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Friday

McCarthyism and queerness in 'Fellow Travelers'; plus, IBAM unplugged with Olivia Dean
Kurt Iswarienko/SHOWTIME; Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

Review

It's Been a Minute

McCarthyism and queerness in 'Fellow Travelers'; plus, IBAM unplugged with Olivia Dean

This week, Brittany chats with New Yorker television critic Inkoo Kang about Showtime's historical romance, Fellow Travelers. The show follows the lives and love of two closeted men - Hawk and Tim. It starts in 1950s Washington DC, at the height of McCarthyism and the lavender scare and continues through the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. Brittany and Inkoo discuss how the politics of the time shape the characters and how survival isn't always pretty.

McCarthyism and queerness in 'Fellow Travelers'; plus, IBAM unplugged with Olivia Dean

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Thursday

When stars are on stage, this designer makes it personal for each fan in the stadium

For Beyoncé's Renaissance tour Es Devlin designed a spherical portal — a 50-foot wide aperture — from which the star, her dancers and musicians could emerge and withdraw between songs. Es Devlin/Thames & Hudson hide caption

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Es Devlin/Thames & Hudson

Culture

When stars are on stage, this designer makes it personal for each fan in the stadium

Es Devlin says that stadiums are designed for competition and combat. So her job, whether she's designing for Beyoncé, Super Bowl Halftime, or The Olympics, is to achieve intimacy on a massive scale.

When stars are on stage, this designer makes it personal for each fan in the stadium

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Thursday

It's Been a Minute: Pressing pause on 'Killers of the Flower Moon'

Lily Gladstone and Leonardo DiCaprio in Killers of the Flower Moon. Apple TV+ hide caption

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Apple TV+

Pop Culture Happy Hour

It's Been a Minute: Pressing pause on 'Killers of the Flower Moon'

Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon is everything an Oscar contender might be: long, epic, morally complicated and expensive. While many movie-goers left theaters moved, others called the film a problematic disaster. Today, we're bringing you an episode of NPR's It's Been A Minute, where host Brittany Luse and guests talk about what Killers of the Flower Moon got wrong and how it fits into a broader history of Native Americans on screen.

It's Been a Minute: Pressing pause on 'Killers of the Flower Moon'

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Tuesday

Pressing pause on 'Killers Of The Flower Moon' and rethinking Scorsese's latest

Lily Gladstone and Leonardo DiCaprio in Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) Apple TV hide caption

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Apple TV

Review

It's Been a Minute

Pressing pause on 'Killers Of The Flower Moon' and rethinking Scorsese's latest

Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon is everything an Oscar contender might be - long, epic, morally complicated and expensive. Yet, while many movie-goers left theaters moved, others called the film a problematic disaster. Today on the show, we hear what the movie got wrong and how it fits into a broader history of Native Americans on screen. To unpack this, Brittany Luse is joined by Robert Warrior, a literature and professor and an Osage Nation citizen, Liza Black, a Native American and Indigenous Studies professor and Cherokee Nation citizen, and Nancy Marie Mithlo, a gender studies professor and Fort Sill Chiricahua Warm Springs Apache citizen.

Pressing pause on 'Killers Of The Flower Moon' and rethinking Scorsese's latest

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Friday

Barbra Streisand says she's not a diva - she's a director

Barbra Streisand on her life and legacy in My Name is Barbra. Terry Fincher/Express/Jeff Fusco/Getty Images hide caption

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Terry Fincher/Express/Jeff Fusco/Getty Images

It's Been a Minute

Barbra Streisand says she's not a diva - she's a director

The season of the celebrity memoir is upon us. In just the past few months Britney Spears, Jada Pinkett Smith, Kerry Washington, and more have showered us with bombshells and revelations about their origin stories and private lives. Despite those heavy hitters and the crowded field they occupy, the celebrity memoir our host Brittany Luse coveted most is that of the singular Ms. Barbra Streisand.

Barbra Streisand says she's not a diva - she's a director

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Tuesday

The new "final girl" in horror; plus, who's afraid of a horny hag?

Who gets to be a final girl? Plus, what's the deal with horny hags? 20th Century Studios/Christopher Moss/A24 hide caption

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20th Century Studios/Christopher Moss/A24

It's Been a Minute

The new "final girl" in horror; plus, who's afraid of a horny hag?

