Latest news with #TheCultureSurvey
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Show That Makes Being Awkward Feel Good
This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. Welcome back to The Daily's Sunday culture edition, in which one Atlantic writer or editor reveals what's keeping them entertained. Today's special guest is Serena Dai, a senior editor who has written about the easiest way to keep your friends, the art of the restaurateur, and the endless hunt to make meaning of marriage. Serena was surprised by how much she enjoyed The Rehearsal, the comedian Nathan Fielder's latest pseudo-reality series. She's also an avid romance-novel reader, a newly minted Jonas Brothers fan, and a longtime admirer of Kathryn Hahn's work. The Culture Survey: Serena Dai The television show I'm most enjoying right now: I'm a bit embarrassed to say that I could not bear to watch Nathan for You, a beloved show where the comedian Nathan Fielder suggests outlandish plans to help small businesses. Every person I trusted assured me that Fielder was a genius, and I got the sense that I must lack some sort of sophistication for not enjoying it. The entrepreneurs he was trying to 'help' with suggestions such as poop-flavored frozen yogurt were real people; I felt too badly for them to find the show entertaining. So I was surprised to discover that I loved his new series, The Rehearsal—and now, a few episodes into the second season, I finally understand the 'genius' moniker that my buddies have bequeathed him. Similar to Nathan for You, the show pairs Fielder's monotonous tone with outrageous conceits, but this time, the premise is staging 'rehearsals' to help people prepare for difficult moments. Though he's still cringey (and still allegedly misleading real people), he also poses questions about how comedy can effect real-life change, and reveals some insights about his own role in the entertainment industry's worst impulses. His critiques feel organic instead of forced, something that is not easy. By the second episode of the new season, I found myself not only in awe of the lengths he would go for a bit but also laughing out loud at the results. [Related: Nathan Fielder is his own worst enemy.] The upcoming entertainment event I'm most looking forward to: The return of Lena Dunham's work to our TV screens, with her upcoming Netflix show, Too Much. I recently rewatched the first season of Girls, and seeing it in my 30s (long after the heated discourse about Millennials and nepo babies that surrounded the show's debut), I had a deeper appreciation for Dunham's talent for writing sharply drawn characters—ones who, even when they're infuriating, you can't help but love. When she hits, she hits! The new show, which debuts on July 10, stars one of my favorite internet personalities, the comedian Megan Stalter. She has an intensity in her facial expressions that makes me laugh before she even says a word, and I am eager to see how Dunham works with her talents. [Related: Eight perfect episodes of TV] An actor I would watch in anything: Kathryn Hahn. She's funny and moving in so much that she does, but I really fell for her in I Love Dick, an adaptation of the Chris Kraus novel where she excels at playing a woman who wants and wants and wants. My favorite way of wasting time on my phone: This year, I finally did something that I've been thinking about for years: I started pulling up the Kindle app to read a book when I had the instinct to refresh my Instagram feed. I read an essay a long time ago recommending it as a way both to read more books and to make phone time feel less terrible, but I hadn't done it. For years, I still felt that any extended time I spent on my phone meant something bad about me, and frankly, I was also just easily distracted. But I decided I didn't need to read Proust, only stay off social media; as a result, I have probably tripled my intake of romance novels, which are breezy yet still require an attention span longer than 30 seconds. I recently dipped my toe into historical romance and have been loving the Ravenels series, by Lisa Kleypas, which you may also enjoy if you're a fan of Bridgerton. I do still spend plenty of time on Instagram trying to remind myself to not pay too much attention to parenting or fitness influencers, but I promise it's less. Much, much less. An author I will read anything by: Jasmine Guillory. I love romance, I love love, and I love her characters. An online creator whom I'm a fan of: I've been finding small ways to incorporate more Mandarin into my life because I'm trying to speak it more to my toddler, and a friend recommended following her Chinese teacher, Neruda Ling, on Instagram. He blends internet humor with Mandarin lessons, which is exactly what I need after a lifetime of associating the language with textbooks and long Sunday mornings in suburban community-college