Pop Literacy

Francesca T. Royster's Black Country Music: Listening for Revolutions is a vital read that helps us to understand how country music got whitewashed, stripping it of its distinctly African American origins in slavery and its aftermath, and shows us how embracing that history will only enrich the form. Royster weaves Black, queer, and feminist scholarship into her analysis, but even more compellingly, she brings her own experiences as a Black, queer country fan to bear on her exploration of Black artists in country's past and present. Through engaging essays, she explores Tina Turner's country album, Darius Rucker's Black bro image, Our Native Daughters' history-steeped banjo music, and Lil' Nas X's fight to be considered country. The DePaul University English professor talks to Pop Literacy about what inspired her  book, shares some of her favorite country music memories (like a set visit to Hee Haw!), and recommends some of her favorite country artists to add to your playlists. Read more: Black Country Music: Listening for Revolutions by Francesca T. Royster Little Golden Books pop biographies on celebrities like Carol Burnett, Betty White, Beyonce, Dwayne Johnson, William Shatner, Taylor Swift, Lucille Ball, Simone Biles, Dolly Parton, Bob Ross, Julie Andrews, Tony Bennett, Rita Moreno, Willie Nelson, and Bruce Springsteen Dickens and Prince: A Particular Kind of Genius by Nick Hornby Pop Literacy is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm and Writer's Bone. 

TV journalist Michael Ausiello wrote a 2017 memoir called Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies that detailed his 13-year relationship with his husband Kit Cowan, who, in a devastating turn, was diagnosed with terminal cancer and, as the title tells us, died. Not to sound jaded, but there are a lot of memoirs about cancer and death. This book, however, is special because it's so specific and true and willing to get into the gory details—the goriest being the details of their living, breathing, changing relationship. The heartbreaking ending aside, it's one of the best memoirs you'll read about real adults trying to make a long-term relationship work. This book is so vulnerable, so raw, so specific, it just knocks you out. In this episode, we talk with Mike about this book and the movie adaptation that just came out starring Jim Parsons as Ausiello and Ben Aldridge as Kit. The movie lives up to the book, hitting just the right tone between dark humor and heartbreaking pathos. It's wonderfully realized by director Michael Showalter and rendered for the screen judiciously by writers Marshall Grant and Dan Savage. We discuss how Ausiello came to share such a vulnerable story with the world, what it was like to see Parsons play a version of himself (in a word: weird), and how much we need more authentic stories about queer couples, and about adult people with relatable problems.  Read more: Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies by Michael Ausiello Michael Ausiello on Instagram Writer's Bone: The Best Books of 2022 Pop Literacy is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm and Writer's Bone. 

Consider this a Pop Literacy year-end gift: the recommendation of a deeply engrossing read for the average book fan, an extra fantastic read for writers of all mediums and genres, and a round-up of some of the finest dramas to ever unfold on the small screen. All those things come courtesy of Life's Work: A Memoir, the personal and professional autobiography – and unofficial writing how-to – from Emmy and Peabody Award-winning Deadwood creator and writer David Milch. Milch, also a former Yale professor and writer and producer of some of the most iconic episodes of seminal cop dramas like Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blues, shares delicious details behind the scenes of all his TV adventures … but is just as candid about life behind the camera, including a traumatic childhood that sparked many of his TV stories, a decades-long gambling addiction that cost him literally millions of dollars, and, finally, his current struggles with Alzheimer's, prompting fellow legendary writer Susan Orlean to share of the book, “This is David Milch's farewell, and it will rock you.” And, as always, we share what else has been topping our to-be-read piles. Read more: Life's Work: A Memoir by David Milch Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir by Matthew Perry Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boys, and the New Realities of Girl World by Rosalind Wiseman "NYPD Blue" on Hulu "Hill Street Blues" on Hulu "Deadwood" on HBO Max Pop Literacy is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm.

The Big Bang Theory ran for 12 seasons, 279 episodes, on CBS, and continues to be a pop culture presence with its frequent re-airings on cable, permanent home on HBO Max, and its spin-off life with the CBS hit Young Sheldon. With its spot in television history firmly secured, the series was due for a comprehensive chronicle of its success, and journalist and author Jessica Radloff's New York Times bestseller The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series is just what the Big Bang fan ordered.  Radloff's coverage of The Big Bang Theory as a Senior West Coast Editor at Glamour earned her the trust of the series cast and creators, which led to this fantastic, exhaustive account. From their memories of the multiple pilots and recastings that eventually brought together the stellar ensemble cast of iconic characters to their sometimes fond, sometimes controversial and divisive decisions as friends and co-workers, stars Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Johnny Galecki, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Mayim Bialik, and Melissa Rauch, as well as series creators Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady and showrunner Steve Molaro are among the dozens of interviewees (and hundreds of hours of interviews) Radloff crafted into this tale of on-set romance, million-dollar contract negotiations, Emmy-winning performances, and the classic moments of TV comedy that still have viewers laughing. Read more: The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series by Jessica Radloff My Trip Down the Pink Carpet by Leslie Jordan How Y'all Doing?: Misadventures and Mischief from a Life Well Lived by Leslie Jordan The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary an Ordinary Man by Paul Newman The Writing Retreat: A Novel Pop Literacy is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm.

Carell Augustus's brilliant and beautiful photography book Black Hollywood reimagines, and restages, iconic Hollywood moments from the likes of Breakfast at Tiffany's, Singin' in the Rain, and Mission Impossible with Black entertainers at their center. The work allows Black people to see themselves as part of the fabric of Hollywood history and also inherently questions American entertainment's shameful history of erasing and sidelining people of color. The photos include Vanessa L. Williams, Dulé Hill, Karamo Brown, and many others. The work is probably best summed up by this quote from Carell: "Black Hollywood is not just a book for Black people―it's a book for all people about Black people. About the dreams we were never told we could achieve. About the places we were never told we could go. And now, finally, about how we can get there." As for Carell himself: He is a Los Angeles-based photographer whose career has taken him around the world to shoot some of the biggest stars on the planet. His celebrity clients have included Viola Davis, Beverly Johnson, Mariah Carey, Elizabeth Banks, Pierce Bronson, Meghan Markle, Serena Williams, Snoop Dogg, and more. In this episode, we talk with Carell about the significance of writing Black stars into the narrative of Hollywood history. Read more: Black Hollywood by Carell Augustus  Carell Augustus online  Like a Rolling Stone by Jann Wenner  I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy  Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan  Anna by Amy Odell  Sho-Time by Jeff Fletcher  High Noon by Glenn Frankel  Pop Literacy is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm.