Halloween is upon us — and it's the season for horror movies. Host Brittany Luse is a HUGE horror girlie, but loving horror also means critiquing it. Today, we're breaking down two major figures in horror: the final girl and the horny hag. First, Brittany chats with Dr. Kinitra Brooks, Audrey and John Leslie Endowed Chair of Literary Studies at Michigan State University, about what it means when the final girl is a Black woman. And later, Brittany is joined by horror author and film critic Gretchen Felker-Martin to discuss what's behind the horny hags in movies like X and Barbarian — and what that trope tells us about how we feel about older women in our society.

The new "final girl" in horror; plus, who's afraid of a horny hag?

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Tuesday

Code Switch: Baltimore teens are fighting for environmental justice — and winning

Students give a presentation at a construction site in South Baltimore. The student activists, who formed the group Free Your Voice, are fighting against a very different kind of danger in their neighborhood: air pollution and climate change. B.A. Parker/NPR hide caption

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B.A. Parker/NPR

It's Been a Minute

Code Switch: Baltimore teens are fighting for environmental justice — and winning

From our friends at Code Switch, we present a story about one group of student activists in Baltimore and how their efforts to make their neighborhood healthier has them facing big coal — and actually making gains.

Code Switch: Baltimore teens are fighting for environmental justice — and winning

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Friday

Now in theaters: A three-hour testament to Taylor Swift's titan era

Taylor Swift's Eras tour film is precisely as advertised: nothing more and nothing less than a perfectly edited recording of an extraordinary show in all its technical, happiness-inducing splendor. Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images

Review

Movie Reviews

Now in theaters: A three-hour testament to Taylor Swift's titan era

The Eras Tour film is precisely as advertised: nothing more and nothing less than a pristine recording of a record-shattering concert spectacle. But will it really be a savior for the cinema industry?

Now in theaters: A three-hour testament to Taylor Swift's titan era

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Tuesday

In defense of bad movie accents

Lady Gaga in "House of Gucci" and Uma Thurman in "Red, White and Royal Blue" Collection Christophel/Alamy ; Jonathan Prime/Amazon Studios hide caption

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Collection Christophel/Alamy ; Jonathan Prime/Amazon Studios

Perspective

It's Been a Minute

In defense of bad movie accents

We can all think of a bad movie accent. There's Lady Gaga in House of Gucci, Brad Pitt in Meet Joe Black, or Emma Watson in The Bling Ring. A bad accent takes you out of a movie, right? Well, Brittany sits down with New York Times columnist Kyle Buchanan who thinks a bad accent actually pulls you into a movie. Brittany and Kyle breakdown his theory and play a special game of "Where IS she from?"

In defense of bad movie accents

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Friday

It's Fat Bear Week - but our fascination with bears is timeless

What about bears captures the human imagination? LMPC via Getty Images/Jörg Carstensen/picture alliance via Getty Images/Courtesy of NPS Photo/Felicia Jimenez hide caption

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LMPC via Getty Images/Jörg Carstensen/picture alliance via Getty Images/Courtesy of NPS Photo/Felicia Jimenez

Analysis

It's Been a Minute

It's Fat Bear Week - but our fascination with bears is timeless

Every year, the Katmai National Park in Alaska puts on a March Madness-style bracket of all the fattest bears in their park. It's a celebration of fatness, because a fat bear ahead of hibernation means a healthy bear come spring. This competition is popular — there were over a million votes tallied last year — and it speaks to a larger cultural obsession with bears. In honor of Fat Bear Week, Host Brittany Luse journeys through time to unpack what bears mean to us — and why they're family, friend and foe all at once. And later, an exploration of how the queer community emulates bearness — and what the symbol of the animal can mean to them.

It's Fat Bear Week - but our fascination with bears is timeless

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Wednesday

Student activists are pushing back against big polluters — and winning

Students give a presentation at a construction site in South Baltimore. The student activists, who formed the group Free Your Voice, are fighting against a very different kind of danger in their neighborhood: air pollution and climate change. B.A. Parker/NPR hide caption

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B.A. Parker/NPR

NPR's Climate Week: A Search For Solutions

Student activists are pushing back against big polluters — and winning

South Baltimore has some of the most polluted air in the country. Local teenagers are fighting polluters back, and slowly building toward climate justice.