classrooms. Crucially, he also explains curse words and gay slang, something my immigrant mother would never have done in depth. To be honest, I'm not sure if I remember any of the phrases he's taught, and even if I did, I doubt that I would have the guts to deploy them in casual conversation. Mostly, these videos remind me that the language doesn't have to feel inherently stiff like it did when I was growing up, and that Mandarin can, in fact, be a source of joy. A good recommendation I recently received: I can't believe I'm saying this, but have you heard the latest Jonas Brothers single? It's called 'Love Me to Heaven,' and my husband stopped everything in our apartment one busy Saturday to make me listen to it. If you, like me, had kind of written them off as Disney Channel heartthrobs or tabloid fodder or reality-show jokesters, you too might be delighted to hear this pop-rock bop. I want to drive a convertible to the beach with the roof down and blast this song the whole way there. Here are three Sunday reads from The Atlantic: The vanishers: secrets of the world's greatest privacy experts The mother who never stopped believing her son was still there The talented Mr. Vance The Week Ahead Karate Kid: Legends, an action movie starring Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio (in theaters Friday) Season 3 of And Just Like That, a sequel to Sex and the City (premieres Thursday on Max) Never Flinch, a crime novel by Stephen King about a killer and a dangerous stalker (out Tuesday) Essay The Pedestrians Who Abetted a Hawk's Deadly Attack By Katherine J. Wu In November of 2021, Vladimir Dinets was driving his daughter to school when he first noticed a hawk using a pedestrian crosswalk. The bird—a young Cooper's hawk, to be exact—wasn't using the crosswalk, in the sense of treading on the painted white stripes to reach the other side of the road in West Orange, New Jersey. But it was using the crosswalk—more specifically, the pedestrian-crossing signal that people activate to keep traffic out of said crosswalk—to ambush prey. Read the full article. More in Culture The unbearable weight of Mission: Impossible Time for scary movies to make us laugh again. America's Johnson & Johnson problem No one is better at being looked at than Kim Kardashian. What is Alison Bechdel's secret? Catch Up on The largest upward transfer of wealth in American history The decline and fall of Elon Musk The anti-natalist's revenge Photo Album Take a look at these photos of the week, showing a swannery in southern England, tornado damage in Kentucky, a rally race in a Chinese desert, and more. Explore all of our newsletters. When you buy a book using a link in this newsletter, we receive a commission. Thank you for supporting The Atlantic. Article originally published at The Atlantic
Atlantic
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Atlantic
The Show That Makes Being Awkward Feel Good
This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. Welcome back to The Daily's Sunday culture edition, in which one Atlantic writer or editor reveals what's keeping them entertained. Today's special guest is Serena Dai, a senior editor who has written about the easiest way to keep your friends, the art of the restaurateur, and the endless hunt to make meaning of marriage. Serena was surprised by how much she enjoyed The Rehearsal, the comedian Nathan Fielder's latest pseudo-reality series. She's also an avid romance-novel reader, a newly minted Jonas Brothers fan, and a longtime admirer of Kathryn Hahn's work. The Culture Survey: Serena Dai The television show I'm most enjoying right now: I'm a bit embarrassed to say that I could not bear to watch Nathan for You, a beloved show where the comedian Nathan Fielder suggests outlandish plans to help small businesses. Every person I trusted assured me that Fielder was a genius, and I got the sense that I must lack some sort of sophistication for not enjoying it. The entrepreneurs he was trying to 'help' with suggestions such as poop-flavored frozen yogurt were real people; I felt too badly for them to find the show entertaining. So I was surprised to discover that I loved his new series, The Rehearsal —and now, a few episodes into the second season, I finally understand the 'genius' moniker that my buddies have bequeathed him. Similar to Nathan for You, the show pairs Fielder's monotonous tone with outrageous conceits, but this time, the premise is staging 'rehearsals' to help people prepare for difficult moments. Though he's still cringey (and still allegedly misleading real people), he also poses questions about how comedy can effect real-life change, and reveals some insights about his own role in the entertainment industry's worst impulses. His critiques feel organic instead of forced, something that is not easy. By the second episode of the new season, I found myself not only in awe of the lengths he would go for a bit but also laughing out loud at the results. [ Related: Nathan Fielder is his own worst enemy. ] The upcoming entertainment event I'm most looking forward to: The return of Lena Dunham's work to our TV screens, with her upcoming Netflix show, Too Much. I recently rewatched the first season of Girls, and seeing it in my 30s (long after the heated discourse about Millennials and nepo babies that surrounded the show's debut), I had a deeper appreciation for Dunham's talent for writing sharply drawn characters—ones who, even when they're infuriating, you can't help but love. When she hits, she hits! The new show, which debuts on July 10, stars one of my favorite internet personalities, the comedian Megan Stalter. She has an intensity in her facial expressions that makes me laugh before she even says a word, and I am eager to see how Dunham works with her talents. [ Related: Eight perfect episodes of TV ] An actor I would watch in anything: Kathryn Hahn. She's funny and moving in so much that she does, but I really fell for her in I Love Dick, an adaptation of the Chris Kraus novel where she excels at playing a woman who wants and wants and wants. My favorite way of wasting time on my phone: This year, I finally did something that I've been thinking about for years: I started pulling up the Kindle app to read a book when I had the instinct to refresh my Instagram feed. I read an essay a long time ago recommending it as a way both to read more books and to make phone time feel less terrible, but I hadn't done it. For years, I still felt that any extended time I spent on my phone meant something bad about me, and frankly, I was also just easily distracted. But I decided I didn't need to read Proust, only stay off social media; as a result, I have probably tripled my intake of romance novels, which are breezy yet still require an attention span longer than 30 seconds. I recently dipped my toe into historical romance and have been loving the Ravenels series, by Lisa Kleypas, which you may also enjoy if you're a fan of Bridgerton. I do still spend plenty of time on Instagram trying to remind myself to not pay too much attention to parenting or fitness influencers, but I promise it's less. Much, much less. An author I will read anything by: Jasmine Guillory. I love romance, I love love, and I love her characters. An online creator whom I'm a fan of: I've been finding small ways to incorporate more Mandarin into my life because I'm trying to speak it more to my toddler, and a friend recommended following her Chinese teacher, Neruda Ling, on Instagram. He blends internet humor with Mandarin lessons, which is exactly what I need after a lifetime of associating the language with textbooks and long Sunday mornings in suburban community-college classrooms. Crucially, he also explains curse words and gay slang, something my immigrant mother would never have done in depth. To be honest, I'm not sure if I remember any of the phrases he's taught, and even if I did, I doubt that I would have the guts to deploy them in casual conversation. Mostly, these videos remind me that the language doesn't have to feel inherently stiff like it did when I was growing up, and that Mandarin can, in fact, be a source of joy. A good recommendation I recently received: I can't believe I'm saying this, but have you heard the latest Jonas Brothers single? It's called ' Love Me to Heaven,' and my husband stopped everything in our apartment one busy Saturday to make me listen to it. If you, like me, had kind of written them off as Disney Channel heartthrobs or tabloid fodder or reality-show jokesters, you too might be delighted to hear this pop-rock bop. I want to drive a convertible to the beach with the roof down and blast this song the whole way there. Here are three Sunday reads from The Atlantic: The Week Ahead Karate Kid: Legends, an action movie starring Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio (in theaters Friday) Season 3 of And Just Like That, a sequel to Sex and the City (premieres Thursday on Max) Never Flinch, a crime novel by Stephen King about a killer and a dangerous stalker (out Tuesday) Essay The Pedestrians Who Abetted a Hawk's Deadly Attack In November of 2021, Vladimir Dinets was driving his daughter to school when he first noticed a hawk using a pedestrian crosswalk. The bird—a young Cooper's hawk, to be exact—wasn't using the crosswalk, in the sense of treading on the painted white stripes to reach the other side of the road in West Orange, New Jersey. But it was using the crosswalk—more specifically, the pedestrian-crossing signal that people activate to keep traffic out of said crosswalk—to ambush prey. More in Culture Catch Up on The Atlantic Photo Album Take a look at these photos of the week, showing a swannery in southern England, tornado damage in Kentucky, a rally race in a Chinese desert, and more.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A Strangely Moving Cartoon Show
