Apres Culture

This week we’re talking musicals with pal Elyse Peterson, from 1952’s classic Singin’ in the Rain to the CW’s devastating gem Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. We argue over that weird interlude with Cyd Charisse, invoke the Reynolds-Fisher family saga for the second time this season (for a fuller discussion/explanation, check out episode 22, Postcards from the Edge and You’re the Worst), debate the attractiveness of Greg Serrano, and praise the spiky but deceptively layered relationship between Rebecca and Valencia (which is indeed the home of Six Flags Magic Mountain—and that guy who played the werewolf in Twilight!). Pull up a chair and wish that Donald O’Connor was here to make pulling up a chair really hilarious—it’s time for Après Culture. Spiked Boba Teas Buy a boba tea drink from your local boba tea shop. Add alcohol. Notes NY Times profile of Rachel Bloom Favorite Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Numbers: Kasey: Heavy Boobs, Sexy Getting Ready Song Elyse: JAP Rap Battle, Settle for Me Sara Ann: You Stupid Bitch, Textm

This week we’re tipping our hat to Pride Month with a visit from a couple of guests: Ryan Michaud, who boldly pits Taylor Swift against Beyonce in a bid for one gay man’s affections, and Shelby Vasko, who introduces us to lifestyle vloggers Shannon Beveridge (https://www.youtube.com/user/flips8trgrl3) and Cammie Scott (https://www.youtube.com/user/CammieScott), and talks about why their relationship (and breakup) has been so important to young lesbians growing up in red states like her. Pull up a chair and prepare to defend Lemonade to the death—it’s time for Après Culture. NEXT WEEK Singin’ in the Rain (1952) and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (CW)

This week we’re tipping our hat to Mental Health Month with Carrie Fisher’s fictionalized memoir on film Postcards from the Edge, and FXX’s acid rom-com You’re the Worst. Nothing says comedy like mental illness! And we’ve got all the depression yuks you can take. Pull up a chair and make sure booze isn’t contraindicated with your medication—it’s time for Après Culture. Chocolate-Peanut Butter Adult Smoothie (adapted from nightclub.com) 1 1/4 oz. Absolut Vanilia Vodka 1 oz. Kahlúa 1/2 frozen banana 4 oz. milk 2 oz. chocolate syrup 2 oz. peanut butter 3-4 scoops vanilla frozen yogurt Blend together and serve. Important Note: We don’t want to risk spoiling anything for our listeners, so outlined below are the time-stamps of when we talk about each movie/show/book – listen at your own risk or feel free to skip around! 03:45-29:51 - Postcards From The Edge 30:00-43:37 You’re The Worst Next Week Taylor Swift’s 1989 YouTube channels YouNow (e.g., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IBkga1lFAE) and Nowthisisliv

This week we’re talking about everything we watched and read since season two, including Captain America: Civil War, The People v. OJ Simpson, and New X-Files, plus a Bravo run-down and Redbook recommendation (yes, that Redbook) with Kasey, and a whole lotta reading recommendations from Sara Ann (American Born Chinese, Who Fears Death, Wolf Hall, Left Hand of Darkness, Rainbow Rowell, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, Lumberjanes, and John Lewis’s graphic novel memoir March). Pull up a chair and decide whether you think Fresca makes a good mixer (WE HAVE DIFFERENT OPINIONS ON THIS)—it’s time for Après Culture. FRESQUILAS It’s just FRESCA and TEQUILA over ice. Proportion to taste. Important Note: We don’t want to risk spoiling anything for our listeners, so outlined below are the time-stamps of when we talk about each movie/show/book – listen at your own risk or feel free to skip around! 05:19-30:44 Captain America 30:53-42:05 America Crime Story: The People Vs. OJ Simpson 42:15-59:10 X-Files 59:20-0

This week we’re going jock with special guest Greg Barnett, who’s introducing us to the Kevin Costner golf movie Tin Cup and ESPN’s original sports shouting show Pardon the Interruption. For a bonus, Kasey gives Sara Ann a sports quiz (which she’s sure to ace) and we take a look back at season two. Pull up a chair and do a little penguin dance—it’s time for Après Culture. NEXT WEEK: Nothing! Because season 2 is over. But we’ll be back in the spring! Look for it!