James Gavin's stunning biography of pop star George Michael—simply entitled George Michael: A Life—dives deep into an enigmatic, charismatic figure who dominated pop music in the 1980s and ‘90s, but never seemed to find peace and happiness. James's thorough and riveting account of Michael's life traces how his battles with his own sexuality, his larger-than-life image, tabloid taunting, and his massive insecurities kept him from fully embracing his extraordinary talent and accomplishments.  We talk with James about Michael's struggle to be taken seriously, his heartbreaking battle with substance abuse, his formative friendship with Wham! partner Andrew Ridgeley, and his legacy—and we share some of our own personal connection to the singer. Read (and listen and watch!) more: George Michael: A Life by James Gavin James Gavin online “Heal the Pain” by George Michael “Freedom ‘90” video “Heaven Help Me” by Deon Estus feat. George Michael “One More Try” video “Kissing a Fool” by George Michael “Jesus to a Child” video George Michael: Freedom Uncut documentary Pop Literacy is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm.

The episode originally aired July 23, 2019. Jennifer Lopez turns 50 this month and is at the top of her game: dancing her way through an international tour, engaged to baseball superstar Alex Rodriguez, and managing to be one of the few massive pop stars with lots of loyal fans and relatively few haters. But it wasn't always thus. Her career hit a precarious point in 2002—when, yes, she was churning out hits, but the tabloids were constantly on her tail and media coverage spewed vitriolic hatred at her very public relationship with actor Ben Affleck (and even blamed her for his career nosedive). This is all perfectly encapsulated in the historical artifact of the “Jenny from the Block” video, a very 2002 combination of tabloid culture, Bennifer at their most Bennifer, J Lo putting God first and staying real in a tiny fur coat, and an excellent use of a newsboy cap. In this episode, we pick through the wreckage of a pop star at the height of her powers, on the precipice of a precipitous fall; and we celebrate the graceful recovery she's made over the past 17 years. Discussion points include: The “Jenny from the Block” video Ben Affleck's reflections on the Bennifer era This very mean take on the “Jenny from the Block” video from the International Business Times Paper's analysis of the video The “I Luh Ya Papi” video Pop Star Goddesses

This episode originally aired March 4, 2019. It was the decade of “The Macarena,” the O.J. Simpson trial, the teen pop boom, VHS tapes, and Nintendo. It was also before 9/11 and Columbine, a time when the nation hung on every lurid detail of the president's sex life and the Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan feud. Though 2000s nostalgia is on the way—as we discussed previously—it's hard to let go of our nostalgia for what looks like our last relatively innocent decade from here. Is there something extra special about the ‘90s? We discuss with guest host Sam Slaughter, author of the forthcoming Are You Afraid of the Dark Rum?: And Other Cocktails for ‘90s Kids.

This episode originally aired April 8, 2019 Boy bands as we know them have been around since New Edition got together in 1978—and now, they're bigger than ever, thanks to online fandom. New Kids on the Block, Backstreet Boys, O-Town, 98 Degrees, and Boyz II Men are among the groups who have recently been on tour or recorded new music. And the boy band legacy is evident in two recent developments: An excellent new YouTube Originals documentary, “The Boy Band Con: The Lou Pearlman Story,” tells the cautionary tale of the impresario behind Backstreet Boys and NSYNC; and, on the lighter side, a New Kids on the Block song, “Boys in the Band,” pays tribute to the form. This week, we dissect the documentary and song, fangirl over our faves, and wonder what exactly is going on with K-Pop phenomenon BTS, the new frontier in boy bandom (more on them next week!).

This episode originally aired February 19, 2019. AOL Instant Messenger, the first iPods, Paris Hilton, emo, Mean Girls, The O.C., low-rise jeans… Now that it's 2019, it's time to prepare for a wave of 2000s nostalgia. Pop Literacy host Jennifer Keishin Armstrong is joined by guest co-host Andrea Bartz, author of the forthcoming 2009 nostalgia novel The Lost Night, to discuss what we miss most about the 2000s, from MySpace to the very first memes, The Osbournes to the rise of the Brooklyn hipster. We also discuss the innocence of a time before 24/7 social media saturation and news alerts, even as the terror of 9/11 and the stock market crash changed our lives. And finally, we put together our ideal pop culture time capsule to show our alien overlords of the future what life was like in the 2000s. Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson are involved.

This episode originally aired April 16, 2019. After years of massive popularity around the world, Korean boy band BTS is breaking through to the top of mainstream American culture. They just dropped a new album (Map of the Soul: Persona), which includes the single “Boy with Luv,” featuring Halsey; and they played Saturday Night Live, a first for a Korean act. They also recently surpassed 5 billion streams on Spotify. All of this has many Americans wondering what, exactly, is going on with these seven boys with pastel-colored hair, Korean lyrics, impeccable stage production, and supernaturally synched dance moves. We walk through the BTS basics with Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly's critic-at-large, who wrote the magazine's cover story on the group.

Thomas Edison and the French Lumiere brothers have widely been credited with inventing motion pictures, but there's another strong contender for the distinction: Louis LePrince, a driven inventor who dedicated every moment of his life and most of his money to making moving pictures not only possible but accessible enough to be widely available—and, in the process, to change the world. But he's never been given proper credit for the feat because, like a character in a movie, he disappeared without a trace just before he announced his completed invention in 1890. Film producer and author Paul Fischer tells the riveting tale in his new book The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures, and in this episode, he talks to us about the worldwide race to invent and perfect motion picture technology, LePrince's utopian vision of what film would do for the world, what might have happened to LePrince—and how Edison may or may not have been involved in his disappearance. Read more: The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures by Paul Fischer  Paul Fischer The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman Mean Baby by Selma Blair  Pop Literacy is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm,  A Mighty Blaze Podcast, and Daniel Paisner's upcoming novel Balloon Dog.

