culture porn 9/20
join CULTIQUE co-founder linda ong as she moderates a discussion with UTA’s lesley silverman and todd terrazas of FBRC.ai on AI’s role at the intersection of taste, curation and community - at FUTURE COMMERCE’s VISIONS 2024 thursday, 10/10 at the NIMOY THEATER in westwood. click here for special access for readers of CULTURE PORN!
insights & implications
how the pursuit of perfect sleep can backfire
remember back when people bragged about how little sleep they got? now, the post-pandemic flex is peak shut-eye. with a littany of sleep-fluencers, hacks, sleep tech, and products (jaw straps or magnesium mocktails, anyone?), “sleepmaxxers” are creating the new sleep culture.
implication: is the “perfectionistic quest for the ideal sleep” just taking another obsessive health fixation to an extreme?
more insights here
this week’s playlist
screenshot me:
the perfect couple (netflix)
if "premiere froth" is a new genre, i'm in! watching this adaptation of elin hilderbrand's beach read is like bingeing a bottle of top-shelf rosé in six installments. they go down smoothly, thanks to nicole kidman and liev schreiber, a seaside locale, and a twisty whodunit that makes THE TRAITORS look like child's play. (p.s. don’t miss the closing-credits dance sequence featuring the show’s award-winning director susanne bier!)
i wanted it to be WHITE LOTUS-level - since meghann fahy was in it! alas, it wasn't. was it watchable? very. ridiculous? very. but the cast was quite solid (dakota fanning, hello!) and the show very bingeable.
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wise guy david chase and the sopranos (max)
back when THE SOPRANOS started in 1999, going to a therapist was usually a well-kept secret. now, the iconic series' creator david chase unpacks the complicated relationship with his troubled mother that inspired one of the most "difficult men" ever. in a facsimile of dr. melfi's office, chase is now in the hot seat across from director alex gibney. guaranteed, you'll want to go back and play the hits after hearing his take on your fave episodes.
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the secret lives of mormon wives (hulu)
after seeing numerous comedians dive into the show on instagram, i decided to watch the source material. after screening an episode, it consists of standard reality TV fare, except tiktok stars are featured. amidst genuine angst in staged scenarios, there are talks of “brand deals” and “content.” while my preferred utah mom-content is "jane insane" and "ballerina farm," i can see why the series is performing well for hulu. a little while ago i wrote about normalizing faith in entertainment. this show uses religion as a platform for viewer intrigue (and at times, scandal), but perhaps it's an indication of more on the horizon.
MIDWEEK with CULTIQUE