Student activists are pushing back against big polluters — and winning

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Tuesday

How Bethann Hardison changed the face of fashion - and why that matters

Bethann Hardison's Invisible Beauty. Magnolia Pictures/Bruce Weber courtesy of Magnolia Pictures/Magnolia Pictures hide caption

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Magnolia Pictures/Bruce Weber courtesy of Magnolia Pictures/Magnolia Pictures

It's Been a Minute

How Bethann Hardison changed the face of fashion - and why that matters

Bethann Hardison is the fashion icon behind so many fashion icons: she worked as a modeling agent in the era of the supermodel – brokering the careers of stars like Kimora Lee Simmons and Tyson Beckford. And when models of color all but vanished from view at the turn of the millennium – she forced designers to bring them back. Host Brittany Luse sits down with Bethann to discuss the new documentary about Bethann's life, Invisible Beauty, and why fashion imagery, while fraught, is still powerful in our culture.

How Bethann Hardison changed the face of fashion - and why that matters

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Friday

The WNBA's coming out story; plus, the dangers of sports betting

Brittney Griner, Sheryl Swoopes, Kierstan Bell and Layshia Clarendon. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images, Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images, Ethan Miller/Getty Images hide caption

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Ronald Martinez/Getty Images, Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images, Ethan Miller/Getty Images

It's Been a Minute

The WNBA's coming out story; plus, the dangers of sports betting

This year, the WNBA had its most-watched regular season in 21 years, but what went into creating this new moment of visibility for the league? Host Brittany Luse is joined by Katie Barnes, author of Fair Play: How Sports Shape the Gender Debates to unpack the league's initial 'Barbie girl' image, the trailblazers who pushed the WNBA to become the first professional sports league to celebrate Pride, and what it means for an athlete to 'authentically' express themselves.

The WNBA's coming out story; plus, the dangers of sports betting

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Tuesday

The year concert etiquette went to trash and why

Ashes were thrown at Pink, Bebe Rexha was hit by a cellphone and many fans watch concerts through screens. YouTuber Tiffany Ferguson theorizes what's behind all the bad concert behavior. Jacques Demarthon/ AFP; Screenshot by NPR hide caption

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Jacques Demarthon/ AFP; Screenshot by NPR

It's Been a Minute

The year concert etiquette went to trash and why

Every couple of weeks there's a new story of a fan at a concert misbehaving. One fan threw ashes at Pink, another hit Drake with a cellphone, Miranda Lambert stopped her show when fans took selfies with flash photography. Extreme instances have landed performers in the hospital, but more often attendees have noticed the audience has gotten louder and more distracting than ever. Where is all of this coming from?

The year concert etiquette went to trash and why

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Here are the movies we can't wait to watch this fall

Clockwise from top left: Invisible Beauty, Foe, All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 and Nyad. Magnolia Pictures; Amazon Studios; A24; Murray Close/Lionsgate; Focus Features; Liz Parkinson/Netflix hide caption

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Magnolia Pictures; Amazon Studios; A24; Murray Close/Lionsgate; Focus Features; Liz Parkinson/Netflix

Review

Movie Reviews

Here are the movies we can't wait to watch this fall

With Hollywood on strike for most of the summer, we check in on the new releases for the fall. Our critics share their recommendations for more than 25 films coming out between now and Thanksgiving.

Friday

Is capitalism in its flop era?

Americans have capitalism on the brain — here's why. Frederic J Brown/AFP via Getty Images; Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images; Stephen Voss/Vox hide caption

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Frederic J Brown/AFP via Getty Images; Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images; Stephen Voss/Vox

Analysis

It's Been a Minute

Is capitalism in its flop era?

In 2017, Today, Explained co-host Noel King says she started getting a vibe: young people were discussing and dissecting capitalism. She began noticing the word in pop culture and cultural reporting — but found her own tribe of economics reporters were missing from the conversation. Flash forward to 2023, and the word capitalism is all over politics and culture: it's on the stage at the Republican debates, it's on the picket lines and the language of union strikes from Hollywood to New York City, it's even in the new Indiana Jones movie. How did we get here — and has talking about capitalism made us more divided? Noel King joins host Brittany Luse to discuss her new multi-part series exploring how a new generation of Americans are coming to terms with capitalism.

Is capitalism in its flop era?