Asking yourself how you ended up paying for half a dozen streaming entertainment subscriptions every month? There's a book for that: Binge Times: Inside Hollywood's Furious Billion-Dollar Battle to Take Down Netflix, entertainment journalists Dade Hayes and Dawn Chmielewski's insider history on how Netflix started the game with those little red envelopes of DVDs, and just a few short years had us all Netflixing and chilling – and bingeing entire TV series on the regular. As Hayes details, that was the alert to other entertainment brands to get their stream on ASAP, and here we are a decade and a half later, not only watching our favorite retro TV shows, but now most of all our original programming (not to mention a lot of reboots of those retro TV faves!) on several streaming networks. And Binge Times not only tells us how we got here, but clues us in on where the streaming business may be headed, including its impact on the rapidly changing movie industry. Read more: Binge Times: Inside Hollywood's Furious Billion-Dollar Battle to Take Down Netflix Dade Hayes Dawn Chmielewski Pop Literacy is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm,  A Mighty Blaze Podcast, and Daniel Paisner's upcoming novel Balloon Dog.

In Truly, Madly, author Stephen Galloway explores the tumultuous relationship between two giants of Hollywood's Golden Age, movie stars Vivian Leigh and Laurence Olivier, which he calls “the romance of the century.” The dual biography explores the lives of both of these huge personalities, which collided in 1934 when a Leigh's friend brought her to see Theatre Royal, featuring Olivier—that night, Leigh swore she would marry him. But she was married at the time to someone else, and so was he. As their relationship developed anyway, their mystique as a couple was fueled by a growing media obsession with celebrity lives and the rise of television. Under this spotlight, the couple dealt with her undiagnosed mental illness through two world wars and the social unrest of the 1960s. In this episode, we talk to Galloway about the rise of the celebrity news complex, how our modern understanding of mental health issues helps us better understand Leigh and other “difficult” Hollywood women of the past, and how Leigh fueled the work of Olivier. Read more: Truly, Madly by Stephen Galloway The Bling Ring by Nancy Jo Sales I Was Better Last Night by Harvey Fierstein The Hag: The Life, Times, and Music of Merle Haggard Mark Eliot Into Every Generation a Slayer Is Born by Evan Ross Katz  Index, a History of the by Dennis Duncan Pop Literacy is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm and A Mighty Blaze Podcast.

Many of the pop culture devoted among us sadly missed the chance to experience the New York City populated by pop artist and pop culture genius Andy Warhol, filled with brilliant work (solo and collaborations), and exploring the city surrounded by the world's most famous and infamous and everyone in between. A read of Warhol's classic posthumously-published book The Andy Warhol Diaries has been an oft-revisited taste of the Warholian experience, and now fans of the artist and his world have the opportunity to get to know him in an even deeper way via Netflix's wonderful, engrossing six-part docuseries. This week, we get our Warhol obsession on with Josh Braun, executive producer on the documentary (with Ryan Murphy and writer Andrew Rossi), which takes us through the sweet and also heartbreaking romances and friendships that formed Warhol's personal and professional lives, and moments of pure joy like Andy's collaborations with Jean-Michel Basquiat and the night another genius – Steve Jobs – taught him how to draw on a computer at Sean Lennon's ninth birthday party. Lifelong New Yorker Braun, a filmmaker and musician among his many creative pursuits, also shares with us the times his path crossed with Warhol's … and how one of them involved his friend – and father's tenant – Madonna.   Read more: The Andy Warhol Diaries, edited by Pat Hackett Josh Braun at Submarine Entertainment Pop Literacy is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm and Writer's Bone.

The writer-producer Jenji Kohan has given us some of the best depictions of women on television. Nancy Botwin of Weeds followed a Breaking Bad-like path from suburban widow to druglord. The diverse cast of Orange Is the New Black revolutionized TV with not one, but dozens, of empathetic, flawed, fascinating characters. And GLOW, which followed a scrappy women's wrestling operation, gave us a women's sports show unlike any other. The essay collection The Women of Jenji Kohan, edited by Scarlett Harris, captures all of the complexity of Kohan's work, with both admiration and warranted criticism. In this episode, we speak to two of the collection's contributors: Dani Bethea, who wrote about Orange Is the New Black's depictions of violence against Black women; and Sydney Urbanek, who wrote about Nancy Botwin's inability to be “cured” of her demons on Weeds. Read more: The Women of Jenji Kohan, edited by Scarlett Harris Pop Literacy recommends: Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the ‘80s Hard Rock Explosion by Tom Beaujour and Richard Bienstock  Hello, Molly!: A Memoir by Molly Shannon Pop Literacy is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm and Writer's Bone.

So, yeah, whatever did happen to Richard Gere's career? The Golden Globe-winning actor was once everywhere on the big screen, but has been largely MIA for the last few years. Could it have something to do with his ongoing vocal support of Tibetan independence, a stance that has gotten him banned from China? Given China's importance in Hollywood's big picture, Wall Street Journal journalist Erich Schwartzel writes in his fascinating new book Red Carpet: Hollywood, China, and the Global Battle for Supremacy, Gere had become a liability for studio heads to hire. As China now boasts the world's largest moviegoing audience – coinciding with the decline of moviegoing in the United States – and getting American movies into Chinese theaters requires approval from strict Chinese government censors, every single frame of a movie is examined before the censors sign off. Mission: Impossible III editors had to excise a scene depicting dirty laundry drying in Shanghai, because Chinese censors felt it didn't portray the city as modern. In 2012's Skyfall, a scene with James Bond killing a Chinese security guard was axed, because Chinese censors felt it suggested Chinese men were weak. With such scrutinizing the norm, it's clear why casting Gere would be a non-starter for any major Hollywood release, Schwartzel writes in his exhaustively reported, entertaining, and informative read on a complicated subject that is only going to continue to expand its impact on American pop culture. Read more:  RED CARPET: Hollywood, China, and the Global Battle for Supremacy Pop Literacy Recommends: “The Untold Story of the World's Most Infamous Sex Tape” by Amanda Chicago Lewis:   “Maybe She Had So Much Money She Just Lost Track of It” by Jessica Pressler

Novelist Jami Attenberg's new memoir I Came All This Way to Meet You takes readers behind the scenes of her creative life, from scraping by in Brooklyn before it became a cultural phenomenon and going on book tour in a station wagon to becoming a bestselling author and finding peace in New Orleans. In this episode, we talk to Jami about the rise of Brooklyn, the freedom of the early internet, the changing book business, and the best dysfunctional families in pop culture. Read more: I Came All This Way to Meet You by Jami Attenberg “Anna Marie Tendler Turns the Lens on Herself” by Emily Gould, Harper's Bazaar Putting the Rabbit in the Hat by Brian Cox

