It's Been a Minute

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Each week, It's Been a Minute features people in the culture who deserve your attention. Plus weekly wraps of the news with journalists in the know. Join us to make sense of the world through conversation.If you can't get enough, try It's Been a Minute Plus. Your subscription supports the show and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/itsbeenaminute

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The love and longing of Lut...

02.03.2023

From "A House Is Not A Home" to "The Glow of Love," Luther Vandross' music has become a staple for weddings, family reunions and graduations. While Luther changed the sound of R&B;, brought ballads to epic new heights and influenced ...

It's Been a Minute episodes:

02.03.2023 The love and longing of Luther Vandross; Plus Grammy nominee Samara Joy From "A House Is Not A Home" to "The Glow of Love," Luther Vandross' music has become a staple for weddings, family reunions and graduations. While Luther changed the sound of R&B;, brought ballads to epic new heights and influenced ...
01.31.2023 George Santos and the great American tradition of "self-making" New York Congressman George Santos has been embroiled in controversy since the day he stepped into office in November. The New York Times and other publications have reported that much of the Republican lawmaker's alleged resume – from where he ...
01.27.2023 Saying goodbye to Pikachu and Ash, plus how Pokémon changed media forever It's the end of an era. After more than 25 years, The Pokémon Company is closing the book on the adventures of Ash Ketchum and Pikachu. To celebrate the cultural impact of this dynamic duo – and of the Pokémon ...
01.25.2023 Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu is everywhere, all at once Everything Everywhere All at Once is the critical darling of the 2023 awards season. The film is up for 11 Oscars, including a Supporting Actress nomination for breakout star, Stephanie Hsu. Hsu, who played Joy Wang AKA Jobu Tupaki in ...
01.20.2023 One of Grindr's favorite podcasts; plus, art versus AI It's in our homes and in our pockets, and now artificial intelligence is in our art. The runaway rise of AI generator apps has sparked hot debate around the technology's impact on creative industries. Brittany Luse talks to Karla Ortiz, ...
01.18.2023 M3GAN, murder, and mass queer appeal At first blush, M3GAN seems like your standard murder doll horror film. Uncanny appearance, eerily close relationship with a young child, and of course, murder. But it's become way more than that. She's got a viral dance, powerful side eye, ...
01.13.2023 What's worse than heat damage? Hair discrimination For Black women, hair is about so much more than beauty. It can affect how they're treated and what opportunities are available to them. It's tied to history, identity and politics. And though many Black women and girls now embrace ...
01.10.2023 Do you really know what turns you on? For women who date men, bad sex might feel like a personal problem, but Nona Willis Aronowitz says it's political too. In Bad Sex: Truth, Pleasure, and an Unfinished Revolution, Aronowitz tackles the historic and systemic causes of unsatisfying sex. ...
01.06.2023 What has Rep. Maxwell Frost gotten himself into? It's a new year, and with it comes a new Congress. This week, Brittany Luse sits down with the first Gen Z member to be raised to its ranks, Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida. They talk about his vision ...
01.03.2023 Millennials in Hollywood are making parents apologize on-screen In this episode from June 2022, guest host B.A. Parker and Vox entertainment critic Emily St. James dive into a trend that was all over Hollywood: parents apologizing on-screen. From miniseries like 'Ms. Marvel' to the indie darling 'Everything Everywhere ...
12.30.2022 Dancing into 2023 with legendary DJ Honey Dijon 2022 was a banner year for Honey Dijon. She co-produced two of the fiercest tracks on Beyoncé's latest record, 'Renaissance,' and she released her own studio album this fall, called 'Black Girl Magic.' But Honey – one of the only ...
12.27.2022 A critic's love letter to Black women in pop In this conversation from April 2022, former guest host Juana Summers sits down with author Danyel Smith to chat about her book, Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop. They talk all about Black women in ...
12.24.2022 Tory Lanez is guilty, so why was Megan Thee Stallion's strength on trial? For the last two weeks, rapper Tory Lanez has been on trial for allegedly shooting Grammy winner Megan Thee Stallion. Since Megan went public with the allegations in August 2020, she's faced significant backlash – on social media, on popular ...
12.20.2022 (Almost) 20 years of 'Love Actually' It's been almost two decades since the star-studded romantic comedy premiered, but Love Actually is still a holiday staple that plays in both movie theaters and living rooms across the country. Since the film is here to stay, we feel ...
12.16.2022 Dark academia's deadly allure and the timeless appeal of prep style Donna Tartt's The Secret History turned 30 this year. Since the book's release, the novel has sold millions of copies and become a classic - the blueprint for a cluster of aesthetic and literary works under the label "dark academia." ...
12.13.2022 There is no Twitter without Black Twitter #BlackLivesMatter. #OscarsSoWhite. #Zola. These huge cultural moments come from one of the most chaotic, beloved, and influential communities online: Black Twitter. But with Elon Musk at the helm, the future of the community is in question. What's next for the ...
12.09.2022 'Framing Agnes' flips the script for trans stories When the world never stops questioning you, do you refuse to answer... or do you play along to get what you want? These questions are at the heart of Framing Agnes, an award-winning documentary about the legacy of a young ...
12.06.2022 Lil Kim is a style icon. It's time she got her due. Think of the top women rappers of our time: Cardi B. Megan Thee Stallion. Nicki Minaj. They all showcase a signature style that involves multicolored wigs, skyscraping heels and designer logos on everything. But that blend of high fashion, femininity ...
12.02.2022 For Colored Nerds: Why Brittany wants to be a bad Black mom Recently, host Brittany Luse has found herself curious about motherhood. As she's thought about the kind of mom she might be, she looked for models in film and TV – and found that there's little room for mothers, and Black ...
11.29.2022 Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'The Godfather' and the limits of on-screen representation From our friends at Pop Culture Happy Hour, a deep dive on The Godfather – and why the classic film was not universally loved by the Italian-American community that it portrayed. This episode is part one of the new three-part ...
11.25.2022 Sibling rivalry takes the stage on Broadway; plus Randall Park's latest 'Blockbuster' There's nothing like the holidays for family drama. And in today's episode, Brittany Luse sits down with two actors who portray a classic brother-against-brother dynamic in the Pulitzer-winning play Topdog/Underdog, which recently returned to Broadway. Corey Hawkins and Yahya Abdul-Mateen ...
11.22.2022 'The Long COVID Survival Guide' to finding care and community According to the CDC, out of all the American adults who have had COVID — and that's a lot of us — one in five went on to develop long COVID symptoms. While so many are struggling with this new ...
11.18.2022 Lionel Messi's last World Cup? Plus, a 'Diasporican' Thanksgiving They call him a 21st-century god of soccer. One of the all time greats. A king. But Lionel Messi's crown is still missing one big jewel: a World Cup trophy for his home country, Argentina. In this episode, host Brittany ...
11.15.2022 'Abbott Elementary' gets teachers Brittany Luse watches a lot of TV, but there's one show she's always caught up on — Abbott Elementary. This workplace comedy follows a group of teachers at a Philadelphia public elementary school. The show is sweet and roaringly funny, ...
11.12.2022 Black films that changed the game It's a big week in Black cinema as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hit theaters Friday. But on the same day, another film dropped that may be just as powerful in its message about Black moviemaking. Is This Black Enough For ...
11.08.2022 A vote for 'Black Disability Politics' It's Election Day, and Brittany's focusing on those long lines at the polls. For years there's been a lot of talk about voter disenfranchisement - especially for Black and Brown voters who wait for hours to cast a ballot. But ...
11.04.2022 Are the Kardashians America's family? Plus, our skincare desires and delusions The Kardashians. Whether you're into them or not, one thing is true: You can't avoid them. When they're not releasing new episodes of their long-running reality TV show, they're making headlines about Halloween costume reveals or ex-husbands who go on ...
11.01.2022 Sophistication and sexuality at 70 with Christine Baranski If you ask people to describe Christine Baranski, one word rises to the top: sophisticated. That's no accident; the actress has spent a lifetime refining her image and her craft. For the past 13 years, Baranski has played Diane Lockhart, ...
10.28.2022 Vampires are hot, y'all Spooky season is upon us, so we decided to sink our teeth into the world of vampires. Host Brittany Luse kicks off the conversation with Kendra R. Parker, who teaches a class at Georgia Southern University about Black vampires in ...
10.25.2022 The Grim Reaper of retail: Spirit Halloween Every fall, with the same regularity as birds flying south, Spirit Halloween materializes in locations across the country. The superstore sells all manner of trappings for spooky season, including costumes, props and décor. It boasts about 1,400 pop-ups nationwide, and ...
10.21.2022 Taylor Swift loves main character energy; Julio Torres hates it The It's Been a Minute team gives you a sneak peek at the event of the season: BravoCon, where our producer met his favorite housewife, and the Salt Lake City stars spill the tea to host Brittany Luse. Then, Brittany ...
10.18.2022 Maitreyi Ramakrishnan tells those racist trolls to chill; Princess Peach can be Brown Maitreyi Ramakrishnan has big dreams. The 20-year-old gained full celebrity status with her breakout role as Devi Vishwakumar in the Netflix teen hit Never Have I Ever. But now that filming has wrapped for the show's four seasons, Ramakrishnan is ...
