Slate Culture Feed

This week, Dana, Julia, and Stephen begin by talking about Creed III. Then they chat about the Oscar-nominated animated short My Year of Dicks. Finally, a conversation about the history of the Oscars and their relevancy. In Slate Plus, the panel talks about the poor state of projection at movie theaters. Editor’s note: In the episode, the historian Kim Phillips-Fein is incorrectly referred to as “he” instead of “she.”Email us at culturefest@slate.com.Endorsements: Dana: Charlie Kaufman’s speech at the WGA awards. Julia: Sam Anderson’s Spirited Away to Miyazaki Land and Miyazaki’s film Kiki’s Delivery Service. Stephen: The Betrayal of Adam Smith by Kim Phillips-FeinPodcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Yesica Balderrama."You Know What I Want" by Staffan Carlen__Make an impact this Women’s History Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund girls in STEM. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by the Washington Post’s Molly Hensley-Clancy to discuss her reporting on the troubles surrounding Ja Morant. ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. also joins to talk about whether Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder will get forced out of the NFL. Finally, they speak to Slate’s Alex Kirshner about the quarterback dilemmas at the top of the NFL Draft.Morant (3:17): What comes next for the Memphis Grizzlies star?Snyder (22:07): The scandals are mounting. Will he finally get the boot?Quarterback prospects (42:07): Bryce Young, Anthony Richardson, and the Bears’ big choice at No. 1.Afterball (1:01:05): Josh on podcast ads and the National Council on Problem Gambling. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s episode, Rachelle Hampton is joined by Gita Jackson to talk about a video game that has stirred up anger across the internet, Hogwarts Legacy. They discuss the controversy surrounding it, how the game reveals so many holes in JK Rowling’s world building, and why it’s not even fun to play.Instead of playing Hogwarts Legacy, Gita’s got some recommendations.Books:Annihilation, by Jeff VanderMeerVita Nostra, by Maryna and Serhiy DyachenkoMagic for Liars, by Sarah GaileyGames:Persona 5Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s SideMagical DiaryLife Is StrangeThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildElden RingThis podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Daisy Rosario.Subscribe to Slate Plus at http://slate.com/icymiplusMake an impact this Women’s History Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund girls in STEM. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Erick Adame was a TV weatherman. Then someone sent pictures to his employer, his mother, and his boyfriend of him performing sex acts on a webcam.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.Got a story to share? Email us at deathsexmoney@wnyc.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s episode, Rachelle Hampton is joined by Time’s Moises Mendez II to talk about Selena Gomez’s internet history. They look at her early days on YouTube, discuss her tumultuous relationship with Justin Bieber, and explain why TikTok has blown up with commentary on the recent feud between Gomez and Justin’s wife, Hailey Bieber.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, Dana, Julia, and Stephen begin by talking about the return of the Starz comedy Party Down. Then they discuss Andrea Riseborough’s Oscar-nominated performance in To Leslie. Finally, NPR’s Aisha Harris joins to chat about the newest entries to the Black Film Canon; a collaboration between Slate and NPR. In Slate Plus, the panel talks about the controversial changes to Roald Dahl’s books. Email us at culturefest@slate.com.Endorsements: Dana: Nathan Hiller’s article ‘The End of the English Major’ in The New Yorker.Julia: Art But Make It Sports on InstagramStephen: ‘Are You Sure’ by Willie Nelson from The Demos Project: Volume OnePodcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Yesica Balderrama.Outro music: "Backwards" by Staffan Carlen.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.

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Joseph Goodman of AL.com to talk about the murder roiling the Alabama basketball program. They’re also joined by Jeremy Woo to discuss his Sports Illustrated cover story on French basketball phenom Victor Wembanyama. Finally, CNBC’s Alex Sherman comes on for a conversation about the death of regional sports networks. Alabama (5:08): Why is star freshman Brandon Miller still playing? Wembanyama (27:42): Inside the media rollout of the next NBA superstar. RSNs (48:41): Is the sports TV business model dead? Afterball (1:11:59): Stefan on a century of complaints about slow baseball games. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s episode, Rachelle Hampton is joined by WAMU’s Aja Drain to discuss North West’s TikTok presence. They talk about how North got started on the app like going live without her mother’s permission, the controversies that’ve bubbled up around her TikTok account, and what makes her so different from the other kids posting online.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.

One of the most improbable blockbuster successes of the ’90s was Hootie and the Blowfish: a South Carolina bar band fronted by a Black lead singer that played jangly alt-pop. That singer, Darius Rucker, built a career that’s one of a kind. Rucker’s tastes growing up were eclectic, as were the influences on his young bandmates. Their Cracked Rear View album took a year to catch on, but then it dominated the charts.The story gets more interesting after Hootie fell off: Darius Rucker’s career is a prime example of how chart success is a product of musical trend. First, Rucker tried to become a neo-soul star. Then he tried his hand at country music, even though Nashville had not produced a major Black solo star since Charley Pride.Join Chris Molanphy as he traces this improbable journey—the role Rucker’s band played in mainstreaming alt-rock, Rucker’s effort to find a genre to call home, and how he finally became a chart-conqueror again..Podcast production by Kevin Bendis.Make an impact this Black History Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund UNCF scholarships for HBCU students. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Your stories of loving—and losing—your beloved animal companions. Plus, an end-of-life veterinarian offers advice on knowing when to say goodbye.Some of you also shared resources for dealing with the loss of a pet. Here are a few of those suggestions:Sara recommended a TEDx talk by veterinarian Dr. Sarah Hoggan on the lingering impact of pet euthanasia.Looking for books to read? Margaret recommended “Good Grief” by E.B. Bartels, Flora shared “Lifetimes” by Bryan Mellonie, Sophia offered Mary Oliver’s book of poems “Dog Songs,” and for more poetry, Jeni suggested Lynne Schimdt’s “Dead Dog Poems.”A listener named David told us about the Jimmy Stewart interview on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson where Jimmy reads a tearjerker of a poem about his late dog, Beau. Watch it here.Aileen shared an episode of Encyclopodia podcast where Dr. Allison Bergin discussed end-of-life care for pets.A listener named Ali told us about Dr. Amanda Stronza (@amandastronza on Instagram), an anthropologist and conservationist who writes about her experiences with pet loss online.And finally, another listener shared a CBS Sunday Morning story about Dog Mountain in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. Learn more about it here.Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money community? Every Wednesday we send out a note from Anna, fascinating listener letters from our inbox, and updates from the show. Sign up at deathsexmoney.org/newsletter, and follow the show on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.Got a story to share? Email us at deathsexmoney@wnyc.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.