When Betty White died on New Year's Eve, it was a shocker—even though she was 99 years, 11 months, and two weeks old. It seemed impossible to conceive of living in this world without White, who brought us so much joy via a television career that has spanned the entire length of the medium's history. We talk about the heartrending outpouring of celebrity grief that accompanied the news—including an amazing story involving Steve Martin and Linda Ronstadt—and walk through the highlights of her career, from her pioneering days in early television, to her sitcom queen era on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls, to her meme-friendly 2010s revival. Take a moment to stop and celebrate the extraordinary life of a true icon with us. Read more: When Women Invented Television by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong How to Be Golden by Paula Bernstein Betty White: 100 Remarkable Moments in an Extraordinary Life by Ray Richmond My Little Golden Book About Betty White by Deborah Hopkinson

The new novel Dava Shastri's Last Day by Kirthana Ramisetti tells the story of an aging music mogul who plans her own assisted death after a devastating cancer diagnosis—but decides to let news of her passing leak a little early so she can read what she assumes will be her glowing obituaries. Instead, she witnesses the public revelation of some of her darkest secrets. In this episode, we talk to Kirthana about the celebrity death news cycle as well as the deep love of music that informs her book. Read more: Dava Shastri's Last Day Kirthana Ramisetti online

From radios to records and teens with allowances to teens with part-time jobs, the history of the American concert began in earnest with technological and cultural changes after World War II. That history may be shorter than a lot of music fans think. Rock journalist and author Marc Myers recalls that timeline in his unputdownable new book Rock Concert: An Oral History as Told by the Artists, Backstage Insiders, and Fans Who Were There packed with nearly 100 interviews with the musicians, fans, sound engineers. roadies, and music executives who are part of helping all of us enjoy decades of important life moments via live music performances. From the Beatles and Dylan to the iconic Live Aid, Myers helps us remember some of our most favorite concerts, shares with us his personal memories, and offers a fascinating take on what could be a very exciting future of live music performances. Rock Concert: An Oral History as Told by the Artists, Backstage Insiders, and Fans Who Were There MarcMyers.com Jazzwax.com - Marc Myers writes daily on jazz legends and legendary jazz recordings

It's hard to imagine a time when Samuel L. Jackson wasn't the unassailable pinnacle of Hollywood cool, but cool is made, not born. And that's where Gavin Edwards' new biography of the actor, Bad Motherfucker, comes in. Edwards charts Jackson's rise from his southern upbringing to his radicalization at Morehouse College, through his struggles with addiction and, finally, his triumph as the highest-grossing actor of all time. In this episode, we talk to Gavin about the definition of cool, Jackson's contentious relationship with frequent collaborator Spike Lee, and what Gavin discovered from watching all 140 of Jackson's films. Read more: Bad Motherfucker: The Life and Movies of Samuel L. Jackson, the Coolest Man in Hollywood by Gavin Edwards Gavin Edwards on Twitter Best Wishes, Warmest Regards: The Story of Schitt's Creek by Daniel Levy and Eugene Levy Hip-Hop (And Other Things) by Shea Serrano Not All Diamonds and Rosé: The Inside Story of The Real Housewives from the People Who Lived It by Dave Quinn The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family by Ron Howard and Clint Howard Storycraft and Wordcraft by Jack Hart Capote's Women by Laurence Leamer

Decades before it came under Disney control, 20th Century Fox was one of the most respected, innovative movie studios in Hollywood, under the leadership of legendary, complicated, producer Darryl F. Zanuck. The bad: he was a notorious and habitual user of the casting couch, and he was certainly never mistaken as one of Hollywood's nice guys on any front. Zanuck did truly love movies, and finding the best ways to tell fantastic stories, and that led to early movie musicals featuring future icons like Betty Grable and Shirley Temple; the first CinemaScope production with The Robe; and classic cinema like The French Connection, part of that gritty, reality-based style of moviemaking of the 1970s. In this episode of Pop Literacy, we are thrilled to welcome bestselling author Scott Eyman, who talks to us about his terrific new book 20th Century Fox: Darryl F. Zanuck and the Creation of the Modern Film Studio. A chat with Scott is getting access to the incredible knowledge of a Hollywood historian and lifelong movie fan, and we promise, it will send you off to grab your own copy of this engrossing read. Read more: 20th Century Fox: Darryl F. Zanuck and the Creation of the Modern Film Studio by Scott Eyman Scott Eyman on Twitter Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli: The Epic Story of the Making of The Godfather by Mark Seal The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures: A True Tale of Obsession, Murder, and the Movies by Paul Fischer

Lynette Rice has covered Grey's Anatomy from the beginning: as it became a culture-defining phenomenon in the 2000s, as it faced cast meltdowns and blowups, as it cycled through stars, as it killed off McDreamy, and as it aged into an old reliable in an otherwise uncertain network television landscape (18 seasons and counting!). She delves into it all in her oral history How to Save a Life: The Inside Story of Grey's Anatomy. In this episode we talk to Lynette about the show's heady early days, Isaiah Washington and Katherine Heigl's fraught departures, and how it's kept going for this long. Read More How to Save a Life by Lynette Rice  Lynette Rice on Twitter  Forever Young by Hayley Mills Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Nichole Perkins knows the power of pop culture: She has seen how Frasier's Niles Crane inspired her to overcome her own professional hang-ups, how Prince taught her critical lessons about sex, and how Miss Piggy served as both a role model and a cautionary tale about modern femininity. She writes poetically about all of that and more in her essay collection Sometimes I Trip on How Happy We Could Be. Writer and poet Saeed Jones said of the collection: “Hear the dark liquor of her laughter rippling behind her sentences in this magnetic memoir as it explores a journalist's obsession with pop culture and the difficulty of navigating relationships as a Black woman through fanfiction, feminism, and Southern mores.” In this episode we talk to Nichole about why we should take pop culture seriously, how it helps us discuss difficult issues, and why both Niles and Daphne and Kermit and Piggy are kinda messed up. Read More: Sometimes I Trip on How Happy We Could Be by Nichole Perkins Nichole Perkins online Nichole Perkins on Twitter Vanderbilt by Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert The Anatomy of Story by John Truby