This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. Welcome back to The Daily's Sunday culture edition, in which one Atlantic writer or editor reveals what's keeping them entertained. Today's special guest is Allegra Frank, a senior editor who works on stories about the changing trends in film, television, and culture. Allegra recently spent a day trying out the new Nintendo Switch 2. She enjoys the works of the Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara, making a lot of playlists, and listening to the indie-pop artist Jay Som. The Culture Survey: Allegra Frank The television show I'm most enjoying right now: YOLO is perhaps the most unfortunately named series on television right now—but it's also the funniest. Adult Swim's animated comedy is surreal, madcap, and somehow both nonsensical and strangely moving. Set in the city of Wollongong, which an Australian friend described to me as 'Sydney's equivalent of Staten Island,' YOLO follows the bizarre travails of longtime best friends Rachel and Sarah. Rachel's rage and Sarah's naivete often land them in unexpected situations: getting stuck on a planet inhabited by personified zodiac signs, a dance-off to the death hosted by a gigantic floating head, a park hang that ends in beheadings and someone transforming into a computer-animated werewolf. The inanity may be too much for a viewer not used to the creator Michael Cusack's abrasive style of storytelling, but Season 3, named Rainbow Trinity, combines these absurd stories with Sarah and Rachel's genuine growth. The affection I feel for these characters makes YOLO more than just one of the weirdest—and best—cartoons I've ever seen. The product my friends are talking about most right now: Nintendo released its last major video-game console, the Switch, nearly a decade ago, making the release of its follow-up a major event. The excitement isn't just due to the fact that new systems bring new games; it's also because Nintendo is one of the most surprising developers in the industry, focused as much on innovation as improvement. So when I had the chance to spend an entire day with the Switch's aptly titled successor, the Nintendo Switch 2, I jumped at it. After watching the hour-long live reveal with content creators and fellow journalists earlier this month, I got to play some of the new games and learn more about the console. I was most struck by Nintendo's emphasis on online social play. There are already robust platforms for those who want to stream their game or voice-chat with their friends. But Nintendo has baked those features into the Switch 2 itself, creating an exclusive and collaborative multiplayer environment (one perk is that you can video-chat a friend mid-game to walk them through a tricky spot). I remain most curious as to whether these new features will be compelling enough to persuade buyers to pick up the console. That question, outside of the console's controversial pricing—$150 more than its predecessor, with mounting concerns about an increase due to tariffs—is what my fellow Mario-lovers and I have been wondering about. [Related: The Switch 2 is a new kart-racing appliance.] A piece of art that I cherish: I've hung a print of the Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara's piece Oh! My God! I Miss You. on a wall wherever I've lived since I was 17 years old. Nara has a fixation on big-headed little girls who are often seen scowling or bristling—figures that have always resonated with me. I've always loved the irony present in this drawing, in particular: a brash little girl looking askance as a blaring plea for closeness hangs above her. The last thing that made me cry: The Netflix docuseries Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing validated my disinterest in raising children in the age of social media. It's a harrowing look at how a group of teens were exploited by the mother of a popular YouTube influencer, who turned their awkward phases into clickbait. I was shocked by the number of tears I shed as the kids talked about their experiences with alleged emotional and, in some cases, sexual abuse in the name of content creation (the mother involved has denied all wrongdoing). I was less surprised to learn that the now-17-year-old daughter of the alleged abuser still actively posts dance videos and updates about her love life to a social media following of more than 21 million. A quiet song that I love, and a loud song that I love: Throughout each month, I make several new playlists of the songs I'm into; once the playlist includes 30 songs, I have to make another. (I am very systematic about my music consumption.) I'm particularly struck by this one-two punch on my playlist from the end of March: the lullaby-like 'Little Trouble