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Spoiler Specials: Avatar: The Way of Water Dec 23, 2022

Show notes

This week, Slate's Dana Stevens and Sam Adams spoil Avatar: The Way of Water, James Cameron’s long-awaited sequel to his 2009 film. Is it true that “the most dangerous thing on Pandora is that you’ll grow to love it too much?”

Note: As the title indicates, this podcast contains spoilers galore.

Read Dana’s review here.

Read Sam’s advice on which version to catch here.

Email us at spoilers@slate.com.

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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The Waves: Are Women of Color Disappearing From Comedy Again? Dec 22, 2022

Show notes

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior supervising producer Daisy Rosario talks to comedian and activist Aida Rodriguez about the state of women in comedy. They dig into Aida’s background and what it was like to come up as a woman of color in comedy. They also unpack the sneaking suspicion that women of color are getting fewer and fewer chances these days, and how to turn trauma into comedy.

In Slate Plus, Aida and Daisy talk about whether it’s feminist to not stand up for yourself in a loud way.

Catch Aida’s comedy Fighting Words on HBO Max.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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ICYMI: Decoder Ring: The New Age Hit Machine Dec 21, 2022

Show notes

Today, we’re excited to share an episode from Slate’s Decoder Ring that we think you’re going to love.

For this episode, a story from Slate senior producer Evan Chung about how Yanni, John Tesh and a number of other surprising acts made it big in the 1990s. It’s a throwback to a simpler time— when musicians struggled to find their big break, but discovered it was possible with a telephone, a television, and our undivided attention.

This story originally aired in 2019 on Studio 360 from PRX.

We hear from George Veras, Pat Callahan, and John Tesh.

This episode was written and produced by Slate’s Evan Chung. 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.

Subscribe to Slate Plus at http://slate.com/icymiplus

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Culture Gabfest: Avatar: Glorious or Racist Schlock? Dec 21, 2022

Show notes

This week, Dana, Julia, and Stephen get started by discussing Avatar: The Way of Water. Then they discuss the new Netflix documentary series Harry & Meghan. Finally, they finish by talking about the new Lensa AI art app and all the photos it’s generating online.

In Slate Plus,the panel answers a listener question about which works of art they like to revisit again and again?

Email us at culturefest@slate.com.

Endorsements

Dana: Spending an afternoon at the Aftel Archive of Curious Scents in Berkeley, California.

Julia: The videos of Front Porch Dad on Instagram.

Stephen: The essay “Ol’ Blue Eyes,” by Simon Callow about Paul Newman in the New York Review of Books.

Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Yesica Balderrama.

Outro music: "Lonely Calling" by Arc De Soleil.

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.

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Outward: How Can Queer People Keep Each Other Safe? Dec 21, 2022

Show notes

This month, hosts Christina Cauterucci, Jules Gill-Peterson, and Bryan Lowder reflect on the painful impact of anti-LGBTQ violence and dig into the new possibilities for trans storytelling and filmmaking. First, they talk through their complicated feelings about one of the responses to the shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs last month: Should queer people be organizing in self-defense, or even arming ourselves for protection? Then they are joined by actress Jen Richards who portrays Barbara in Framing Agnes, a new documentary, directed by Chase Joynt, which is centered on six trans people who were interviewed and treated at a UCLA gender clinic in the 1950s. The film combines reenactments of those interviews with contemporary conversations with trans actors reflecting on how the lives of the people they portray resonate with their own lives. Our own Jules Gill-Peterson has a central role in the movie as a historian and narrator.

Items discussed in the show:

Season 2 of The White Lotus
Christina’s Slate piece, “I Think I Found Kyrsten Sinema’s Side Hustle”
Framing Agnes

Gay Agenda

Christina: shopping gay, including at The Little Gay Shop and Adam’s Nest

Jules: “Not a Transition: On Andrea Pallaoro’s Monica,” by Eva Pensis in the Los Angeles Review of Books

Bryan has created a bespoke cocktail for Outward listeners: the Cuddle Puddle

The Cuddle Puddle

2 oz rye

1 oz ginger liqueur

½ oz Fernet Branca or similar

Dash of orange bitters

Stir the ingredients for a long time over ice, then strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with orange peel.

