Culture Gabfest

This week on the Culture Gabfest, Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner dive into Honeyland, Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov’s Academy Award-nominated documentary following a beekeeper in Macedonia. Next, they chat about Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time. Finally, Slate’s Laura Miller joins the panel to discuss Jia Tolentino’s Trick Mirror and the role—and critiques—of the modern female essayist. On the Slate Plus segment this week, the panel discusses Oscar nominations.   Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Production assistance by Rachael Allen. Outro Music: The Futureheads’ cover of Kate Bush’s “Hounds of Love.” Hosts Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner Endorsements Dana:  Jia Tolentino’s Trick Mirror audiobook.  Julia:  Jenny Odell’s How to Do Nothing.  Steve:  Ian Rankin’s “Inspector Rebus” book series. The Futureheads’ cover of Kate Bush’s “Hounds of Love.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and June Thomas discuss Sam Mendes' film 1917, the new installment in the UP documentary series, 63 UP, and the British royal phenomenon that has become known as Megxit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Spoiler Special podcast, Slate critics discuss movies, the occasional TV show, and, once in a blue moon, another podcast, in full spoiler-filled detail. This week, Sam Adams is joined by Benjamin Frisch, Rachelle Hampton and Daniel Schroeder to discuss The Witcher, Netflix’s popular new show about a monster hunter. This show isn’t the first adaptation from Andrzej Sapkowski’s work; video games based on The Witcher have been released starting in 2007. Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill) is a monster hunter with supernatural powers. But, what exactly is a witcher? How will the Law of Surprise bring people together? Will Geralt ever find the girl in the forest who he is destined to find? And what kind of transformation comes at the cost of removing one’s womb?  You can also check out past Spoiler Specials, and you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Note: As the title indicates, spoilers galore. Email us at spoilers@slate.com. Hosts Sam Adams is a Slate senior editor and the editor of Slate’s cul

This week on the Culture Gabfest, Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner dive into Little Women, writer-director Greta Gerwig’s adaption—perhaps the best adaption yet—of Louisa May Alcott’s novel that follows the lives of the four March sisters. Next, they discuss the risky jokes, heartfelt speeches, and weird red carpet looks of this year’s Golden Globes. Finally, they chat about The Movie Club, Slate’s annual conversation among film critics led by Dana about this year in film.  On the Slate Plus segment this week, the panel spoils the ending to Little Women.  Endorsements Dana:  Atlantics, a Cannes Grand Prix-winning film by French-Senegalese director Mati Diop, streaming on Netflix. Julia:  A withdrawal of a previous endorsement—the book The Power of the Dog by Don Winslow—because of its sexist treatment of women.  The Marvel supervillain M.O.D.O.K. Steve:  The German-Austrian comedy-drama Toni Erdmann, directed, written, and co-produced by Maren Ade. Available for rent on Amazon Prime. Outro Mus

On the Spoiler Special podcast, Slate critics discuss movies, the occasional TV show, and, once in a blue moon, another podcast, in full spoiler-filled detail. This week, Sam Adams and Marissa Martinelli discuss Cats, the movie adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, which was based on poems by T.S. Eliot. Many jokes have been made about Tom Hooper’s Cats, mostly stemming from the “digital fur technology.” After the premiere, Universal Pictures released an updated version with “some improved visual effects.” But the 1981 musical wasn’t free from criticism either - yet it was still a hit. Does the movie adaptation have more of a plot? Does the star-studded cast add to the many cat introductions? Which cat at the jellicle ball will be picked for another life? And what exactly does jellicle mean?  You can read Marissa Martinelli’s review here.  You can read Dana Stevens’ review here.  You can read Violet Kim interview with Cats’ ‘feline movement expert’ here and read the investigation into how many time

Dana Stevens hosts a selection of a few of our favorite Slate Plus bonus segments, offering them to our regular listeners for the first time. You'll hear Steve, Julia and Dana talk about the new live action CATS, discuss impactful nonfiction with Slate's Laura Miller, remember critic Harold Bloom, and decipher what went wrong with Jill Abramson's Merchants of Truth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Spoiler Special podcast, Slate critics discuss movies, the occasional TV show, and, once in a blue moon, another podcast, in full spoiler-filled detail. This week, Dana Stevens and Rachel Syme discuss Little Women. Arriving just in time for Christmas, Greta Gerwig plays with the March sisters’ timeline while staying true to Amy, Jo, Beth and Meg’s adventures. Will they find their own ways? Will Jo (Saoirse Ronan) end up with Laurie (Timothée Chalamet)? What comes of Jo’s writing?  You can read Dana Stevens’ review here.  You can also check out past Spoiler Specials, and you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Note: As the title indicates, spoilers galore. Email us at spoilers@slate.com. Hosts Dana Stevens is Slate’s movie critic. Rachel Syme is a writer in Brooklyn. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner take listener call-in questions, including what books, music, and beverages they would take to a well-appointed Alpine cabin and much, much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to The Authority, Slate’s deep dive into the world(s) of HBO’s His Dark Materials. Each week, Slate’s scholars of experimental theology Dan Kois and Laura Miller discuss the new HBO series and Philip Pullman’s original trilogy. This week, they’re discussing the season finale, “Betrayal.” Plus, a closer look at New Line’s 2007 attempt to film The Golden Compass with Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig. Why did that movie fail so badly? Join the conversation: Email: asktheauthority@slate.com Dan Kois on Twitter: @dankois Laura Miller on Twitter: @magiciansbook Podcast production by Phil Surkis, with engineering assistance from Melissa Kaplan and Asha Saluja. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

OIn this special bonus episode of Outward, Bryan and a guest panel of multigenerational gay men devote a whole hour to The Inheritance, a seven-hour, two-part play by Matthew Lopez that won many awards for its recent run in London and is currently dominating discussions on Broadway. There will be spoilers! While it’s length, ambition, and engagement with the AIDS crisis have invited comparisons to Tony Kushner’s “gay fantasia on national themes” Angels in America, The Inheritance’s driving concern is a bit more personal: If gay men think of ourselves as a community spanning generations, what happens when a huge swath of that community is lost to plague, the survivors deeply traumatized, and younger cohorts must therefore come of age and figure out what it means to be gay in the wake of a tragedy that shapes everything around us? Borrowing a line from E.M. Forester’s Howard’s End, on which the play is based, The Inheritance desperately wants gay men to “connect” across age and loss — but is that kind of connec

Music fans in 2019 are gobsmacked that the No. 1 song in America is not only a Christmas song but a 25-year-old recording: Mariah Carey’s holiday perennial “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Even more amazingly, it’s the first Christmas song to top Billboard’s Hot 100 in 61 years, since “The Chipmunk Song” in December 1958. This leads to so many “whys”: Why were there no Christmas No. 1s for six decades? Why didn’t ’60s, ’70s and ’80s holiday classics like “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” “Feliz Navidad” and “Last Christmas” become Hot 100 hits? Why did Carey’s classic not chart in 1994, when it was released—and why did it only start charting in the 2010s and seem to get more popular every year this decade? In this special holiday edition of Hit Parade we answer all of these questions, and explain how virtually everything had to change about the music business for Mariah’s Christmas chestnut to reach No. 1: from Billboard chart rules, to digital music technologies, to even the tragic passing of a fellow m

On the Spoiler Special podcast, Slate critics discuss movies, the occasional TV show, and, once in a blue moon, another podcast, in full spoiler-filled detail. This week, Dana Stevens is joined by Forrest Wickman, Sam Adams and Marissa Martinelli to discuss Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Director J.J. Abrams seemed committed to fan service; even if it made the final episode of the Skywalker saga worthy of some eyerolls. Well, committed to fans - except those shipping Poe and Finn - despite the film touting the franchise's first same-sex kiss. With the final battle looming, will Rey discover who she really is? Will she be persuaded by Kylo Ren to join the dark side? Or will they join forces? And how does ‘forcetiming’ play into all of this?    You can read Sam Adams’ review here.  You can also check out past Spoiler Specials, and you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Note: As the title indicates, spoilers galore. Email us at spoilers@slate.com. Hosts Dana Stevens is Slate’s movie critic.

What a year 2019 has been! After a 9-month hiatus, Thirst Aid Kit found a new home at Slate and we had much to catch up on— so much so that we weren’t able to get to as many listener-submitted drabbles or Thirst Sommelier requests as we wanted. In this episode, we correct that oversight by answering some questions from our tumblr page, helping a couple of Thirst Buckets find a new Nick Miller from New Girl and a new Nicholas Braun (aka Cousin Greg of Succession) to crush on, and by reading some drabbles about Chris Evans, Frank Ocean, and Chris Pang. We also highlight some key moments in thirst: Manny Jacinto’s infamous jawline, Keanu Reeves’ Renaissance, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s everything, Chris Evans’ knitwear in Knives Out, plus Adam Driver and Harry Styles. Thank you to all of our listeners, old and new, for lusting out loud with us. We’ll be back in the new year, and until then, stay thirsty!  Follow us on Twitter @ThirstAidKit. Bim is @bimadew and Nichole is @tnwhiskeywoman. Our music is by Tanya Morgan

Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner talk to TV critic Willa Paskin about the state of the medium, discuss Mariah Carey's surprise Christmas number one hit, and discuss the Peloton ad that has the internet atwitter. This episode is brought to you by Everlane. Check out your personalized collection today at everlane.com/culture.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to The Authority, Slate’s deep dive into the world(s) of HBO’s His Dark Materials. Each week, Slate’s scholars of experimental theology Dan Kois and Laura Miller discuss the new HBO series and Philip Pullman’s original trilogy. This week, they’re discussing episode 7, “The Fight To The Death,” in which Lyra travels to Svalbard and meets lofur Raknison, the ruler of the panserbjørne. Join the conversation: Email: asktheauthority@slate.com Dan Kois on Twitter: @dankois Laura Miller on Twitter: @magiciansbook Podcast production by Phil Surkis, with engineering assistance from Melissa Kaplan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Spoiler Special podcast, Slate critics discuss movies, the occasional TV show, and, once in a blue moon, another podcast, in full spoiler-filled detail. This week, Dana Stevens, Jeffrey Bloomer and Heather Schwedel discuss Uncut Gems.  Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler), owner of a small jewelry store in Manhattan, racked up a gambling debt while the rest of his life is collapsing. He’s trying to avoid creditors when his shop receives an illegal gem from Ethiopia. This rock, Ratner thinks, is his ticket out of debt. He temporarily trades Kevin Garnett, of the Boston Celtics, the rock for Garnett’s NBA Championship. Ratner pawns the ring to bet on the championship game. Will The Celtics win? Will Garnett get his ring back? Will Ratner finally get out of debt?   You can read Dana Stevens’ review here.  You can also check out past Spoiler Specials, and you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Note: As the title indicates, spoilers galore. Email us at spoilers@slate.com. Podcast Production by Rose

Does Randall Park know what he does to us? We only ask because whether it’s performing a classic prank as Asian Jim on The Office or punching Keanu Reeves in Always Be My Maybe, Randall keeps showing us he’s one to watch, whether on network TV, in lesser known indie films, or in superhero franchises. He’s an “overnight” success only if you typically sleep for 15 years a night — and the result is he leaves his fingerprint on every script he touches. Plus he’s got the cutest smile, the warmest eyes, and that low key ‘grown man heat’ we’ll never get tired of. PS: Get ready for Fanfic Wars. This one’s a banger. You’ve been warned!  Follow us on Twitter @ThirstAidKit. Bim is @bimadew and Nichole is @tnwhiskeywoman. Our music is by Tanya Morgan. You can find show notes, gifs and so much more on our Tumblr at thirstaidkitpodcast.tumblr.com. You can make use of our Thirst Sommelier service by calling and leaving a BRIEF message at (510) 984 4778. That’s (510) 9-THIRST. We also love fanfic — send us your drabbles (alo

Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner discuss The Marriage Story, speak with author Simon Doonan about the death of the department store window display, and debate whether social media killed our sense of time - and the 2010s as a decade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to The Authority, Slate’s deep dive into the world(s) of HBO’s His Dark Materials. Each week, Slate’s scholars of experimental theology Dan Kois and Laura Miller discuss the new HBO series and Philip Pullman’s original trilogy. This week, they’re discussing episode 6, “The Daemon-Cages”, in which Lyra sees firsthand what they’re up to at Bolvanger. Plus: a closer look at intercision. Join the conversation: Email: asktheauthority@slate.com Dan Kois on Twitter: @dankois Laura Miller on Twitter: @magiciansbook Podcast production by Phil Surkis, with engineering assistance from Rosemary Belson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nick Spark fell down a rabbit hole tracking down the origins of Murphy’s Law, the ubiquitous phrase that says “If it can go wrong, it will go wrong”. On this episode of Decoder Ring, we follow Nick on his journey while taking a few detours of our own to find out how Murphy’s Law was [maybe] born out of the rocket sled experiments of the dawning jet age. We talk to Nick, hear some of the recordings he collected during his own research, plus talk to researchers who are skeptical of Nick’s hypothesis, all to try and find out how an obscure engineering aphorism spread to world-conquering philosophical observation.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices