The Culture Show Podcast

Is the action film “Die Hard” a Christmas movie? Though there are some Yippee Ki NAYsayers – from film critics to Christmas traditionalists– there’s a case to be made that it is. Sure, there are explosions, terrorists and gunfire – BUT it does take place on Christmas Eve and Bruce Willis’s hero cop wants nothing more than to bring his family together for the holidays. There are even Santa jokes and the movie cranks up the volume on one of the best Christmas songs thanks to Run-DMC. Now, a die hard, “Die Hard” fan has spun this into an unauthorized parody titled “Yippee Ki Yay.” In time for some unconventional holiday fun, The Huntington is bringing it to Boston. We’ll talk to the actor leading this one-man show. From there, the founder of the Koji Club–Boston’s first sake bar– joins us to reframe sake. Not just for sushi, it actually pairs perfectly with your Christmas fare. That’s next on The Culture Show.

For his newest work, Playwright Lloyd Suh relied on maternal instincts. His works often take place during pivotal moments in Asian American history – examining the immigrant experience and how history exact can take a toll across culture generations. So for this one, he had long conversations with his mom. They surface in his comedy “The Heart Sellers,” where two young housewives grapple with the isolation that comes from moving to a new country. Lonely in a foreign land, they forge a friendship while undertaking a very American tradition: preparing the Thanksgiving turkey. Suh joins me to talk about this production, onstage now at the Huntington. Then it’s a Public Art, Public Service announcement– artist Julia Swanson gives us a guide to the art hiding in plain sight. Finally, local filmmaker John Stimpson–his new film, “Letters to Santa”, is included in Hallmark’s countdown to Christmas canon. We’ll find out, when it comes to making a holiday movie, what exactly is in the secret Santa sauce. That’s next on The Culture Show.

Today on our week in review: Is Netflix going the way of Neilsen? The streaming service has been described as a “black hole” for keeping its viewership data under wraps. But the battle for transparency became a key issue during the Hollywood strikes. Now, in a first for Netflix, they’ve released reams of of data on thousands of titles and the billions of hours that people spent watching it all. We’ll look at how this could change the industry –and what shows have emerged as their greatest hits. From there we’ll look at the span of Andre Braugher’s career, which was defined by redefining the role of the TV cop––from Homicide’s cerebral and conflicted Detective Frank Pembleton to the deadpan humor and humanity of Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Raymond Holt. And , is the Queen of Christmas the Queen of Copyright Infringement? Mariah Carey is being sued –again, for her holiday hit, “All I want for Christmas is You.” That and more is next on The Culture Show.

We are steeped in American history, marking the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. Fed up with the tyranny of taxation without representation, American colonists took matters into their own hands–literally: tossing three shiploads of tea into Boston Harbor. The theatrics alone–the vision of angry patriots hurling 90,000 pounds of cargo overboard–has made it one of THE most celebrated rebellions. But to understand the ideals and motivations behind it, we turn to the Massachusetts Historical Society, where a current exhibition takes a nuanced view of a society on the verge of revolution. From there we brew another cup of rebellion by way of the Boston Tea Party & Ships museum. We’ll get a preview of the grand-scale reenactment of the historic protest taking place this weekend. Finally, Lisa Simmons joins us for her take on more recent local history, the legacy of ImprovBoston.

Coming up on The Culture Show, the extraordinary events of a Christmas truce between Germany and the Allies during World War I come to life in the musical “All is Calm” We talk to the creative team at Greater Boston Stage Company who have made this a holiday tradition. Then it’s everything you need to know about the live music scene. Edgar B. Herwick III leads a roundup of performances in and around Boston.

Much of Alex Edelman’s comedy springs from his Jewish upbringing. He takes on Jewish identity, bigotry and ignorance–but there’s no malice in his material. Instead the Brookline native uses humor to process and even dismantle the complexities and the hate that plague our world. His recent Broadway hit, “Just for Us”--was inspired by his experience of attending a white nationalists meeting. Amid a surge in antisemitism and discrimination, “Just for Us” has a new urgency. But the laughs come just as hard–maybe even harder. He joins me ahead of his performances at the Emerson Colonial Theater. From there, we hit the pause button on the Santaland soundtrack to make room for Blue Heron. The vocal ensemble takes us back to 15th century England with medieval music that will put you in the holiday spirit of yore. Finally, ImprovBoston will literally be having the last laugh at the end of the month. After 40 years, the comedy colossus is closing up shop.

It’s a modern spin on a fairy tale classic: The Urban Nutcracker. By mixing hip-hop, streetscapes, and strains of Duke Ellington –all of it propelled by the heartbeat of Tchaikovsky– choreographer Tony WIlliams has created a contemporary classic. We’ll talk to him and Drag artist Patty Bouree about this holiday season’s production. And local art curator Pedro Alonzo gives us the lowdown on producing an arts festival in Saudi Arabia. All that and more - on The Culture Show.

It’s our arts and culture week-in-review. First up, pioneering producer Norman Lear. He dismantled TV’s nuclear family, taking on radioactive topics instead – bigotry, abortion, poverty, politics—all of it was up for grabs and it landed lots of laughs along the way. We’ll look at how his slew of successful sitcoms revolutionized Television–and changed the way we see ourselves. Then it’s time for cognitive dissonance, and the opposite of Norman Lear- The Golden Bachelor. How is it that amid acute ageism– a 72-year-old man rescued the flailing Bachelor franchise? From there, did Mattel make a misstep? Their new Barbie Doll honoring Cherokee leader Wilma Mankiller is getting mixed reviews and churning up mixed emotions in the Cherokee Nation. And we’ll look at how this year’s Art Basel Miami is a flashback to the Reagan-era culture wars–when provocative art was considered obscene and arts funding was hard to come by. That’s next on The Culture Show.

