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.
-
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. -
-
Until recently, the long-running British show was too often content with iteration. Actor Ncuti Gatwa brought an unapologetic queerness to the character of the Doctor. -
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. -
As Dungeons & Dragons turns 50, critic Glen Weldon looks back on playing the game in its early years — and stumbling upon the fierce, shoulder-padded illusionist that would become his first character. -
They're calling it the scariest movie of the year. The new horror film Longlegs follows FBI special agent Lee Harker (Mika Monroe) tracking a serial killer in the 1990s. If that sounds like familiar ground, consider this – the clues she follows hint at the involvement of the occult in general and Satanism in particular. And the killer in question: Nicolas Cage, uncaged. -
Switzerland won the Eurovision Song Contest this weekend in Malmo, Sweden. The singer Nemo and their song "The Code" came out on top in a Grand Final of 25 countries.
-
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.