Denzel Washington, Serena Williams, Shark Tank star Daymond John, Mets World Series champ Ron Darling…those are but a few famous names who have entrusted author Daniel Paisner to help tell their personal and professional stories via ghostwritten memoirs. There are few ghostwriters more prolific, and with a more eclectic lineup of subjects, than Paisner, in fact, and that's one of the many topics we're thrilled to discuss with him in this episode. We're also proud to help introduce our Pop Literacy listeners to Daniel's new podcast, As Told To, in which he talks with other ghostwriters and their projects and their experiences helping other people share their stories. It's a fascinating, special kind of authoring, and we will certainly be adding As Told To to our regular list of podcasts, and hope you will, too! You can find Daniel and As Told To on the Writer's Bone Podcast Network, the ever-growing suite of fine literary and pop culture podcasts…and we know, because that's Pop Literacy's home turf, too! For more information about Daniel Paisner: As Told To podcast As Told To on Twitter Daniel's books, which include biographies, fiction, and narrative nonfiction Website Daniel on Twitter

TV scholar Kathleen Collins grew up loving television before it was cool—while others fancied themselves sophisticated for digging film and music, she was unapologetically obsessing over Square Pegs. In her book From Rabbit Ears to the Rabbit Hole, she shares her nostalgic journey as a kid growing up with a four-channel, cathode-ray set, to her choice to study television as an academic pursuit, and through our national obsession with streaming today. In this conversation, we travel back in time with her to discuss why Norman Lear's 1970s shows stand the test of time, why the only way to do homework in the ‘80s was with MTV playing in the background, and how the shift to the Streaming Era's infinite choices has made TV so much more stressful. Read more about it: Kathleen Collins online Kathleen Collins on Twitter From Rabbit Ears to the Rabbit Hole Milkman by Anna Burns

James Tate Hill gradually began losing his sight while still in high school—and worked hard to hide this fact from the world well into adulthood. While he employed more practical tactics like filling his bookshelves with the selections he'd first read on tape or arriving to dates early so whoever he was meeting would have to find him, he also discovered the great conversational—and distracting—possibilities of pop culture. Throw a Tom Cruise, Prince, Golden Girls, or Breakfast Club reference into a conversation, and often your acquaintances will stop asking probing questions that might lead to uncomfortable revelations. In this conversation, we talk to Hill about the wisdom of Michael Chabon, why Bea Arthur is the ideal Golden Girl to be your optic nerve specialist, and how books on tape and Rain Man changed his life. Read more about it: James Tate Hill online James Tate Hill on Twitter (@jamestatehill) James Tate Hill's LitHub column The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich Brat by Andrew McCarthy Wild and Crazy Guys by Nick de Semlyen

You know her from roles on Sabrina the Teenage Witch and particularly in Clueless as Cher's nemesis Amber. Elisa Donovan thought she had her life and career all figured out until her father was diagnosed with cancer at the same time that Sabrina was canceled. In her book Wake Me When You Leave: Love and Encouragement from the Other Side, she tells the story of how, after her father's death, she began a relationship redemption with him that she never thought possible, via dreams, visitations, and signs. In this conversation, she tells us about her path to the iconic role of Amber, how her dad's death changed her ideas about success, ways she's communicated with her father since his passing, and her plans to develop her memoir into a film that will be her directorial debut. Read more about it: Wake Me When You Leave: Love and Encouragement from the Other Side by Elisa Donovan Elisa Donovan on Twitter Celebrity Book Club podcast Bossypants by Tina Fey Yes Please by Amy Poehler Just the Funny Parts: ... and a Few Hard Truths about Sneaking Into the Hollywood Boys' Club by Nell Scovell

From his clever Vulture.com Real Housewives recaps to his newly launched “The Housewives Institute Bulletin” newsletter, Brian Moylan has certainly earned the nickname bestowed upon him by Kirkus: “The Bard of Real Housewives Drama.” Moylan is with Pop Literacy this episode for a super fun chat about the project that cinched his reality TV literary moniker: The Housewives: The Real Story Behind The Real Housewives, his New York Times bestseller that unfolds Housewives history, and answers all those behind-the-scenes questions every Housewives fan – including Moylan himself – has always had about the Bravo series. Read more about it: The Housewives: The Real Story Behind The Real Housewives Brian Moylan's Real Housewives recaps at Vulture.com  Subscribe to “The Housewives Institute Bulletin” Brian Moylan on Twitter

His books and lectures on storytelling are so iconic that he was portrayed by Brian Cox in the Oscar-winning film Adaptation, and guest starred as himself in an episode of The Simpsons. This week we're thrilled to chat with Robert McKee about his newest book, Character: The Art of Role and Cast Design for Page, Stage, and Screen. Joining his classics the bestselling Story and Dialogue, this third entry in his trilogy on writing fiction finds McKee sharing his thoughts on how to create compelling characters, from keeping the well-worn antihero fresh to understanding that we can learn things from characters that we may not recognize in real humans. Expanding on the examples of success he presents in Character – from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice to Vince Gilligan's Breaking Bad – Bob also tells us some of his current favorite TV viewing and leaves both Jennifer and Kim thinking about those novel ideas they've been kicking around for years. Prepare to be inspired yourself by this very fun and informative chat with a true legend. Read more about it: Character: The Art of Role and Cast Design for Page, Stage, and Screen Dialogue: The Art of Verbal Action for Page, Stage, and Screen Dialogue Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting Robert McKee Seminars

Jeff Goldblum's career is a unique reflection of our times: He's a character actor who eschews attention outside of his films, yet he's more popular than ever, thanks to a quality that can only be described as memeability. He's also ageless, timeless, and stylish, and prefers magic and jazz to acting, all of which just makes him seem … perpetually cool, whether you spot in him a nearly wordless role in a 1970s film or in blockbusters like Jurassic Park and Independence Day.  On this episode, we dissect the magic that is Jeff Goldblum with Travis M. Andrews, author of Because He's Jeff Goldblum: The Movies, Memes, and Meaning of Hollywood's Most Enigmatic Actor. We talk about why he and Keanu make such good memes, how he invented the sexy scientist role in Jurassic Park, and why The Fly is so disgusting. Resource Links: Because He's Jeff Goldblum by Travis M. Andrews Travis's work at The Washington Post