Girl,' by Sonic Youth, followed by 'Perfect Soul,' by the heavy-metal band Spiritbox. I love both of these songs and a dose of discordance, but I also love listening to music as I fall asleep—I have finally learned that this is not a good playlist to put on at night. A musical artist who means a lot to me: The indie-pop artist Melina Duterte has collaborated or performed with several cult-favorite musicians over the years, namely the supergroup Boygenius. But I'd argue that her own solo efforts far exceed that of any of her peers. Under the name Jay Som, Duterte has released three pitch-perfect solo albums—gorgeous, keenly observed, textured works, in the first two of which she plays every instrument herself. She sings a lot about love, but also about career pressure and riding the bus. I listened to Jay Som's second album, 2017's Everybody Works, every day during a particularly low six-month period in my life, and it buoyed me to a much happier place. Duterte followed that up with the excellent Anak Ko in 2019, and I've waited impatiently for almost six years for the next one. Thankfully, Duterte recently revealed that Jay Som's fourth solo album is nearly done. Fingers crossed that the artist releases it sooner than later—if so, I'd be surprised if it doesn't end up as my favorite of the year. Here are three Sunday reads from The Atlantic: What porn taught a generation of women The key to critical self-awareness We're about to find out what mass deportation really looks like. The Week Ahead The Accountant 2, a film starring Ben Affleck as a forensic accountant with deadly skills (in theaters Friday) Season 5 of You, a drama show about a love-obsessed and charming stalker (premieres Thursday on Netflix) The Project, a book by the Atlantic staff writer David A. Graham about Project 2025's ambitions (out Tuesday) Essay Federal Workers Are Facing a New Reality By Elaine Godfrey The employees who have so far survived the Trump administration's federal defenestration project are morose. For some, the new workload is untenable. For others, chaos reigns. Scientists have been unable to purchase mice for research, while human-tissue samples have sat on dry ice, unsent, thanks to worker layoffs. Lawyers at the Education Department are racing through a backlog of complaints from parents of special-needs children. And many employees are learning that teammates have been fired only when they receive an email bounce-back: Address not found. Read the full article. More in Culture Katy Perry is exactly the kind of celebrity to go to space. What Jonathan Haidt thought when he watched Adolescence Even Netflix can't escape the Black Mirror treatment. What Silicon Valley knew about tech-bro paternalism 'Dear James': I'm dreading my family vacation. What does the literature of the working class look like? Catch Up on America's mad king, by Peter Wehner They never thought Trump would have them deported. Anne Applebaum: Kleptocracy, Inc. Photo Album Take a look at these photos of the week, showing an annual torch festival in India, a colorful tulip festival in England, ice climbing in Nepal, and more. Explore all of our newsletters. When you buy a book using a link in this newsletter, we receive a commission. Thank you for supporting The Atlantic. Article originally published at The Atlantic
Atlantic
20-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Atlantic
A Strangely Moving Cartoon Show
This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. Welcome back to The Daily's Sunday culture edition, in which one Atlantic writer or editor reveals what's keeping them entertained. Today's special guest is Allegra Frank, a senior editor who works on stories about the changing trends in film, television, and culture. Allegra recently spent a day trying out the new Nintendo Switch 2. She enjoys the works of the Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara, making a lot of playlists, and listening to the indie-pop artist Jay Som. The Culture Survey: Allegra Frank The television show I'm most enjoying right now: YOLO is perhaps the most unfortunately named series on television right now—but it's also the funniest. Adult Swim's animated comedy is surreal, madcap, and somehow both nonsensical and strangely moving. Set in the city of Wollongong, which an Australian friend described to me as 'Sydney's equivalent of Staten Island,' YOLO follows the bizarre travails of longtime best friends Rachel and Sarah. Rachel's rage and Sarah's naivete often land them in unexpected situations: getting stuck on a planet inhabited by personified zodiac signs, a dance-off to the death hosted by a gigantic floating head, a park hang that ends in beheadings and someone transforming into a computer-animated werewolf. The inanity may be too much for a viewer not used to the creator Michael Cusack's abrasive style of storytelling, but Season 3, named