Culture Gabfest

Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and Dana Stevens discuss the Rocky reboot Creed, the atypical Marvel TV series Jessica Jones, and whether we should regulate our internet addiction.   The Slate Culture Gabfest is brought to you by Harry's, the shaving company that offers German-engineered blades, well-designed handles, and shipping right to your door. Visit Harrys.com for $5 off your first purchase with the promo code CULTURE. And by Braintree. Looking to set up payments for your business? Braintree gives your app or website a payment solution that accepts just about every payment method with one simple integration. Plus, we’ll give you your first $50,000 in transactions fee­free. To learn more, visit BraintreePayments.com/culture. And by The Message, an original science fiction podcast from Panoply and GE Podcast Theater. All of Season 1 is available now, so listen and find out why a 70-year-old alien recording seems to be killing people. Search for The Message on iTunes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and Dan Kois discuss the film Spotlight, the Philip K. Dick novel-turned-TV show The Man in the High Castle, and a Westboro Baptist woman's Twitter conversion with author Adrian Chen.   The Slate Culture Gabfest is brought to you by Prudential’s 40/40 Vision, a multimedia microsite exploring what life—and the future—looks like to today’s 40-somethings. Hear what inspires real people, the hopes they have for tomorrow, and much more. See yourself in their stories at slate.com/4040vision/family.   And by The Message, an original science fiction podcast from Panoply and GE Podcast Theater. All of Season 1 is available now, so listen and find out why a 70-year-old alien recording seems to be killing people. Search for The Message on iTunes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Live from Town Hall in New York City, Slate's Culture Gabfest is joined by the Political Gabfest and Hang Up and Listen to discuss the growing threat of ISIS, Aziz Ansari's Master of None, and the Russian doping scandal. Plus, an interview with Hamilton cast members Leslie Odom Jr. and Daveed Diggs. The Slate Culture Gabfest is brought to you by Club W, leading the "grape to glass" wine revolution. Answer just six simple questions at ClubW.com and their algorithm will create a Palate Profile just for you. Get wine directly to your door, perfectly customized to match your taste. For 50 percent off your first order, go to ClubW.com/culture. And by The Message, a new podcast series from GE Podcast Theater. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at www.slate.com/gabfestplus. Twitter: @SlateCultFest Facebook: facebook.com/culturefest Email: culturefest@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and Dana Stevens discuss the latest Steve Jobs biopic, virtual reality and Facebook's Oculus Rift technology, and whether subtlety in art sucks.   The Slate Culture Gabfest is brought to you Club W, leading the "grape to glass" wine revolution. Answer just six simple questions at ClubW.com and their algorithm will create a Palate Profile just for you. Get wine directly to your door, perfectly customized to match your taste. For 50 percent off your first order, go to ClubW.com/culture. And by the American Heart Association, which is urging lawmakers to save physical education. The average school gets just $764 every year for phys ed. Go to heart.org/LetThemPlay to learn more and take action. And by The Message, a new podcast series from GE Podcast Theater. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stephen Metcalf and Dana Stevens discuss the career of Elvis Costello on the heels of his recent memoir, "Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink" with Slate's Carl Wilson, Drake's viral Hotline Bling video with Slate's Leon Neyfakh, and Adele's anticipated album 25 with Slate's Chris Molanphy.   The Slate Culture Gabfest is brought to you by Harry's, the shaving company that offers German-engineered blades, well-designed handles, and shipping right to your door. Visit Harrys.com for $5 off your first purchase with the promo code CULTURE. And by Braintree. Looking to set up payments for your business? Braintree gives your app or website a payment solution that accepts just about every payment method with one simple integration. Plus, we’ll give you your first $50,000 in transactions fee­free. To learn more, visit BraintreePayments.com/culture. And by the American Heart Association, which is urging lawmakers to save physical education. The average school gets just $764 every year for Physical Education. Go to heart.org/LetThemPlay to learn more and take action. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and Dana Stevens discuss CW's musical comedy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, whether NASA has discussed a super alien race with Slate's Bad Astronomer Phil Plait, and the digitally annotated Bartleby the Scrivener with Slate's Andrew Kahn.   