This week we’re talking great American girlhood novels, from the real lives behind the fictionalized autobiographies, to the two very different visions of one tumultuous time in American history they offer, to how ridiculous it is that a real-life dude would actually be named Manly Wilder (seriously, Manly Wilder). Who left the family’s time on a commune out of her story? Who hung out with Dorothy Parker and got sued by Charlie Chaplin? And who really wrote the Little House series (yeah, there’s a serious debate)? Pull up a chair and prepare to gloss over your father’s real shortcomings — it’s time for Après Culture. NEXT WEEK: Tin Cup (1996) Pardon the Interruption (ESPN podcast), “Divisional Round Recap: 1/18/16” TIPPLE OF THE WEEK: Micheladas

This week we’re celebrating MLK Day with two films by African-American writer-directors. Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing is the tale of one day on one street in New York’s predominantly black Bed-Stuy district, and the thousand small moments that lead to a conflagration come nightfall. Gina Prince-Bythewood’s Love and Basketball traces the romance of two dedicated basketball players from their time as childhood sweethearts through their volatile college and professional careers, and how their love of the game alternately unites them and tears them apart. We’ve also brought guests Bahiyjaui Allen and Edwin Walker on with us to make token black friend jokes and talk about what Lee’s and Prince-Bythewood’s work has meant to them as aspiring filmmakers themselves. Pull up a chair and order a slice with extra cheese — it’s time for Après Culture. NEXT WEEK: Little House on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott TIPPLE OF THE WEEK: Dirty Shirley Temples

This week in a short mid-season check-in, we toss our two cents into the overflowing giant novelty piggy bank of rage that is our collective internet reaction to Netflix’s Making a Murderer. We talk murder theories, we talk prosecutorial misconduct, we talk RAGE. Are there spoilers? Oh, you betcha. Pull up a chair and brush off your Importance of Due Process speech — it’s time for Après Culture. NEXT WEEK: We resume full-length eps with an MLK Day-themed ep on: Do the Right Thing (1989) Love and Basketball (2000) TIPPLE OF THE WEEK: Assortment of Blue Moon Beer

This week we’ve got a couple of short eps to wet your appetite* for the last few eps of season 2 (we know!). We’re starting with a follow-up to our Star Wars marathon episode, with a spoilerrific review of The Force Awakens. (Can you believe ----------- ----------??????) We’re sure you’ve been holding off on seeing it until you heard our verdict, so here it is! Pull up a chair and make sure to shoot first—it’s time for Après Culture. NEXT TIME: Making a Murderer (Netflix) WE HAVE THOUGHTS TIPPLE OF THE WEEK: Vodka and cranberry (aka “The Dark Side”) *Yes, we know it’s “whet your appetite”; it’s a pun! Because we’re calling these aperitifs! It’s a meta-pun!

This week we’re succumbing to the pop culture inevitable and talking about Star Wars. That’s right, we've marathoned the movies to date in Machete Order and we’re ready to talk about what made us smile, what made us wince, and what we’re looking forward to as Disney unleashes a new round of Star Wars films on the world. Next Week: We're taking a break for the holidays. We’ve got travel, we’ve got family, we’ve got to put the podcast on hold. But we’ll be back with the back half of Apres Culture season two in January, with episodes on Martin Luther King Day, on sports movies, and on Girlhood Novels. If you want to read along with us, download Little Women and Little House on the Prairie now.

This week we’re celebrating the holidays with explosions and Hallmark schmaltz. That’s right, Pop Culture Swap is back, and the pieces of pop culture we gave each other were … not the same. Fortunately, there was eggnog. Very, very grownup eggnog. (This is absolutely the tipsiest we’ve ever gotten on the podcast.) We talk about the surprisingly progressive politics of the 1988 Christmas/action classic Die Hard, and how unlikely it must have seemed in 1987 that it would become a classic. Plus, Kasey enjoys a little romance/schadenfreude combo by forcing Sara Ann to watch the Hallmark Channel’s A Princess for Christmas, the story of a poor but noble young woman (of course) raising her dead sister’s children (of course) who suddenly gets whisked away to a fake European country to stay in a castle with her dead brother-in-law’s suddenly friendly, very royal, and suspiciously British family (OF COURSE). Pull up a chair and contemplate the chaste but appreciative kiss you will give your beloved when he finally du

This week we’re doing you a solid with pop culture gift recommendations for everybody on your list. We’ve got kids’ books from toddlers to teens, and film, TV and movie picks for adults of every personality and type of gift obligation. Whoever you’ve got to buy for, we’re here to point you in the right direction. Pull up a chair and pop open your Christmas gift spreadsheet—it’s time for Après Culture. Important Note: We don’t want to risk spoiling anything for our listeners, so outlined below are the time-stamps of when we talk about each book or movie/show - listen at your risk or feel free to skip around! BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS Pre-School (Picture Books) 11:15-15:52 -Waiting by Kevin Henkes 11:15-12:55 -The Day The Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt 12:56-14:29 -Mr. Wuffles by David Wiesner 14:35-15:52 Early Grade-School (ages 5-7) 16:45-24:24 -Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems 16:45-18:50 -Story of Diva and Flea by Mo Willems 18:56-20:36 Upper Grade-School (ages 8-12) 24:45-34:18 -National Geograph

This week we’re looking at a pair of classic documentary films. First up is seminal true crime drama The Thin Blue Line, which examines the politics and personalities that put a man on death row for killing a Dallas police officer -- and asks whether it might have all been a horrible mistake. Then we’re diving into Los Angeles Plays Itself, a simultaneously cantankerous and swoony look at the history of Los Angeles as it appears on film. One grumpy film professor and native Angeleno sets out to make the definitive case for what’s wrong with the movies’ take on LA, permissions be damned, and 200+ clips later, a cult classic was born. Pull up a chair and google “fair use laws”— it’s time for Après Culture. Important Note: We don’t want to risk spoiling anything for our listeners, so outlined below are the time-stamps of when we talk about each documentary - listen at your risk or feel free to skip around! 02:22-19:16 - The Thin Blue Line 19:36-39:35 - Los Angeles Plays Itself NEXT WEEK: Our special Pop

This week we’re helping you plot your ideal Thanksgiving TV and movie marathon. We’ll look at all the best Turkey Day episodes available to stream for free (because we’re all poor until after Christmas). Turkey abuse! American football! All the family feeling you can stand, and some really ill-advised orange/green color combos! It’s all happening in the Après Culture Lounge this week. Pull up a chair and try to suppress your sympathetic gravy belches—it’s time for Après Culture. Important Note: We don’t want to risk spoiling anything for our listeners, so outlined below are the time-stamps of when we talk about certain shows/movies - listen at your risk or feel free to skip around! COMEDY 07:06-18:20 Friends 18:20-23:05 Bob’s Burgers 23:08-27:38 How I Met Your Mother 27:39-31:36 Everybody Loves Raymond 31:52-36:34 WKRP in Cincinnati 36:36-40:07 Cheers 40:10-45:55 Planes, Trains and Automobiles 45:04-45:22 Brooklyn 99 45:34-47:02 Don’t Trust the B in Apt 23 47:03-48:40 Bob Newhart Show 48:41-49:48 The Cos

This week we’re saluting Sadie Hawkins Day with a nod to gender flipping. First we’ve got Emily Blunt demonstrating why it doesn’t need to be a “girl part” to cast a woman, in the War on Drugs thriller Sicario. Then we flash back to Dustin Hoffman casting himself in the girl part, and doing it smashingly, in classic cross-dressing comedy Tootsie. Pull up a chair and manspread to your heart’s content—it’s time for Après Culture. Important Note: We don’t want to risk spoiling anything for our listeners, so outlined below are the time-stamps of when we talk about each movie - listen at your risk or feel free to skip around! 03:00-17:06 Sicario 17:15-43:43 Tootsie NEXT WEEK: Thanksgiving marathoning: the best streaming Turkey Day shows to entertain and/or distract TIPPLE OF THE WEEK: Hard Cider Sangria

Welcome to Season 2 of Après Culture! We’ve spent weeks wading through the flood of fall TV, and now we’ve dried off, donned our Backwards Baseball Cap of Deep Thought (Kasey) and Bedazzled Monocle of Comic Consideration (Sara Ann), and returned to the secret underground Apres Culture Lounge for THIS, our REVIEW of FALL TV 2015. What’s good? What’s not? And what is the one thing all personality quirks, mental illnesses and super powers are good for (according to television)? We’re ready to reveal all. Pull up a chair and prepare to completely rethink your Hulu queue—it’s time for Après Culture. Important Note: We don’t want to risk spoiling anything for our listeners, so outlined below are the time-stamps of when we talk about certain shows - listen at your risk or feel free to skip around! 03:12 - 13:33 SUMMER TV CATCH UP 03:12 - 04:14 House of Cards 04:17 - 05:57 Bates Motel 05:16 - 06:05 Bloodline 06:15 - 08:16 You’re The Worst 08:55 - 10:43 Fargo 10:43 - 11:20 Good Wife 11:44 - 12:18 Transparent 12:31

This week we’re donning our literary canon sports coats (do they have elbow patches? Of course they do) and digging into some short stories. There’s lots to unpack in these tales of war, tradition, madness and bad decor, and we’re just the wine drinking gals to do it. Pull up a chair and think up a meaningful story for everything in your pockets. It’s time for Après Culture.

This week, with special guest April Maguire, we’re spoiling the heck out of a pair of zeitgeist-y TV shows. We talk rape, CGI, fan theories, and zombie Jon Snow in an uneven season of Game of Thrones. Then we dig into OITNB’s twisty treatment of its very human characters, the importance of faith this season, a much smarter and more considered treatment of rape, and one very unfortunate lapse in the show’s usually smart approach to racial stereotypes. Pull up a chair and keep an eye on that one kid who SO CLEARLY RESENTS YOUR NEW WILDLING POLICIES—it’s time for Après Culture.

This week we’re assigning each other pop culture homework, and discussing the results. First, Sara Ann made everyone watch Korean drama Secret Garden, a romantic comedy about a snobby department store CEO and humble stuntwoman who can’t stand each other -- at first. Did Kasey and Margaret find it worth putting up with the subtitles? Next we debate the attractions of Kasey’s assignment, lifestyle blogs The Everygirl, Into the Gloss, Cupcakes and Cashmere, Style Me Pretty Living, Elements of Style, and of course, Goop. Turns out Margaret has OPINIONS on lifestyle blogs. And lastly, Margaret’s picks: British teen dramas Misfits, about a bunch of delinquents who find themselves with superpowers and proceed to not exactly save the world, and Skins, about actors you’ve seen in other things, but as teenagers, and doing very non-teenager-appropriate things (very). Kasey and Sara Ann are fans--except for the one part Sara Ann REALLY IS NOT a fan of. Pull up a chair and start humming your favorite Korean theme song

This week we’re looking back at shows that surprised us, disappointed us, won us over or finally lost our love this past TV season. (We may be the only Pop Culture pundits to mention Fixer Upper in our year-end review. Maybe.) Then we’re looking forward to summer, with a ton of returning favorites and possible new loves, plus all the TV we’re finally, totally catching up on now that TV has “slowed down.” It’s a whirlwind of awesome, and we couldn’t be more excited. Pull up a chair and open your spreadsheet of TV to do—it’s time for Après Culture.