbott Elementary to Everything Everywhere All at Once to my favorite scene in Severance. Stephen and Aisha [talked to NPR's own great Sidney Madden about the SZA album]( SOS. And Stephen [talked with Chris Klimek and Reanna Cruz]( about the movie you may or may not have waited years to see: Avatar: The Way Of Water. 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: - Reanna Cruz: [Shazam]( - Chris Klimek: [His annual mixtape]( and "Things Fall Apart" by Cristina - Stephen Thompson: NPR Music's [best of the year]( plus [Stromae's "Mon amour"]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. [Find a Station]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour+](. Your support helps make our show possible and unlocks access to our sponsor-free episodes. 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? 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