4min chapter

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How American Lobbyists Threaten Democracy

Fresh Air

CHAPTER

Exploring the Critique of the Star Wars Hotel and Upcoming Political Insights

This chapter explores a culture critic's analysis of the Star Wars Hotel, showcasing her mix of fandom and critical insight into Disney's ambitious venture. It also teases upcoming discussions on the 2024 presidential race and the Democratic National Convention.

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Nicholson got her online following as co-creator of an animated parody series called Friendship is Witchcraft. And on her YouTube channel, you'll find deep dives on subjects like the Vampire Diaries TV series. But these aren't as long or involved as her piece on the Star Wars Hotel. The video has proven wildly popular. At last count it had more than 9 million views. Nicholson brings the zeal of a fan to her video. She loves Star Wars. But she isn't blinded by her fandom. The video also has a lot of fun. She's a fan of the Star Wars. She a few franchise leftovers and feed them to fans at astronomical prices. Nicholson saw through the spin, and in a video that functions as a remarkable of documentary filmmaking, cultural criticism, and kooky social media performance, she lays bare Disney's half-baked idea. Above all, she knows how to tell a story. And over four entertaining hours, she reminds us of what Disney forgot. That a good story, well told, is everything. Carolina
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Miranda is a culture critic based in Los Angeles. She reviewed the spectacular failure of the Star Wars Hotel on YouTube. On tomorrow's show, as the Democratic National Convention approaches, we take stock of the historic transformation of the 2024 presidential race. We'll speak with New Yorker staff writer Evan Osnos. He's been traveling with the new Democratic ticket on its swing state tour. I hope you can join us. To keep up with what's on the show and get highlights of our interviews, follow us on Instagram at NPR Fresh Air. Fresh Air's executive producer is Danny Miller. Our technical director and engineer is Audrey Bentham. Our interviews and reviews are produced and edited by Phyllis Myers, Roberto Shorrock, Ann Marie Baldonado, Sam Brigar, Lauren Krenzold, Theresa Madden, Monique Nazareth, Susan Yakundev, and Joel Wolfram. Our digital media producers are Molly Seavey-Nesper and Sabrina Seaworth. Thea Chaloner directed today's show. For Terry Gross and Tanya Mosley, I'm Dave Davies. This
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On this week's episode of wild card musical icon, Ani DeFranco, I
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get a lot of, you know, I loved you in the nineties. You know, it's a lot of fun in the high school. You know, we're both 50. She lets me
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in on the secret to reinventing yourself when you feel stuck in a certain box. That's on the wild card podcast, the game where cards control the conversation.

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