The Slate Culture Gabfest is brought to you by Prudential’s 40/40 Vision, a multimedia microsite exploring what life—and the future—looks like to today’s 40-somethings. Hear what inspires real people, the hopes they have for tomorrow, and much more. See yourself in their stories at slate.com/4040vision/family. And by Club W, leading the "grape to glass" wine revolution. Answer just six simple questions at ClubW.com and their algorithm will create a Palate Profile just for you. Get wine directly to your door, perfectly customized to match your taste. For 50 percent off your first order, go to ClubW.com/culture. And by The Message, a new podcast series from GE Podcast Theater. Subscribe to "The Message" here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Laura Miller discuss Spielberg's Cold War Movie "Bridge of Spies," Kathryn Schultz’s recent New Yorker takedown of Henry David Thoreau, and whether the lecture still has a place in the college classroom.   The Slate Culture Gabfest is brought to you by Club W, leading the "grape to glass" wine revolution. Answer just six simple questions at ClubW.com and their algorithm will create a Palate Profile just for you. Get wine directly to your door, perfectly customized to match your taste. For 50 percent off your first order, go to ClubW.com/culture. And by the Great Courses, offering a series of lectures about food, including Essential Secrets of Spices in Cooking, Making Healthy Food Taste Great, Baking Pastries and Desserts, and Making Great Meals in Less Time. Order any one of these Everyday Gourmet courses for only $9.95 for a limited time at TheGreatCourses.com/culture. And by The Message, a new podcast series from GE Podcast Theater. Subscribe to "The Message" here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and Dana Stevens discuss Rahmin Bahrani's latest film 99 Homes, our identity obsession with Wesley Morris, and Dana Stevens's travelogue meditation about her recent trip to Japan.   The Slate Culture Gabfest is brought to you by Whispersync for Voice, an Amazon and Audible innovation. Add narration to more than 60,000 Kindle bestsellers and popular titles. Read on your tablet and when it's time to go, pick up where you left off by switching to audio and listening on your phone. Learn more about Whispersync for Voice by visiting amazon.com/culturefest. And by Beech Nut Organics. At Beech Nut, homemade is their inspiration. It’s not baby food. It’s real food for babies—real organic fruits and vegetables, and nothing more. Nobody else makes food for babies this way! Beech Nut Organics are now available at Target. Go to BeechNutGabFest.com and enter to win a year's worth of food. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and Dana Stevens discuss the blockbuster science movie The Martian, Fox's standout fall TV show The Grinder, and whether Hamlet is fat. The Slate Culture Gabfest is brought to you by Braintree. Looking to set up payments for your business? Braintree gives your app or website a payment solution that accepts just about every payment method with one simple integration. Plus, we’ll give you your first $50,000 in transactions fee­ free. To learn more, visit BraintreePayments.com/culture. And by Beech Nut Organics. At Beech Nut, homemade is their inspiration. It’s not baby food. It’s real food for babies—real organic fruits and vegetables, and nothing more. Nobody else makes food for babies this way. Beech Nut Organics are now available at Target. Go to BeechNutGabFest.com and enter to win a year’s worth of food. And by the Great Courses, offering a series of lectures about food, including Essential Secrets of Spices in Cooking, Making Healthy Food Taste Great, Baking Pastries and Desserts, and Making Great Meals in Less Time. Order any one of these Everyday Gourmet courses for only $9.95 for a limited time at TheGreatCourses.com/culture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and Dana Stevens discuss ABC's How To Get Away Murder with Slate's TV critic Willa Paskin. Plus, we're joined by Jody Rosen, the critic at large for "T" the style magazine of The New York Times, to talk about Ryan Adams and his cover of Taylor Swift's "1989" album. And Dan Pashman, former Gabfest producer and current host of WNYC's The Sporkful, chimes in to chat pumpkin spice lattes. The Slate Culture Gabfest is brought to you by OPEN ACCOUNT, a podcast series created by SuChin Pak and Umpqua Bank. OPEN ACCOUNT explores, through honest and sometimes comical interviews, our uncomfortable silence around money. OPEN ACCOUNT is available now on iTunes. And by Beech Nut Organics. At Beech Nut, homemade is their inspiration. It’s not baby food. It’s real food for babies—real organic fruits and vegetables, and nothing more. Nobody else makes food for babies this way! Beech Nut Organics are now available at Target.  Go to BeechNutGabFest.com and enter to win a year’s worth of food. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices