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Hosted by julia turner
Hosted by julia turner
289 episodes with julia turner
209 episodes with julia turner
7 episodes with julia turner
7 episodes with julia turner
8 episodes with julia turner
3 episodes with julia turner
3 episodes with julia turner
2 episodes with julia turner
On this week's show, Julia Turner is joined by Slate's own Dan Kois and Sam Adams. They start by talking about the second season of Andor, the Star Wars series that might have more in common with The Wire than The Mandalorian. Then, they talk about The Wedding Banquet, a remake of the Ang Lee classic. Finally, they get into the story of the discovery of a new color called olo. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Julia, Sam, and Dan answer a listener question about a piece of art that they appreciated more with age. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements: Dan: While being on a quest for a new cookbook, but also struggling to find a cookbook that feels surprising, finally came across Third Culture Cooking: Classic Recipes for a New Generation by Zaynab Issa. Sam: David Thomas, frontman and only permanent member of the band Pere Ubu, died last week. To get into his work, start with the collection Terminal Tower: An Archival Collection. Also, check out this obit that Slatester Carl Wilson wrote for his newsletter. Julia: Colors Are Nice, a Little Golden Book that manages to capture Julia's feeling about color. Podcast production by Palace Shaw. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, Julia Turner is joined by Slate's own Dan Kois and Sam Adams. They start by talking about the second season of Andor, the Star Wars series that might have more in common with The Wire than The Mandalorian. Then, they talk about The Wedding Banquet, a remake of the Ang Lee classic. Finally, they get into the story of the discovery of a new color called olo. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Julia, Sam, and Dan answer a listener question about a piece of art that they appreciated more with age. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements: Dan: While being on a quest for a new cookbook, but also struggling to find a cookbook that feels surprising, finally came across Third Culture Cooking: Classic Recipes for a New Generation by Zaynab Issa. Sam: David Thomas, frontman and only permanent member of the band Pere Ubu, died last week. To get into his work, start with the collection Terminal Tower: An Archival Collection. Also, check out this obit that Slatester Carl Wilson wrote for his newsletter. Julia: Colors Are Nice, a Little Golden Book that manages to capture Julia's feeling about color. Podcast production by Palace Shaw. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, Slate senior editor Rebecca Onion sits in for Julia Turner. First, the hosts examine Dahomey, an audacious new documentary by acclaimed filmmaker Mati Diop (Atlantics.) With a one hour, eight minute run time, Dahomey is an incredibly rich text in a very small package, and contemplates the repatriation of 26 royal treasures plundered from the Kingdom of Dahomey as they journey back to their homeland, which now lies within the Republic of Benin. Then, the three dive into Netflix's Death, Let Me Do My Special, a one-woman show performed and written by Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.) The special is perceptive, macabre, and whimsical, as Bloom reflects on the pandemic years and the loss of her close friend and collaborator, Adam Schlesinger. Finally, what is Mark Zuckerberg wearing? That is the question Brendon Holder asks in a recent Substack essay and that is bewildering the panel. Is the Meta CEO simply trying to beat the dweeb allegations through oversized t-shirts and a boyish haircut? Or is there something more sinister going on here? In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses the role TV plays in their lives, inspired by a recent mega-article published by GQ, “How to Watch TV.” Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements: Dana: The AOC and Tim Walz Twitch stream, specifically, the moment when Walz calls Tony Hinchcliffe a “jackwad” following a racist comment. Rebecca: The Voyage Home by Pat Parker. Stephen: Todd Gitlin's 2001 essay, “Unsafe in any state.” Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, Slate senior editor Rebecca Onion sits in for Julia Turner. First, the hosts examine Dahomey, an audacious new documentary by acclaimed filmmaker Mati Diop (Atlantics.) With a one hour, eight minute run time, Dahomey is an incredibly rich text in a very small package, and contemplates the repatriation of 26 royal treasures plundered from the Kingdom of Dahomey as they journey back to their homeland, which now lies within the Republic of Benin. Then, the three dive into Netflix's Death, Let Me Do My Special, a one-woman show performed and written by Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.) The special is perceptive, macabre, and whimsical, as Bloom reflects on the pandemic years and the loss of her close friend and collaborator, Adam Schlesinger. Finally, what is Mark Zuckerberg wearing? That is the question Brendon Holder asks in a recent Substack essay and that is bewildering the panel. Is the Meta CEO simply trying to beat the dweeb allegations through oversized t-shirts and a boyish haircut? Or is there something more sinister going on here? In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses the role TV plays in their lives, inspired by a recent mega-article published by GQ, “How to Watch TV.” Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements: Dana: The AOC and Tim Walz Twitch stream, specifically, the moment when Walz calls Tony Hinchcliffe a “jackwad” following a racist comment. Rebecca: The Voyage Home by Pat Parker. Stephen: Todd Gitlin's 2001 essay, “Unsafe in any state.” Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, the hosts begin by reviewing Bad Monkey, a breezy new crime drama on Apple TV+ starring Vince Vaughn as a former police officer turned health inspector. It's everything a summer show should be: laid-back, easy on the eyes, and set in warm, sunny Florida. Then, speaking of returns, the panel turns back the clock and tackles Homicide: Life on the Street, a groundbreaking cop show that debuted in 1993 and is now available to stream on Peacock. Finally, the trio considers A.I. in the arts, inspired by Curtis Sittenfeld's guest essay for The New York Times: “An Experiment in Lust, Regret and Kissing.” In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses the experience of dropping your children off at college. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements: Dana: Close Your Eyes, a film written and directed by Victor Erice. Julia: Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld. Steve: The entire state of California. Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, the hosts begin by reviewing Bad Monkey, a breezy new crime drama on Apple TV+ starring Vince Vaughn as a former police officer turned health inspector. It's everything a summer show should be: laid-back, easy on the eyes, and set in warm, sunny Florida. Then, speaking of returns, the panel turns back the clock and tackles Homicide: Life on the Street, a groundbreaking cop show that debuted in 1993 and is now available to stream on Peacock. Finally, the trio considers A.I. in the arts, inspired by Curtis Sittenfeld's guest essay for The New York Times: “An Experiment in Lust, Regret and Kissing.” In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses the experience of dropping your children off at college. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements: Dana: Close Your Eyes, a film written and directed by Victor Erice. Julia: Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld. Steve: The entire state of California. Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, Rebecca Onion and Jenny Zhang fill in for Stephen. First, the panel tackles HBO's Industry. The show is in its third season and has seen a huge increase in viewership. But is it a show worth of the coveted Sunday night timeslot? Then, they explore Alien: Romulus, a new addition to Xenomorph lore, with a controversial cameo. Finally, the panel talks about Sephora, beauty culture and tweens in a conversation inspired by Jia Tolentino's new essay What Tweens Get from Sephora and What They Get From Us. On this week's exclusive Slate Plus bonus episode, the panel talks about watching horror movies as a critic. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements: REBECCA: Two endorsements: First, Health and Safety: A Breakdown by Emily Witt. This memoir from a New Yorker writer is a fascinating look at “changing perceptions of life.” Second, pistachio milk. It's tasty. JULIA: This week's Hang Up and Listen marks the end of an era. “What a gift this show has been.” DANA: The Review of Beauty, a substack from Jessica Delfino. Dana knows she may have endorsed it in the past, but given the third topic this week it is too fitting to not mention it again. Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stevens, Julia Turner, Rebecca Onion, Jenny Zhang Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, Rebecca Onion and Jenny Zhang fill in for Stephen. First, the panel tackles HBO's Industry. The show is in its third season and has seen a huge increase in viewership. But is it a show worth of the coveted Sunday night timeslot? Then, they explore Alien: Romulus, a new addition to Xenomorph lore, with a controversial cameo. Finally, the panel talks about Sephora, beauty culture and tweens in a conversation inspired by Jia Tolentino's new essay What Tweens Get from Sephora and What They Get From Us. On this week's exclusive Slate Plus bonus episode, the panel talks about watching horror movies as a critic. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements: REBECCA: Two endorsements: First, Health and Safety: A Breakdown by Emily Witt. This memoir from a New Yorker writer is a fascinating look at “changing perceptions of life.” Second, pistachio milk. It's tasty. JULIA: This week's Hang Up and Listen marks the end of an era. “What a gift this show has been.” DANA: The Review of Beauty, a substack from Jessica Delfino. Dana knows she may have endorsed it in the past, but given the third topic this week it is too fitting to not mention it again. Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stevens, Julia Turner, Rebecca Onion, Jenny Zhang Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, the panel is joined by Jamelle Bouie (New York Times Opinion columnist and Friend of the Pod) to discuss Deadpool & Wolverine, Marvel's R-rated superhero flick starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman that's dominating at the box office. Then the four assess the onslaught of Kamala Harris memes sweeping the internet right now and the role social media will play in this year's upcoming election. Finally, Julia, Dana, and Steve puzzle over Eno, a new documentary chronicling Brian Eno's 50-year career as a visionary musician and artist that's different every time it's shown. Mentioned in this episode: “Deadpool's obnoxious gay panic humour is a tiresome schoolyard taunt” (Guy Lodge, The Guardian. July 26, 2024.) Upcoming screenings of Eno In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel answers a listener question from Rob about assigned seating in movie theaters. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements: Stephen: Team USA's pommel horse stallion, Stephen Nedoroscik, and his flawless routine at the 2024 Olympics. Julia: An upcoming exhibit at the National Gallery of Art: “Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment.” Dana: The Decameron on Netflix. Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, the panel is joined by Jamelle Bouie (New York Times Opinion columnist and Friend of the Pod) to discuss Deadpool & Wolverine, Marvel's R-rated superhero flick starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman that's dominating at the box office. Then the four assess the onslaught of Kamala Harris memes sweeping the internet right now and the role social media will play in this year's upcoming election. Finally, Julia, Dana, and Steve puzzle over Eno, a new documentary chronicling Brian Eno's 50-year career as a visionary musician and artist that's different every time it's shown. Mentioned in this episode: “Deadpool's obnoxious gay panic humour is a tiresome schoolyard taunt” (Guy Lodge, The Guardian. July 26, 2024.) Upcoming screenings of Eno In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel answers a listener question from Rob about assigned seating in movie theaters. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements: Stephen: Team USA's pommel horse stallion, Stephen Nedoroscik, and his flawless routine at the 2024 Olympics. Julia: An upcoming exhibit at the National Gallery of Art: “Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment.” Dana: The Decameron on Netflix. Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, the panel gets swept up by Twisters, and begins by discussing director Lee Isaac Chung's standalone sequel starring Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones. (For the record, the original 1996 disaster flick, Twister, is a near-perfect, Gabfest-approved comfort watch). Sure, Chung's reboot isn't as weird as the original, and the modern-day renderings of completely plausible natural disasters are alarming, but Twisters did what it was supposed to do: deliver a good, generic summer movie where Glen Powell can be, well, Glen Powell. (Read Dana's review! And Sam Adam's take on the film's approach to climate change.) Then, the three dissect Sorry Not Sorry, a documentary from the New York Times that examines Louis C.K.'s public fall from grace in 2017 and the comic's recent comeback, but disappointingly offers little new insight. Finally, the trio tackles gambling and its increasing presence in modern life, inspired by an essay by Christine Emba for The Atlantic. “Suddenly, gambling seems to be everywhere,” Emba writes. “This sort of vice creep, a societal normalization of what used to be seen as unsavory habits—gambling, smoking marijuana, watching porn—is accelerated by people's addiction to devices, in this case giving casual bettors the tools to become compulsive wagerers and easing the way for gambling to become a constant part of life.” In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses a recent New York Times interactive and dives deep into their relationships with the grocery store. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements: Dana: Inspired by today's gambling segment, Dana endorses Owning Mahowny, director Richard Kwietniowski 2003 film based on the true story of a Toronto bank employee (played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman) who embezzled more than $10 million to feed his gambling addiction. Julia: An open call! Please send Julia your recommendations for great children's books that discuss the weather or the changing seasons to culturefest@slate.com. (And read Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson!) Stephen: “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo,” a set of 118 woodblocks by 19th century Japanese landscape master Utagawa Hiroshige, which is currently on display at the Brooklyn Museum through August 4th. Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, the panel gets swept up by Twisters, and begins by discussing director Lee Isaac Chung's standalone sequel starring Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones. (For the record, the original 1996 disaster flick, Twister, is a near-perfect, Gabfest-approved comfort watch). Sure, Chung's reboot isn't as weird as the original, and the modern-day renderings of completely plausible natural disasters are alarming, but Twisters did what it was supposed to do: deliver a good, generic summer movie where Glen Powell can be, well, Glen Powell. (Read Dana's review! And Sam Adam's take on the film's approach to climate change.) Then, the three dissect Sorry Not Sorry, a documentary from the New York Times that examines Louis C.K.'s public fall from grace in 2017 and the comic's recent comeback, but disappointingly offers little new insight. Finally, the trio tackles gambling and its increasing presence in modern life, inspired by an essay by Christine Emba for The Atlantic. “Suddenly, gambling seems to be everywhere,” Emba writes. “This sort of vice creep, a societal normalization of what used to be seen as unsavory habits—gambling, smoking marijuana, watching porn—is accelerated by people's addiction to devices, in this case giving casual bettors the tools to become compulsive wagerers and easing the way for gambling to become a constant part of life.” In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses a recent New York Times interactive and dives deep into their relationships with the grocery store. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements: Dana: Inspired by today's gambling segment, Dana endorses Owning Mahowny, director Richard Kwietniowski 2003 film based on the true story of a Toronto bank employee (played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman) who embezzled more than $10 million to feed his gambling addiction. Julia: An open call! Please send Julia your recommendations for great children's books that discuss the weather or the changing seasons to culturefest@slate.com. (And read Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson!) Stephen: “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo,” a set of 118 woodblocks by 19th century Japanese landscape master Utagawa Hiroshige, which is currently on display at the Brooklyn Museum through August 4th. Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, June Thomas (co-host of Slate's Working podcast and the author of A Place of Our Own) sits in for Julia Turner. The panel first explores The Bear, now in its third season, and questions whether Christopher Storer's beast has become too self-aware. Then, they discuss Fancy Dance, a profoundly moving film by Native writer-director Erica Tremblay starring Lily Gladstone that's equal parts road movie, crime procedural, and family drama. Finally, the trio dives deep into their personal relationships with app culture, inspired by Mark Hill's essay for Slate, “I'm Tired of Using An App For Everything.” In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel answers a listener question from James: “As you get older, how do you keep yourself open to new interests, experiences, and ideas? To put it negatively, how do you avoid becoming an old crank?” Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements: June: A particularly moving video that's making the rounds on social media, in which a large crowd of supporters gather at Carmarthen Railway in Wales to send off Plaid's Anne Davies and sing her the Welsh national anthem. Steve: "I Know It's Over" by The Smiths. Dana: Patti Smith reading Fernando Pessoa (or to be more precise, Álvaro de Campos) at the Casa Fernando Pessoa museum in Lisbon. Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, June Thomas, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, June Thomas (co-host of Slate's Working podcast and the author of A Place of Our Own) sits in for Julia Turner. The panel first explores The Bear, now in its third season, and questions whether Christopher Storer's beast has become too self-aware. Then, they discuss Fancy Dance, a profoundly moving film by Native writer-director Erica Tremblay starring Lily Gladstone that's equal parts road movie, crime procedural, and family drama. Finally, the trio dives deep into their personal relationships with app culture, inspired by Mark Hill's essay for Slate, “I'm Tired of Using An App For Everything.” In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel answers a listener question from James: “As you get older, how do you keep yourself open to new interests, experiences, and ideas? To put it negatively, how do you avoid becoming an old crank?” Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements: June: A particularly moving video that's making the rounds on social media, in which a large crowd of supporters gather at Carmarthen Railway in Wales to send off Plaid's Anne Davies and sing her the Welsh national anthem. Steve: "I Know It's Over" by The Smiths. Dana: Patti Smith reading Fernando Pessoa (or to be more precise, Álvaro de Campos) at the Casa Fernando Pessoa museum in Lisbon. Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, June Thomas, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, Isaac Butler (co-host of Slate's Working podcast and the author of The Method: How the Twentieth Century Learned to Act) sits in for Julia Turner. The panel first turns their attention to Ren Faire, HBO's three-part documentary chronicling the surreal power struggle at the heart of America's largest renaissance festival. Director Lance Oppenheim (Spermworld, Some Kind of Heaven) presents an extraordinary window into the fantastical world, capturing a very specific moment in late-stage capitalism in which society returns to feudalism. Then, the three inspect Janet Planet, Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright Annie Baker's film debut. Like Baker's theater work, Janet Planet–a loosely autobiographical tale revolving around an 11-year-old girl named Lacy (played by Zoe Ziegler) and her mother, Janet (played by Julianne Nicholson)–pushes naturalism to the extreme, an approach that some critics love and others, some even on this very panel, abhor. Finally, the great Canadian actor Donald Sutherland died this past week at the age of 88. His career spanned over six decades, but his immense talents weren't always immediately obvious. To honor Sutherland and his body of work, each host re-watched a favorite film of theirs: Don't Look Now, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Six Degrees of Separation. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel reflects on their relationship to giving and receiving criticism, inspired by Arthur C. Brooks's article for The Atlantic, “How to Take–And Give–Criticism Well.” Email us at culturefest@slate.com. It's the last week to submit songs for Summer Strut! The final deadline is July 1st. Send your struttiest songs to culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements: Stephen: I, Claudius and Claudius the God by Robert Graves. Isaac: Any Person Is the Only Self: Essays by Elisa Gabbert. Dana: Inspired by Janet Planet: The Roche's 1979 self-titled album and specifically, “Hammond Song.” Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, Isaac Butler, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, Isaac Butler (co-host of Slate's Working podcast and the author of The Method: How the Twentieth Century Learned to Act) sits in for Julia Turner. The panel first turns their attention to Ren Faire, HBO's three-part documentary chronicling the surreal power struggle at the heart of America's largest renaissance festival. Director Lance Oppenheim (Spermworld, Some Kind of Heaven) presents an extraordinary window into the fantastical world, capturing a very specific moment in late-stage capitalism in which society returns to feudalism. Then, the three inspect Janet Planet, Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright Annie Baker's film debut. Like Baker's theater work, Janet Planet–a loosely autobiographical tale revolving around an 11-year-old girl named Lacy (played by Zoe Ziegler) and her mother, Janet (played by Julianne Nicholson)–pushes naturalism to the extreme, an approach that some critics love and others, some even on this very panel, abhor. Finally, the great Canadian actor Donald Sutherland died this past week at the age of 88. His career spanned over six decades, but his immense talents weren't always immediately obvious. To honor Sutherland and his body of work, each host re-watched a favorite film of theirs: Don't Look Now, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Six Degrees of Separation. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel reflects on their relationship to giving and receiving criticism, inspired by Arthur C. Brooks's article for The Atlantic, “How to Take–And Give–Criticism Well.” Email us at culturefest@slate.com. It's the last week to submit songs for Summer Strut! The final deadline is July 1st. Send your struttiest songs to culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements: Stephen: I, Claudius and Claudius the God by Robert Graves. Isaac: Any Person Is the Only Self: Essays by Elisa Gabbert. Dana: Inspired by Janet Planet: The Roche's 1979 self-titled album and specifically, “Hammond Song.” Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, Isaac Butler, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's episode, the hosts excavate the psyche and begin by exploring Inside Out 2, a sophisticated children's movie that tackles the question on every kid's mind: How does one go about crafting a highly integrated ego? A bevy of new emotions join the motley crew living inside of our teenage protagonist Riley's mind, most notably Anxiety, voiced brilliantly by Maya Hawke. The film, a sequel to Pixar's 2015 Academy Award-winner, is filled with wisdom about developmental psychology, but finds itself in murky waters when indirectly tackling issues of free will and the power of the unconscious mind. Then, the panel probes the mind of Andrew McCarthy, whose recent documentary Brats (not to be confused with the new Charli XCX joint) reveals the inner workings of the “Brat Pack,” a term coined by David Blum in a New York Magazine cover story published in 1985. A lifelong member of the “Brat Pack,” McCarthy attempts to reconcile his relationship to the infamous label alongside others who fell under it, including Demi Moore, Rob Lowe, and Emilio Estevez, in a surprisingly personal and peculiar documentary that's quite revealing of McCarthy – either intentionally or not. Finally, the trio considers Google, the tech giant and the subject of Kyle Chayka's piece for The New Yorker, “Is Google S.E.O. Gaslighting the Internet?” Chayka's article sparks a larger conversation about the oversized role search engines have played in our lives and in our understanding of the internet, and comes at a time when Google plans to further integrate A.I. into Search Engine Optimization (S.E.O.) and eliminate the need for writers, journalists, and news organizations. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel answers an excellent listener request from Rachael: “Discuss your favorite content from the early Internet days, before it became a toxic wasteland.” Email us at culturefest@slate.com. We're also accepting Summer Strut submissions until July 1st! Send your strut-worthy songs to culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements: Dana: The wonderful documentary Being Mary Tyler Moore, which you can stream on Max, Hulu, and Prime Video, among others. Julia: Sam Anderson's new podcast, Animal. Stephen: A callback to last week's episode – the song was “Ballad of the Runaway Horse” performed by Emmylou Harris and written by… Leonard Cohen! (Under the original name, “Ballad of the Absent Mare.”) He also endorses Stereophonic, which just won the 2024 Tony Award for Best Play. Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's episode, the hosts excavate the psyche and begin by exploring Inside Out 2, a sophisticated children's movie that tackles the question on every kid's mind: How does one go about crafting a highly integrated ego? A bevy of new emotions join the motley crew living inside of our teenage protagonist Riley's mind, most notably Anxiety, voiced brilliantly by Maya Hawke. The film, a sequel to Pixar's 2015 Academy Award-winner, is filled with wisdom about developmental psychology, but finds itself in murky waters when indirectly tackling issues of free will and the power of the unconscious mind. Then, the panel probes the mind of Andrew McCarthy, whose recent documentary Brats (not to be confused with the new Charli XCX joint) reveals the inner workings of the “Brat Pack,” a term coined by David Blum in a New York Magazine cover story published in 1985. A lifelong member of the “Brat Pack,” McCarthy attempts to reconcile his relationship to the infamous label alongside others who fell under it, including Demi Moore, Rob Lowe, and Emilio Estevez, in a surprisingly personal and peculiar documentary that's quite revealing of McCarthy – either intentionally or not. Finally, the trio considers Google, the tech giant and the subject of Kyle Chayka's piece for The New Yorker, “Is Google S.E.O. Gaslighting the Internet?” Chayka's article sparks a larger conversation about the oversized role search engines have played in our lives and in our understanding of the internet, and comes at a time when Google plans to further integrate A.I. into Search Engine Optimization (S.E.O.) and eliminate the need for writers, journalists, and news organizations. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel answers an excellent listener request from Rachael: “Discuss your favorite content from the early Internet days, before it became a toxic wasteland.” Email us at culturefest@slate.com. We're also accepting Summer Strut submissions until July 1st! Send your strut-worthy songs to culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements: Dana: The wonderful documentary Being Mary Tyler Moore, which you can stream on Max, Hulu, and Prime Video, among others. Julia: Sam Anderson's new podcast, Animal. Stephen: A callback to last week's episode – the song was “Ballad of the Runaway Horse” performed by Emmylou Harris and written by… Leonard Cohen! (Under the original name, “Ballad of the Absent Mare.”) He also endorses Stereophonic, which just won the 2024 Tony Award for Best Play. Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, Dan Kois (writer at Slate and author of Hampton Heights: One Harrowing Night in the Most Haunted Neighborhood in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) fills in for Dana Stevens. The hosts begin by exploring the latest addition to the Star Wars canon, The Acolyte, created by Leslye Headland (Russian Doll). Amandla Sternberg and Lee Jung-jae lead the who-dunnit mystery, and while there is a lot to admire about the show's visuals and depiction of the Master Jedi, The Acolyte often sags under the baggage of the vast Star Wars mythology and suffers from fundamental pacing problems. Then, the three tackle Godzilla Minus One, a genius and emotionally rich parable about wounded masculinity and the national trauma felt in a post-WWII Japan. The kaiju film, released at the end of last year, won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 2023, and immediately shot to No. 1 on Netflix when it hit the streaming service last week. Finally, the panel is joined by Dan Charnas (author of Dilla Time and The Big Payback) to discuss Sabrina Carpenter's “Espresso” and his very sharply framed piece for Slate, “The Musical History Lesson Buried Beneath the Song of the Summer.” In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel tackles: children's birthday parties. To plan, or not to plan, that is the question! Email us at culturefest@slate.com. We're taking Summer Strut submissions! Send your strutty-est songs to culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements: Dan: The quick-witted, joke-packed pleasures of Girls5eva season 3. Julia: (1) Ambition Monster: A Memoir by Jennifer Romolini; (2) Dan Charna's playlist, “The Genre With No Name.” Stephen: (1) Who wrote this song?; (2) Abdullah Ibrahim's "Solotude." Podcast production by Kevin Bendis. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts: Dan Kois, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, Dan Kois (writer at Slate and author of Hampton Heights: One Harrowing Night in the Most Haunted Neighborhood in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) fills in for Dana Stevens. The hosts begin by exploring the latest addition to the Star Wars canon, The Acolyte, created by Leslye Headland (Russian Doll). Amandla Sternberg and Lee Jung-jae lead the who-dunnit mystery, and while there is a lot to admire about the show's visuals and depiction of the Master Jedi, The Acolyte often sags under the baggage of the vast Star Wars mythology and suffers from fundamental pacing problems. Then, the three tackle Godzilla Minus One, a genius and emotionally rich parable about wounded masculinity and the national trauma felt in a post-WWII Japan. The kaiju film, released at the end of last year, won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 2023, and immediately shot to No. 1 on Netflix when it hit the streaming service last week. Finally, the panel is joined by Dan Charnas (author of Dilla Time and The Big Payback) to discuss Sabrina Carpenter's “Espresso” and his very sharply framed piece for Slate, “The Musical History Lesson Buried Beneath the Song of the Summer.” In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel tackles: children's birthday parties. To plan, or not to plan, that is the question! Email us at culturefest@slate.com. We're taking Summer Strut submissions! Send your strutty-est songs to culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements: Dan: The quick-witted, joke-packed pleasures of Girls5eva season 3. Julia: (1) Ambition Monster: A Memoir by Jennifer Romolini; (2) Dan Charna's playlist, “The Genre With No Name.” Stephen: (1) Who wrote this song?; (2) Abdullah Ibrahim's "Solotude." Podcast production by Kevin Bendis. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts: Dan Kois, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, the hosts begin by asking the question: What even is Garfield? Jim Davis' overfed, Monday-hating (even though he's jobless) cultural figure first appeared in comic strips in the late 1970s, and since then, has been surprisingly resilient, most recently conquering the summer box-office with The Garfield Movie. But who is Garfield, and more perhaps more importantly, why is he a thing? To answer these questions, each host watched (or endured) a different Garfield entity, including Garfield: The Movie (2004), Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006), and the latest film starring Chris Pratt as the titular cat. Then, the three discuss suspense and its nature in relation to fiction, inspired by Kathryn Schulz's essay for The New Yorker, “The Secrets of Suspense.” It's a curious, fantastic essay that questions the human impulse to know what happens next. Finally, it's a visit from the Gabfest's oldest and closest Friend of the Pod, June Thomas, who speaks with the panel about her essential new book, A Place of Our Own: Six Spaces That Shaped Queer Women's Culture. In the exclusive slate Plus segment, the hosts answer a listener question from Evana: “What is a cultural reference that really bugs Steve/Julia/Dana when they see/hear it being misused or misinterpreted?” We're taking submissions for Summer Strut 2024! Send up to three songs that you find particularly strut-worthy to culturefest@slate.com. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements: Dana: A wonderful documentary on Apple TV+, From Caligari to Hitler: German Cinema in the Age of the Masses. Julia: Koeze's Cream-Nut All-Natural Peanut Butter (with no added sugar!) Stephen: The musical stylings of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. Read a profile on the duo: “How Gillian Welch and David Rawlings Held Onto Optimism” by Hanif Abdurraqib for The New York Times. Listen to their songs, “Beautiful Boy” and “Picasso,” and check out the YouTube video, “Getting Started with Licks & Fills in the style of Dave Rawlings.” Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, the hosts begin by dissecting The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the fourth chapter in the Apes franchise. Set “many generations” in the future, the latest installment (directed by Wes Ball and starring Owen Teague) is an undeniably well-crafted summer blockbuster – but does it achieve the level of complexity and thought its predecessors did? (Read Dana's review for Slate for further analysis.) Then, it's onto John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in LA, a six-part live Netflix special that aired during the streaming giant's comedy festival. The conceit is thus: Netflix is a Joke attracts the best comedians in the world to LA, John Mulaney interviews them. But the final product is much stranger than that description, both a rejection and reinvention of the tired late-night talk show format, in which Mulaney interviews celebrities and non-celebrities, airs sketches, and delivers long monologues on the character of LA. Is Everybody's in LA chaotic and sloppy, or a ragged delight? Our panel discusses. Finally, the trio is joined by Slate's music critic, Carl Wilson, to eulogize the legendary musician and “producing engineer” (his preferred title) Steve Albini. Known for recording albums with Joanna Newsom, Nirvana, and the Pixies, among others, Albini considered himself a documentarian of sound and a technical expert, and brought his punk-rock ethic to everything he did. Read Steve Albini's essay, “The Problem with Music” and his letter to Nirvana. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses cultural arbitrage with Slate's music critic, Carl Wilson, inspired by W. David Marx's essay for The Atlantic, “The Diminishing Returns of Having Good Taste.” Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements: Dana: “Who's Afraid of Judith Butler?” – a profile of the philosopher and gender theorist by Parul Sehgal for The New Yorker. Julia: “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter. Stephen: The delightful, catchy, and exuberant (with a tincture of melancholy) music of New Zealand band, Yumi Zuma. (Check out Steve's playlist here.) Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, the hosts begin by dissecting The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the fourth chapter in the Apes franchise. Set “many generations” in the future, the latest installment (directed by Wes Ball and starring Owen Teague) is an undeniably well-crafted summer blockbuster – but does it achieve the level of complexity and thought its predecessors did? (Read Dana's review for Slate for further analysis.) Then, it's onto John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in LA, a six-part live Netflix special that aired during the streaming giant's comedy festival. The conceit is thus: Netflix is a Joke attracts the best comedians in the world to LA, John Mulaney interviews them. But the final product is much stranger than that description, both a rejection and reinvention of the tired late-night talk show format, in which Mulaney interviews celebrities and non-celebrities, airs sketches, and delivers long monologues on the character of LA. Is Everybody's in LA chaotic and sloppy, or a ragged delight? Our panel discusses. Finally, the trio is joined by Slate's music critic, Carl Wilson, to eulogize the legendary musician and “producing engineer” (his preferred title) Steve Albini. Known for recording albums with Joanna Newsom, Nirvana, and the Pixies, among others, Albini considered himself a documentarian of sound and a technical expert, and brought his punk-rock ethic to everything he did. Read Steve Albini's essay, “The Problem with Music” and his letter to Nirvana. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses cultural arbitrage with Slate's music critic, Carl Wilson, inspired by W. David Marx's essay for The Atlantic, “The Diminishing Returns of Having Good Taste.” Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements: Dana: “Who's Afraid of Judith Butler?” – a profile of the philosopher and gender theorist by Parul Sehgal for The New Yorker. Julia: “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter. Stephen: The delightful, catchy, and exuberant (with a tincture of melancholy) music of New Zealand band, Yumi Zuma. (Check out Steve's playlist here.) Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Hello media consumers! On the Final Edition, Bryan is joined by Julia Turner—one of the hosts of Slate's Culture Gabfest! They get into the following topics: Jack Shafer's story in Politico about “journalistic swagger” (1:20). Ben Smith of Semafor's interview with New York Times executive editor Joe Kahn regarding the 2024 election (20:26) The Apple ad about the new thin iPad (32:56) An ‘Office' spinoff, but for a newspaper company (35:26) Reggie Miller has learned something from Bryan and other podcasters (40:00) Kyle Chayka's, of The New Yorker, story: "The Revenge of the Home Page" (42:59) Then, David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline.Host: Bryan Curtis Guest: Julia Turner Producer: Brian H. Waters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
On this week's show, the hosts begin by diving head-first into The Fall Guy, director David Leitch's love letter to stunts and stunt people. It's a rom-com starring action set pieces, in which stuntman Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) falls for his director and ex-flame, Jody (Emily Blunt). The film is very telling about the work that goes into making an action flick… but does The Fall Guy ever achieve liftoff? Then, they debate I Saw the TV Glow, Jane Schoenbrun's impressive second feature that chronicles the friendship between Owen and Maddy, and their fascination with the fictional show The Pink Opaque. I Saw the TV Glow obsesses over what's real and not real–and is said to be an allegory for being trans–in a way that's brave and admirable, but often depressing to watch. Finally, the panel is joined by Lydia Polgreen, Opinion columnist for The New York Times and co-host of the Matter of Opinion podcast, to discuss her reporting on the student protests unfolding in New York City. A few of the media mentioned: “Columbia, Free Speech and the Coddling of the American Right” and “The Student-Led Protests Aren't Perfect. That Doesn't Mean They're Not Right.” by Polgreen; “The Takeover,” an on-the-ground report by the staff of the Columbia Daily Spectator for New York Magazine; the Columbia Revolt documentary. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses the question that's been roiling TikTok: For women, would you rather be alone in the woods with a man or a bear? Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements: Dana: “Kindness,” a poem by Naomi Shihab Nye, which she read on the On Being podcast. You can explore more of Shihab Nye's poetry here. Julia: (1) A congratulations to former Los Angeles Times film critic Justin Chang for his Pulitzer Prize. (2) The Work of Art: How Something Comes From Nothing by Adam Moss. Stephen: Saxophonist Frank Morgan, specifically, his album Listen to the Dawn. And you can listen to Steve's playlist for Julia here. Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, the hosts begin by diving head-first into The Fall Guy, director David Leitch's love letter to stunts and stunt people. It's a rom-com starring action set pieces, in which stuntman Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) falls for his director and ex-flame, Jody (Emily Blunt). The film is very telling about the work that goes into making an action flick… but does The Fall Guy ever achieve liftoff? Then, they debate I Saw the TV Glow, Jane Schoenbrun's impressive second feature that chronicles the friendship between Owen and Maddy, and their fascination with the fictional show The Pink Opaque. I Saw the TV Glow obsesses over what's real and not real–and is said to be an allegory for being trans–in a way that's brave and admirable, but often depressing to watch. Finally, the panel is joined by Lydia Polgreen, Opinion columnist for The New York Times and co-host of the Matter of Opinion podcast, to discuss her reporting on the student protests unfolding in New York City. A few of the media mentioned: “Columbia, Free Speech and the Coddling of the American Right” and “The Student-Led Protests Aren't Perfect. That Doesn't Mean They're Not Right.” by Polgreen; “The Takeover,” an on-the-ground report by the staff of the Columbia Daily Spectator for New York Magazine; the Columbia Revolt documentary. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses the question that's been roiling TikTok: For women, would you rather be alone in the woods with a man or a bear? Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements: Dana: “Kindness,” a poem by Naomi Shihab Nye, which she read on the On Being podcast. You can explore more of Shihab Nye's poetry here. Julia: (1) A congratulations to former Los Angeles Times film critic Justin Chang for his Pulitzer Prize. (2) The Work of Art: How Something Comes From Nothing by Adam Moss. Stephen: Saxophonist Frank Morgan, specifically, his album Listen to the Dawn. And you can listen to Steve's playlist for Julia here. Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, the hosts begin by discussing Challengers, Luca Guadagnino's sexy tennis flick in which Zendaya stars as Tashi Duncan, the muse and lover of two male players, Art (Mike Faist) and Patrick (Josh O'Connor). It's a smart but silly movie, one that paints a beautifully nested portrait of friendship and rivalry, and explores the complexities of desire. Then, the three dissect Baby Reindeer, an incredibly constructed and emotionally intense psychodrama–and a true-ish tale–by creator and star Richard Gadd. The seven-part series is currently dominating Netflix and explores themes including masculinity, sexuality, and abuse. Finally, what is a magazine now? The hosts consider this question, inspired by Jessica Testa's article for The New York Times profiling Highsnobiety, a store-website-production agency-clothing line hybrid that recently won a National Magazine Award for general excellence, the publication's first nomination and win at the “Oscars of the magazine world.” In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel jumps into a classic spoiler special and discusses the final scene of Challengers. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Outro music: "The Red Light Special" by Matt Large Endorsements: Dana: A piece of Britain everyone can access: Mr Bates vs The Post Office on Hulu. Julia: Samin Nosrat's recipe for Clam Pasta, which can be found in her book, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. Steve: “How Penelope Fitzgerald became a late blooming novelist.” By Henry Oliver. Hosts Dana Stephens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, the hosts begin by discussing Challengers, Luca Guadagnino's sexy tennis flick in which Zendaya stars as Tashi Duncan, the muse and lover of two male players, Art (Mike Faist) and Patrick (Josh O'Connor). It's a smart but silly movie, one that paints a beautifully nested portrait of friendship and rivalry, and explores the complexities of desire. Then, the three dissect Baby Reindeer, an incredibly constructed and emotionally intense psychodrama–and a true-ish tale–by creator and star Richard Gadd. The seven-part series is currently dominating Netflix and explores themes including masculinity, sexuality, and abuse. Finally, what is a magazine now? The hosts consider this question, inspired by Jessica Testa's article for The New York Times profiling Highsnobiety, a store-website-production agency-clothing line hybrid that recently won a National Magazine Award for general excellence, the publication's first nomination and win at the “Oscars of the magazine world.” In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel jumps into a classic spoiler special and discusses the final scene of Challengers. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Outro music: "The Red Light Special" by Matt Large Endorsements: Dana: A piece of Britain everyone can access: Mr Bates vs The Post Office on Hulu. Julia: Samin Nosrat's recipe for Clam Pasta, which can be found in her book, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. Steve: “How Penelope Fitzgerald became a late blooming novelist.” By Henry Oliver. Hosts Dana Stephens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's episode, the panel is first joined by Slate's music critic, Carl Wilson, to puzzle over The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift's much-anticipated 11th studio album. Stuffed with 31 tracks, the two-part album is a departure from the billionaire pop star's otherwise perfectly crafted oeuvre: it's messy and drippy, and at times, manic and frenetic. Is this secretly a cry for help? And more importantly, when did she find the time to record this thing? Then, the three explore Fallout, a post-apocalyptic drama series adapted from the extremely popular role-playing video game of the same name. Executive produced by Jonathan Nolan (Westworld, Person of Interest) and streaming on Prime Video, Fallout certainly achieves a high level of immersive world-building, but do the stories and characters fare the same? Finally, Becca Rothfeld, the Washington Post's non-fiction book critic, joins to discuss her triumphant first book, All Things Are Too Small: Essays in Praise of Excess, in which she rebukes the culture's affinity for minimalism and makes the case for living in a maximalist world. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, it's part two of the Ambition versus Contentment discussion (courtesy of a listener question from Gretel): How should a parent approach cultivating ambition in a child, if at all? The hosts discuss. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Outro music: "Ruins (Instrumental Version)" by Origo Endorsements: Dana: The Teacher's Lounge, a film by German-Turkish director Ilker Çatak. It was a Best International Film nominee at the 96th Academy Awards. (Also, Ebertfest in Champaign, Illinois!) Julia: Kristen Wiig's Jumanji sketch on Saturday Night Live, inspired by Dana. Stephen: The British band Jungle, introduced to him by his daughter. A few favorite songs: “Back on 74,” “Dominoes,” and “All of the Time.” Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stevens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's episode, the panel is first joined by Slate's music critic, Carl Wilson, to puzzle over The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift's much-anticipated 11th studio album. Stuffed with 31 tracks, the two-part album is a departure from the billionaire pop star's otherwise perfectly crafted oeuvre: it's messy and drippy, and at times, manic and frenetic. Is this secretly a cry for help? And more importantly, when did she find the time to record this thing? Then, the three explore Fallout, a post-apocalyptic drama series adapted from the extremely popular role-playing video game of the same name. Executive produced by Jonathan Nolan (Westworld, Person of Interest) and streaming on Prime Video, Fallout certainly achieves a high level of immersive world-building, but do the stories and characters fare the same? Finally, Becca Rothfeld, the Washington Post's non-fiction book critic, joins to discuss her triumphant first book, All Things Are Too Small: Essays in Praise of Excess, in which she rebukes the culture's affinity for minimalism and makes the case for living in a maximalist world. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, it's part two of the Ambition versus Contentment discussion (courtesy of a listener question from Gretel): How should a parent approach cultivating ambition in a child, if at all? The hosts discuss. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Outro music: "Ruins (Instrumental Version)" by Origo Endorsements: Dana: The Teacher's Lounge, a film by German-Turkish director Ilker Çatak. It was a Best International Film nominee at the 96th Academy Awards. (Also, Ebertfest in Champaign, Illinois!) Julia: Kristen Wiig's Jumanji sketch on Saturday Night Live, inspired by Dana. Stephen: The British band Jungle, introduced to him by his daughter. A few favorite songs: “Back on 74,” “Dominoes,” and “All of the Time.” Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stevens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, Slate culture writer (and Very, Very Good Friend of the Show, a.k.a. VVGFOP) Nadira Goffe sits in for Dana Stevens. The three begin with Civil War, writer-director Alex Garland's (Ex Machina, Annihilation, Men) dystopian travelog starring Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, and Wagner Moura that imagines a burned out, bombed out America in the throes of a raging internal conflict. But who is fighting whom? Our panel discusses. Then, they examine Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show, an eight-part series on Max depicting a very different civil war. Here, the exemplary sit-down stand-up comedian goes to war with himself, his public image, and the very nature of “reality.” It's “Seinfeld meets reality TV meets Sylvia Plath,” and is a painfully naked confessional that begs the question: “Is Jerrod Carmichael trolling us?” (Read Nadira's fantastic piece, “Who Did People Think Jerrod Carmichael Is?” Finally, the trio turns to “gaslighting,” the pop psychology term up for debate in Leslie Jamison's essay for The New Yorker, “So You Think You've Been Gaslit.” Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year in 2022, is “gaslighting” a handy term used to describe harmful behavior? Or has “gaslighting” become so ubiquitous, it's lost all meaning? The panel gets into it. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the hosts explore stuffed animals (including but not limited to: Squishmallows, Jelly Cats, and “lovies”), the difference between a blanket and blankie, and the joys of embracing one's inner child, inspired by Valerie Trapp's essay for The Atlantic, “Welcome to Kidulthood.” Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Outro music: "200 Dont's" by Conditional Endorsements: Nadira: (1) The Wiz revival on Broadway. (2) Costco! (3) Willow Smith's new song, “b i g f e e l i n g s” off of her upcoming album, empathogen. Julia: G. T. Karber's book of puzzles, Murdle: 100 Simple to Impossible Mysteries to Solve Using Logic, Skill, and the Power of Deduction. “It's a cross between an LSAT logic puzzle and a murder mystery.” Stephen: Becca Rothfeld's debut essay collection, All Things Are Too Small: Essays in Praise of Excess. (Becca will be on the show next week to discuss! For extra credit, grab a copy of her book and come prepared.) Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Nadira Goffe, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, Slate culture writer (and Very, Very Good Friend of the Show, a.k.a. VVGFOP) Nadira Goffe sits in for Dana Stevens. The three begin with Civil War, writer-director Alex Garland's (Ex Machina, Annihilation, Men) dystopian travelog starring Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, and Wagner Moura that imagines a burned out, bombed out America in the throes of a raging internal conflict. But who is fighting whom? Our panel discusses. Then, they examine Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show, an eight-part series on Max depicting a very different civil war. Here, the exemplary sit-down stand-up comedian goes to war with himself, his public image, and the very nature of “reality.” It's “Seinfeld meets reality TV meets Sylvia Plath,” and is a painfully naked confessional that begs the question: “Is Jerrod Carmichael trolling us?” (Read Nadira's fantastic piece, “Who Did People Think Jerrod Carmichael Is?” Finally, the trio turns to “gaslighting,” the pop psychology term up for debate in Leslie Jamison's essay for The New Yorker, “So You Think You've Been Gaslit.” Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year in 2022, is “gaslighting” a handy term used to describe harmful behavior? Or has “gaslighting” become so ubiquitous, it's lost all meaning? The panel gets into it. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the hosts explore stuffed animals (including but not limited to: Squishmallows, Jelly Cats, and “lovies”), the difference between a blanket and blankie, and the joys of embracing one's inner child, inspired by Valerie Trapp's essay for The Atlantic, “Welcome to Kidulthood.” Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Outro music: "200 Dont's" by Conditional Endorsements: Nadira: (1) The Wiz revival on Broadway. (2) Costco! (3) Willow Smith's new song, “b i g f e e l i n g s” off of her upcoming album, empathogen. Julia: G. T. Karber's book of puzzles, Murdle: 100 Simple to Impossible Mysteries to Solve Using Logic, Skill, and the Power of Deduction. “It's a cross between an LSAT logic puzzle and a murder mystery.” Stephen: Becca Rothfeld's debut essay collection, All Things Are Too Small: Essays in Praise of Excess. (Becca will be on the show next week to discuss! For extra credit, grab a copy of her book and come prepared.) Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Nadira Goffe, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, the panel is first joined by Slate business and culture writer Nitish Pahwa to discuss Monkey Man, Dev Patel's dazzling but muddled directorial debut. The ultra-violent action flick stars Patel as Kid, a young man who works his way into a secret brothel for the super rich, hell-bent on finding the police chief who murdered his mother and exacting his revenge. It's clearly a political statement of a film, rife with references to real-world controversies and corrupt political, religious, and pedagogical practices (all of which Nitish covers in his piece for Slate, “Monkey Man Has a Bold New Vision”). Then, the three jump into Ripley, a new eight-part Netflix series based on Patricia Highsmith's master novel, The Talented Mr. Ripley, starring 47-year-old Andrew “Hot Priest” Scott as the titular seductive psychopath. Directed by Steven Zaillian (The Night Of, Schindler's List, All the King's Men) and with cinematography by Robert Elswith (Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood, Good Night, and Good Luck), the series is shot in spectacular black-and-white and co-stars Dakota Fanning as Marge Sherwood and Johnny Flynn as Dickie Greenleaf. Finally, Julia Louis-Dreyfus (of Veep, Saturday Night Live, and Seinfeld fame, obviously) has a podcast, Wiser Than Me, which just entered its second season. On it, she interviews iconic older women like Jane Fonda, Carol Burnett, Bonnie Raitt, and Sally Field about the wisdom they've accrued and asks the question: “Well, how should I live?” While the show doesn't fully avoid the pitfalls of the celebrity interview, secrets and things emerge within the course of a conversation and the framework itself gets to the very core of human existence. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel answers a fittingly existential question from listener Gretel: “Wondering how you, high achievers all, balance ambition with contentment. Do you consider yourselves competitive or is your drive innate? I vacillate between pushing myself harder, striving to achieve more, and being grateful for what I have and where I am. Is contentment a noble endgame in your opinions?” Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Outro music: “Bollywood Star” by Jhukane Bada. Endorsements: Dana: Andrew Scott's performance as Hamlet in 2017. (The full three-hour production can be watched on YouTube.) Julia: Worn: A People's History of Clothing by Sofi Thanhauser. An absolutely beautiful and fascinating book about the centrality of textile production throughout history. Stephen: “Lowell, Plath, and Sexton in the Same Room” by Steve Moyer for the National Endowment for the Humanities (Spring 2024, Volume 45.) Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, the panel is first joined by Slate business and culture writer Nitish Pahwa to discuss Monkey Man, Dev Patel's dazzling but muddled directorial debut. The ultra-violent action flick stars Patel as Kid, a young man who works his way into a secret brothel for the super rich, hell-bent on finding the police chief who murdered his mother and exacting his revenge. It's clearly a political statement of a film, rife with references to real-world controversies and corrupt political, religious, and pedagogical practices (all of which Nitish covers in his piece for Slate, “Monkey Man Has a Bold New Vision”). Then, the three jump into Ripley, a new eight-part Netflix series based on Patricia Highsmith's master novel, The Talented Mr. Ripley, starring 47-year-old Andrew “Hot Priest” Scott as the titular seductive psychopath. Directed by Steven Zaillian (The Night Of, Schindler's List, All the King's Men) and with cinematography by Robert Elswith (Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood, Good Night, and Good Luck), the series is shot in spectacular black-and-white and co-stars Dakota Fanning as Marge Sherwood and Johnny Flynn as Dickie Greenleaf. Finally, Julia Louis-Dreyfus (of Veep, Saturday Night Live, and Seinfeld fame, obviously) has a podcast, Wiser Than Me, which just entered its second season. On it, she interviews iconic older women like Jane Fonda, Carol Burnett, Bonnie Raitt, and Sally Field about the wisdom they've accrued and asks the question: “Well, how should I live?” While the show doesn't fully avoid the pitfalls of the celebrity interview, secrets and things emerge within the course of a conversation and the framework itself gets to the very core of human existence. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel answers a fittingly existential question from listener Gretel: “Wondering how you, high achievers all, balance ambition with contentment. Do you consider yourselves competitive or is your drive innate? I vacillate between pushing myself harder, striving to achieve more, and being grateful for what I have and where I am. Is contentment a noble endgame in your opinions?” Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Outro music: “Bollywood Star” by Jhukane Bada. Endorsements: Dana: Andrew Scott's performance as Hamlet in 2017. (The full three-hour production can be watched on YouTube.) Julia: Worn: A People's History of Clothing by Sofi Thanhauser. An absolutely beautiful and fascinating book about the centrality of textile production throughout history. Stephen: “Lowell, Plath, and Sexton in the Same Room” by Steve Moyer for the National Endowment for the Humanities (Spring 2024, Volume 45.) Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, the panel is first joined by Slate culture writer (and the Gabfest's Senior Beyoncé Correspondent) Nadira Goffe to dissect Beyoncé's latest album, Cowboy Carter. Released on March 29th, Cowboy Carter is a 27-track behemoth with a country soul, packed with archival footage and songs that span multiple genres. To call it a country album would be too simplistic, so we'll stick with Queen Bey's own words: Cowboy Carter is a Beyoncé album. Then, the three jump into Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World, an avant-garde film from Romanian director Radu Jude that perfectly captures life in the 21st century. Finally, the trio examine Steve! (martin): a documentary in 2 pieces, a new two-part series directed by Morgan Neville (Will You Be My Neighbor?), which analyzes the legendary Steve Martin, an inscrutable human being and American icon. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses their personal relationships to hotels. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Outro music: "I Can Still Dance" by Tigerblood Jewel Endorsements: Dana: Critic Nicolas Rapold's interview with Radu Jude, the director of Do Not Expect Much From the End of the World, on his podcast, The Last Thing I Saw. It's a great companion piece to listen to after watching the film. Julia: The Fraud by Zadie Smith, a historical novel set in Victorian England. If you've read this book and have strong feelings, please email Julia at cultfest@slate.com to dissect the work and discuss. Stephen: Penelope Fitzgerald, the Booker Prize-winning novelist, poet, and essayist. Specifically, her 1995 novel, the Blue Flower. Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, the panel is first joined by Slate culture writer (and the Gabfest's Senior Beyoncé Correspondent) Nadira Goffe to dissect Beyoncé's latest album, Cowboy Carter. Released on March 29th, Cowboy Carter is a 27-track behemoth with a country soul, packed with archival footage and songs that span multiple genres. To call it a country album would be too simplistic, so we'll stick with Queen Bey's own words: Cowboy Carter is a Beyoncé album. Then, the three jump into Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World, an avant-garde film from Romanian director Radu Jude that perfectly captures life in the 21st century. Finally, the trio examine Steve! (martin): a documentary in 2 pieces, a new two-part series directed by Morgan Neville (Will You Be My Neighbor?), which analyzes the legendary Steve Martin, an inscrutable human being and American icon. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses their personal relationships to hotels. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Outro music: "I Can Still Dance" by Tigerblood Jewel Endorsements: Dana: Critic Nicolas Rapold's interview with Radu Jude, the director of Do Not Expect Much From the End of the World, on his podcast, The Last Thing I Saw. It's a great companion piece to listen to after watching the film. Julia: The Fraud by Zadie Smith, a historical novel set in Victorian England. If you've read this book and have strong feelings, please email Julia at cultfest@slate.com to dissect the work and discuss. Stephen: Penelope Fitzgerald, the Booker Prize-winning novelist, poet, and essayist. Specifically, her 1995 novel, the Blue Flower. Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, Slate's Dan Kois (author of Vintage Contemporaries, How to Be a Family, The World Only Spins Forward, and Facing Future) sits in for Julia Turner. The panel first begins with a reboot: In 1999, when Jon Stewart took over, rather indifferently, the helm of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, he changed the media landscape with his comedic chops, serious outrage, and penchant for pointing out politicians' hypocrisies. He's since left and returned back to the show (which he hosts once a week), but how effective are he and his trademark bag of tricks in 2024? We discuss. Then, the three dive into Problemista, writer-director-star Julio Torres' first feature film that can only be described as “a lot.” Torres (Los Espookys, My Favorite Shapes, Saturday Night Live) plays Alejandro, a sweet but naive aspiring Salvadoran toymaker who must navigate the Kafka-esque purgatory known as the U.S. immigration system. He meets Elizabeth, played by Tilda Swinton, a nightmare boss with fuschia-colored hair and a looming presence that often overwhelms the film… but perhaps that's exactly what it needs? Finally, the trio is joined by The Sporkful host Dan Pashman to discuss his cookbook, Anything's Pastable: 81 Inventive Pasta Recipes for Saucy People. In 2021, Pashman created the cascatelli, a new pasta shape that went viral, with Time calling it “one of the best inventions of the year.” Anything's Pastable aims to revolutionize our concept of what pasta sauces can be, with recipes for unique and non-traditional dishes like “Kimchi Carbonara” and “Cacio e Pepe e Chili Crisp.” In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel explores Dana's book review, “Rejecting the Binary” for Slate. She reviews American philosopher and theorist Judith Butler's latest book–the first of theirs published with a nonacademic press–Who's Afraid of Gender. Butler served as Dana's dissertation adviser at the University of California in the late 1990s. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Outro music: “Funny Jam” by Gloria Tells. Endorsements: Dana: A feat of artistry and interpretation, nineteen-year-old American Ilia Malinin's free skate to the Succession theme (composed, of course, by Nicholas Britell). Malinin scored a record 227.79, winning his first world title and executed the best collection of jumps in one program in figure skating history. Dan: The Big Ears Festival held in Knoxville, Tennessee. Stephen: Falling into a Cat Stevens rabbit hole. He recommends starting with “The First Cut is the Deepest” and Stevens' 2014 Tiny Desk performance. Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, Dan Kois, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, Slate's Dan Kois (author of Vintage Contemporaries, How to Be a Family, The World Only Spins Forward, and Facing Future) sits in for Julia Turner. The panel first begins with a reboot: In 1999, when Jon Stewart took over, rather indifferently, the helm of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, he changed the media landscape with his comedic chops, serious outrage, and penchant for pointing out politicians' hypocrisies. He's since left and returned back to the show (which he hosts once a week), but how effective are he and his trademark bag of tricks in 2024? We discuss. Then, the three dive into Problemista, writer-director-star Julio Torres' first feature film that can only be described as “a lot.” Torres (Los Espookys, My Favorite Shapes, Saturday Night Live) plays Alejandro, a sweet but naive aspiring Salvadoran toymaker who must navigate the Kafka-esque purgatory known as the U.S. immigration system. He meets Elizabeth, played by Tilda Swinton, a nightmare boss with fuschia-colored hair and a looming presence that often overwhelms the film… but perhaps that's exactly what it needs? Finally, the trio is joined by The Sporkful host Dan Pashman to discuss his cookbook, Anything's Pastable: 81 Inventive Pasta Recipes for Saucy People. In 2021, Pashman created the cascatelli, a new pasta shape that went viral, with Time calling it “one of the best inventions of the year.” Anything's Pastable aims to revolutionize our concept of what pasta sauces can be, with recipes for unique and non-traditional dishes like “Kimchi Carbonara” and “Cacio e Pepe e Chili Crisp.” In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel explores Dana's book review, “Rejecting the Binary” for Slate. She reviews American philosopher and theorist Judith Butler's latest book–the first of theirs published with a nonacademic press–Who's Afraid of Gender. Butler served as Dana's dissertation adviser at the University of California in the late 1990s. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Outro music: “Funny Jam” by Gloria Tells. Endorsements: Dana: A feat of artistry and interpretation, nineteen-year-old American Ilia Malinin's free skate to the Succession theme (composed, of course, by Nicholas Britell). Malinin scored a record 227.79, winning his first world title and executed the best collection of jumps in one program in figure skating history. Dan: The Big Ears Festival held in Knoxville, Tennessee. Stephen: Falling into a Cat Stevens rabbit hole. He recommends starting with “The First Cut is the Deepest” and Stevens' 2014 Tiny Desk performance. Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, Dan Kois, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, the panel returns to Arrakis! First up, the trio reviews Dune: Part Two, the (as the title suggests) second part of Denis Villeneuve's adaptation of Frank Herbert's 1965 science fiction epic. In it, Timothée Chalamet plays Paul Atreides, the supposed “messiah” of Arrakis, a hostile desert planet rich in spice, in a fantastic feat of world building and worm-riding. Then, they examine God Save Texas, a three-part docu-series streaming on Max that follows three Texan filmmakers (Richard Linklakter, Alex Stapleton, and Iliana Sosa) as they return to their respective hometowns and chronicle the state's complex history with the prison system, oil business, and border laws. Finally, the panel is joined by Paul Schnee, an acclaimed casting director whose credits include Spotlight, Winter's Bone, and The Help, to discuss the Academy Awards' most recent addition: an Oscar for Casting. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel answers a listener question from Eliot: What are some pieces of culture that your children have introduced to you? Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Outro music: “Last Sunday” by OTE Endorsements: Dana: Werner Herzog's 2011 documentary, Into the Abyss. The film examines America's capital punishment system. Julia: The Lady and the Tramp, which is still great and bizarre, and somehow, makes the dogs… hot? Steve: Australian novelist Helen Garner's 2014 non-fiction book The House of Grief, which follows a man and his broken life, a community wracked by tragedy, and the long and torturous road to closure. Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, the panel returns to Arrakis! First up, the trio reviews Dune: Part Two, the (as the title suggests) second part of Denis Villeneuve's adaptation of Frank Herbert's 1965 science fiction epic. In it, Timothée Chalamet plays Paul Atreides, the supposed “messiah” of Arrakis, a hostile desert planet rich in spice, in a fantastic feat of world building and worm-riding. Then, they examine God Save Texas, a three-part docu-series streaming on Max that follows three Texan filmmakers (Richard Linklakter, Alex Stapleton, and Iliana Sosa) as they return to their respective hometowns and chronicle the state's complex history with the prison system, oil business, and border laws. Finally, the panel is joined by Paul Schnee, an acclaimed casting director whose credits include Spotlight, Winter's Bone, and The Help, to discuss the Academy Awards' most recent addition: an Oscar for Casting. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel answers a listener question from Eliot: What are some pieces of culture that your children have introduced to you? Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Outro music: “Last Sunday” by OTE Endorsements: Dana: Werner Herzog's 2011 documentary, Into the Abyss. The film examines America's capital punishment system. Julia: The Lady and the Tramp, which is still great and bizarre, and somehow, makes the dogs… hot? Steve: Australian novelist Helen Garner's 2014 non-fiction book The House of Grief, which follows a man and his broken life, a community wracked by tragedy, and the long and torturous road to closure. Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, the panel is first joined by Wesley Morris, New York Times' critic at large, to dissect This Is Me… Now: A Love Story, Jennifer Lopez's bizarre, nutty, yet utterly delicious self-funded vanity project that cost the singer $20 million to produce. (Wesley wrote a brilliant piece about it for the Times.) Then, the three explore 20 Days in Mariupol, the Oscar-nominated documentary by Ukrainian journalist Mstyslav Chernov that depicts the atrocities of the Russia-Ukraine war through on-the-ground footage and harrowing accounts of civilians. Finally, in a new oral history of the Village Voice, entitled The Freaks Came Out to Write: The Definitive History of the Village Voice, the Radical Paper That Changed American Culture, author Tricia Romano tells the iconic alt-weekly newspaper's history through 200 interviews with its legendary writers, editors, and photographers. We discuss. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, we share an impromptu conversation between the hosts and Wesley Morris. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Outro music: "Zero Gravity" by ELFL Endorsements: Cameron: Longtime Culture Gabfest producer, Cameron Drews, is moving onto his next project but came on one last time to endorse! He endorses movie theater subscriptions and is a big fan of Alamo Drafthouse's season pass. Dana: The Criterion Channel's new “Gothic Noir” series. Julia: An algorithm-recommended bop, UNTZ UNTZ by Inji. Steve: The Milk Carton Kids' cover of Pink Floyd's “Wish You Were Here” and a performance of their song, “All of the Time in the World to Kill,” featuring some lovely on-stage banter. Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, the panel is first joined by Wesley Morris, New York Times' critic at large, to dissect This Is Me… Now: A Love Story, Jennifer Lopez's bizarre, nutty, yet utterly delicious self-funded vanity project that cost the singer $20 million to produce. (Wesley wrote a brilliant piece about it for the Times.) Then, the three explore 20 Days in Mariupol, the Oscar-nominated documentary by Ukrainian journalist Mstyslav Chernov that depicts the atrocities of the Russia-Ukraine war through on-the-ground footage and harrowing accounts of civilians. Finally, in a new oral history of the Village Voice, entitled The Freaks Came Out to Write: The Definitive History of the Village Voice, the Radical Paper That Changed American Culture, author Tricia Romano tells the iconic alt-weekly newspaper's history through 200 interviews with its legendary writers, editors, and photographers. We discuss. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, we share an impromptu conversation between the hosts and Wesley Morris. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Outro music: "Zero Gravity" by ELFL Endorsements: Cameron: Longtime Culture Gabfest producer, Cameron Drews, is moving onto his next project but came on one last time to endorse! He endorses movie theater subscriptions and is a big fan of Alamo Drafthouse's season pass. Dana: The Criterion Channel's new “Gothic Noir” series. Julia: An algorithm-recommended bop, UNTZ UNTZ by Inji. Steve: The Milk Carton Kids' cover of Pink Floyd's “Wish You Were Here” and a performance of their song, “All of the Time in the World to Kill,” featuring some lovely on-stage banter. Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, the panel begins by dissecting Mr. & Mrs. Smith, the episodic remake of Brangelina's 2005 espionage film. The Prime Video series stars Donald Glover and Maya Erskine as the titular Smiths, spies who become “married” as a part of the job, and explores partnership in the gig economy in a quieter, smaller, and less glamorous version of the original. Then, they review The Color Purple, a movie-musical adapted from Alice Walker's seminal novel. The film stars Fantasia Barrino and Taraji P. Henson, as well as Danielle Brooks, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Sofia. Finally, it's the viral scam that rocked the internet: “The Day I Put $50,000 in a Shoe Box and Handed It to a Stranger” is a first-hand account written by The Cut's financial-advice columnist, Charlotte Cowles, about the time she fell for an Amazon scam call. Our panel reviews the piece and explores its ethics. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Julia discusses her big life changes, including a new fellowship at USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Outro music: “Pull Me Out” by Mike Stringer Endorsements: Dana: Dance Life on Prime Video, a five-episode series that follows the students at Brent Street Academy, the southern hemisphere's most prestigious dance academy. Julia: The Hobonichi Techo Planner Book, a planner that's descended from the heavens. The book uses thin and light yet durable paper and employs the same thread-stitch binding as a dictionary, allowing it to lay flat open for glorious, comfortable writing. Steve: A two-part endorsement: Listen to his playlist of cover songs, Let's Dance, while making hand-made pasta with a Marcato hand-crank machine. Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, the panel begins by dissecting Mr. & Mrs. Smith, the episodic remake of Brangelina's 2005 espionage film. The Prime Video series stars Donald Glover and Maya Erskine as the titular Smiths, spies who become “married” as a part of the job, and explores partnership in the gig economy in a quieter, smaller, and less glamorous version of the original. Then, they review The Color Purple, a movie-musical adapted from Alice Walker's seminal novel. The film stars Fantasia Barrino and Taraji P. Henson, as well as Danielle Brooks, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Sofia. Finally, it's the viral scam that rocked the internet: “The Day I Put $50,000 in a Shoe Box and Handed It to a Stranger” is a first-hand account written by The Cut's financial-advice columnist, Charlotte Cowles, about the time she fell for an Amazon scam call. Our panel reviews the piece and explores its ethics. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Julia discusses her big life changes, including a new fellowship at USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Outro music: “Pull Me Out” by Mike Stringer Endorsements: Dana: Dance Life on Prime Video, a five-episode series that follows the students at Brent Street Academy, the southern hemisphere's most prestigious dance academy. Julia: The Hobonichi Techo Planner Book, a planner that's descended from the heavens. The book uses thin and light yet durable paper and employs the same thread-stitch binding as a dictionary, allowing it to lay flat open for glorious, comfortable writing. Steve: A two-part endorsement: Listen to his playlist of cover songs, Let's Dance, while making hand-made pasta with a Marcato hand-crank machine. Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, the panel returns to 1985 and reviews The Greatest Night in Pop, Netflix's star-studded documentary about how “We Are the World” (a charity single performed by USA for Africa, a supergroup comprised of the most popular artists not only of the time, but arguably, ever) came to be and the legendary night it was recorded. Although it features cameos from Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Diana Ross, Paul Simon, Tina Turner, Cyndi Lauper, and more, the documentary manages to be quite modest in its ambition. Then, the three discuss Rustin, director George C. Wolfe's biopic about Bayard Rustin, an advisor to Martin Luther King Jr. whose legacy has often been glossed over. Rustin stars a fantastic Colman Domingo as its titular lead and is a celebratory example of the importance of telling gay/queer stories with queer creatives above and below the line of production. Finally, it's the Slate True-Crime Canon! Cheyna Roth, contributor to the Canon and author of Between Two Wars: A True Crime Collection: Mysterious Disappearances, High-Profile Heists, Baffling Murders, and More joins to break down the monstrous endeavor. (Roth's other book is Cold Cases: A True Crime Collection) In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses Super Bowl LVIII and analyzes the advertisements, Usher's half-time performance, and the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce love story at the center of it all. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Outro music: "Self Made Woman" by Katharine Appleton Endorsements: Dana: Her perfect plane movie, Dumb Money, which features a superstar cast that's always in-sync. Julia: Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane, an “all-consuming tale of revenge, family love, festering hate, and insidious power, set against one of the most tumultuous episodes in Boston's history.” Steve: A liquidus piano album by Mary Lou Williams, Zodiac Suite. The 1945 album seamlessly mixes classical and jazz influences throughout 12 pieces, each named for a different astrological sign. Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, the panel returns to 1985 and reviews The Greatest Night in Pop, Netflix's star-studded documentary about how “We Are the World” (a charity single performed by USA for Africa, a supergroup comprised of the most popular artists not only of the time, but arguably, ever) came to be and the legendary night it was recorded. Although it features cameos from Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Diana Ross, Paul Simon, Tina Turner, Cyndi Lauper, and more, the documentary manages to be quite modest in its ambition. Then, the three discuss Rustin, director George C. Wolfe's biopic about Bayard Rustin, an advisor to Martin Luther King Jr. whose legacy has often been glossed over. Rustin stars a fantastic Colman Domingo as its titular lead and is a celebratory example of the importance of telling gay/queer stories with queer creatives above and below the line of production. Finally, it's the Slate True-Crime Canon! Cheyna Roth, contributor to the Canon and author of Between Two Wars: A True Crime Collection: Mysterious Disappearances, High-Profile Heists, Baffling Murders, and More joins to break down the monstrous endeavor. (Roth's other book is Cold Cases: A True Crime Collection) In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses Super Bowl LVIII and analyzes the advertisements, Usher's half-time performance, and the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce love story at the center of it all. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Outro music: "Self Made Woman" by Katharine Appleton Endorsements: Dana: Her perfect plane movie, Dumb Money, which features a superstar cast that's always in-sync. Julia: Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane, an “all-consuming tale of revenge, family love, festering hate, and insidious power, set against one of the most tumultuous episodes in Boston's history.” Steve: A liquidus piano album by Mary Lou Williams, Zodiac Suite. The 1945 album seamlessly mixes classical and jazz influences throughout 12 pieces, each named for a different astrological sign. Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. Hosts Dana Stephens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, Extreme Friends of the Pod and co-authors of The World Only Spins Forward, Isaac Butler and Dan Kois, fill in for Dana Stevens and Julia Turner. The hosts begin by dissecting The Zone of Interest, filmmaker Jonathan Glazer's audacious movie about the Holocaust that's told through the lens of Nazi commandant Rudolf Höss and his wife Hedwig as they live their somewhat ordinary lives in a compound outside of Auschwitz. The film has garnered both praise and severe critique from critics, many of whom are split on Glazer's detached aesthetic and imaginative approach to depicting genocide. The Zone of Interest has racked up five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. Then, the three dive into Nyad, the (maybe?) true story of marathon swimmer Diana Nyad, as she attempts to swim unassisted from Cuba to Florida. Annette Bening stars in the titular role alongside Jodie Foster, both of whom are up for Oscars (Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively). Finally, what is a good director, anyway? What does it look like, what does it mean, and is there a difference between producing, screenwriting, and directing – or is it some strange amalgamation of all three? These questions come from a listener, Emily, and the panel attempts to answer them. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses their film preferences while airborne, inspired by David Mack's essay for Slate, “What Makes a Perfect ‘Plane Movie'?” Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Outro music: "Pull Me Out" by Mike Stringer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, Slate culture writer Nadira Goffe and Sam Sanders, host of Vibe Check fill in for Dana Stevens and Julia Turner. The hosts begin with a subversively brilliant Oscar contender, American Fiction, which is Cord Jefferson's adaptation of Percival Everett's 2001 novel Erasure. The filmmaker's debut racked up five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and stars Jeffrey Wright as Thelonius “Monk” Ellis, a frustrated writer, in this heartfelt family melodrama encased in biting satire. (Catch Sam's conversation with Cord Jefferson here.) Then, the three tread into familiar territory and dissect In the Know, Mike Judge's (Beavis and Butthead, Silicon Valley, King of the Hill) latest show on Peacock which satirizes the world of public radio, specifically NPR, through the stop-motion animated lens of its third most-popular host, Lauren Caspian (voiced by Zach Woods). Finally, Oscar season is officially upon us, and with Oscar nominations, comes invariably, Oscar snubs. The panel explores this year's nominees, and who may or may not have gotten the short end of the stick. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses a fun interactive from The New York Times, “The Menu Trends That Define Dining Right Now.” Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Outro music: “Bloody Hunter” by Paisley Pink Endorsements: Sam: An album he loves and owns on vinyl, Chameleon (1976) by the American singing trio Labelle. It's pure R&B funk dazzle. Nadira: A threefold music endorsement: Midnight Dancer (1979) by the Philly soul group Silk, Spotify's “create radio” function, and a compilation of Barbara Ackland's greatest hits. Steve: A gorgeous, lofi home recording of Sandy Denny singing her classic, “Who Knows Where the Time Goes.” Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Kat Hong. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows. You'll also be supporting the work we do here on the Culture Gabfest. Sign up now at Slate.com/cultureplus to help support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, Jamelle Bouie (Opinion columnist at The New York Times) sits in for Julia Turner. The hosts first begin with a trip to Ennis, a fictional Alaskan town at the heart of True Detective: Night Country, and review the fourth installment of the HBO Max anthology series. There's a new showrunner at the helm, Issa López, who brings a desperately needed fresh take on the Lovecraftian True Detective format, along with the series' two leads, played by Jodie Foster and Kali Reis. Then, the three dissect Origin, director Ava DuVernay's ambitious feature film adapted from the nonfiction book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by the American journalist Isabel Wilkerson. In the film, we accompany Wilkerson (played by Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) as she develops her theory of formalized subordination based on race in America through the lens of the caste system. Finally, Pitchfork, the rockstar's digital paradise and essential music review site, announced that it would be laying off most of its senior staff and be folded into fellow Condé Nast publication, GQ. What does that mean for both Pitchfork and the future of music criticism? Slate's music critic, Carl Wilson, joins to discuss. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, it's the 25th anniversary of The Sopranos, and the panel discusses the series' incredible legacy along with what it means for the stories of Tony, Dr. Melfi, Carmela, and more, to hit a quarter of a century. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Outro music: “Ruins” by Origo. Endorsements: Dana: Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech by Brian Merchant, a nonfiction book about the “all-but-forgotten class struggle that brought nineteenth-century England to its knees.” Jamelle: G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century, historian Beverly Gage's biography of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. Steve: Two reviews of Elon Musk, Walter Isaacson's biography of the SpaceX/Tesla CEO: “Ultra Hardcore” by Ben Tarnoff for The New York Review and “Very Ordinary Men” by Sam Kriss for The Point. Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Kat Hong. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows. You'll also be supporting the work we do here on the Culture Gabfest. Sign up now at Slate.com/cultureplus to help support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week's show, Nadira Goffe sits in for Julia Turner. The hosts first begin by exploring an updated cult classic: Mean Girls, the movie musical version of the Broadway show based on the iconic 2004 film. The 2024 iteration stars Reneé Rapp as Regina George and Angourie Rice as Cady Heron. Then the three head to 17th century Edo-era Japan and review Blue Eye Samurai, an animated Netflix series about an ambiguously gendered, half-Japanese, half-white samurai (voiced by Maya Erskine) hell-bent on exacting revenge on the man responsible for their “monstrous” existence. Finally, consider the plight of January, a recent New York Times essay implores. The panel debates the merits of America's least-loved month and whether they agree with the assertion that the first 31 days of the year are the best. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discloses what books to read for self-reinvention, including Letters to a Young Poet and Nadira's favorite Toni Morrison work. The conversation is based on Chelsea Leu's piece for The Atlantic, “What to Read If You Want to Reinvent Yourself.” Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Outro music: “Lonely Calling” by Arc De Soleil Endorsements: Nadira: Embracing her tradition of endorsing music favorites, Nadira's been loving Depression Cherry by Beach House, the indie duo's 2015 studio album that's dreamy, surreal, and comforting, and Cynthia Erivo's sensational cover of “Alfie,” performed live at the Kennedy Center Honors for 2023 honoree Dionne Warwick. Dana: At the onset of every year, Dana chooses a mammoth book assignment for herself, and in 2024, that book was Middlemarch by George Eliot. She especially enjoys listening to the audiobook while hiking, which is narrated by the English actress Juliet Stevenson. Steve: Steve learned to Travis pick on the guitar! Thanks to a wonderful YouTube tutorial by Mike's Music Method for the song “Blues Run the Game” by Jackson C. Frank. (And maybe if enough listeners request it, he might perform it for us…) Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Kat Hong. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows. You'll also be supporting the work we do here on the Culture Gabfest. Sign up now at Slate.com/cultureplus to help support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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