Could 'Magic Mike XXL' Cure Our Heterofatalism? As Sabrina Carpenter bemoans manchildren, a 10-year-old popcorn flick shows us a better way. ⤵️ #music #filmsky #sabrinacarpenter #authors ministryofpopculture.substack.com/p/could-magi...

The Ministry of Pop Culture is one of my favorite newsletters, intelligent, zip bam boom writing about pop culture old and new. Tre menchy of them & @saulausterlitz.bsky.social to include an excerpt of my talk with Amy Heckerling, director of FAST TIMES and CLUELESS as part of their lineup.

In a stunning take, Saul Austerlitz dives into Andor—exploring resistance and the politics of endurance in the sci-fi spy thriller drama. @saulausterlitz.bsky.social #filmsky #starwars #andor ministryofpopculture.substack.com/p/one-drop-a...

Scene Study: 'The Studio' In search of one perfect take on Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's Apple series. ministryofpopculture.substack.com/p/scene-stud...

What a restless camera and a pair of outbursts tell us about violence and despair in the acclaimed Netflix drama. #Adolescence ministryofpopculture.substack.com/p/scene-stud...

Some thoughts on Season 3 of The White Lotus. ministryofpopculture.substack.com/p/show-thera...

It is kind-of hilarious that no one is like, “whoa, our luxury vacation ended in multiple rounds of gunfire!” #thewhitelotus

Our deep dive on Season 3 of The White Lotus, a particularly death-obsessed season that offered a resolution that included poisoned smoothies, jaw-dropping direct deposits, daddy issues and flying bullets. ministryofpopculture.substack.com/p/show-thera...

Do You Have to Be Smart to Play Dumb? From Henry Fonda and Betty White to Amanda Seyfried and Paul Rudd, some of our quickest wits have given stand-out performances as airheads. #tvrecs #actors #film #parksandrec #meangirls ministryofpopculture.substack.com/p/do-you-hav...

Today, we are talking all matters Severance after the season 2 finale, in which camcorders worked magic, drumlines drummed, and we took up residence in the windmills of Mark S.’ mind. Let us know what you think! :)) ministryofpopculture.substack.com/p/show-thera...

“These environments give the actors some semblance of reality... they can feel like they're in a place where they can be relaxed, where they might go and have a drink." - Steve Rostine, set decorator for #TheOffice, on building Poor Richard’s.

Ministry writer Thea Glassman spoke to the production and set designers behind beloved fictional eateries to find out how they brought these deliciously memorable worlds to life. Check it out! ministryofpopculture.substack.com/p/building-a...

The COVID Pandemic in pop culture, a brilliant retrospective by @saulausterlitz.bsky.social ministryofpopculture.substack.com/p/covid-in-7...

A new story by @saulausterlitz.bsky.social is up! It’s a great read that examines COVID pop culture from *half a decade ago*🤯 ministryofpopculture.substack.com/p/covid-in-7... #booksky #covid

Trump has now indefinitely suspended the Welcome Corps program, which had settled more than 4,000 refugees in two years, along with the country’s entire refugee-resettlement program, Saul Austerlitz writes. wapo.st/41zUOZS

Variety journalist Daniel D’Addario on his debut novel “The Talent,” taking readers behind the scenes of awards season, and this year’s Oscars scandal. ministryofpopculture.substack.com/p/the-talent...

Being a Welcome Corps sponsor has been one of the great honors of my life, and it saddens me to think about future refugees who will be prevented from coming--and future sponsors prevented from welcoming them. My op-ed for @postopinions.bsky.social.

@saulausterlitz.bsky.social and the lessons on friendship from #SomebodySomewhere

The final run of "Somebody Somewhere" episodes, which I absolutely loved, got me thinking about the sorely needed lessons it offers in friendship. If you haven't watched this show yet, you are in for something special.

We had the opportunity to chat with Jeremy Egner on his new #TedLasso book, #BELIEVE. Check it out! ⚽️✨ ministryofpopculture.substack.com/p/ted-lasso-...

