Into It: A Vulture Podcast with Sam Sanders

So much of the coverage of hip-hop's 50th birthday has been fawning. Congratulatory. Devoid of meaningful critique. All that despite the fact that the art form has been soaked through with misogyny and homophobia from day one. So how do you celebrate hip-hop's accomplishments while asking it to do better? Sam talks to journalist Kiana Fitzgerald, author of Ode to Hip-Hop, on how the women of hip-hop are leading the way today… but at what cost? And he catches up with hip-hop scholar Jason England, assistant professor of English at Carnegie Mellon University, who argues hip-hop's midlife crisis has left an empty shell of what the genre once was. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Comedian Hasan Minhaj admitted to making up biographical stories involving racism and Islamophobia in his standup specials. Sam asks our BFF, comedian Jay Jurden, what the line is between comedic embellishment and lying, and how the revelations will affect other marginalized performers. Also this week, will one more teacup ride stem Disney's streaming losses? Sam and Jay discuss Disney's $60 billion bet on its theme parks, whether Taylor Swift's latest puzzle stunt shows us that Swifties are getting a little old, and what American Horror Story could look like with an all-Black cast. Sign up for Vulture's Movies Fantasy League: https://www.vulture.com/movies-league/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is it just us or has the Billboard Hot 100 felt... weird this year? It's the same chart that's seen Doja Cat's "Paint the Town Red" hit No. 1 — the first rap song to rise to the top spot in more than a year — as well as Oliver Anthony Music's controversial "Rich Men North of Richmond" and a remix of an old song by The Weeknd. Is the Billboard Hot 100 actually measuring what people are listening to these days? Can we trust it to tell us about the most popular music? Sam talks with Switched on Pop's Charlie Harding and Reanna Cruz about how Billboard ranks the Hot 100 and the ways that artists, fandoms, and political actors have changed the game... and learned how to game the charts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Drew Barrymore announced her daytime TV talk show would return despite the ongoing Hollywood strikes. That prompted a public outcry and a rescinded invitation to host the National Book Awards. Drew seems to be getting the most flack, but she isn't the only TV host coming back this fall. Sam checks in with Vox's Alex Abad-Santos and Rebecca Jennings about the latest on the writers' and actors' strikes and where the celebrities are turning now that the red carpets are off-limits. We also discuss the highs and lows of the VMAs, how to spot a drunk white woman dancing, and if we really need Beyoncé and Taylor Swift beat reporters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rotten Tomatoes is the place you go when you want to figure out whether or not to see a movie. It aggregates reviews on its “Tomatometer” and tells you whether a film is “fresh” or “rotten.” But its math formula sucks, and it's easily manipulated. New York Magazine's Lane Brown did a deep investigation into how Rotten Tomatoes works and tells Sam all the ways studios game the ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, how Hollywood publicity now revolves around the site, and highlights how the whole system has incentivized one company to pay critics and apparently withhold their negative reviews from Rotten Tomato counts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As Olivia Rodrigo releases Guts, we take stock of the singer-songwriter who seemed to come out of nowhere, fully realized as an artist, back in 2021. How did Olivia surprise us so much before, and can she repeat her success a second time? Sam chats with Lindsay Zoladz, pop music critic at The New York Times, about the dualities of Olivia Rodrigo: She's an artist who is both quiet and loud, young and old at heart, and a former Disney child star whose lyrics are a gut punch. We also trace her inspirations from Alanis Morisette to Taylor Swift and explore why we can't get enough of Olivia's music in a year that's seen the pop culture power of women and girls. ICYMI, Sam is guest hosting on Vox's daily news show Today, Explained this week. Listen at https://bit.ly/texwsam. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Allegations and complaints about working conditions, fair pay, and even covering up acts of sexual violence could force a reality TV reckoning. OG Housewife Bethenny Frankel is calling on her fellow colleagues to unionize, and last month NBCUniversal — home to such reality heavy hitters as The Real Housewives empire, and Vanderpump Rules — was sent a letter from two very high-powered attorneys investigating the "grotesque and depraved mistreatment" of its reality stars. How did we get here? sam breaks down the recent drama with legal reporter Claudia Rosenbaum. Then, he talks to someone who's seen it all firsthand: Nick Thompson, a contestant on Season Two of Netflix's Love Is Blind, who compared his experience of being on the show and finding his one true love... to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. ICYMI, Sam is guest hosting on Vox's daily news show Today, Explained this week. Listen at https://bit.ly/texwsam. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Yes, the writers' and actors' strikes mean a lot of reality on TV and delayed releases for movies this fall. But there are some standouts. Sam talks with Vulture's Jen Chaney and Chris Lee and learns that with shows like Lessons In Chemistry, starring Brie Larson, and films like May December, starring Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman, you could want for nothing. Sam also gets recommendations of things you might have missed this summer from Sam Fragoso, host of the Talk Easy podcast, who explains that Project Greenlight reveals all the problems with Hollywood right now and is worth a hate-watch. To hear Sam Fragoso interview Sam Sanders, check out Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso this Sunday, September 3rd. And ICYMI, Sam Sanders is guest hosting Vox's daily news show Today, Explained this week. Listen at https://bit.ly/texwsam. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For our first Into It Book Club pick, Sam talks to Brandon Taylor about his latest novel The Late Americans. Set in Iowa City, the book follows a group of lovers and friends who are navigating the world of art, love, sex... and graduate school. We also ask about the broader discourse around books today: In the age of #BookTok and Goodreads, what should readers expect from writers? And —for Brandon, in particular — what's the line between reviewing an author's published work and the author himself? ICYMI, Sam is guest hosting on Vox's daily news show Today, Explained this week. Listen at https://bit.ly/texwsam. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Justin Bieber. Demi Levato. Ariana Grande. Idina Menzel. All are reportedly dropping their manager, Scooter Braun. He's one of the biggest players in the music industry, and Taylor Swift apparently hates him enough for owning her masters to be rerecording all her old music. Sam Sanders talks it over with comedian and TV writer Jay Jurden. Also, Jay and Sam decide if they're into the Suits renaissance and marvel at the return of the Fyre Festival. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"A rap game Ferris Bueller." "Fun and life affirming." That's what Pitchfork called the buzziest mixtape of 2013: Chance the Rapper's Acid Rap. The mixtape launched Chance's career and put him alongside some of the biggest artists in hip-hop. To commemorate Acid Rap's 10-year anniversary, Sam chats with Chance about his time touring with Mac Miller, Donald Glover, Eminem, and Macklemore after the mixtape's release; his relationship with Kanye West; and how hip-hop — and his own view of politics — has changed in the decade since. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Forget Trump's most recent indictment. We're discussing three other big controversies this week: allegations that the white folks behind The Blind Side story were crooks rather than saviors, the lack of protections for reality stars (just see the recent episodes of Below Deck Down Under for an illustration), and the debate over whether Bradley Cooper's prosthetic nose in an upcoming movie is antisemitic. Sam gets into all of it with writer R. Eric Thomas. They also discuss Eric's new memoir, Congratulations, The Best is Over!, and how pop culture gives us access to big feelings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The CBS reality show Big Brother just entered its 25th season, making it one of the longest-running reality TV shows in history. But it's also one of the genre's weirdest: There are the edited episodes that air on CBS proper, but viewers are encouraged to creep on contestants via 24/7 live feeds; seasons almost always involve racism or misogyny (or both!); and the show often features games involving... slime? And yet the show gets killer ratings. To pin down the enduring appeal of Big Brother, Sam talks with Taylor Hale, the first Black woman to win the show, and Taran Armstrong, a man who literally watches the show for a living. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A classic piece of American film dropped recently. It has everything: an epic battle, a giant boat, lawn furniture repurposed as weapons... and everyone's talking about it, including our guests this week Jonquilyn Hill, host of Vox's The Weeds podcast, and Alex Abad-Santos, culture writer at Vox. They debate with Sam about who should direct an actual big screen version of the brawl. They also check in on how Jeopardy is dealing with the writers' strike (What is: The show is using old questions during tapings?) and pour one out for the creator of the "Cha Cha Slide" (RIP DJ Casper). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We've been hearing a lot about artificial intelligence in TV and movies from both sides of the Hollywood strikes. Some actors and writers are afraid AI could replace them entirely. But how does AI work in the industry right now? And to what extent? Sam chats with VFX artist Ryan Laney about his work digitally replacing human faces — in the name of good. Then, Josh Glick, who studies AI and film at Bard College, lays out the fundamental truth many of us seem to forget: AI is already an integral part of the Hollywood machine. AI has de-aged Harrison Ford and Tom Cruise, provided language translation, and done all sorts of things in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — and it's not going anywhere. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Three of Lizzo's former dancers sued her for alleged sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment. How does this change how we feel about Lizzo — especially those inspired by her joyful, unapologetic persona and empowerment of plus-sized women of color? Sam welcomes his Vibe Check co-hosts Saeed Jones and Zach Stafford to talk it out. Then, as a palette cleanser: A game of Into It / Not Into It where they break down Cardi B's mic throw, Justin Trudeau's separation, and the resurrection of Bed Bath & Beyond from beyond the grave. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At the end of Britney Spears's conservatorship in November of 2021, most of her fans rejoiced. But conspiracy theories have a subset of #FreeBritney fans convinced she's still not really free. They focus on what they see as oddities or glitches in some of her Instagram posts. Vox reporter Rebecca Jennings says there are even theories that Britney has been replaced with AI or a body double. Rebecca and Sam talk about her current piece for New York Magazine and get into the TikTok sleuthing of this extreme set of Britney fans, how the conspiracy theories mirror QAnon, and what Britney herself thinks about her fans' actions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What is up right now with country music and race? There's the controversy over Jason Aldean's “Try That in a Small Town,” Morgan Wallen topping the charts despite previously being canceled for saying the n-word, and Luke Combs' country cover of Tracy Chapman's Fast Car – which is doing better than the original. Sam talks with writer, sociologist, and country fan Tressie McMillan Cottom. Tressie unpacks why mainstream country music is so, so white, how Black artists built the genre, and the gulf between the vibrant city of Nashville and the regressive politics of the “Nashville” music industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bravo replaced the whole cast for the 14th season of The Real Housewives of New York City, but it almost doesn't matter. “It's about the franchise,” says Brian Moylan, who writes Vulture's Housewives Institute Bulletin. There are, however, a handful of housewives that have had a lasting impact. A Housewife Mount Rushmore, if you will. Brian tells Sam why Teresa Giudice, Bethenny Frankel, NeNe Leakes, and Kyle Richards are the four faces on the mountaintop and why we owe so much of what we see on reality TV to the Housewives blueprint. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's Barbenheimer weekend and Sam is joined by none other than Who? Weekly hosts Bobby Finger and Lindsey Weber for our own doubleheader — of games. First, we break down the long list of Barbie merch collabs from Burger King to Progressive to Uno. Then, we discuss ABC's The Golden Bachelor and why it's never too late for love; social media influencers joining the Hollywood strikes; and the confusing yet popular TikTok trend of NPC livestreams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Barbie (the doll) is more than 60 years old. But Barbie (the idea, the aesthetic, the cultural artifact) feels more current than ever. And yes, the highly anticipated Barbie movie is definitely a big part of that, but Barbiecore has been around way before the film was even a sparkle in Greta Gerwig's eye. Sam chats with The Cut's Danya Issawi about her first Barbie memories and the inescapable way that blonde hair, blue eyes, and pink outfits could define American girlhood. And we learn about the fashion history and influence of Barbie from historian Darnell Jamal Lisby: From Legally Blonde to Paris Hilton to Nicki Minaj, we're all just Barbie girls living in a Barbie world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's been more than 60 years since both the Writers Guild and the Screen Actors Guild have gone on strike at the same time. Sam chats with Bloomberg's Lucas Shaw about what the actors want and what the walkout will mean for Hollywood in the coming weeks and months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

