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What Next: Marvel’s Disastrous Year Dec 21, 2023

Show notes

After his character, Kang the Conqueror, was set up to be the big villain of the next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Jonathan Majors was dismissed from the franchise after being found guilty of reckless assault and harassment.

Guest: Michael Schulman, staff writer for the New Yorker.

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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Madeline Ducharme, Anna Phillips, Paige Osburn, and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: Marvel’s Disastrous Year Dec 21, 2023

Show notes

Guest: Michael Schulman, staff writer for the New Yorker.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Madeline Ducharme, Anna Phillips, Paige Osburn, and Rob Gunther.

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One Year: 1990 - The Angry Death of Kimberly Bergalis Dec 21, 2023

Show notes

Before 1990, there had never been a documented case of a patient getting HIV from a health care worker. Kimberly Bergalis changed that. Her claim that she’d been infected by her dentist would captivate and terrify the country. And the dentist, David Acer, would be made into a villain without America ever knowing who he really was.

This episode was written by Kelly Jones and Josh Levin, One Year’s editorial director. One Year’s senior producer is Evan Chung.

This episode was produced by Kelly Jones and Evan Chung, with additional production by Olivia Briley.

It was edited by Joel Meyer and Derek John, Slate’s executive producer of narrative podcasts. Merritt Jacob is senior technical director. We had mixing help from Kevin Bendis. We had production help this season from Jabari Butler.

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Outward: Prides, Provocations, and Political Scandals Dec 20, 2023

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Jules, Bryan, and Outward regular Danny Lavery share year end Prides and Provocations. The hosts cover everything from risk-taking bottoms in government and infamous grifters to powerful organizers who are giving us hope for 2024.

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Culture Gabfest: Annual Call-In Show 2023 Dec 20, 2023

Show notes

This week, it’s the yearly call-in episode! Steve, Dana, and Julia dive into questions submitted by Culture Gabfest listeners.

Outro music: “Forbidden Love” by OTE

Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Kat Hong.

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ICYMI: The Celebrity Breakups That Wrecked Us In 2023 Dec 20, 2023

Show notes

On today’s episode, Candice Lim is joined by Kristen Meinzer (Daily Fail, How to be Fine) and Tre’vell Anderson (FANTI, What A Day) to recap the year in celebrity breakups. Lately, it feels like everyone in Hollywood is breaking up, but have there really been that many more celebrity splits than usual? Was Scandoval really proof that love is dead or have we been placing celebrity couples on way too high a pedestal? And has the internet created a reaction ecosystem where Twitter aggregates like PopCrave amplify breakups beyond their reality?

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Hear Me Out: The Holidays Are Tacky. Embrace It Dec 19, 2023

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On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… ‘tis the damn season.

Break out the glitter and the ugly sweaters. If you’re on social media, you’ve probably seen a lot of minimalist holiday décor this year — from celebrities, influencers, and DIY-ers alike. It seems trendy to try “class up” the holidays and eschew the bright and gaudy for the monotone, the understated, or the expensive-looking… but does living in fear of committing a faux pas maybe miss the point?

Kristen Meinzer, culture critic and cohost of The Daily Fail, joins us to defend the tacky — as not only counterculture, but as the real reason for the season.

If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com

Podcast production by Maura Currie.

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Hang Up: D.C. Sports at a Crossroads Dec 19, 2023

Show notes

Joel Anderson, Josh Levin, and Slate’s Alex Kirshner discuss Draymond Green’s indefinite suspension. They also talk about the Washington Capitals and Wizards reportedly leaving D.C. for Northern Virginia. And finally, they examine why every college quarterback is in the transfer portal.

Draymond (4:43): What’s next for him and for the Warriors?

Wiz and Caps (26:12): Are they actually leaving or is this just a classic case of owner extortion?

Portal (45:53): Whyso many quarterbacks are switching teams.

Afterball (1:06:58): Joel on North Dakota State’s very lopsided basketball victory.

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Slate Money Goes to the Movies: This Is Spinal Tap Dec 18, 2023

Show notes

In ancient times, hundreds of years before the dawn of history, director Rob Reiner gave the world a band named Spinal Tap. No one knows who they were or what they were doing … except for legendary designer Paula Scher, the mind behind 40 years of music artwork and branding. She chats with Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers about the true stories that inspired the classic mockumentary.

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Podcast production by Jared Downing.

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Working: How An Artist Navigates the Health-Care System Dec 17, 2023

Show notes

This week, host Isaac Butler is joined by actor, writer, director Erik Jensen for a frank conversation about his recent cancer diagnosis and the challenges artists face holding on to health-care coverage, especially in the age of streaming. They go on to discuss Jensen’s continued creative activity, including a new film project he co-directed with his wife and acted in with his daughter. Later, Jensen explains some of the intricacies of the recent writers’ and actors’ strikes.

After the interview, co-host June Thomas joins Isaac to talk about the value of being candid about the financial realities of being a freelance artist. They also dive into creative collaborations and the importance of communicating clearly with the people you work with.

Learn more about Erik Jensen’s story and make a donation here.

Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com or give us a call at (304) 933-9675.

Podcast production by Kevin Bendis and Cameron Drews.

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