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Watching the lovely "His Three Daughters" unexpectedly reminded me of my own family history with a complicated, beloved elder, in the very same Lower East Side building complex from the movie. My piece @ministrypopculture.bsky.social @carriecoon.bsky.social @natashalyonne.bsky.social

Check out our latest story! @saulausterlitz.bsky.social interviews #Friends writer, Andrew Reich on his new documentary on #ReddKross, your favorite band's favorite band. ministryofpopculture.substack.com/p/power-pop

We recently had the chance to talk with Nussbaum about the history of reality television, the economic underbelly of television production, the kinds of shows even reality-TV vets often refuse to participate in, and much more. ministryofpopculture.substack.com/p/tv-critic-...

Congratulations @emilynussbaum.bsky.social! 🥳

Female pop stars are funnier, angrier, queerer, weirder, smarter—and more powerful—than ever. #taylorswift #sabrinacarpenter #chappelroan ministryofpopculture.substack.com/p/the-new-po...

Planning to watch some #Friends Thanksgiving episodes this week? Read this great behind-the-scenes interview with writer Greg Malins at Ministry of Pop Culture first: ministryofpopculture.substack.com/p/iconic-fri...

What "Years and Years" gets right, what it gets wrong, and why we need it anyway. A compelling read on democracy, post-election feels, and the future of television. Link in bio. #democracy #television #substack #yearsandyears #writers #literature #notes

We reached out to writers from "Friends," "Sex and the City," and more and asked them to script the 2024 election. Their contributions include everything from alien invasions to JD Vance doughnut-shop sitcoms to Melania Trump going rogue. Enjoy!: ministryofpopculture.substack.com/p/tv-writers...

"It was finished, and it was exactly what it was supposed to be": my oral history of "Freaks and Geeks" at 25, for @nytimes.com

"The series’s chief mode was discomfort. The pilot alone is a catalog of the million little ways a teenager can die inside." A truly lovely tribute to "Freaks and Geeks" at 25 by @poniewozik.bsky.social.

Thea Glassman's heartfelt, touching essay about searching out locations from her favorite TV shows is up at our new pop-culture newsletter Ministry of Pop Culture! What's your favorite fictional backdrop to visit? ministryofpopculture.substack.com/p/the-magic-...

Ministry of Pop Culture is open for appointments! Our writer-owned cultural newsletter's first piece is an in-depth interview with @emilynussbaum.bsky.social about her new book "Cue the Sun!" Check it out and subscribe here!: ministryofpopculture.substack.com/p/tv-critic-...

American fatherhood has changed. Why haven't our perceptions of fatherhood changed with it?

I interviewed Ridley Scott recently for the New York Times, and was lucky enough to have him share some of his recollections about the making of "Blade Runner" with me. saulausterlitz.substack.com/p/40-years-a...

Steve Jobs did not know what the Super Bowl was, and the cast was composed of British skinheads: on the 40th anniversary of Apple's "1984" commercial, for the New York Times: www.nytimes.com/2024/02/09/a...

Some nice news! My book "Kind of a Big Deal" was selected as the best comedy book of 2023 by New York magazine.

"Orangutans and cannibalism": a nice look at the early roots of "Anchorman" in the New York Post, including its ludicrous first draft, which included a plane crash and orangutans wielding ninja throwing stars. nypost.com/2023/09/09/o...

How do I love homework? Let me count the ways. www.nytimes.com/2023/09/05/m...

Looking forward to the "Kind of a Big Deal" event tonight at 7 PM at the IFC Center in New York! We'll be screening "Anchorman," followed by a conversation with myself and Jennifer Keishin Armstrong! Buy tickets here: www.ifccenter.com/films/anchor...

All Adam McKay knew was that he wanted to see someone get killed by a trident on horseback, and a man on fire walking through the scene. On the making of the "Anchorman" news-team showdown for @VanityFair, from my new book "Kind of a Big Deal." t.co/wjA63QW63R

I had a blast talking with Schmear Hunter about all things "Anchorman"! www.schmearhunter.com/p/weekend-re...