This week Steve, Dana, and Julia discuss Tina Fey’s new Peacock sitcom Girls5Eva. Then the panel dives into vaccine personalities—how did Pfizer really become the “status vax”? Finally, the group discusses Netflix film The Disciple with LA Times film critic Justin Chang. In Slate Plus, the panel talks about their relationship with cars, courtesy of a listener question. Email us your questions at [email protected] Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis and Asha Saluja. Production assistance by R...
May 12, 2021•1 hr 1 min
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 Al...
May 05, 2021•1 hr 3 min
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 Jasm...
Apr 28, 2021•1 hr 1 min
This week Steve, Dana, and Julia discuss the Oscar-nominated documentary Collective. Next, the group is joined by June Thomas, senior managing producer of Slate podcasts, to discuss Law & Order: Organized Crime. Finally, the panel dives into Substack, the newsletter platform journalists are flocking to. In Slate Plus, the panel talks about the Oscars. Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Rachael Allen. Email the hosts at [email protected] Endorsements Dana: The Narco...
Apr 21, 2021•1 hr 4 min
This week Steve is joined by Slate senior editor Allegra Frank and writer/editor Dan Kois. The group first dives into the What Lies Below, the wild No. 1 movie on Netflix. Next, they discuss the Netflix series Worn Stories. Finally, the panel is joined by Slate music critic Carl Wilson to talk about Prince’s vault of unreleased music, as covered in Sunday's episode of 60 Minutes. In Slate Plus, the panel talks about how their parents influenced their music taste. Podcast production by Cameron Dr...
Apr 14, 2021•1 hr 6 min
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 fem...
Apr 07, 2021•1 hr 5 min
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 ...
Mar 31, 2021•1 hr 2 min
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. Ema...
Mar 24, 2021•1 hr 3 min
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 Slat...
Mar 17, 2021•1 hr 5 min
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...
Mar 10, 2021•1 hr
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, Univ...
Mar 03, 2021•1 hr
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 [email protected]. Podca...
Feb 24, 2021•1 hr 2 min
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 Dr...
Feb 17, 2021•1 hr 5 min
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...
Feb 10, 2021•58 min
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 ...
Feb 03, 2021•1 hr 2 min
This week Stephen, Dana, and Julia start by discussing Promising Young Woman, the revenge thriller starring Carey Mulligan and written and directed by Emerald Fennell. Then Slate culture writer Karen Han joins the show to talk about the French heist series Lupin, which has been firmly situated on Netflix's top 10 list since it premiered. After that, the hosts reflect on a recent article in the New York Times Magazine by Kyle Chayka titled, How Nothingness Became Everything We Wanted. In Slate Pl...
Jan 27, 2021•1 hr 3 min
This week Stephen, Dana, and Julia take a look at Sound of Metal, the debut movie from writer/director Darius Marder, about a heavy metal drummer who loses his hearing. Then they discuss WandaVision, the new Marvel TV show that's loaded with references to classic TV sitcoms. After that they dive into the world of TikTok sea shanties and theorize about why the craze caught on. In Slate Plus, the hosts talk about vice president Kamala Harris' recent Vogue cover and the debate surrounding it. Podca...
Jan 20, 2021•1 hr 5 min
This week Stephen, Dana, and Julia talk about the National Geographic miniseries, City So Real, about the 2019 mayoral race in Chicago and the social and political issues that fueled it. Then New York Times writer Charlie Warzel joins the show to discuss conservative media outlets like Newsmax and OANN and the alternate reality of news that Trump supporters reside in. After that, the hosts talk about New Yorker writer Lawrence Wright's comprehensive article, The Plague Year, about the way U.S. o...
Jan 13, 2021•1 hr 3 min
Steve, Dana, and Julia start by talking about Wonder Woman 1984 with LA Times film critic Justin Chang. Then they discuss Bridgerton, the new Netflix show produced by Shonda Rhimes and based on a series of novels by Julia Quinn. After that, Justin Chang rejoins the show to talk about Movie Club, Slate's annual end-of-year movie coverage. In Slate Plus, the hosts expand on their Wonder Woman conversation in spoiler-filled detail. Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Racha...
Jan 06, 2021•1 hr 3 min
This week, Stephen, Dana, and Julia present the Culture Gabfest’s annual listener call-in show, originally recorded live and streamed on Facebook and YouTube. They answer questions like, “Would you live in a muder house?” and “Are there any ways in which you are a snob about the culture you partake in?” In Slate Plus, the hosts field more questions from their live audience via Facebook and YouTube. Click here for the video version of the show. Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assi...
