Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em Podcast 44. Thanksgiving Blue-Plate Special!
Nancy and Sarah talk Thanksgiving turkeys — both the actual food, and the items we could do without. After killing off some sacred cows (Nancy’s looking at you, Brussel sprouts), we delve into She Said, the movie about the New York Times investigation that helped bring down Harvey Weinstein and launch #MeToo. Despite Oscar buzz and critical acclaim, the film tanked at the box office. What happened? We talk escapism, the bore of righteous cinema, and what a braver movie would have included.
Next, we turn to the young grifters among us, who sniff out exactly what we can’t resist: Saving the world! The multibillion-dollar collapse of Sam “what’s a washing machine?” Bankman-Fried and Elizabeth “I don’t blink, I really don’t!” Holmes have become riveting dramas, satisfying that need we have to see false gods brought low.
Then it’s on to our new bonus feature, a subscriber-only portion of the episode where we talk the power of the pussy, what’s in our hot boxes, and what we’re grateful for this Thanksgiving (besides stuffing), which includes you, dear listener.
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Pass the popcorn, crunch the chicarrones, and snuggle up with us when you become a free or paid subscriber.
Episode Notes:
Pie for Everyone: Recipes and Stories from Petee's Pie, New York's Best Pie Shop, new baking book that is Nancy’s obsession
“A Special Place in Hell” podcast, with Meghan Daum and Sarah Haider
Nancy’s traditional stuffing: Dry out 2 loaves of cheap white bread for a few days. Cut into cubes and toss with poultry seasoning, salt and black pepper. Melt one cup butter in the biggest pot you have, heavy bottomed preferred. Dice 2 yellow onions and a half-head of celery. Toss into the hot butter and saute, stirring occasionally to avoid scorching, until softened and with some brown bits. Add the giblets and liver, finely chopped, you’ve simmered in your turkey stock. (You did that right? If not, chicken broth works perfectly.) Some time during this process chew on the turkey neck you’ve also simmered, causing your husband every year to say, “I cannot watch you do that.” Toss the bread in the onion/celery butter, add more melted butter if it looks as though it needs it, moisten with stock or broth until it has the moistness you like, remembering that it will get moister inside the turkey. Yes, that’s right, you’re baking the turkey stuffed, don’t listen to all the health freaks, just make sure stuffing is cool before you stuff the turkey. Also make sure there’s a gigantic mound sticking out of the neck cavity. This will get deeply brown and crunchy and buttery from the basting. Cook’s prerogative to break off several hunks and eat these immediately.
She Said, by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey
“‘She Said’ Bombs: Why Aren’t Awards Season Movies Resonating With Audiences?” by Brent Lang (Variety)
“Harvey Weinstein, Convicted Rapist, Gloats Over ‘She Said’ Fizzling at Box Office,” by Elizabeth Wagmeister (Variety)
“The Plan to Make Harvey Weinstein a Hero” by Megan Garber (Atlantic)
“Former Harvey Weinstein Attorney Lisa Bloom, Angling for a Hefty Payday, Now Faces Fraud Allegations” by Lloyd Grove (The Daily Beast)
“SBF: The Virtue Was the Con” by Lane Brown (New York)
“They Lived Together, Worked Together and Lost Billions Together: Inside Sam Bankman-Fried’s Doomed FTX Empire” by WSJ staff (Wall Street Journal)
“Moynihan Taught Me,” crypto edition (Vice)
“Elizabeth Holmes Is Sentenced to More Than 11 Years for Fraud” by Erin Griffith (New York Times)
Bad Blood by John Carreyrou
“Humiliation is part of the punishment for Elizabeth Holmes” by Stephen L. Carter (Bloomberg)
Episode notes continue for our paid subscribers! Including what we’re grateful for, a discussion of pussy power, and a 1977 chanteuse in a plunging gold-sequined top. (Ed. note: Aren’t these all kind of the same thing?)
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