I’m Jared Bowen. This is The Culture Show. First up, what do you call three lost souls left on a prep school campus during the holidays? The holdovers. That’s also the title of Alexander Payne’s new film. Set in the 1970’s, Paul Giamatti plays a scrooge-like New England teacher–stingy with good grades and generosity. But over the winter holiday break, his heart thaws –slightly –and he forges an unlikely fellowship with a student who has been abandoned by his family and the school cook who has just lost her son– a soldier fighting in Vietnam. I’ll talk to the Oscar-winning filmmaker about the making of what could become a holiday classic, shot here in Massachusetts. Then it’s onto a bibliophile’s bliss. We bring you the ultimate holiday booksellers guide in Boston and beyond. Finally, Tufts professor Kerri Greenidge looks at the life and legacy of Phillis Wheatley – an enslaved person who became one of the best-known poets in 18th century America. That’s next on The Culture Show.

First up, we remember the titan of TV: Norman Lear. He not only changed television, he changed the way we see ourselves by doing away with the traditional sitcom that idealized the nuclear family–instead finding humor in the messiness of life. From “All in the Family to Maude.” From there, MassArt is celebrating its 150th anniversary by celebrating others with the inaugural Common Good Awards. MassArt president Mary Grant joins us to talk about the artists and advocates they’re honoring. Then, what happens when you combine the band Guster, with the band the Zambonis? You get the Jewish rock band The LeeVees. They write songs about Jewish identity–and they have a lot to say about latkes and the struggle to correctly spell Hanukkah. Finally, in these ever darkening days of December. SOLSTICE, a large-scale light and sound installation is a cure for the winter blues. That’s next on The Culture Show.

“The Band's Visit” is one of the most captivating musicals about…nothing. Though it might not be action packed, it packs a punch for maximizing everyday moments and making them feel momentous. The Tony-winning show follows the adventures of a touring Egyptian band stranded in an Israeli village. With nowhere for the musicians to stay, the locals take them in for the night. The overriding sentiment of “The Band’s Visit” is captured in the song Something Different: “Nothing is as beautiful as something that you don't expect.” Coming up, I talk to the man behind those words, David Yazbek, the composer and lyricist for the hit musical which is now onstage at The Huntington. From there it’s two scoops of Scrooge. I speak with actors David Coffee and Karen MacDonald about what it takes to play Charles Dickens’ iconic character Finally, we continue with the holiday spirit, previewing a one-of-a-kind Hanukkah celebration.

This is the Culture Show. Coming up: Tracy K. Smith. Through her poetry, the Pulitzer-prize winner probes the meaning of life. She meditates on what happens to our souls when we die. She communes with the dead. And ultimately, she makes the personal universal. Smith’s poems scrutinize oppression, the contradiction that is the American dream, and the injustices that plague our nation. All these themes converge in her new memoir “To Free the Captives: A Plea for the American Soul. ” It’s lyrical, it’s urgent and in this work –as Smith puts it–she is looking at Black strength and asking the question: where are we now, 400 years into the American Experiment? From there, It’s onto ‘Balancing Acts.’ With local theaters presenting a paradox of choice, from Holiday classics to world premieres, theater critics Joyce Kulhawik and Chris Ehlers join me to preview --and prioritize—the must-see productions of the season.

First up, what happens when a people’s cultural identity becomes a casualty of war? Throughout history monuments, cultural sites, artworks and artifacts have become collateral damage. Now Gaza is surveying the wreckage of Israel’s airstrikes, which have reduced more than 100 landmarks to rubble. Then a new docuseries excavates Boston’s fraught history of racism and segregation by way of the 1989 Charles Stuart murder scandal. It reflects on how law enforcement and the media fueled a race-baiting falsehood. And, move over Barbenheimer, it’s time for Beyonswift. That’s what happens when one mega star lands in London to support The Queen Bee’s Renaissance premiere. From there we’ll look at Spotify’s latest feature called “Sound Towns,” which in an entirely new, sonic, way, puts Burlington on the map. Finally, we remember the Pogues' punk poet…Shane MacGowan. That’s next on the Culture Show.

Today we are going to look at four pillars of holiday entertainment: the 1946 classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Then the contemporary classic “Love Actually. Plus “the juggernaut of jingle bells: The Hallmark Channel, which has 40 new holiday films this season. And finally, we break down Bah Humbug-ery, ranking the top adaptations of “A Christmas Carol.”

Congressman Joaquin Castro is calling for a federal investigation into Warner Bros. for scrapping its own film: Coyote vs. Acme. From there, rap legend Andre 3000 releases his first album in nearly 20 years–and it’s an 87 minute ode…to the flute; Gwyneth Paltrow’s ski trial is now on stage, as a musical. The feminist website Jezebel has folded. And just in time for Thanksgiving, season 2 of Julia is streaming on Max.

The Grammy nominations are here, women dominate the album of the year with SZA, Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo topping the list. And yet, with nearly 100 categories, there are still snubs. And they say there’s no business like Show business, but for months there was no business IN show business. Now that the actors’ strike is over, what does this mean for Hollywood and another major production hub: Massachusetts? From there, is Homer Simpson vying to be America’s number one dad? After 34 years, why is the primary colored patriarch adopting progressive parenting? Then it’s the D-word: deaccessioning. A Swiss museum is the latest to auction off masterpieces in order to stay financially solvent. It’s an act of survival that’s sparking controversy. Finally, funny girl Barbra Streisand’s new memoir is no laughing matter. At nearly 1,000 pages, it is truly a tell ALL.

In the first episode of "The Culture Show," hosts Jared Bowen, Edgar B. Herwick III, and Callie Crossley discuss this week's arts and culture news.