This podcast was produced by June Thomas.

Please send feedback, topic ideas, and advice questions to outwardpodcast@slate.com.

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Decoder Ring: Encore: ‘You’ve Got Mail’ Got It Wrong Dec 20, 2022

Show notes

(This episode originally aired in March 2020.)

The 1998 romantic comedy You’ve Got Mail, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, is about the brutal fight between a beloved indie bookstore, the Shop Around the Corner, and Fox Books, an obvious Barnes & Noble stand-in. On this episode of Decoder Ring we revisit the real-life conflict that inspired the movie and displaced independent booksellers on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. This conflict illustrates how, for a brief time, Barnes & Noble was a symbol of predatory capitalism, only to be usurped by the uniting force at the heart of the film: the internet.

Some of the voices in this episode include Delia Ephron, the co-screenwriter of You’ve Got Mail, the illustrator Brian Selznick, Laura J. Miller, author of Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption, Joel Fram, founder of Eeyore’s Books for Children, and Boris Kachka, book editor for the Los Angeles Times.

This podcast was written by Willa Paskin and produced by Benjamin Frisch and Cleo Levin was research assistant.

Thanks to Steve Geck, Maris Kreizman, Emma Straub, Jacob Bernstein, Gary Hoover, Peter Glassman and June Thomas.

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.

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.

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Hang Up: Argentina Campeón Del Mundo Dec 20, 2022

Show notes

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin are joined by Argentinian journalist Marcela Mora y Araujo to talk about Lionel Messi’s coronation on soccer’s biggest stage and then continue their conversation about the greatest World Cup final ever. They also discuss a bizarre weekend in the NFL and assess the life and career of college football coach Mike Leach.

World Cup final (3:36): What it means to Argentina and how it felt to watch it.

NFL (28:55): The Vikings came back from how far? The Patriots did what?

Leach (44:08): Why there will never be another coach like him.

Afterball (1:05:12): Joel on Brittney Griner, high school phenom.

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Working: Turning a Novel into a TV Show Dec 18, 2022

Show notes

This week, host June Thomas talks to author and repeat Working guest Taffy Brodesser-Akner, who recently adapted her novel Fleishman is in Trouble into a limited series for Hulu. In the interview, Taffy describes the biggest challenges she faced as both a showrunner and writer. She also explains what it was like to take a very personal project and turn it into a collaborative one, with creative input from actors, directors, and tons of other creative people.

After the interview, June and co-host Isaac Butler discuss the faulty metric of character likeability in both fiction and nonfiction. They also chat about creative collaboration and tough career decisions.

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Taffy tells a story about her upcoming novel, Long Island Compromise.

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 Cameron Drews.

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 Working. Sign up now at slate.com/workingplus to help support our work.

Sponsored by Saks.com. Check out the Holiday Gift Guide on saks.com

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What Next TBD: Are You Ready For Lab-Grown Meat? Dec 18, 2022

Show notes

The Food and Drug Administration gave an important thumbs up to lab-grown chicken, which means we could start seeing it in stores as soon as next year. While billions of dollars have been spent developing lab-grown meat, important questions remain: Is the production of it actually greener than raising livestock? Can it be made affordably? Is it healthy? And will anyone eat it?

Guest: Chloe Sorvino, staff writer on food and agriculture at Forbes, and the author of Raw Deal: Hidden Corruption, Corporate Greed and the Fight for the Future of Meat.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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ICYMI: Who Gets to Complain About Their Job Online? Dec 17, 2022

Show notes

Earlier this month, a group of nurses were fired after posting a TikTok where they shared their complaints or “icks” about their patients. On today’s episode, Rachelle Hampton is joined by health and wellness journalist Julia Craven to talk about this recent news, the proliferation of “ick” content on TikTok, and why healthcare workers (and everybody else) should keep their work complaints in the group chat.

This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, Daisy Rosario, and Derek John.

Subscribe to Slate Plus at http://slate.com/icymiplus

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