Slate Culture Feed

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turnerdiscuss Dan Kois’s NYT Magazine Riff on “Eating Your Cultural Vegetables,” MTV’s newTwilight­-style series Teen Wolf, and Louis Menand’s recent New Yorker article on “Debating the Value of College in America.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our critics discuss Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, the untimelydeath of Gil Scott-Heron, and David Mamet’s newfound conservativism on this week’sCulture Gabfest podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen to Slate's show about Lady Gaga’s Born This Way, Bob Dylan’s 70th birthday, and the latest controversy over acclaimed novelist Philip Roth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week our critics discuss the global reactions to the arrest of Dominique Strauss-Kahn,Eurotrash at the Eurovision Song Contest, and the raunchy new comedy Bridesmaids. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics discuss the latest documentary from Werner Herzog, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, about the earliest cave paintings ever discovered. For their second segment, they’re joined by Nina Shen Rastogi to discuss Wesley Yang’s New York article on Asian-Americans, “Paper Tigers.” For their final segment, they’re joined by Slate’s music critic Jody Rosen to discuss the Beastie Boys and their new album Hot Sauce Committee Part Two. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens and John Swansburg discuss the death of Osama bin Laden, and whether it’s okay for Americans to celebrate his demise. They are then joined by Johann Hari, columnist for The Independent and presenter of the Johann Hari Podcast, to discuss the recent royal wedding hoopla and whether it too is a cause for celebration. For their final segment, they discuss John Swansburg’s New York feature on The Comic Stylings of Brian Williams. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens and Julia Turner discuss Atlas Shrugged Part 1, the new film adaptation of Ayn Rand’s novel. They are then joined by Slate senior editor Daniel Engber to discuss Gary Taubes’ New York Times Magazine article “Is Sugar Toxic?” For their final segment, they are joined by historian and New York Times columnist Adam Goodheart to discuss his writing for The New York Times’ acclaimed Civil War blog Disunion. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Dana Stevens and Julia Turner are joined by Slate culture blogger Nina Shen Rastogi to discuss HBO’s new fantasy series Game of Thrones and Will Ferrell’s send-off for Steve Carell on The Office. They’re then joined by Slate culture editor John Swansburg to discuss New York Times “On the Street” photographer Bill Cunningham and the new documentary Bill Cunningham New York. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens and Julia Turner discuss the classic films of recently deceased director Sidney Lumet and PBS’s new celebrity wine talk show Vine Talk. For their third segment, they’re joined by Slate culture critic Meghan O’Rourke to discuss her new memoir about grieving The Long Goodbye. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens and Julia Turner discuss Todd Haynes’ new HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce starring Kate Winslet, the death of leading lady Elizabeth Taylor and the future of Web journalism in light of The New York Times’ new paywall. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens and Julia Turner discuss AMC’s new murder mystery The Killing—based on the Danish series Forbrydelsen— and Spike’s reality series Coal, the latest from the producer of Deadliest Catch, Ice Road Truckers and Ax Men. For their final segment, they’re joined by The New Yorker’s David Grann to discuss his report on the murder of Rodrigo Rosenberg. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens and Julia Turner discuss Netflix’s entry into original programming with David Fincher’s House of Cards, Web sensation Rebecca Black’s “worst song ever” “Friday,” and the debate surrounding the European Union’s proposed “right to be forgotten” on the Internet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens and Julia Turner discuss Mel Gibson in Jodie Foster’s The Beaver, their favorite concerts at South by Southwest and elsewhere, and the latest incarnation of Jane Eyre. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, Mike Pesca, Dana Stevens and Julia Turner are joined by Slate’s Farhad Manjoo to discuss his tirade against NPR listeners’ tedious complaints. They then discuss gourmets, gluttons and B.R. Myers’ Atlantic article, “The Moral Crusade Against Foodies.” Finally, they’re joined by extra special guest Stephen Metcalf to discuss his recent New York essay, “The Sleeping Cure.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens and Julia Turner discuss Charlie Sheen’s bizarre career-killing antics, James Franco and Anne Hathaway at the 83rd Academy Awards, and the new Justin Bieber documentary Justin Bieber: Never Say Never – Director’s Fan Cut. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens and Julia Turner discuss Lawrence Wright’s article “Paul Haggis vs. Scientology” in The New Yorker, FX’s Elmore Leonard-inspired crime series Justified, and the future of marginalia in the age of the e-book. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens and Julia Turner are joined by Slate columnist Fred Kaplan to discuss the exhibition Abstract Expressionist New York at the Museum of Modern Art. They’re then joined by New York magazine’s music and architecture critic Justin Davidson to discuss John Adams’ Nixon in China at the Metropolitan Opera. Finally, they’re joined by Slate’s culture editor John Swansburg to discuss the Westminster Dog Show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens and Julia Turner discuss Rupert Murdoch’s new iPad newspaper The Daily, Eugene Jarecki’s new HBO documentary Reagan, and the virtual museum tours of the Google Art Project. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Troy Patterson, Dana Stevens and Julia Turner discuss Jason Statham in The Mechanic and the satirical Onion News Network on IFC. For the final segment, Dana and Julia are joined by Slate senior editor Michael Agger to discuss Jane McGonigal’s new book Reality Is Broken and whether video games can make us better people. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Dana Stevens and Julia Turner discuss the 2011 Oscar nominations with Slate Brow Beat writer Nina Shen Rastogi, IFC’s new sketch comedy Portlandia with Slate associate editor Jessica Grose, and Brock Enright’s pay-per-thrill “reality adventures” with Slate’s pop critic Jonah Weiner. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens and Julia Turner discuss Gwyneth Paltrow in Country Strong and the recent kerfuffle over the shifting signs of the zodiac. They’re joined by author Lauren Redniss to discuss her new illustrated biography Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, June Thomas and Julia Turner discuss PBS’s new upstairs-downstairs drama Downton Abbey, the controversy over NewSouth Books’ new censored edition of Huckleberry Finn, and the overnight fame of a “homeless man with a golden voice,” Ted Williams. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens and Julia Turner discuss Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine, the year 2010 in film, and Google’s new Ngram database. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens and June Thomas discuss Sofia Coppola's latest film Somewhere with film critic Dan Kois. Plus the best TV shows of 2010 and their New Year's resolutions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens and Julia Turner discuss the Coen brothers’ film True Grit. They’re joined by Slate’s political reporter Christopher Beam to discuss the movement to abandon caps lock, and by Slate’s music critic Jody Rosen to discuss the death of Captain Beefheart. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens and Julia Turner discuss director Tom Hooper’s film The King’s Speech and NBC sitcom Community. They’re joined by Slate’s Daniel Engber to discuss the state of peer review. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens and Julia Turner discuss the fate of narcissism as a psychiatric disorder and director Andrew Jarecki’s film All Good Things. They’re joined by Slate pop critic Jonah Weiner to discuss Kanye West’s latest album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens and Julia Turner discuss the new film Burlesque, MFA's and today's writers and Microsoft's latest gizmo Kinect. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens and Julia Turner answer questions from the audience live from Seattle's Town Hall. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Dan Engber, Troy Patterson, John Swansburg, Dana Stevens and Julia Turner discuss the outcry over the TSA's new scanning procedures, the CBS sitcom Mike & Molly and HBO's new documentary Public Speaking. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics discuss Sarah Palin's new TLC show Alaska, the British jihadi satire Ten Lions and the Sinatra bio "Frank: The Voice." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics discuss Conan on basic cable, the many facets of James Franco, including his latest film, and the Yale University Press Anthology of Rap. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics discuss Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert’s Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, the new zombie apocalypse show The Walking Dead, and Masterpiece Mystery’s irreverent new 21st century adaptation of Sherlock. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics discuss the new documentary Inside Job, the FX show Terriers and New York magazine's anthropological exploration of the hipster. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics discuss the box office record set by Jackass 3D, the dueling magazine profiles of Gawker's Nick Denton and the best way to handle celebrity sightings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics discuss the It Gets Better web campaign against bullying, a newly unearthed Ted Hughes poem and HBO's Bruce Springsteen documentary. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics discuss Malcolm Gladwell's latest piece on activism and social media, Law and Order LA and the Civil War tourism series by Slate's John Swansburg. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics discuss the new film about Facebook, The Social Network, Oliver Stone's Money Never Sleeps and the new NBC comedy Outsourced. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics discuss the new HBO series Boardwalk Empire and the controversial documentary Catfish. They are also joined by Slate contributor Joshua Wolf Shenk to talk about John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and his series on creative pairs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens and Julia Turner discuss round two of the Kanye vs Taylor Swift VMA face-off, the new Robert Rodriguez film Machete and the monetization of sex on Craigslist. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens and Julia Turner discuss George Clooney's latest flick The American, income inequality with Slate's own Timothy Noah and the phone hacking scandal in the Murdoch media empire. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Jody Rosen, Dana Stevens and June Thomas discuss this years Emmy's ceremony, the new handbook True Prep and the summer song of 2010. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Jody Rosen, Dana Stevens and June Thomas discuss twenty-somethings, Sylvester Stallon's latest action flick, and the new Arcade Fire album. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens and Julia Turner discuss Julia Roberts in Eat, Pray, Love, the sanctity of academic tenure and the Starbucks' bagel standoff. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Dan Kois, Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, Julia Turner and Jacob Weisberg discuss the new comic action film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, the rules regulating spoilers and the loss of the British historian Tony Judt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Dahlia Lithwick, Stephen Metcalf, Troy Patterson, June Thomas and Julia Turner discuss The Real Housewives of Washington D.C., publisher Andrew Wylie's big bet on eBooks and the new FX comedy television show Louie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Jessica Grose, Stephen Metcalf, John Swansburg and Julia Turner discuss the new Angelina Jolie blockbuster Salt, Comic-Con with Time Magazine's Lev Grossman and the Mad Man Season 4 premiere. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner and Dana Stevens discuss Christopher Nolan’s summer blockbuster Inception, Slate’s Josh Levin joins the gabbers to talk about Steve Jobs and the woes of the iPhone 4 and finally Old Spice ads gone viral. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, June Thomas and Julia Turner discuss the new film The Kids are All Right, Jezebel verses The Daily Show and The New Yorker's David Grann on authenticating a masterpiece. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Jody Rosen, Dana Stevens and Julia Turner discuss the age when novelists hit their prime, the latest musical foray from Liz Phair and the retirement of music writer Robert Christgau's "Consumer Guide." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.