culture porn 2/9
in the press
the super bowl and the taylor swift ‘girlfriend effect’
our founder, linda ong, spoke with benjamin mullin at THE NEW YORK TIMES about taylor swift’s undeniable ‘girlfriend effect’ on the N.F.L. and what her influence could mean for the SUPER BOWL LVIII and its audience this weekend.
more insights here
this week’s playlist
screenshot me:
tracy chapman x luke combs: fast car (grammys)
if you didn't watch the grammys, i don't blame you - i forced myself to watch out of some sort of civic cultural duty. i love music, but 3.5 hours is too long. that said, the night had a shining bright moment in seeing tracy chapman perform live with luke combs. tracy was fantastic sharing the spotlight with luke, all these years after the song first came out, and how damn heartening is that!! i also love country music. worlds colliding...magic.
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expats (amazon prime video)
this glossy new series by lulu wang (THE FAREWELL) stars the chaos and grit of hong kong - the perfect setting for prickly relationships. an excellent (largely) AAPI cast bobs and weaves around nicole kidman, as a privileged mother traumatized by guilt. affairs and deceit wrestle amidst the backdrop of the 2014 umbrella protests for democracy – as well as an IRL controversy about the show's larger political implications. nb: the finale has been called a film unto itself.
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society of the snow (netflix)
with all the recent airplane snafus, what better time to totally freak yourself out than by watching a new spanish film take on the harrowing tale of a real-life soccer team whose plane crashed into the andes in 1972. it was hard to watch, and at times i almost stopped, but i ultimately committed to seeing it through. the story definitely puts challenges into perspective.
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superhot: the spicy world of pepper people (hulu)
over the holidays, i was surprised to learn that the gen z and millennials in my family are passionate stans of hot sauce. this peek into the spicy subculture – part foodie love, part physical competition – had me primed to watch this docuseries on the "chili community" and its "chili heads." i learned (as with every subculture) there is infighting, turf wars, and gossip – which makes this show both juicy and hot stuff.
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friends, lovers, and the big terrible thing: a memoir (matthew perry / audible)
still processing the loss of one of the fab six FRIENDS i grew up watching, i prioritized listening to perry's audiobook with renewed fervor. it's an optimistic yet harrowing tale of the grips of addiction, that no amount of fame and money can solve. i love that he wrote this memoir and recorded it in his own voice - it was released in late 2022.
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the smile (xl recordings)
if (like me) you've felt endlessly adrift waiting on a new RADIOHEAD release, you'll be soothed and stayed by this new work. featuring two-thirds of that enigmatic trio, thom yorke and jonny greenwood's side hustle with tom skinner sounds (to me) virtually indistinguishable from their full-time gig.
insights & inspo
putting the hard 'r' in oscar
it’s been a hot and heavy year for cinema. the stories that unfolded on screen delved into some very raw and unfiltered scenes with some pretty shocking moments that pushed boundaries and undeniably ignited conversation. from intimate moments of vulnerability to provocative displays of passion, this year's nominees redefine the art of on-screen expression, but can the oscars keep up?
more insights here