The Nose looks at ‘We Need To Talk About Cosby’ and Woody Allen’s ‘Rifkin’s Festival’

This week’s Nose is concerned with problematic male comedians born in the mid-1930s.

Showtime describes We Need To Talk About Cosby as “writer/director W. Kamau Bell’s exploration of Bill Cosby’s descent from ‘America’s Dad’ to alleged sexual predator. Comedians, journalists and Cosby survivors have a candid, first of its kind conversation about the man, his career and his crimes.” The fourth part of the four-part docuseries airs Sunday.

And Rifkin’s Festival is the 49th feature film written and directed by Woody Allen. It was released internationally in 2020 and domestically in theaters and for rental on January 28. It stars Wallace Shawn in the Allen-proxy role along with Gina Gershon, Elena Anaya, Christoph Waltz, Richard King, Steven Guttenberg, and more.

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

• Ivan Reitman, producer, ‘Ghostbusters’ director, dies at 75
• P.J. O’Rourke, Conservative Political Satirist, Dies at 74 In articles, in best sellers and as a talk show regular he was a voice from the right skewering whatever in government or culture he thought needed it.
• Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer and Regina Hall will host this year’s Oscars
• The Oscars will require tests for all and vaccines for most. Vaccine mandates and P.C.R. tests for the event, set for March 27 in Los Angeles.
• A Vibe Shift Is Coming Will any of us survive it?
• Is It Funny for the Jews? For a cultural critic, a sense of humor is integral to his Jewish identity. But these dark times raise existential questions about comedy and its uses.
• Network sitcoms are actually good again
• The Sex Scene Is Dead. Long Live the Sex Scene Four critics discuss erotic thrillers, prosthetic penises, “Euphoria,” and the state of desire onscreen.
• Yes, Some Musicals Are Unwoke. That’s Not a Writ to Rewrite Them.
• The Semiotics of a 1999 Toyota Corolla The YouTube channel Regular Car Reviews delights in cultural critiques of boring automobiles.
• Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, World of Women Partner to Adapt NFTs Into Movies, TV Shows
• Francis Ford Coppola’s $100 Million Bet Fifty years after he gave us The Godfather, the iconic director is chasing his grandest project yet—and putting up over $100 million of his own money to prove his best work is still ahead of him.

GUESTS:

• Jacques Lamarre - A playwright and the director of client services at Buzz Engine
• Mercy Quaye - Founder and principal consultant for The Narrative Project
• Bill Yousman - Professor of Media Studies at Sacred Heart University

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Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.

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