Prepare to be entertained, enlightened, and entranced in this week’s episode of Pop Literacy, as we welcome Tony and Emmy-nominated actress and singer Tovah Feldshuh, who talks to us about her engrossing new book Lilyville: Mother, Daughter, and Other Roles I’ve Played. Lilyvilleis part memoir, part ode to Feldshuh’s late mother, Lily, who lived to be 103 years old, and whose complicated relationship with her daughter helped shape Feldshuh into the fierce, thoughtful, loving, and supremely talented woman she is. Whether you know her from more than four decades of Broadway performances in classics like Yentl, Pippin, and Golda’s Balcony, memorable TV roles on The Walking Dead, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and Law & Order, or her popular cabaret shows across the country, you will find reasons to love and be delighted by Feldshuh’s remembrances of her incredibly accomplished career. As for the personal, you need only listen to the tour de force conversation we were so lucky to have with her to get a sample of how charming is Lilyville’s sharing about her life with family and friends. Resource links: Lilyville: Mother, Daughter, and Other Roles I’ve Played  TovahFeldshuh.com

Dawnie Walton’s debut novel The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is getting terrific reviews: “Feels truer and more mesmerizing than some true stories. It’s a packed time capsule that doubles as a stick of dynamite,” said The New York Times. “One of the most immersive novels I’ve ever read….This is a thrilling work of polyphony—a first novel, that reads like the work of an old hand,” said Ta-Nehisi Coates. And for good reason. This faux oral history of a ‘70s rock duo undone by a starring role in a racially charged concert incident reads like the best nonfiction pop culture opuses. In this episode, we talk to Walton about the real-life inspirations behind Black punk goddess Opal and white songwriter Nev, why music and politics are often intertwined, and the intriguing historical echoes between the book’s central duo and the post-Wardrobe Malfunction careers of Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake. We also recommend our favorite books (and a few movies) about the music industry. Resource links:  Dawnie Walton’s official website The Final Revival of Opal & Nev Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid Audrey Wait by Robin Benway Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby 

She’s a Pop Literacy returning guest. And though fans of her delicious, Netflix drama-inspiring thriller series of books about handsome stalker Joe Goldberg might not think it possible, we’re telling you: You Love Me, the latest and third book in her Joe series is the best one yet. We’re not spoiling anything major, but in our chat with Caroline, she tells you just enough of the whats and whys to tease this latest adventure – misadventure – with the perpetually lovesick Joe to have us sure that you will come to the same conclusion about You Love Me. We also talk to her about how she continues to pack one of our favorite book series with another of our favorites – pop culture references galore, and cleverly deployed, as always – and we discuss the upcoming third season of the You TV series, which hits Netflix later this year. Two words: Scott Speedman, the yummy Felicity and Animal Kingdom  alum about whom Caroline shares a delightful story. Not enough? Okay, one big teaser about You Love Me: it features one of our all-time fave fiction twists, which you won’t see coming either! Resource links: Caroline Kepnes' official website Caroline Kepnes’ You Book Series: You Love Me (Book 3) You (Book 1) Hidden Bodies (Book 2) Pop Literacy Episode 2: Female Authors Are Fueling TV’s Darkest Shows

In 1974, Los Angeles crackled with astonishing creative output: movies such as Chinatown, The Godfather Part II, Shampoo, and Nashville; seminal albums from Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, and the Eagles; and the TV series All in the Family, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and M*A*S*H. Not only were these great works of art, but they also signaled a major shift in Hollywood, from ignoring the political upheaval of the previous decade to reflecting the progressive values a huge, new, young audience of Baby Boomers demanded. This is the story captured by two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Ronald Brownstein in his new bestseller Rock Me on the Water: 1974, The Year Los Angeles Transformed Movies, Music, Television and Politics. We talk to Brownstein about the importance of such works as All in the Family, Chinatown, and Jackson Browne’s “Rock Me on the Water”; the lasting cultural legacy of 1974; and why anyone who cares about politics should be paying more attention to pop culture. Resource Links: Rock Me on the Water by Ronald Brownstein Rolling Stone: The ‘70s Easy Riders, Raging Bulls by Peter Biskind Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted  The Way We All Became The Brady Bunch

We all know Betty White from her years on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls. But decades before she was making us laugh in primetime, White was hosting a daytime TV talk show that saw her improvising more than five hours of programming every day. Yep, she’s not only one of our most beloved funny ladies, she’s also a TV pioneer. She is one of the superstars from the era When Women Invented Television, as Pop Literacy co-host Jennifer Keishin Armstrong chronicles in her fantastic new book of the same name. From White and Gertrude Berg, the radio star who brought her long-running radio comedy The Goldbergs to television, to Hazel Scott, the singer and piano player who was also the first Black entertainer to host a national variety TV show, and Irna Phillips, another radio alum, who created the television soap opera, there’s a lineup of women who truly set up the future of TV. This week, Jennifer shares not only the fascinating details of how these extraordinary women shaped the medium that helps shape our culture more than ever, but the sad forces that prevented most of them from being the household names they should be. Until now, that is, thanks to When Women Invented Television.  Resource links: When Women Invented Television Here We Go Again by Betty White The Betty White Show Hazel Scott: The Pioneering Journey of a Jazz Pianist, from Café Society to Hollywood to HUAC by Karen Chilton Hazel Scott at the piano Irna Phillips's The Guiding Light, 1953 Something on My Own, a Gertrude Berg biography by Glenn D. Smith Jr. Gertrude Berg's The Goldbergs, 1954

Director Mike Nichols lived an extraordinary life: He immigrated from Berlin to America as a young boy in 1939, lost his father at age 12, and was bullied throughout childhood because of a condition that had rendered him permanently hairless. But his difficulties only fueled his rise to comedy, Broadway, and Hollywood success. He became a comedy sensation in his twenties as a duo with Elaine May, then switched to directing theater and won back-to-back Tonys for a run of Neil Simon plays that included Barefoot in the Park and The Odd Couple. When he switched to film, he struck it big yet again with The Graduate, a groundbreaking critical and box office smash. He continued to direct major films until his death in 2014, including Silkwood, Working Girl, The Birdcage, and Closer. He counted Elizabeth Taylor, Leonard Bernstein, and Richard Avedon as friends. We learned all of this and so, so much more in Mark Harris’s astonishing biography Mike Nichols: A Life. In this episode we talk to Harris about Nichols’s personal struggles, culture-defining successes, glitzy friendships, and lasting impact. Our guest this week: Mike Nichols: A Life by Mark Harris

“Video Killed the Radio Star,” as the song and video that launched MTV in 1981 told us, and Millennials, among other pop culture deaths they have been accused of, killed the music video star at the end of the TRL era. It was replaced by reality series on MTV … though many current viewers may not know that before reality TV was the thing on MTV, it was most definitely athing – thanks to The Real World. The granddaddy of all MTV reality shows, and a seminal series in all of American reality TV, The Real World began in 1993 with seven strangers picked to live in a New York City loft together, and find out what would happen “when people stop being polite and start getting real.” The show ran for more than 30 seasons, filled with fights, tears, hookups, and copious amounts of alcohol at its worst and most embarrassing moments. But then there were moments of pure grace, where the cast took the chance to understand people unlike anyone they’d ever met before. And for one very special season, the audience was riveted by a heroic young man named Pedro, who charmed, educated, and truly showed just how the real world, and The Real World, could be. Almost 30 years after the MTV series premiered, the Paramount+ streaming service is reuniting The Real World: New York cast in that same NYC loft, when we see Eric, Kevin, Norman, Julie, Heather, Becky, and Andre get real again.  This week on Pop Literacy, we talk with Amanda Ann Klein, the author of the fantastic new book Millennials Killed the Video Star: MTV’s Transition to Reality Programming, about The Real World’s place in MTV history, why Pedro and that third season of the show changed reality TV, and what she, like us, her fellow Gen Xers, can’t wait to see what the New York cast shares about 30 years of reality television fame. Our guest this week: Millennials Killed the Video Star: MTV’s Transition to Reality Programming by Amanda Ann Klein Read more about The Real World and the history of MTV: I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution by Ron Tannenbaum and Craig Marks  VJ: The Unplugged Adventures of MTV’s First Wave – by Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, Martha Quinn, and Gavin Edwards  Money for Nothing: A History of the Music Video from the Beatles to the White Stripes by Saul Austerlitz 

“To be a women’s wrestling fan, particularly one who patronizes WWE … is to be constantly disappointed,” Scarlett Harris writes in her book-length critical essay A Diva Was a Female Version of a Wrestler: An Abbreviated Herstory of World Wrestling Entertainment. In this episode, Harris walks us through some of that harrowingly sexist history—God help us, “bra and panty matches”!—which is also full of women whose determination, ambition, and athletic prowess have inspired generations of girls and women (and a few real-life female villains, to be sure). She also shares the heartbreak of being a fan despite the constant disappointment, her take on the women’s evolution from sexy sideshow to serious (if not quite on par with the men’s) main event, her thoughts on GLOW, and why she has hope for the future of women’s wrestling. Read more about it: A Diva Was a Female Version of a Wrestler: An Abbreviated Herstory of World Wrestling Entertainment by Scarlett Harris  Other great books about women in male-dominated arenas: Whole New Ballgame by Sue Macy The Incredible Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League by Anika Orrock When Women Invented Television by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong  Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution by Sara Marcus

“The narrative of the NBA’s rise to become arguably the world’s second-most popular sport is frequently summed up as a rapid-fire afterthought: BirdMagicMichaelStern,” author Pete Croatto writes in his stellar new book From Hang Time to Prime Time: Business, Entertainment and the Birth of the Modern-Day NBA.  He’s talking about superstar players Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan, and the late David Stern, the NBA’s attorney-turned commissioner, who, as a foursome, are often credited as the forces behind the NBA’s evolution as the pro league that reigns as high in American pop culture as it does in American sports. And while BirdMagicMichaelStern most definitely deserve every bit of credit heaped upon them, as Croatto shares in this brilliantly written and researched history (he interviewed more than 300 people for the book!), there are plenty of other reasons for the NBA’s ascension, including the civil rights movement, fashion, television, what are among the most clever marketing campaigns of all time, and a performance of the national anthem that will still inspire goosebumps. Pete talks with us about all that and more in this episode, including his thoughts about the future of the NBA and its sister league, the WNBA. Read more about it: From Hang Time to Prime Time: Business, Entertainment and the Birth of the Modern-Day NBA (Atria Books) Pete Croatto’s Grantland feature about Marvin Gaye’s iconic performance of The Star-Spangled-Banner at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game in L.A., which inspired From Hang Time to Prime Time Marvin Gaye’s performance on YouTube Other great sports books we love  The Breaks of the Game by David Halberstam  The Jordan Rules by Sam Smith A Season on the Brink by John Feinstein When the Game Was Ours by Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, with Jackie MacMullan Coach Wooden and Me Our 50 Year Friendship On and Off the Court by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar  Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby

Bingewatching every TV show ever produced isn’t the only way we’ve survived 2020. We’ve also read a whole mess of books, and among our favorites have been a stack of truly delicious celebrity autobiographies. Yep, famous folk did not disappoint with their literary endeavors this year, dishing up deep, headline-making revelations from their personal lives and sharing behind-the-headlines truths about their most noted career moments. From Jessica Simpson’s bestselling Open Book and Mariah Carey’s bestseller The Meaning of Mariah Carey to engrossing tomes from Michael J. Fox and daytime TV royalty Melody Thomas Scott (and lots more in between!), we’re talking about great celeb memoir reads for you and great holiday gifts for everyone on your shopping list! And looking ahead to 2021, we preview a few celeb autobios that already have us planning a day of curling up with a great book. Celebrity Memoirs for Holiday Gift Giving Open Book – Jessica Simpson The Meaning of Mariah Carey – Mariah Carey Always Young and Restless: My Life On and Off America’s #1 Daytime Drama – Melody Thomas Scott Survival of the Thickest – Michelle Buteau Greenlights – Matthew McConaughey The Rural Diaries – Hilarie Burton Morgan The Chiffon Trenches – Andre Leon Talley Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother: Memoirs of a Neurotic Filmmaker – Barry Sonnenfeld Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics – Dolly Parton You Look So Much Better in Person: True Stories of Absurdity and Success– Al Roker The Answer Is – Alex Trebek A Promised Land – Barack Obama No Time Like the Future – Michael J. Fox I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are – Rachel Bloom The Richard Marx tweet that has us excited about his July 2021 book, Stories to Tell: A Memoir: “Luther Vandross had me over to his new house he’d just designed in Ct. The living room walls were cashmere. Cash-fucking-mere. So, naturally, I lift my hand to touch it and he screams, ‘RICHARD MARX DON’T YOU DARE PUT YOUR NASTY HANDS ON MY CASHMERE WALLS!!!’ #truestory.”