Rainbow Trinity, combines these absurd stories with Sarah and Rachel's genuine growth. The affection I feel for these characters makes YOLO more than just one of the weirdest—and best—cartoons I've ever seen. The product my friends are talking about most right now: Nintendo released its last major video-game console, the Switch, nearly a decade ago, making the release of its follow-up a major event. The excitement isn't just due to the fact that new systems bring new games; it's also because Nintendo is one of the most surprising developers in the industry, focused as much on innovation as improvement. So when I had the chance to spend an entire day with the Switch's aptly titled successor, the Nintendo Switch 2, I jumped at it. After watching the hour-long live reveal with content creators and fellow journalists earlier this month, I got to play some of the new games and learn more about the console. I was most struck by Nintendo's emphasis on online social play. There are already robust platforms for those who want to stream their game or voice-chat with their friends. But Nintendo has baked those features into the Switch 2 itself, creating an exclusive and collaborative multiplayer environment (one perk is that you can video-chat a friend mid-game to walk them through a tricky spot). I remain most curious as to whether these new features will be compelling enough to persuade buyers to pick up the console. That question, outside of the console's controversial pricing—$150 more than its predecessor, with mounting concerns about an increase due to tariffs —is what my fellow Mario-lovers and I have been wondering about. [ Related: The Switch 2 is a new kart-racing appliance. ] A piece of art that I cherish: I've hung a print of the Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara's piece Oh! My God! I Miss You. on a wall wherever I've lived since I was 17 years old. Nara has a fixation on big-headed little girls who are often seen scowling or bristling—figures that have always resonated with me. I've always loved the irony present in this drawing, in particular: a brash little girl looking askance as a blaring plea for closeness hangs above her. The last thing that made me cry: The Netflix docuseries Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing validated my disinterest in raising children in the age of social media. It's a harrowing look at how a group of teens were exploited by the mother of a popular YouTube influencer, who turned their awkward phases into clickbait. I was shocked by the number of tears I shed as the kids talked about their experiences with alleged emotional and, in some cases, sexual abuse in the name of content creation (the mother involved has denied all wrongdoing). I was less surprised to learn that the now-17-year-old daughter of the alleged abuser still actively posts dance videos and updates about her love life to a social media following of more than 21 million. A quiet song that I love, and a loud song that I love: Throughout each month, I make several new playlists of the songs I'm into; once the playlist includes 30 songs, I have to make another. (I am very systematic about my music consumption.) I'm particularly struck by this one-two punch on my playlist from the end of March: the lullaby-like 'Little Trouble Girl,' by Sonic Youth, followed by 'Perfect Soul,' by the heavy-metal band Spiritbox. I love both of these songs and a dose of discordance, but I also love listening to music as I fall asleep—I have finally learned that this is not a good playlist to put on at night. A musical artist who means a lot to me: The indie-pop artist Melina Duterte has collaborated or performed with several cult-favorite musicians over the years, namely the supergroup Boygenius. But I'd argue that her own solo efforts far exceed that of any of her peers. Under the name Jay Som, Duterte has released three pitch-perfect solo albums—gorgeous, keenly observed, textured works, in the first two of which she plays every instrument herself. She sings a lot about love, but also about career pressure and riding the bus. I listened to Jay Som's second album, 2017's Everybody Works, every day during a particularly low six-month period in my life, and it buoyed me to a much happier place. Duterte followed that up with the excellent Anak Ko in 2019, and I've waited impatiently for almost six years for the next one. Thankfully, Duterte recently revealed that Jay Som's fourth solo album is nearly done. Fingers crossed that the artist releases it sooner than later—if so, I'd be surprised if it doesn't end up as my favorite of the year. The Week Ahead The Accountant 2, a film starring Ben Affleck as a forensic accountant with deadly skills (in theaters Friday) Season 5 of You, a drama show about a love-obsessed and charming stalker (premieres Thursday on Netflix) The Project, a book by the Atlantic