Culture Gabfest

The Culture Gabfest “Beyoncé Wins the Super Bowl” Edition

Slate’s Culture Gabfest on Hail, Caesar!, “Formation,” and the Super Bowl ads.

Listen to Culture Gabfest No. 385 with Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner

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This week on Slate Plus, Julia and Dana grill Steve about the ethics of being a football fan.  

On this week’s Slate Culture Gabfest, the gabbers discuss Hail, Caesar!, a new film directed by the Coen brothers about Hollywood fixer and studio executive, Eddie Mannix. Do the film’s small moments and great performances add up to an interesting movie? Next up, guest Wesley Morris joins to parse Beyoncé’s video “Formation,” which blew up the Internet this weekend. Is it an anthem for capitalism or for radical change? Finally, Seth Stevenson brings the gabbers the Super Bowl 50 ad report. What made an impression, what fell flat, and what is a puppy monkey baby?

Links to some of the things we discussed this week follow:

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Endorsements:  

Dana: The software Scrivener

Julia: Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain

Seth: The Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O’Brian

Steve: The new Freakwater LP Scheherazade and the Danish TV show Unit One

Outro: “Formation” by Beyoncé

You can email us at culturefest@slate.com.

This podcast was produced by Ann Heppermann. Our intern is Lindsey Albracht.

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