Listen to Culture Gabfest No. 518 with Julia Turner, Isaac Butler, and Inkoo Kang with the audio player below.
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This week, Julia, Isaac, and Inkoo discuss Crazy Rich Asians, unpacking why it matters that the first major studio movie in decades to feature an all-Asian cast is a romantic comedy—and the burden of expectations around such a milestone for representation. Next, the critics talk Younger, a satire of the publishing industry from the creator of Sex and the City. How does a show with such a wacky premise handle serious topics like ageism and #MeToo? Finally, the gabbers examine our collective fascination with Elon Musk as a cultural figure.
Links to some of the things we discussed this week:
- “Crazy Rich Asians Is Crazy, Rich, and Actually Very American” by Inkoo Kang in Slate
- “A Guide to Crazy Rich Asians’ Many Cameos, Homages, and Easter Eggs” by Inkoo Kang in Slate
- Younger
- “The New Season of Younger Adds a Wrinkle to the #MeToo Movement” by Inkoo Kang in Slate
- “ ‘Younger’ Is ‘Gossip Girl’ for the Publishing Industry” by Jia Tolentino in the New Yorker
- The Good Wife
- “Elon Musk Details ‘Excruciating’ Personal Toll of Tesla Turmoil” by David Gelles, James B. Stewart, Jessica Silver-Greenberg, and Kate Kelly in the New York Times
- “The Gospel of Elon Musk, According to His Flock” by Bijan Stephen in the Verge
- Halt and Catch Fire
Endorsements:
Inkoo: Alison Willmore’s “ ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Doesn’t Care About Your Impossible Expectations” in BuzzFeed
Isaac: Sonny Liew’s graphic novel The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye
Julia: Less by Andrew Sean Greer
Outro: “Something Blue” by Peter Sandberg
You can email us at culturefest@slate.com.
This podcast was produced by Benjamin Frisch. Our production assistant is Alex Barasch.
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