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Pop Culture

Jeanne Dielman is the first film directed by a woman to rank in the number one spot in the Sight and Sound poll.

These Are the 100 Greatest Films of All Time, According to 1,600 Critics

Chantal Akerman’s bleak drama “Jeanne Dielman” tops the prestigious Sight and Sound poll

Viva Magenta is Pantone's color of the year for 2023.

Art Meets Science

What Is Viva Magenta, Pantone’s ‘Brave’ and ‘Fearless’ Color of the Year?

As 2023 approaches, the bold pinkish-red is supposed to reflect the global zeitgeist

Many of the cast members of KPOP are K-pop stars themselves, including lead actor Luna.

K-Pop Comes to Broadway

The new musical “KPOP” opened in New York City with an almost entirely Asian American cast

A young Sammy Fabelman (Mateo Zoryan Francis-DeFord) in The Fabelmans 

Based on a True Story

The Making of Steven Spielberg

“The Fabelmans” is a lightly fictionalized dramatization of the famous director’s childhood

Celia Cruz (above in 2001 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.) was "a phenomenon," says the Smithsonian's Ashley Mayor, one of the organizers of the new exhibition "Entertainment Nation," opening in December at the National Museum of American History.

The Stars Are Aligned at the National Museum of American History

The Enduring Legacy of Celia Cruz, the ‘Queen of Salsa’

The performer’s vivacious life takes the stage as part of the new Smithsonian exhibition, “Entertainment Nation”

The famed Ruby Slippers were worn by by Judy Garland in her portrayal of Dorothy Gale in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.

The Stars Are Aligned at the National Museum of American History

It’s Showtime at the National Museum of American History

An inside look at how popular culture represents who we are as a nation

The costume worn by Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther in the 2016 film Captain America: Civil War is in the collection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The suit imbues him with powers similar to the abilities of the dark cats.

14 Fun Facts About Black Panthers

Many of the Marvel superhero’s powers are inspired by the namesake predator

Billie Jean King wore this dress when she beat Bobby Riggs, a former number-one male player, during the 1973 “Battle of the Sexes.”

The Stars Are Aligned at the National Museum of American History

What America’s Pop Culture Says About the Nation Itself

A new permanent exhibition offers proof that popular entertainment can be more than just a diversion

Singer Claire L. Evans of YACHT performs in Los Angeles.

Art Meets Science

How Artificial Intelligence Helped Make an Experimental Pop Album

YACHT’s “Chain Tripping,” made using only A.I.-generated melodies and lyrics, is the subject of a new documentary

NOFX's Mike "Fat Mike" Burkett, one of the new museum's founders, performing in August 

A Punk Rock Museum Is Coming to Las Vegas

Thousands of instruments, set lists, flyers and other ephemera will tell the genre’s story

The Beatles’ George Harrison, Paul McCartney, John Lennon and original drummer Pete Best play a gig at the Cavern Club in Liverpool.

See Rare Photos of the Beatles Before They Were Famous

The images show the band playing a local gig in Liverpool in 1961

Forest Lawn Memorial-Park doubled as a spectacle of art, Christianity, architecture and patriotism.

Inside the Disneyland of Graveyards

How Forest Lawn Memorial-Park, a star-studded cemetery in Los Angeles, corporatized mourning in America

Andrew Dominik's Blonde doesn't purport to be historically accurate. Instead, like the Joyce Carol Oates novel it's based on, the film seeks to be spiritually faithful to the image Monroe embodied.

Women Who Shaped History

Who Was the Real Marilyn Monroe?

“Blonde,” a heavily fictionalized film by Andrew Dominik, explores the star’s life and legend in a narrative that’s equal parts glamorous and disturbing

Betty White in 2015

Betty White’s Belongings Are Up for Auction

The items tell the story of the beloved comedic actress’ life—and her groundbreaking eight-decade career

The signpost of hometowns for each of the characters in the sitcom "M*A*S*H" is now held in the collections of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, where it will go on view December 9.

The Stars Are Aligned at the National Museum of American History

Fifty Years and TV’s ‘M*A*S*H’ Still Draws Audiences

Fans are making plans to visit the Smithsonian this December when the show’s signature signpost goes on view in the new exhibition “Entertainment Nation”

Designer Samantha Black created three special-edition outfits for Claudie.

New American Girl Doll Celebrates Black Joy During the Harlem Renaissance

Nine-year-old Claudie Wells’ story unfolds in 1920s New York

A boy riding his bike while delivering newspapers with his dog in tow, 1970s

What Ever Happened to the Neighborhood Paperboy?

To mark the premiere of Amazon’s “Paper Girls,” we delved into the surprisingly murky history of bicycle-riding newspaper carriers

A still from “Squid Game”

How Korean Pop Culture Took the World by Storm

A new exhibition will explore the rise of South Korean fashion, movies, music and more

Donald Duck title card art, circa 1942

How Disney Propaganda Shaped Life on the Home Front During WWII

A traveling exhibition traces how the animation studio mobilized to support the Allied war effort

A scene from "Light and Magic"

Art Meets Science

This Visual Effects Studio Transformed Movies Forever

A new documentary tells the story of Industrial Light and Magic, the pioneering team that brought films like “Star Wars” and “Jurassic Park” to life

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