The Nose looks at James Franco as Castro, ‘The Rehearsal,’ ‘I Am Groot,’ and more

This week’s Nose got the walls wet and on fire.

The producers of an upcoming biopic about Fidel Castro’s exiled daughter, Alina of Cuba, reportedly did extensive heraldry and skull-shape analysis and somehow came to the conclusion that … James Franco should play Castro. The internet doesn’t think that’s a good idea. (Also: It’s not.)

And: The Rehearsal is Nathan Fielder’s new HBO docu-comedy series. The show “explores the lengths one man will go to reduce the uncertainties of everyday life. With a construction crew, a legion of actors, and seemingly unlimited resources, Fielder allows ordinary people to prepare for life’s biggest moments by ‘rehearsing’ them in carefully crafted simulations of his own design.”

And finally, a podcast-only segment on I Am Groot, Marvel’s new Disney+ series of shorts (each episode is three minutes long plus credits and logos) following the adventures of Baby Groot during the period between Guardians of the Galaxy and a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 mid-credits sequence. (I’m not making this up, I swear.) I’d explain why we’re doing this special segment, but the reason is very, very dumb.

Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take:

• Olivia Newton-John, pop singer and ‘Grease’ star, dies at 73 The sugary-sweet performer with a string of No. 1 hits was also an advocate for cancer research
• Olivia Newton-John: That Headband Was a Crown When the singer smudged her classy image, she “unlocked something new that shot her to the top of pop’s Olympus,” our critic writes: “The vestal vamp.”
• David McCullough, Best-Selling Explorer of America’s Past, Dies at 89 His research — on Adams, Truman and so much more — was deep, his writing was lively, and his narrator’s voice in documentary films was familiar to millions.
• Gene LeBell Dies: Stuntman, Actor And Wrestling Legend Who Fought Bruce Lee & Chuck Norris Onscreen Was 89
• Serena Williams Says Farewell to Tennis On Her Own Terms—And In Her Own Words
• Bill Russell’s No. 6 to be retired across NBA following legend’s death last month
• Why’d That Movie Disappear? Welcome to Streaming’s Memory Hole Era If ‘American Pickle’ doesn’t exist on HBO Max now, did it ever? Or: A new generation realizes that an endless stream of film titles can easily vanish into the online ether.
• The Great HBO Freak-out of 2022 Was Unwarranted, but Understandable In light of what happened at Warner Bros. Discovery’s earnings call, some of the rumors that flew ahead of the event look borderline histrionic—but consumers had good reason to fear for the worst
• Disney Now Has More Streaming Subscribers Than Netflix, But Makes Less Money From Them
• The End of Manual Transmission Stick shifts are dying. When they go, something bigger than driving will be lost.
• Taylor Swift files in Shake It Off copyright lawsuit: ‘The lyrics were written entirely by me’ Singer had been sued by writers of 3LW’s 2000 song Playas Gon’ Play for alleged plagiarism, and the case is due to return to court
• How Catholicism became a meme One of the world’s most powerful religions is now an alt status symbol.
• As Spider-Man turns 60, fans reflect on diverse appeal
• Tinder’s Fatphobia Problem
• Mike Judge’s Secret Art of Satire Judge has created some of the sharpest, most prophetic comedies of the past few decades. Now his first hit, “Beavis and Butt-Head,” is back on the air.
• Cat lovers can try cat-food inspired dishes at Fancy Feast’s Italian pop-up
• Reviews, reappraised — Simran Hans on the rise of the critic-influencers

GUESTS:

• Sam Hadelman: Works in music public relations and hosts The Sam Hadelman Show at Radio Free Brooklyn
• Shawn Murray: A stand-up comedian, writer, and the host of the Nobody Asked Shawn podcast
• Irene Papoulis: Teaches writing at Trinity College

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

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Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.

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