Dec 30, 2020•1 hr 9 min
This week Stephen and Dana are joined by Slate editor and writer Dan Kois. First, they discuss the new Steven Soderbergh movie Let Them All Talk, starring Meryl Streep, Dianne Wiest, and Candice Bergen. Then they talk to Slate TV critic Willa Paskin about the trends in TV this year and why "popular" TV isn't always "good" TV. After that, the hosts talk about a new project in the UK that aims to revive smells from the past. In Slate Plus, the hosts debate whether the labels "movie" and "TV show" ...
Dec 23, 2020•1 hr
This week Steve and Dana are joined by guest host Nichole Perkins, writer, poet, and host of the Thirst Aid Kit podcast. First they discuss the new film adaptation of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, which stars Viola Davis and features Chadwick Boseman in his final role. Then they weigh in on the HBO Max mystery thriller The Flight Attendant. After that, Vulture writer Mark Harris joins the show to talk about Disney's rapid growth and what it means for the movie industry. In Slate Plus, the hosts talk...
Dec 16, 2020•1 hr 3 min
This week Steve and Dana are joined by co-host Laura Miller, books and culture columnist for Slate. First, the three of them talk to Slate's own Matthew Dessem about what's real and what's made up in the new David Fincher movie, Mank. Then Julia Turner joins the show for a discussion about Spotify's end-of-year "wrapped" feature. For the third segment, Laura talks about the best books of 2020. In Slate Plus, Laura talks about a debate that keeps cropping up in literary circles about whether kids...
Dec 09, 2020•1 hr 5 min
This week Steve and Dana are joined by writer, poet, and co-host of the Thirst Aid Kit podcast, Nichole Perkins. First, the they weigh in on Happiest Season, the new holiday rom-com starring Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis. Then they chat with Culture Gabfest producer Cameron Drews about why he loves the HBO show How To with John Wilson. And finally, the hosts a talk about a big mistake made recently by the publisher Fireside Fiction, where a white voice-over artist put on a fake accent to r...
Dec 02, 2020•1 hr 1 min
On this week’s episode, Steve and Dana kick off the show by talking about season 4 of The Crown with June Thomas, Slate's managing producer and co-host of the Working podcast. Then they're joined by Asha Saluja, operations manager for Slate Podcasts, to discuss one of the internet's latest creations: a TikTok musical based on the Pixar movie Ratatouille. For their third segment, Slate senior editor Sam Adams argues that our new streaming world is a poor replacement for traditional movie-going. I...
Nov 25, 2020•1 hr 3 min
On this week’s episode, Steve and Dana talk to Slate’s television critic Willa Paskin about the unprecedented current season of The Bachelorette. Then Slate's Brow Beat editor, Matthew Dessem, comes on board for the rest of the show to talk about Saturday Night Live and two recent articles about societal collapse, one titled The Next Decade Could Be Even Worse and one titled How Do You Know When Society Is About to Fall Apart? In Slate Plus, the hosts discuss which TV universes they'd like to be...
Nov 18, 2020•59 min
On this week’s episode, Steve, Dana, and Julia talk with New York Times book critic Dwight Garner about his book Garner’s Quotations: A Modern Miscellany. Next, they are joined by Slate’s television critic Willa Paskin to discuss The Queen’s Gambit. Finally, the panel imagines how the Trump administration will be remembered in American Studies classes years from now. In Slate Plus, the hosts talk with writer and enneagram counselor Jacob Rubin about their enneagrams. Podcast production by Camero...
Nov 11, 2020•1 hr 1 min
On this week’s episode, Steve and Dana are joined by guest host Isaac Butler, writer and co-host of Slate’s Working podcast. First, the group talks about What the Constitution Means to Me, the Broadway play now streaming on Amazon. Next, they talk about the legacy of Sean Connery, who passed away last week. Finally, they discuss the new Netflix documentary series Song Exploder, based on the podcast. In Slate Plus, the hosts talk with Isaac about the future of the theater industry in pandemic tim...
Nov 04, 2020•1 hr 4 min
This week on the Culture Gabfest, Stephen Metcalf and Dana Stevens are joined by guest host Jody Rosen, a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine. First, they discuss Borat 2 (officially, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm). Next, they dive into music with “The Harry Smith B-Sides.” Finally, they discuss Zoom’s newfound, and sometimes dangerous, place in our culture. On this week’s Slate Plus segment the hosts extend their analysis of Borat 2, diving into the scene with Rudy Giuliani. Podcas...
Oct 28, 2020•1 hr 6 min
This week on the Culture Gabfest, Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner discuss The Trial of the Chicago 7. Then, the panel is joined by Willa Paskin, Slate’s TV critic, to discuss Ted Lasso. Finally, they discuss “Cereal Eats” with New York Times opinion columnist Jamelle Bouie. The Slate Plus segment this week features producer Jessamine Molli, as the panel talks about knowing about things before they become popular. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Production assistance by Whi...
Oct 21, 2020•1 hr 5 min
