Slate Culture Feed

On today’s episode, Rachelle Hampton is is joined by NBC’s Morgan Sung to talk about how she lives online as an internet culture reporter. They talk about early internet loves like Avatar: The Last Airbender fanfiction, who Morgan thinks you need to follow on social media, and her and Rachelle’s favorite online conspiracy theories.This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Daisy Rosario.Subscribe to Slate Plus at http://slate.com/icymiplus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Isaac Butler and Dan Kois fill in for Stephen and Dana, joining to chat about Netflix’s new series, Wednesday. Then, they talk about the documentary, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed. Finally, they discuss what our Spotify Wrapped results tell us about ourselves. In Slate Plus, the panel shares a fun follow-up on one of Julia’s recent endorsements. Email us at culturefest@slate.com.EndorsementsDan: I’m endorsing a delightful book called What Artists Wear by Charlie Porter. It is exactly what it sounds like. This book really reminded me that art is work and it demands respect as a result of that, but it also reminds you that artists are often total, delightful weirdos. Julia: Somehow I didn’t yet share the song that I liked best in 2022. It’s a song I considered submitting for Summer Strut. Frankly, I’m a little bit embarrassed because it’s a song about having breasts and really enjoying having breasts. It’s “Coconuts” by Kim Petras. It’s very funny and very peppy. Isaac: I’m endorsing Connie Willis’ wonderful novel, To Say Nothing of the Dog. It is incredibly funny. The Victorian era gets satirized brilliantly. It’s just a soup-to-nuts delight. If you’re looking to have a really fun week of reading on your hands, this book is a great bet. Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Yesica Balderrama.Outro music is "Pike Place Market" by Rockin' For Decades.If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows. You’ll also be supporting the work we do here on the Culture Gabfest. Sign up now at Slate.com/cultureplus to help support our work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ross Cellino and Steve Barnes were two Buffalo-based lawyers who became the literal poster-men for personal injury advertising. They poured millions of dollars into ads that did more than just bring in clients: it turned the duo into household names and faces—at least in New York. In this episode, we’re going to look at their rise and everything that happened after. It’s a bumpy ride full of ambition, accidents and tragedy and at its center are two men who, for 25 years, wanted to be at the front of our minds when we got hurt, but who we didn’t really notice until it all fell apart. We hear from Ross Cellino, Rich Barnes, Jeremy Kutner, John Fabian Witt, Trish Rich, Ken Kaufman, Mike Breen, and David Rafailedes.  This podcast was written by Katie Shepherd. It was edited by Andrea Bruce and Willa Paskin. Decoder Ring is produced by Willa Paskin and Katie Shepherd. Derek John is Slate’s Executive Producer of narrative podcasts. Merritt Jacob is Senior Technical Director.Thank you to Rachel Strom and Meryl Scheinman, host of Prank You. If you haven’t please yet, subscribe and rate our feed in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And even better, tell your friends.If you’re a fan of the show and want to support us, consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get to listen to Decoder Ring without any ads. Their support is also crucial to our work. So please go to Slate.com/decoderplus to join Slate Plus today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin are joined by Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim to talk about journalist Grant Wahl, who died suddenly over the weekend at the age of 49. They’re also joined by the Atlantic’s Franklin Foer for a conversation about Morocco’s thrilling run to the World Cup semifinals. Finally, they discuss Brittney Griner’s long-awaited return to the United States after a prisoner swap with Russia. Grant Wahl (6:26): The life and legacy of a great journalist, mentor, and friend. Morocco (32:01): What their success means for soccer, Africa, and the Arab world. Griner (49:08): How she got released and what comes next. Afterball (1:04:31): Josh on Grant Wahl’s Sports Illustrated cover story on LeBron James. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The internet has been as wild as ever this year, delivering stories like West Elm Caleb, the Liver King, the Bridgerton musical and its legal woes, and more. On today’s episode, Rachelle Hampton is joined by Time’s Moises Mendez II and BuzzFeed’s Kelsey Weekman to talk about everything they lived through online in 2022, discussing the good, the bad, and the truly cursed.This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Daisy Rosario.Subscribe to Slate Plus at http://slate.com/icymiplus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When we first asked for your stories on estrangement, we wondered if it was like a slow pulling away, or like a flipped switch? In episode two of our three-part series, we talk to four listeners for whom estrangement might have been a long time coming, but the choice to cut ties was recent and abrupt.Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money community? Every Wednesday we send out podcast listening recommendations, fascinating letters from our inbox, and updates from the show. Sign up at deathsexmoney.org/newsletter, and follow the show on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s episode, Rachelle Hampton is joined yet again by Nadira Goffe, this time to unpack the mailbag. First they discuss the convoluted mess over a guy on TikTok named Kevin who may or may not understand what the female gaze is. Then, they talk about chili, a Brazilian puppet, and inflation in TikTok’s doubloons economy.This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Daisy Rosario.Subscribe to Slate Plus at http://slate.com/icymiplus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the Gabfest team starts by discussing Spirited, the new AppleTV+ musical comedy starring Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell. Then, they talk about comedian Matt Rogers’ new Showtime special, Have You Heard of Christmas?. Finally, a chat about the sending and receiving of holiday cards. In Slate Plus, the panel talks about when the holiday season officially begins for each of them.Email us at culturefest@slate.com.EndorsementsDana: Natalie Walker is a wonderful actress, singer, and performer. My Christmas gift to you is to send you down a rabbit hole of her work, and I suggest that you start with her performance of the song Cabaret. She was in Matt Rogers’ special but not singing or performing cabaret. (Also, listeners can learn about Dana's weeklong series in Berkeley here: https://bampfa.org/program/camera-man-buster-keaton.)Julia: About 10 years ago on the show I described my favorite childhood picture book which was long out of print. Well now for some reason the book is being republished in a new edition in the U.S. and Australia. The book is Need a House? Call Miss Mouse! and it is written by George Mendoza and illustrated by Susan Smith. I am so glad this book is going to be available. Steve: This is one of the weirder endorsements I think I’ve ever dropped. I’m endorsing Lana Del Rey. She joins a list of artists who manage to get deep, deep, deep into the weird shallows of the American character. I think there’s something special happening in her music. Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Yesica Balderrama.Outro music is "What Do You Want From Me" by OTE.If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows. You’ll also be supporting the work we do here on the Culture Gabfest. Sign up now at Slate.com/cultureplus to help support our work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We bring you a special episode from the Articles of Interest podcast hosted by Avery Trufelman about the incredible reach and adaptability of preppy clothes. It’s a story about the great modernizer of Ivy style, Ralph Lauren, and how he and his label, Polo, were themselves modernized by customers who helped push preppy in a whole new direction, from the runway to the streets. We encourage you to listen to the entire American Ivy series from Radiotopia.Articles of Interest is created by Avery Trufelman. It’s edited by Kelly Prime, mixed and mastered by Ian Coss, fact checked by Jessia Siriano, with music by Avery, Rhae Royal, Sasami, and the Beazlebubs, the Tufts University Acapella Group. Decoder Ring is produced by Willa Paskin and Katie Shepherd. We had mixing help on this episode from Sam Kim. Derek John is Slate’s Executive Producer of narrative podcasts. Merritt Jacob is Senior Technical Director.If you haven’t please yet, subscribe and rate our feed in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And even better, tell your friends.If you’re a fan of the show and want to support us, consider signing up for Slate Plus.Slate Plus members get to listen to Decoder Ring without any ads. Their support is also crucial to our work. So please go to Slate.com/decoderplus to join Slate Plus today.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Grant Wahl to discuss the U.S. loss to the Netherlands at the World Cup. Josh and Joel Anderson are then joined by Slate’s Alex Kirshner to talk about the College Football Playoff pairings and Deion Sanders’ move to Colorado. World Cup (3:43): The positives and negatives of the USMNT’s run to the round of 16. College Football Playoff (27:50): Who’s in, who’s out, and what to expect in the semifinals. Deion Sanders (49:25): Was he wrong to leave Jackson State? Afterball (1:08:47): Stefan on soccer vs. football. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.