That recent scene in 'The Idol,' the one where the intimacy coordinator gets locked in a bathroom, was fully unrealistic. So what does an intimacy coordinator do? They choreograph intimacy scenes and help filmmakers not get canceled. What do they work on besides sex? Well anything involving nudity, including bodily functions and medical procedures. What do they bring to a set? Mints, strapless underwear, and a lot of tape. Sam chats with Intimacy Coordinator Adelaide Waldrop about the misconceptions that directors, producers and the public still have about this Hollywood role, even after it first gained attention following #MeToo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're about halfway into 2023... but are we into it? Sam and Jay Jurden, comedian and writer on The Problem with Jon Stewart, take stock of the year thus far in pop culture: messy celebrity breakups, songs of the summer, the expanding cinematic universe of Mattel toys and dolls, the fall of Twitter, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What better way to celebrate our nation's independence than with an episode about Miss Americana herself? We revisit our episode about Taylor Swift from the eve of her Midnights album release. What is the meaning of Taylor Swift? She's performed damsel in distress, but represents women's empowerment. She's a confessional artist, but is careful about how much she reveals. She's an adult, but is often still viewed as the teenager she used to be. Sam dives into the mythos and craft of Taylor Swift with NPR music critic Ann Powers about her place in history among the likes of Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Adele, and Beyoncé. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What led podcaster and Spotify executive Bill Simmons to call Prince Harry and Meghan Markle "grifters" following the news that Spotify wouldn't continue its reportedly $20 million deal with the couple? Sam asks Vulture critics Kathryn VanArendonk and Nicholas Quah whether the era of huge celebrity content deals is over. We also get into the improbably good second season of FX's The Bear and why it's so hard to make a beloved show even better. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Content creator and head of the Beyhive Kalen Allen is more than OK spending four thousand dollars on one ticket for Beyoncé's Renaissance tour. 2023 feels like a big year for huge stadium tours for artists like Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, Ed Sheeran and more. But why are tickets so expensive, and how much are fans willing to put up with in order to go? Sam talks with music journalist Nate Rogers about why the touring industry might just be broken and what lawmakers and some artists are trying to do to fix it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Samantha Irby knows what you think about the newer characters on ‘And Just Like That.' She writes for the ‘Sex and the City' reboot, which addressed critiques of the original series' whiteness by introducing new, non-white friends. Reactions were mixed over how well they pulled it off the first season, and people especially hated the over-the-top character of Che Diaz. Sam Irby insists the writers were in on the joke. In time for the show's season 2 premiere on Max, Sam and Sam talk about whether it's possible to pull off “DEI-ification” without it being awkward and if ‘And Just Like That' faces special scrutiny. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sometimes before we have the language to describe ourselves, we have the culture in front of us to help — the movies, TV shows, and music we listened to and watched that's had a lasting impact. In honor of Pride Month, we ask three creatives about the culture that made them queer: writer, actor, and producer Lena Waithe; Tony Award-winning actor and singer Alex Newell; and writer and comedian Guy Branum. Plus, Sam shares his own story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Flash is giving DC Comics its own multiverse, but its star is giving... controversy. Ezra Miller was once considered The Next Big Thing in Hollywood, but after a string of arrests and destructive behavior... where does that leave us? More importantly: Do we really need more superhero multiverses? And we chat about whether the best approach to HBO's The Idol is hate-watching it, and the mess of Netflix's The Ultimatum: Queer Love. Sam is joined by Vox senior correspondent Alex Abad-Santos to get into all of it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Netflix broke the TV mold in 2013 with ‘House of Cards.' Now, the streaming wars may have broken TV altogether. There's so much stuff, a lot isn't good, it's confusing to find, sometimes disappears entirely, and, as the writers on strike will tell you, people making it aren't getting paid the same as they once were. Vulture's Josef Adalian tells Sam about how the race to compete with Netflix destroyed TV as we knew it, twisted viewers' expectations, and may lead us back to the cable bundles we thought we left behind. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Sam is joined by Lovett or Leave It host and Crooked Media co-founder Jon Lovett to get into the week of culture: Taylor Swift's breakup with Matt Healy, Apple's dip into augmented reality with its Vision Pro, and the latest in the wild animal x drug movie collaboration space Crackcoon. We also hear about the culture that's haunting us: Vanderpump Rules' Tom Sandoval has single-handedly ruined white nail polish. Send us your culturegeist. What specific thing in the culture has haunted you recently? And why? Email a short voice memo to intoit@vulture.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

‘Across the Spider-Verse' was an animated feast, but many live-action, CGI-bloated summer blockbusters are visual mush. If you're tired of lackluster computer-generated special effects, guess what? So are the artists who make them. They're tired from long shifts and working paycheck to paycheck. VFX workers are some of the few Hollywood creatives who aren't unionized, and they're scared to speak out against big studios for fear of being blacklisted. Today, Explained guest host Sean Rameswaram talks with New York Magazine's Chris Lee about a race to the bottom for film quality and working conditions, and what it means to be “pixel f'd.” We also hear from a VFX worker who's helping push to unionize the industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Today, Explained co-host Sean Rameswaram keeps our host chair warm while Sam is away. He's joined by Vulture TV critic Kathryn VanArendonk to figure out what kind of show Succession really was, whom it was for, and what to watch to fill the Succession-size hole in your heart. We also ask if Kathryn is into Ted Lasso ending, the return of the flip phone, and more. And we hear about the culture that's haunting us: Lana Del Rey losing her vape is as relatable as writing lyrics about soda. Send us your culturegeist. What specific thing in the culture has haunted you for days, weeks, or even years? And why? Email a short voice memo to intoit@vulture.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Christy Carlson Romano was ubiquitous on the Disney Channel in the early 2000s, starring in ‘Even Stevens,' ‘Kim Possible,' and ‘Cadet Kelly.'  But after the roles stopped and the checks dried up, she lost money to psychics, struggled with family relationships, and grappled with addiction. Now she processes those experiences on her popular YouTube channel, with videos like “Why I Don't Talk to Shia LaBeouf.” She talks with Sam about overcoming her past, tapping into nostalgia to find new audiences, and advocating for changes in the entertainment industry for child actors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Sam is joined by comedian Zach Zimmerman. We catch up on the writers' strike and ask for his opinions on the series finale of HBO's Succession, the streaming service formerly known as HBO Max (it's just Max now, thanks), standing ovations at the Cannes Film Festival, and more. We also chat about Zach's new book Is It Hot in Here (Or Am I Suffering for All Eternity for the Sins I Committed on Earth)? and the ways we might lose a religion, but find something better instead — a deeper relationship with our parents and a deeper understanding of ourselves. Plus: a round of "F*ck, Marry, Kill" with Adam, Eve, and Satan. And we remember the late Tina Turner from a moment in 2004: It was Oprah's birthday, but it was always Tina's party. Send us your culturegeist. What specific thing in the culture has haunted you for days, weeks, or even years? And why? Email a short voice memo to intoit@vulture.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Halle Bailey stars as Ariel in the live-action remake of the classic Disney animated film. Casting a Black actress in the role caused quite a splash — which inspired us to look back at two of Disney's forays into Black princess movies.  Dr. Aria Halliday studies cultural constructions of Black girlhood and womanhood at The University of Kentucky. She and Sam break down the 1997 made for TV ‘Cinderella,' starring Brandy, and 2009's ‘Princess and the Frog.'  Then, Vulture's baddest film critic Angelica Jade Bastién tells us whether 2023's ‘Little Mermaid' has legs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Sam is joined by comedian and writer Samantha Irby to dive into the week in culture: the latest movie in the Fast and the Furious franchise, Martha Stewart's historic Sports Illustrated cover, and Love Island-inspired British accents. We also chat about her newest book of essays Quietly Hostile and why she'd no longer want a TV show about her life. Exhibit A: her experience writing for And Just Like That... and the backlash to the character of Che Diaz. And we hear about the culture that's haunting us: The NBC "Brotherhood of Man" Super Bowl commercial is a rich tapestry of people's souls being sold out in real time. Send us your culturegeist. What specific thing in the culture has haunted you for days, weeks, or even years? And why? Email a short voice memo to intoit@vulture.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

AI is making fake Drake/The Weeknd songs, weird images, and there's a worry that TV and movie scripts could be written by ChatGPT. But it's also about to dramatically change the way we consume, share, and obsess over pop culture. Nilay Patel, Editor-in-Chief of The Verge, explains to Sam how pretty much everything we search on the internet is mediated by Google… and how AI is about to disrupt it all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Sam is joined by Into It's own Travis Larchuk and Tarkor Zehn. They try to convince Sam of the things they're into: The new Legend of Zelda game is worth your time (and money) and the Tarte makeup controversy actually has meaningful implications. Then we flip the game back around and ask for their thoughts on the end of MTV News, Tucker Carlson moving to Twitter, and more. We also hear about the culture that's haunting us: Given their career trajectories following the film Just My Luck, did Lindsay Lohan pass her real-life luck to co-star Chris Pine? Send us your culturegeist. What specific thing in the culture has haunted you for days, weeks, or even years? And why? Email a short voice memo to intoit@vulture.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As tech companies assure us AI is here to help and not to eradicate humanity, the Peacock series ‘Mrs. Davis' explores what happens in a world where AI really does deliver on that promise. Executive producers Tara Hernandez and Damon Lindelof join Sam to talk about how they combined science fiction and Christianity in a show about a technophobic nun who is literally married to Jesus. Plus, Lindelof reflects on lessons he learned from behind-the-scenes toxicity he says helped create on ‘Lost' and reconciling past bad behavior. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Sam is joined by Jay Jurden, comedian and writer on The Problem with Jon Stewart. We dive into how he's faring during the writers' strike and that time he auditioned for Ryan Murphy's Dahmer. We also ask if he's into looks from the Met Gala, Missy Elliott's Rock Hall induction, and more. And we hear about the culture that's haunting us: If Akon is trying to find the words to describe this girl without being disrespectful and can only come up with "damn, you's a sexy bitch," maybe someone should get him a thesaurus. Send us your culturegeist. What specific thing in the culture has haunted you for days, weeks, or even years? And why? Email a short voice memo to intoit@vulture.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last weekend, 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' passed $1 billion. But another film quietly hit theaters and really defied all expectations. It's called ‘Polite Society,' and its director and writer, Nida Manzoor, describes it as “an action comedy about sisterhood” and “a joyful, kung-fu heist Bollywood epic.” Sam and Nida talk about how the success of her acclaimed TV show 'We Are Lady Parts' finally convinced film executives to buy this movie, her breadth of influences from Jackie Chan to Bette Davis, and how she sets herself free from the expectations of the dreaded R-word (representation). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Sam is joined by Sam Taggart and George Civeris, hosts of StraightioLab, a podcast from iHeartMedia and Will Ferrell's Big Money Players Network (with new episodes out every Tuesday). We dive into their favorite ways to say hello and if you can still poke someone on Facebook. We also ask if they're into the dual cable news firings of Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon, Marvin Gaye's estate suing Ed Sheeran for copyright infringement, Timothée Chalamet's expanding cinematic universe, and more. And we hear about the culture that's haunting us: There are some problematic things in Shrek 2, but who among us could turn down free food from Friar's Fat Boy? Send us your culturegeist. What specific thing in the culture has haunted you for days, weeks, or even years? And why? Email a short voice memo to intoit@vulture.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Comedian Roy Wood Jr. wants the job — and he's ready for it. Sam chats with Roy about guest hosting 'The Daily Show' since Trevor Noah's departure and how hard it is to pitch an idea and find the solace in humor in an increasingly bleak (and fast) news cycle. And they discuss his other upcoming hosting gig — the White House Correspondents' Dinner — and why he'll be sweating it out in our nation's capital. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Josh Gondelman isn't just a comedian and maybe the nicest person on the planet — he's also an elected council member of the Writers Guild of America-East. Josh talks to Sam about the potential writers' strike, and then gets his thoughts on AI-produced Drake songs, Kelly Ripa's new cohost, and Netflix's botched attempt at live programming. We also hear about the culture that's haunting us: Despite airing for several seasons, our cultural memory of 'The Magic School Bus' only allows us to remember two plot lines — going inside a body or going to outer space. Send us your culturegeist. What specific thing in the culture has haunted you for days, weeks, or even years? And why? Email a short voice memo to intoit@vulture.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When did the rise of spoiler culture begin? And what should the modern-day rules of spoiler etiquette be? Sam traces back the evolution of spoilers with Vulture critics Jen Chaney and Kathryn VanArendonk from the days of Charles Dickens to The National Lampoon to ABC's Lost to that very big episode of HBO's Succession. Why do we get so upset about spoilers? How can we embrace them instead? And why did it take Sam a whole second viewing to realize you-know-who was dead the whole time? (Here's your obligatory: There be spoilers ahead.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Sam is joined by Normal Gossip host Kelsey McKinney and producer Alex Sujong Laughlin. We dive into the things they're into (a song by Jess Williamson is perfect for your Sad Girl Playlist, and we explore the cinematic universe of Lofi Girl) and ask for their thoughts on Taylor Swift's breakup with Joe Alwyn, a Baby Shark podcast, and more. We also hear about the culture that's haunting us: Did you know there's a drunk driving PSA at the end of the original Broadway cast recording of Hairspray? Send us your culturegeist. What specific thing in the culture has haunted you for days, weeks, or even years? And why? Email a short voice memo to intoit@vulture.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Just in time for the finale of ‘RuPaul's Drag Race,' season 9 winner Sasha Velour joins Sam to talk about the political push to criminalize drag, the long history of the art form, and her drag transformation from Wicked Witch of the West to Gollum. Her new book is called ‘The Big Reveal: An Illustrated Manifesto of Drag.' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Sam is joined by Vox's Alex Abad-Santos and Rebecca Jennings for the latest on the effort to ban TikTok in the U.S. (and, in the process, break one of The Cut's modern etiquette rules by describing TikToks). We also ask if they're into the new Barbie movie trailer, fading Taylor Swift merch, a Moana remake, and more. And we hear about the culture that's haunting us: Have you ever thought about Party Down's proximity to the future of our nation's democracy? Send us your culturegeist. What specific thing in the culture has haunted you for days, weeks, or even years? And why? Email us a short voice memo at intoit@vulture.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sam can't get enough of HBO's Succession. The phrase "fuck off" has turned into a term of endearment among his friends. But he can't put his finger on why so many love it at a kill-their-first-born level of devotion. As the show draws to a close, Sam chats with writer and Succession scholar Hunter Harris to figure out why a show about miserable white people still resonates so much for so many people. Send us your culturegeist. What specific thing in the culture has haunted you for days, weeks, or even years? And why? Email us a short voice memo at intoit@vulture.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices