It's Been a Minute

For the millions of Americans that celebrate Thanksgiving, it's a time when a lot of us reflect on the things and the people in our lives that we appreciate. But according to Dr. Laurie Santos, psychology professor at Yale and host of the podcast, The Happiness Lab, a practice of gratitude can improve our lives year-round. Host Brittany Luse chats with Dr. Santos about the surprising science of how gratitude can affect our brains — and how it leads us to be more generous with our future selves.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

As many male rappers seem to become more depressed or vindictive in their lyrics, the women of rap appear to be having all the fun. One show that captures this moment is Rap Sh!t on Max. Brittany sits down with the showrunner and writer, Syreeta Singleton. They discuss the complexities of navigating the rap game as a Black woman, the new social media landscape, and how rap and Rap Sh!t approach sexuality. Then, a conversation with Andre 3000. After 17 years, the rapper, producer, and instrumentalist is back with a new album, New Blue Sun. Notably, this album has no rapping and focuses on the artists passion for the flute. In honor of the occasion, host Brittany Luse passes the mic to NPR colleague and host, Rodney Carmichael. In this excerpt of their hour long interview, Rodney and Andre retrace the artist's journey from rapper to flautist, the beauty of aging, and why there should be more celebration in death.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon is everything an Oscar contender might be - long, epic, morally complicated and expensive. Yet, while many movie-goers left theaters moved, others called the film a problematic disaster. Today on the show, we hear what the movie got wrong and how it fits into a broader history of Native Americans on screen. To unpack this, Brittany Luse is joined by Robert Warrior, a literature and professor and an Osage Nation citizen, Liza Black, a Native American and Indigenous Studies professor and Cherokee Nation citizen, and Nancy Marie Mithlo, a gender studies professor and Fort Sill Chiricahua Warm Springs Apache citizen.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The season of the celebrity memoir is upon us. In just the past few months Britney Spears, Jada Pinkett Smith, Kerry Washington, and more have showered us with bombshells and revelations about their origin stories and private lives. Despite those heavy hitters and the crowded field they occupy, the celebrity memoir our host Brittany Luse coveted most is that of the singular Ms. Barbra Streisand. Brittany sits down with Barbra to talk about her new memoir, My Name is Barbra, her struggle to take creative control of her work, and what legacy she wants to leave behind.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Exploring recent closures and controversies in the restaurant industry, rise of TikTok food critic Keith Lee and effects on restaurants, popularity of fancy burgers and fried chicken, significance of food trends and restaurant closures reflecting economic and cultural factors, analysis of restaurant trends and strategies.

The podcast discusses the allure of period dramas like 'The Gilded Age' and how they romanticize history. They also critique the show for its racial microaggression and lack of historical accuracy. The representation of black characters in the show is explored, comparing it to British adaptations. The chapter also touches on the similarities between gothic stories and Gilded Age viewers.

It's a big week for fans of reality TV - it's Bravocon 2023. This year it's in Las Vegas – and while we couldn't make it to Vegas, we're revisiting what we learned from last year's Bravocon in New York. Host Brittany Luse and producer Liam McBain talked to fans, a producer, an academic and the Housewives themselves to understand what makes The Real Housewives peak culture – as in the #1 topic in the group chat – for so many people.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Britney Spears just released one of the most hotly anticipated celebrity memoirs of the year, The Woman In Me. The book details her meteoric rise to fame, her family history, and her 13 year-long conservatorship. This week, host Britney Luse talks to the two best people to break it all down: Claire Parker and Ashley Hamilton, comedians and co-hosts of the Celebrity Memoir Book Club podcast. Together they look at what the princess of pop is trying to tell us, how she contextualizes her own story and how she doesn't seem to implicate the audience in her abuse.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Halloween is upon us — and it's the season for horror movies. Host Brittany Luse is a HUGE horror girlie, but loving horror also means critiquing it. Today, we're breaking down two major figures in horror: the final girl and the horny hag. First, Brittany chats with Dr. Kinitra Brooks, Audrey and John Leslie Endowed Chair of Literary Studies at Michigan State University, about what it means when the final girl is a Black woman. And later, Brittany is joined by horror author and film critic Gretchen Felker-Martin to discuss what's behind the horny hags in movies like X and Barbarian — and what that trope tells us about how we feel about older women in our society.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The podcast discusses the spread of misinformation during the Israel-Hamas conflict and criticizes celebrities and corporations for their uninformed comments. They explore the impact of social media on communication systems and analyze the changes made by Elon Musk on Twitter. The podcast also delves into the lasting legacy of Tupac Shakur and his continued influence on younger generations.