10.14.2022 Crafting the narrative of Elon Musk The saga around Elon Musk's deal to buy Twitter has been just that: a months-long soap opera involving lawsuits and subpoenas, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, even a town hall. But why does Musk — one of the world's ...
10.12.2022 'The Woman King' and when movies aren't history lessons When our host Brittany Luse first heard of The Woman King – a film about an all-women warrior unit defending the West African kingdom of Dahomey during the years of the Atlantic slave trade – the idea made her nervous. ...
10.07.2022 Stacey Abrams is running against history Stacey Abrams wants to make history again. After losing the Georgia governor's race to Brian Kemp back in 2018, Abrams — the first Black woman to be a major party's gubernatorial candidate — spent four years coalition building across the ...
10.05.2022 May we present our new host...Brittany Luse NPR is proud to present Brittany Luse as the new host for It's Been A Minute. Whether you're a long time listener or you're just finding the show, you know that culture doesn't happen by accident. Find out why with ...
10.04.2022 Presenting Alt.Latino: Rosalía on what makes a 'Motomami' Today we have a special drop from our friends at NPR's Alt.Latino! The show just welcomed Anamaria Sayre as a new co-host alongside Felix Contreras. In this conversation, Anamaria chats with Spanish musician Rosalía about her recent album Motomami, how ...
09.30.2022 How Tiny Desk became a go-to spot for hip-hop When folks think about where to get the latest in hip-hop, NPR doesn't usually come to mind. But that's changing, thanks to the team at the Tiny Desk Concerts, which was just nominated as the Best Hip-Hop Platform for the ...
09.27.2022 For author Julissa Arce, 'sounding white' isn't a compliment Julissa Arce used to think that the secret to fitting in was to "sound white" — to speak English perfectly, with no accent. And for years after her family came to the U.S. from Mexico, she did all the things ...
09.23.2022 Judy Greer on 'Reboot' — And Why Are There So Many Reboots, Anyway? We talk TV REBOOTS. Guest host Elise Hu chats with Judy Greer about her role in the new Hulu series Reboot; her work as a comedic actress, and the state of television. Then, Elise talks with Daniel Herbert, associate professor ...
09.20.2022 How HBO transformed television HBO gave us some of the most iconic television shows of our time: Sex and the City. The Sopranos. Game of Thrones. But is the era of HBO coming to a close? Earlier this year, HBO's parent company, Warner Media, ...
09.16.2022 Who needs the monarchy? Plus, why gray floors and barn doors are everywhere King Charles III doesn't enjoy the same popularity as his mother. In the face of mixed feelings towards the new king, some are asking: Is this the beginning of the end of the British monarchy? Guest host Elise Hu talks ...
09.13.2022 How Girls' Generation shaped K-pop as we know it To celebrate their 15th anniversary, the K-pop group Girls' Generation put out their newest album, 'Forever 1.' Today, we're taking a look back at their career and how they changed the standards for K-pop through music, choreography and beauty. Their ...
09.09.2022 Serena's final serve; plus, the Emmys in an era of too much TV Serena Williams just played her last U.S. Open. In the historic two-plus decades of her tennis career, she's won 23 Grand Slams and four Olympic gold medals — all while becoming a mother, dealing with injuries and health crises and ...
09.06.2022 t.A.T.u's 'All The Things She Said' still runs through our heads The Russian pop duo t.A.T.u released their smash single "All The Things She Said" 20 years ago this week. To this day, the bop is a queer staple, but should it be? From t.A.T.u to Britney Spears and Madonna, the ...
09.02.2022 The game has changed for D&D and 'A League of Their Own' For a long time, Dungeons & Dragons was stereotyped as a game for nerdy young white guys in their parents' basement. But not anymore — the game has exploded in popularity and players of all backgrounds are joining in. Guest ...
08.30.2022 From cupcakes to private jets, how the quest for status drives culture What is culture, where does it come from and why does it change? W. David Marx, author of the new book Status and Culture: How Our Desire for Social Rank Creates Taste, Identity, Art, Fashion, and Constant Change, says the ...
08.26.2022 Will BeReal just make us BeFake? Plus, A Guidebook To Smell BeReal may be the hottest new social media app on the market, but can it live up to its promise to be a more authentic alternative to other platforms? Guest co-host Elise Hu talks with writers Haley Nahman and Ryan ...
08.23.2022 Presenting 'Code Switch': The glittering neon universe of 'P-Valley' with Katori Hall The Starz hit series P-Valley takes audiences to a strip club in a fictional town in the Mississippi Delta. Part soap opera, part Southern Gothic, the show focuses on the interior lives of the Black women who work at the ...
08.19.2022 Bad Bunny's dream for Puerto Rico; plus, 'Koshersoul' Bad Bunny is the biggest pop star in the world, so what does he believe in? Guest host Tracie Hunte and political anthropologist Yarimar Bonilla look at the politics of Bad Bunny, and his vision of a Puerto Rico for ...

Older episodes

It's Been a Minute

What's It's Been a Minute about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

It's Been a Minute episodes:

The love and longing of Luther Vandross; Plus Grammy nominee Samara Joy

George Santos and the great American tradition of "self-making"

Saying goodbye to Pikachu and Ash, plus how Pokémon changed media forever

Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu is everywhere, all at once

One of Grindr's favorite podcasts; plus, art versus AI

M3GAN, murder, and mass queer appeal

What's worse than heat damage? Hair discrimination

Do you really know what turns you on?

What has Rep. Maxwell Frost gotten himself into?

Millennials in Hollywood are making parents apologize on-screen

Dancing into 2023 with legendary DJ Honey Dijon

A critic's love letter to Black women in pop

Tory Lanez is guilty, so why was Megan Thee Stallion's strength on trial?

(Almost) 20 years of 'Love Actually'

Dark academia's deadly allure and the timeless appeal of prep style

There is no Twitter without Black Twitter

'Framing Agnes' flips the script for trans stories

Lil Kim is a style icon. It's time she got her due.

For Colored Nerds: Why Brittany wants to be a bad Black mom

Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'The Godfather' and the limits of on-screen representation

Sibling rivalry takes the stage on Broadway; plus Randall Park's latest 'Blockbuster'

'The Long COVID Survival Guide' to finding care and community

Lionel Messi's last World Cup? Plus, a 'Diasporican' Thanksgiving

'Abbott Elementary' gets teachers

Black films that changed the game

A vote for 'Black Disability Politics'

Are the Kardashians America's family? Plus, our skincare desires and delusions

Sophistication and sexuality at 70 with Christine Baranski

Vampires are hot, y'all

The Grim Reaper of retail: Spirit Halloween

Taylor Swift loves main character energy; Julio Torres hates it

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan tells those racist trolls to chill; Princess Peach can be Brown

Crafting the narrative of Elon Musk

'The Woman King' and when movies aren't history lessons

Stacey Abrams is running against history

May we present our new host...Brittany Luse

Presenting Alt.Latino: Rosalía on what makes a 'Motomami'

How Tiny Desk became a go-to spot for hip-hop

For author Julissa Arce, 'sounding white' isn't a compliment

Judy Greer on 'Reboot' — And Why Are There So Many Reboots, Anyway?

How HBO transformed television

Who needs the monarchy? Plus, why gray floors and barn doors are everywhere

How Girls' Generation shaped K-pop as we know it

Serena's final serve; plus, the Emmys in an era of too much TV

t.A.T.u's 'All The Things She Said' still runs through our heads

The game has changed for D&D and 'A League of Their Own'

From cupcakes to private jets, how the quest for status drives culture

Will BeReal just make us BeFake? Plus, A Guidebook To Smell

Presenting 'Code Switch': The glittering neon universe of 'P-Valley' with Katori Hall

Bad Bunny's dream for Puerto Rico; plus, 'Koshersoul'

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