Culture Gabfest

This week Steve and Dana are joined by Slate senior editor Allegra Frank. First the hosts discuss the Oscar contender Judas and the Black Messiah and the performances of its two stars, Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield. Then pop critic and UVA professor Jack Hamilton joins the show to offer his thoughts on Tina, the new documentary about the life of rock n' roll icon Tina Turner. After that, the hosts talk to Slate writer Rebecca Onion about her re-examination of The Beauty Myth, a modern feminist classic with an increasingly controversial author.In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Steve, Dana, and Allegra talk about being evangelists for the art they like and discuss whether pushing your cultural taste on other people is a good or bad practice.Outro music: "Death Dance" by LuftmenschPodcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Rachael Allen.Email the hosts at culturefest@slate.comEndorsements:Dana: This unusual and excellent bottle of white wine called La ForadadaAllegra: Worn StoriesSteve: Call My Agent! and the band Life Without BuildingsSlate Plus members get a bonus segment in each episode of the Culture Gabfest and access to exclusive shows like Dana Stevens’ classic movies podcast Flashback. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Steve, Dana, and Julia discuss the film The Father, starring Anthony Hopkins. Next, the group is joined by Slate television critic Willa Paskin to talk about The Real World Homecoming: New York. Finally, the panel dives into the new secrets revealed by a Philip Roth biography.In Slate Plus, Steve and Julia chat with Willa about the books, movies, or shows they've changed their minds about.Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Rachael Allen.Email the hosts at culturefest@slate.comEndorsementsDana: Bertrand Tavernier’s My Journey Through French CinemaJulia: Her recent roadrunner sighting, the Atlantic podcast Floodlines, and I Capture the CastleSteve: The Simpletons and Call My Agent!Slate Plus members get a bonus segment in each episode of the Culture Gabfest and access to exclusive shows like Dana Stevens’ classic movies podcast Flashback. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Steve, Dana, and Julia discuss the Oscar-nominated Danish film Another Round. Next, the group is joined by Dan Pashman, host of the Sporkful podcast, to discuss his journey to invent a brand-new pasta shape. Finally, the panel is joined by Carolina Miranda of the LA Times to discuss museums “deaccessioning” art.In Slate Plus, the hosts discuss what favorite works for children they discovered as grown-ups.Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Rachael Allen.Email the hosts at culturefest@slate.comSlate Plus members get a bonus segment in each episode of the Culture Gabfest and access to exclusive shows like Dana Stevens’ classic movies podcast Flashback. Sign up now to listen and support our work.EndorsementsDana: The Flashback archiveJulia: “A guide to hiking in L.A.” in the LA TimesSteve: “With You” by Teenage Fanclub Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Steve and Dana are joined by Slate editor Allegra Frank. First, they discuss Coming 2 America, the sequel to the 1988 film Coming to America starring Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall Next, they chat about the Pedro Almodóvar short The Human Voice and discuss how it compares to other Almodóvar works. Finally, they’re joined by Slate staff writer Aaron Mak to talk about NFT's (non-fungible tokens), the new digital certificates of "ownership" that are changing the way people buy art.In Slate Plus, the panel talks about their feelings on re-entering society post-pandemic.Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Rachael Allen.Email the hosts at culturefest@slate.comOutro Music: "Break The Line" by Coma SvenssonSlate Plus members get a bonus segment in each episode of the Culture Gabfest and access to exclusive shows like Dana Stevens’ classic movies podcast Flashback. Sign up now to listen and support our work.Further reading:“Coming 2 America’s Disastrous Return to Africa” by Allegra Frank in Slate“What the Heck Are NFTs, and Why Are Grimes, Lindsay Lohan, and the Guy Who Made Nyan Cat Selling Them?” by Aaron Mak in SlateEndorsementsDana:“Repeat After Me” by June Thomas in Slate “Talk To Her, All About My Mother, Broken Embraces …” by June Thomas in Slate This radish recipe Allegra: The Real World Homecoming: New York and the original. “i drive me mad” by renforshort, as heard on Generation Steve: “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” by Saint Etienne"Cherry Wine" by Hozier"Shrike" by Hozier Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Steve, Dana, and Julia are joined by Slate’s executive producer of podcasts Alicia Montgomery for a segment about Oprah’s widely viewed interview with Meghan and Harry. Then the hosts discuss the ever-growing popularity of Stanley Tucci, from his viral cocktail videos to his CNN show Searching for Italy to his new movie Supernova. Finally, the group talks about the discontinuation of six Dr. Seuss books.Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Rachael Allen.Email the hosts at culturefest@slate.comOutro Music: "Bring My Friends" by Tigerblood JewelSlate Plus members get a bonus segment in each episode of the Culture Gabfest and access to exclusive shows like Dana Stevens’ classic movies podcast Flashback. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Steve and Dana talk to Slate senior editor Sam Adams about the HBO documentary Allen v. Farrow, which examines the legal battle between Woody Allen and Mia Farrow in the early 90's and the sexual assault allegations at the heart of it. Then Steve, Dana, and Julia talk about the Golden Globes and a report by the LA Times that revealed dubious spending practices by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (the group behind the Globes) and a lack of diversity in its ranks. After that, University of Pennsylvania English professor Alan Filreis joins the show to talk about the poet, activist, and bookstore owner Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who recently passed away.In Slate Plus, the hosts discuss the new gender-neutral rebranding of Mr. Potato Head and the reaction from right-wing pundits. Send us your questions and topic suggestions at culturefest@slate.com.Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Rachael Allen.Outro Music: "Mother" by The Big Let DownSlate Plus members get a bonus segment in each episode of the Culture Gabfest and access to exclusive shows like Dana Stevens’ classic movies podcast Flashback. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Steve, Dana, and Julia talk about Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland. Next, they dig into their obsession with the New York Times’s Spelling Bee puzzle and interview its creator, 24-year-old Sam Ezersky. Finally, they discuss group chats in light of Heidi Cruz’s recent troubles with the forum.In Slate Plus, the hosts discuss a piece of culture that they used to love and are now done with? Thanks to listener James Callan. Send us your questions and topic suggestions at culturefest@slate.com.Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Rachael Allen.Outro Music: "Back to Silence" by OTESlate Plus members get a bonus segment in each episode of the Culture Gabfest and access to exclusive shows like Dana Stevens’ classic movies podcast Flashback. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Steve and Dana are joined by Jessica Winter, editor at the New Yorker and author of the upcoming novel, The Fourth Child. They kick off the show by discussing Saint Maud, the critically acclaimed horror film by Rose Glass. Then they dig into the #FreeBritney movement and dissect a televised documentary by the New York Times that covers Britney Spears' legal battle with her father. After that, Slate's pop music expert Chris Molanphy joins the show to discuss Olivia Rodrigo's hit song Drivers License, which shot to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Chris is the host of the Hit Parade podcast.In Slate Plus, Julia joins Steve and Dana to talk about the Gina Carano controversy and weigh in on whether her firing from The Mandalorian was justified.Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Rachael Allen.Email the hosts at culturefest@slate.comSlate Plus members get a bonus segment in each episode of the Culture Gabfest and access to exclusive shows like Dana Stevens’ classic movies podcast Flashback. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steve, Dana, and Julia kick things off by discussing Minari, the semi-autobiographical movie by the filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung that focuses on a Korean family trying to build a life for themselves in rural Arkansas. After that, New York Magazine writer Mark Harris joins the show to to talk about his new biography of the director Mike Nichols. Then the hosts pick apart the latest Chrissy Teigan controversy and offer opinions about wealth, celebrity, and privilege during the pandemic.In Slate Plus, the hosts remember the actor Christopher Plummer who passed away last week at age 91.Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Rachael Allen.Slate Plus members get a bonus segment in each episode of the Culture Gabfest and access to exclusive shows like Dana Stevens’ classic movies podcast Flashback. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stephen, Dana, and Julia begin this week's show by talking about Locked Down, the rom-com heist movie starring Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor that's set during the early days of the pandemic. Then they discuss Derek DelGaudio's In & Of Itself, a Frank Oz directed stage performance that's part magic show and part meditation on personal identity. The filmed version is now available to stream on Hulu. For their third segment the hosts weigh in on a controversy in the film criticism world about a review of the movie Promising Young Woman, which they talked about in last week's show.In Slate Plus, the hosts chat about the pandemic's affect on casual friendships. Their inspiration was Amanda Mull's article in The Atlantic, titled The Pandemic Has Erased Entire Categories of Friendship.Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Rachael Allen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices