Culture Gabfest

The Culture Gabfest “Tacky but Vigorous” Edition

Listen to Slate’s show about global reactions to the arrest of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Eurotrash at the Eurovision Song Contest, and the raunchy new comedy Bridesmaids.

Listen to Culture Gabfest No. 139 with Cécile Dehesdin, Simon Doonan, Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and June Thomas by clicking the arrow on the audio player below:

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In this week’s Culture Gabfest, our critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and June Thomas are joined by Slate.fr writer Cécile Dehesdin to discuss the arrest of IMF managing director and French presidential hopeful Dominique Strauss-Kahn—and the divergent reactions at home and abroad. They are then joined by Slate columnist and Barneys creative director Simon Doonan to discuss the Eurovision Song Contestand what it has to say to Americans who romanticize Europe. Finally, they discuss the new comedy Bridesmaids and the debate over whether it’s the female-driven comedy women have been waiting for.

Here are some links to the things we discussed this week:

The New York Times’ report on Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s arrest.
Cécile Dehesdin and Johan Hufnagel’s Slate.fr article on
DSK conspirary theorists (translated into English).
Slate.fr’s complete coverage of the Strauss-Kahn scandal (in French).
The New York Times’ article on France’s reaction and the wide ramifications of DSK’s arrest.
Elaine Sciolino’s NYT article on France’s “ Code of Silence.”
Bernard-Henri Lévy’s defense of Strauss-Kahn in the Daily Beast.
The BBC’s website for the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest.
Simon Doonan on Eurovision as proof thatEuropeans are just as tacky as Americans.”
Moldova’s 2011 Eurovision entry So Lucky” and Azerbaijan’s winning entry “Running Scared.”
Mike Atkinson’s “Dispatches” from the 2006 Eurovision Song Contestfor Slate.
Mireille Guiliano’s 2004 book
French Women Don’t Get Fat.
The official website of Paul Feig’s
Bridesmaids.
Dana’s review and spoiler special for
Bridesmaidsin Slate.
Jessica Grose’s Slate article on Bridesmaids as the first “
Homance.”
Rebecca Traister’s Salon argument that “
Seeing Bridesmaids Is a Social Responsibility.”
Spaghetti Western auteur
Sergio Leone.

The Culture Gabfest weekly endorsements:

Dana’s pick: Caissie St. Onge’s young adult novel
Jane Jones: Worst. Vampire. Ever.
June’s pick: The USA Network reality competition series WWE Tough Enough.
Steve’s picks: The BBC podcast
Start the Week with Andrew Marr (Steve recommends starting with their 40th-Anniversary Special), and mail-order seeds from the Hudson Valley Seed Library.

Outro: “S.O.S.” by Abba.

You can e-mail us at
culturefest@slate.com.

This podcast was produced by Jesse Baker. Our intern is Forrest Wickman.

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