What’s making us happy: A guide to your weekend reading and viewing WABE – WABE 90.1 FM

This week, Alyssa Nakken became the first woman to coach on the field in MLB history, Dolly Partons cake mixes and frosting line became available in stores, and the Kardashians returned.

Heres what NPRs Pop Culture Happy Hour crew was paying attention to and what you should check out this weekend.

I am loving Julia on HBO Max. Its a mini-series following Julia Childs rise from cookbook author to TV personality, and it shows her and her marriage in a light that I havent seen before. Her frustrations, insecurities, ambition, and swearing are all front and center.

The show is also just a feast for the eyes. Its got all those colorful 1960s sets and costumes. Everything is beautiful, the cast is terrific, and I cannot say enough good things about Julia. Kristen Meinzer

Jerrod Carmichaels Rothaniel is his latest stand-up special for HBO, and it is a complete 180 from The Carmichael Show. He leaves himself exposed in a way that I havent seen from him or from most comedians, really.

In the special, as you might have heard, Carmichael comes out as gay. I love the way he talks about his coming out process because I feel like a lot of pop culture treats it as a sort of one-and-done situation. You have the dining room table conversation with your parents and you never have to come out again, you just move on with your life. And thats not his story. And especially as a 34-year-old coming out that adds a whole other level of complication. I just found it so lovely and so breathtakingly honest. And Bo Burnham, who directed the special, adds so many interesting visual departures from what we generally expect of stand-up specials. It was incredible. Inkoo Kang

Everyone needs to watch Everything Everywhere All at Once. Ive watched it maybe three times already and it is one of the best movies Ive seen, maybe ever.

It talks about family, motherhood, love and nihilism. It touches on how maybe nothing matters, but also everything does and it really makes you appreciate the important things in your life. The movie made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me angry, and basically, just feel every emotion Ive ever felt and ever could feel in my entire life. I would highly recommend it. Laura Sirikul

Our Flag Means Death is a fantastic comedy series on HBO Max. Imagine, if you will, the sensibility of What We Do In the Shadows and Wellington Paranormal brought to the genre that is: swashbuckling pirate. Its not a mockumentary, but it does have that Taika Waititi essence to it and is based on a true story, which is maybe the weirdest thing about it.

Rhys Darby, finally getting the spotlight hes always deserved, plays Gentleman Pirate Stede Bonnet, a nobleman who really did wake up one day and decided to become a pirate and did, eventually, meet up with Blackbeard, played in the show by Taika Waititi. This show knows exactly the vibe its going for and nails it from the jump. It is so assured and so smart and so deeply queer, so it gets my highest recommendation. Glen Weldon

NPR intern Fi OReilly adapted the Pop Culture Happy Hour segment Whats Making Us Happy into a digital page. If you like these suggestions, consider signing up for our newsletter to get recommendations every week.

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What's making us happy: A guide to your weekend reading and viewing WABE - WABE 90.1 FM