The Back to the Future films were among the most popular choices on Netflix this year, and for good reason: We can all use a few extra doses of Michael J. Fox right now. As he publishes his fourth memoir, No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality, we look back on his truly iconic career, from Reaganite teen Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties and rebellious time traveler Marty McFly to crusader for Parkinson’s Disease research. Through it all, he’s remained bitingly funny and refreshingly honest about his own Parkinson’s diagnosis, incorporating it into stellar performances on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Rescue Me, and The Good Wife and The Good Fight. In this episode, we break down what’s so appealing about Fox, what makes his legacy so special, and why he's the legend we need right now.

Would any of us being surviving the pandemic without binge-watching comforting old TV and finding some new favorites along the way, too? We certainly wouldn’t, which made us want to catch up on all things streaming TV, with our friend and the go-to guy for the scoop on the streaming business, Vulture.com West Coast Editor and Buffering and streaming TV columnist, Joe Adalian. Joe gives us the rundown on all the streaming services, including some you may not have heard of that offer free viewing, tells us if anyone is seriously challenging Netflix’s reign, and offers some tips on how to decide which services are worth your subscription dollars. He also shares his favorite quarantine binges, and we share a few of our favorite new binge-watches from the last six months. Subscribe to Joe Adalian’s Buffering column at Vulture Joe’s must-read behind-the-scenes feature on Netflix: Inside the Binge Factory

In a very special return episode, we talk about the fantastic, and oh-so-perfectly timed new book Pop Star Goddesses, by Pop Literacy co-host Jennifer Keishin Armstrong. A beautifully illustrated collection of biographies of pop divas from Adele to Shakira and Beyonce to Solange, Pop Star Goddesses arrives to share how an incredibly deep bench of talented, inspiring women in pop music are shaping the larger culture with their skills, performances, and passion. We talk about how, just like the goddesses of ancient culture, our pop stars have much to teach us, from the resilience of Britney Spears and career transformation of Jennifer Lopez to Pink’s badassery and Kelly Clarkson’s down-to-earth relatability. And, just as Pop Star Goddesses provides a gorgeously-packaged, inspiring read in our current time of global crisis, we also discuss a few other recent female musical biographies that have moved us, including a memoir about Loretta Lynn’s famous friendship with Patsy Cline, and the Jessica Simpson autobiography that surprised us in a lot of really great ways. Pop Star Goddesses: And How to Tap Into Their Energies to Invoke Your Best Self by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong Pop Star Goddesses playlist at Apple Music Pop Star Goddesses playlist at Spotify Me & Patsy Kickin’ Up Dust: My Friendship with Patsy Cline by Loretta Lynn Open Book by Jessica Simpson

The Brady Bunch never got higher than No. 31 on the ratings charts, and it was far from a critical favorite or a television masterpiece. But it's celebrating its 50th anniversary this year with loving tributes to its theme song, its opening credits, its iconic house, and that perfectly symmetrical, blended family of three boys and three girls who had only the tiniest problems to solve within a half-hour every week. Pop Literacy co-host Kimberly Potts has written a new book, The Way We All Became the Brady Bunch, investigating how such a middling show gained such cultural staying power—and she's talking with co-host Jennifer Keishin Armstrong about what she learned.

She was the child of a Hollywood couple notorious for their public breakup, an iconic sci-fi princess, the wife of a great singer-songwriter, a brilliant author and screenwriter, a caustic comedian, a great sidekick, a monologist, and a fierce advocate for mental health awareness. Carrie Fisher packed many lives into her time on earth, even though it was all too short. This week, we pay tribute to her many identities and massive pop culture impact with Sheila Weller, the author of Carrie Fisher: A Life on the Edge—the first definitive biography of Fisher since her death in 2016 at age 60.

The cardigan, the sneakers, the voice so soothing it should be its own brand of stress therapy. We speak, of course, about Mister Rogers, and we speak about him this week with New York Times bestselling author Gavin Edwards, whose new book is a prescriptive biography of all things Fred Rogers. Prescriptive because, in Kindness and Wonder: Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever, Gavin not only builds on the legend of Mister Rogers, he shares the many ways the beloved children’s television star walked the walk of the life lessons he shared with generations of viewers, and offers suggestions for how we can, too. 

It’s the smallest of the three generations currently ruling the world—sandwiched between Boomers and Millennials—but Gen X is not skimping on its nostalgia moment, probably because its defining trait is an (ironic, post-modern, skeptical) embrace of pop culture. This week, we run through the many current and upcoming revisitings of Gen X culture, including a book by Wham!’s Andrew Ridgeley, Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill in Broadway musical form, the 25th anniversary of Reality Bites, Hootie & the Blowfish’s reunion tour, the recent death of John Singleton, that Jeffersons and All in the Family live reenactment, and cohost Kimberly Potts’s upcoming Brady Bunch book. Links to some of these and more: Vanity Fair on Why Generation X Might Be Our Last, Great Hope Andrew Ridgeley’s Wham!, George Michael, and Me: a Memoir Hootie & the Blowfish tour  Wu-Tang Clan tour Wu-Tang: An American Saga on Hulu Liz Phair’s Horror Stories: A Memoir Ani DiFranco’s No Walls and the Recurring Dream: A Memoir Jagged Little Pill on Broadway Jay & Silent Bob Reboot Kimberly Potts’ The Way We All Became the Brady Bunch

She was already a writer, producer, and director, a mom of five, and the personal and professional partner of her husband, comedian Jim Gaffigan. Then Jeannie Gaffigan found out she had a tumor the size of a pear in her brain, and her fierceness really kicked in. This week on Pop Literacy, we have the pleasure of talking to Jeannie about her life-changing experience, which she details with honesty, heart, and humor in her new memoir When Life Gives You Pears. 

She’s been nominated for a record 21 Oscars (and won three). She can sing, she can dance, she can whip up an accent like nobody’s business. She can make you laugh, cry, quake in your stilettos with a mere two-word phrase (“That’s all”). She is, quite simply, and quite universally, called the best actress of her (and, those to come, we’re guessing) generation. We speak oh so reverently, of course, about Meryl Streep, the subject of author Erin Carlson’s engaging, fun new biography, Queen Meryl: The Iconic Roles, Heroic Deeds, and Legendary Life of Meryl Streep. We chat all things Meryl with Erin this week on Pop Literacy.