Slate Culture Feed

This week Steve, Dana, and Julia discuss the Netflix film Stowaway with Slate book and culture columnist Laura Miller. Then the panel dives into the French dramedy Call My Agent! with New Yorker staff writer Lauren Collins. Finally, the group discusses the social realities and challenges of the CDC’s new guidelines on masking outdoors.In Slate Plus, the hosts discuss the ending to Stowaway and other spoilers from the film.Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Rachael Allen.Email the hosts at culturefest@slate.comEndorsementsDana: You Must Remember This podcast and Jacques d’Amboise, specifically Jacques d’Amboise in ChinaJulia: The Mirage FactorySteve: “The Abiding Scandal of College Admissions” by Matt Feeney in the Chronicle of Higher EducationFurther Reading“'Dix pour cent’: les agents et leurs doubles” by Benjamin Locoge in Paris Match“Fanny Herrero, créatrice de ‘Dix pour cent’: ‘Mon rêve est de faire une série d’auteur populaire’” in Les InrockuptiblesOutro Music"Go slow" by Daniel FridellSlate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and a bonus segment in each episode of the Culture Gabfest. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s episode, Madison and Rachelle answer a couple of listener questions in a new segment we’re calling Read Receipts. First, they explore the origins of the “this shit bussin’—sheesh” meme that’s all over TikTok and why teens are getting their parents to do it. Then Rachelle digs into the drama currently embroiling the fan-fiction website Archive of Our Own, explaining whether the nonprofit’s latest fundraising drive is a scam (it’s not), and why the site both is and isn’t a safe haven for marginalized fans. If you'd like to read more about Sexy Times With Wangxian you can do that here.Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John.Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Sign up to become a Slate Plus member for just $1 for your first month. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin welcome a trio of guests. Master Tesfatsion of Bleacher Report discusses the NFL draft. Ben Lindbergh of the Ringer explains why moving back the pitcher’s mound could boost Major League Baseball’s anemic offenses. And Rebecca Schuman talks about the leotard, the unitard, and the sexualization of female gymnasts. NFL draft (3:06): Five quarterbacks got picked in the first round. No one really knows if they’ll succeed. Baseball (26:09): A minor league is moving the mound back one foot. Will the majors try it next? Gymnastics (48:48): Why it’s revolutionary that a trio of German women have ditched the leotard. Afterball (01:06:26): Joel on why high school sports matter, especially for transgender athletes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison explain the controversy surrounding an NFT of Chadwick Boseman’s head that was connected to, but not sanctioned by, the Oscars. Then they run through a series of High-Speed Downloads covering why Ryan Gosling trended last weekend, Mark Zuckerberg’s sunscreen photo, a flash of TikTok drama involving Doja Cat, and the celebration of Ed Balls Day.Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John.Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Sign up to become a Slate Plus member for just $1 for your first month. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Part 2 of this episode of Hit Parade, Chris Molanphy continues his analysis of Taylor: the country years, dissecting how she gradually, step by step, became the new queen of pop one irresistible song at a time. She went from interviewing bigger stars on MTV’s red carpet one year, to being the talk of the Video Music Awards the next—even before Kanye took that microphone away from her. He told Taylor he would let her finish, but the game was already over. Swift had the most played song in the USA. Podcast production by Asha Saluja, with help from Rosemary Belson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Making a guest mad about money. Getting called out. Digging into my own beliefs about monogamy. These are the hardest conversations I've had here on the show, as a podcast host, parent and partner. Hear more of the interviews we excerpted in today's episode: My Awkward Money Talk With Sallie KrawcheckWhy She Steals: Your ReactionsThe Sex Worker Next DoorChaz Ebert On Life Without RogerA Son and His Mom Laugh Through Darkness (featuring Bex Montz and Katie Ryan)A Son, A Mother And Two Gun Crimes (featuring Dwayne Betts and Gloria Hill)Dan Savage Says Cheating Happens. And That's OK.We're still collecting your stories about the hardest conversations you've ever had. Send us a a voice memo or an email: deathsexmoney@wnyc.org. Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Support our work at deathsexmoney.org/donate. And sign up for our newsletter and we'll keep you up to date about what's happening behind the scenes at Death, Sex & Money. Plus, we'll send you audio recommendations, letters from our inbox and a note from Anna. Join the Death, Sex & Money community and subscribe today.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Steve, Dana, and Julia discuss the Oscars in a pandemic year. Then the panel dives into the Bob Odenkirk action flick Nobody. Finally, the group discusses the allegations of workplace harassment against the producer Scott Rudin, as first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.In Slate Plus, the panel talks about the fallout surrounding sexual assault allegations against Blake Bailey, who published a biography of Phillip Roth earlier this month.Podcast production by Cameron Drews and Jasmine Ellis. Production assistance by Rachael Allen.Email the hosts at culturefest@slate.comEndorsementsDana: Call My Agent! and the accompanying French podcastJulia: Sheet-Pan Sausages and Brussel Sprouts With Honey Mustard recipe from the New York TimesSteve: Sturgill Simpson, specifically his NPR Tiny Desk concert and “The Woman Who Shattered the Myth of the Free Market” by Zachary D. Carter in the New York Times Further Reading “Scott Rudin, As Told by His Assistants” by Anne Victoria Clark, Jackson McHenry, Lila Shapiro, Gazelle Emami, Helen Shaw, Tara Abell, Nate Jones, E. Alex Jung, and Megh Wright in Vulture Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Madison and Rachelle pour one out for Yahoo Answers. To remember the site’s important place in internet history, they’re joined by J.T. Sexkik, the creator of the infamous video “How Is Prangent Formed.” They talk to him about his earliest memories of the question-and-answer forum, its wildest moments, and what the internet is losing with its demise. Plus, we exorcise our IKEA shopping demons with a little help from TikTok comic Scott Seiss.Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John.Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Sign up to become a Slate Plus member for just $1 for your first month. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Tariq Panja of the New York Times to discuss European soccer’s Super League fiasco. Stefan, Josh, and Joel Anderson then talk about Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry’s absurd month. Plus, an interview with researcher Joanna Harper about transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports. Super League (2:11): Why did it implode? What comes next? Stephen Curry (26:04): Assessing one of the most incredible months in the history of the NBA. Joanna Harper (43:45): An interview with the transgender runner and researcher about the science, politics, and culture war around trans girls and women in sports. Afterball (63:34): Josh on the many grudges of new LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey.Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Podcast production by Margaret Kelley Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, Madison and Rachelle discuss how the phrase “body positivity” has lost all meaning. They talk about how the body-positivity movement started as a way to advocate for fat acceptance, including with respect to such tangible issues as healthcare and employment, but how the phrase has been co-opted into memeable soundbites on TikTok and Instagram that serve no real purpose beyond gaining likes and follows. (At least Lizzo gets it.) They also share how an excessive focus on body-consciousness has followed them their whole lives, and examine why the recent focus on “body positivity” on social media has distracted from actual issues. Plus, they run down what happened with Demi Lovato and that frozen yogurt shop.Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John.Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Sign up to become a Slate Plus member for just $1 for your first month. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.