staff writer David A. Graham about Project 2025's ambitions (out Tuesday) Essay The employees who have so far survived the Trump administration's federal defenestration project are morose. For some, the new workload is untenable. For others, chaos reigns. Scientists have been unable to purchase mice for research, while human-tissue samples have sat on dry ice, unsent, thanks to worker layoffs. Lawyers at the Education Department are racing through a backlog of complaints from parents of special-needs children. And many employees are learning that teammates have been fired only when they receive an email bounce-back: Address not found. More in Culture Catch Up on The Atlantic America's mad king, by Peter Wehner They never thought Trump would have them deported. Anne Applebaum: Kleptocracy, Inc. Photo Album Take a look at these photos of the week, showing an annual torch festival in India, a colorful tulip festival in England, ice climbing in Nepal, and more.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A Hilarious Movie That Understands the South
This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. Welcome back to The Daily's Sunday culture edition, in which one Atlantic writer or editor reveals what's keeping them entertained. Today's special guest is Annie Joy Williams, an assistant editor who has written about the end of Hooters and the Republican leaders who once thought January 6 was 'tragic.' Annie Joy enjoys listening to Michael Martin Murphey with her father, recommends watching Vengeance for some proper honey-butter-chicken-biscuit appreciation, and is a proud Alex Cooper apologist. But first, here are three Sunday reads from The Atlantic: Trump's tariffs are designed to backfire. The curse of Ayn Rand's heir Ashley Parker on miscarriage and motherhood The Culture Survey: Annie Joy Williams A musical artist who means a lot to me: Michael Martin Murphey. I have to thank my father for introducing me to him. My father was a pilot, so he was constantly traveling when I was growing up outside of Nashville. When he was in town, it was a special treat for me and my sisters to get picked up in his GMC truck, which was equipped with crank windows and decorated with enough bumper stickers to cause some serious fights with my mom. There was always a Michael Martin Murphey tape in the cassette player. His song 'Wildfire' brought my dad to tears. My personal favorites were 'Vanishing Breed' and 'Children of the Wild World.' When he played 'Pilgrims on the Way,' my dad would slap his Wrangler jeans in time with the lyric 'The cowboy slaps the dust away.' Some combination of hay, dirt, and dust would fly into the air (he moonlighted as a farmer), and I thought it was hilarious. He and I went on a trip to Montana this past winter, and Murphey was once again our soundtrack, for the first time in about 15 years. We both cried as we looked out the window. My favorite movies: La La Land, Greta Gerwig's Little Women, and (500) Days of Summer are all top films for me. A less widely known film that I just adore is B. J. Novak's Vengeance. I find that many films about the South are offensive to those of us who hail from there. And I get it, it's easy to make southerners the butt of the joke—we really tee it up for people sometimes. Rarely do I find a film that adequately captures both the good and the bad of a place so storied and complex. Novak spent substantial time in West Texas before filming to better understand its people. 'I want this to be Texans' favorite movie,' he told Texas Monthly. The film is hilarious. I saw it in D.C. with a group of friends I once lived with in Texas, and we kept saying how its portrayal of the North-South disconnect is spot-on. Plus, it pays proper homage to the honey-butter chicken biscuit, which I appreciate. [Related: The podcast spreading the love of cowboy culture] The last museum or gallery show that I loved: The Alvin Ailey exhibit at the Whitney Museum of American Art, in New York City. As a dance teacher, I've always admired the contributions Ailey made to modern dance. He was a gay Black man from rural Texas who used choreography as a form of protest during the civil-rights movement. He eventually became a household name in New York, showcasing routines inspired by the river baptisms and gospel music of his Texas childhood. My favorite part of the exhibit was the collection of notes he wrote to himself, a mix of manifestos and eight-count choreography. I visited the exhibit with my mother, who sacrificed a lot to put me through dance classes and endless competitions, so experiencing that together was sweet. A quiet song that I love, and a loud song that I love: I'm more of a quiet-song person myself, so I'll give you three: 'Boyhood,' by the Japanese House; 'Bathroom Light,' by Mt. Joy; and 'Into the Mystic,' by Van Morrison. A loud song that I love is 'Love It if We Made It,' by the 1975. Also, 'Yoü and I,' by Lady Gaga. Makes me wish I was from Nebraska. A cultural product I loved as a teenager and still love, and something I loved but now dislike: It wasn't so much a cultural product as it was a cultural moment, but I'd like to think I grew up in the era of peak Disney Channel. My sisters are firmly Millennials, so I got to bear witness to the greats of their generation, such as Lizzie McGuire and Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century, as well as those of my generation—Hannah Montana, The Cheetah Girls, and, perhaps most notably, Disney Channel Games. I might have been too cool to love this stuff by my teenage years, but I've recently returned to these classics. My best friend and I discovered a Disney Channel Original Hits dance class at a studio in Brooklyn. We've gotten really close with the instructor, and it's quickly become the highlight of our week. Now, the concealer lips, ultra-thin eyebrows, and extreme side parts from that era? We can leave those in 2005. [Related: What tween TV teaches kids] A favorite story I've read in The Atlantic: 'Jenisha From Kentucky,' by Jenisha Watts, and 'The Day I Got Old,' by Caitlin Flanagan. An online creator whom I'm a fan of: Look, say what you will, but Alex Cooper is a mastermind. I used to be a skeptic. The first time I listened to Call Her Daddy, I was stunned. It was 2019, and she was still tag-teaming the podcast with Sofia Franklyn. The episode was truly one of the most vulgar things I'd ever heard. Now I know she was scheming from the start. Cooper grabbed the world's attention through her sex-forward crassness, and right when the public was ready to cast her out as a buxom blonde with little more to her than sex tricks and a pretty face, she showed her smarts. In the new, sans-Franklyn version of her show, she often gets rare sit-downs with pop-culture phenomenons, political candidates, and renowned actors. And they actually share revealing things with her because they're thinking: This girl was just detailing her sex life in front of the whole world—she can't judge me. Her unconventional openness invites openness from anyone sitting across from her. Not every interview is groundbreaking, but at least she's getting every interview. Is her approach my style? Maybe not, but I'm a proud Alex Cooper apologist. A poem that I return to: I'd like to think that I'm above bias here, but my sister is a poet, and I have spent my life trying to be half the writer she is. I always come back to this one poem she wrote about our experience as girls in church. Now we watch our nieces grow up and discover God. God was not a girl. The earth he made with apples seeds, the heavens with half-priced glitter. We danced, and God smiled. Drop the crayon, take a tampon. Sundays are for silver crosses and I'm sorry, prayer groups circling rumors. God is purity vow and camp deposit. God is a one-piece swimsuit. God is not a girl. Our hips he made with hunger, our tongues with minty silence. We kneel, and God tells us to smile. The Week Ahead Warfare, a film based on the co-director Ray Mendoza's experiences during the Iraq War (in theaters Friday) Season 7 of Black Mirror, a satirical sci-fi series (premieres Thursday on Netflix) Authority, an essay collection by the Pulitzer Prize–winning critic Andrea Long Chu (out Tuesday) Essay Why You Should Work Like It's the '90s By Chris Moody One Friday afternoon 10 years ago, Andrew Heaton, then a cable-news writer, joined his colleagues for a meeting. The show's producer asked the staff to keep an eye on their email over the weekend in case they needed to cover a breaking news event. No one seemed to mind—working full days in person while remaining on call in the evening and on weekends has always been a standard practice in the news business—but Heaton had a simple request. He said he would be happy to go in but asked if his boss could call him on the phone instead of emailing him. He didn't want to spend his time off continually monitoring his inbox for a message that might not even come … Heaton was onto something. Read the full article. More in Culture The new singlehood stigma Jonathan Majors is looking for redemption. Will he find it? The world still needs Ringo Starr. Why we're still talking about the 'trauma plot' Who needs intimacy? What to make of miracles Catch Up on Peter Wehner: Trump is gaslighting us. Laura Loomer is a warning. Why it's so hard to protest Trump 2.0 Photo Album Take a look at these photos of the week, showing Eid al-Fitr celebrations around the world, a new volcanic eruption in Iceland, the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in Myanmar, unrest at a town hall in Indiana, and more. When you buy a book using a link in this newsletter, we receive a commission. Thank you for supporting The Atlantic. Article originally published at The Atlantic