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Tuesday

Rock and roll's pioneer is a queer, Southern Black man

Left: Lisa Cortés, Photographer: Paul Morejon. Right: Little Richard, Source: Magnolia Pictures. Paul Morejon/Magnolia Pictures hide caption

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Paul Morejon/Magnolia Pictures

It's Been a Minute

Rock and roll's pioneer is a queer, Southern Black man

When you think of rockstar royalty, a queer, Southern Black man normally doesn't come to mind. But director Lisa Cortés wants us all to reconsider that thought. Her documentary, Little Richard: I Am Everything, takes viewers through the life and legacy of one of the most influential men in music - Little Richard.

Rock and roll's pioneer is a queer, Southern Black man

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Friday

The Photo of the Year; plus, whose RICO is it anyway?
Getty Images

Perspective

It's Been a Minute

The Photo of the Year; plus, whose RICO is it anyway?

When former President Donald Trump's mugshot was released, pundits immediately searched for meaning. Was it defiant? Was it embarrassing? Turns out what we see in that image could change over time. Brittany Luse is joined by Vanessa Friedman, senior fashion critic for the New York Times, to talk about the cultural meaning of infamous mugshots and their resounding impact on us.

The Photo of the Year; plus, whose RICO is it anyway?

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Wednesday

For The Eras Tour, Taylor Swift takes a lucrative, satisfying victory lap

Taylor Swift performs onstage on the first night of her Eras Tour at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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AFP/Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

For The Eras Tour, Taylor Swift takes a lucrative, satisfying victory lap

Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is on pace to become the biggest and most lucrative concert tour in history. Each night's show offers up a career-spanning three-hour epic, with a sprawling setlist that includes a nightly assortment of surprises. But what made the tour such a juggernaut this summer?

For The Eras Tour, Taylor Swift takes a lucrative, satisfying victory lap

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Friday

How three female artists lead this summer's billion-dollar pop culture revival

This summer, three women at the peak of their powers lead a spectacular pop culture revival. Beyoncé, left, performs onstage during the Renaissance World Tour in May 2023. Margot Robbie stars in Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie. And Taylor Swift performs during The Eras Tour in March 2023. Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Parkwood/Getty Images; Warner Bros. Pictures; John Medina/Getty Images hide caption

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Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Parkwood/Getty Images; Warner Bros. Pictures; John Medina/Getty Images

Analysis

Pop Culture

How three female artists lead this summer's billion-dollar pop culture revival

This summer, three women at the peak of their powers lead a spectacular pop culture revival. Barbie, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift shattered records and created a communal economy of irrational exuberance.

How three female artists lead this summer's billion-dollar pop culture revival

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Friday

'Mutant Mayhem' reboots the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and does it well

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. Nickelodeon Movies/Paramount Pictures hide caption

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Nickelodeon Movies/Paramount Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Mutant Mayhem' reboots the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and does it well

The fun new animated movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem reboots the iconic series. It's directed by Jeff Rowe (The Mitchells vs. the Machines), who co-wrote the script with Seth Rogen and others. The formula is familiar — an ooze turns four baby turtles into ninja-fighting warriors who must save humanity and find acceptance along the way. The film is bolstered by its funny pop-culture references and a strong voice cast, including Jackie Chan, Ice Cube and Ayo Edebiri.

'Mutant Mayhem' reboots the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and does it well

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Sunday

Feast on 'Sofreh' — a book that celebrates Persian cooking, past and future

Sofreh: A Contemporary Approach to Classic Persian Cuisine is a new cookbook from chef and author Nasim Alikhani. The chapter "My Homeland," or Sarzamine Man in Farsi, includes full-page photographs that highlight the landscape and natural environment of Iran. Ahmed Belbasi/Knopf hide caption

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Ahmed Belbasi/Knopf

Food

Feast on 'Sofreh' — a book that celebrates Persian cooking, past and future

Sofreh is a new cookbook from celebrated chef and author Nasim Alikhani. "If we as immigrants become stuck in the past, we deprive ourselves of the opportunities our new space has provided," she says.

Feast on 'Sofreh' — a book that celebrates Persian cooking, past and future

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Monday

Movies

Nolan fans are traveling hours to see 'Oppenheimer' in its intended 70mm IMAX format

Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer dominated IMAX screens. Only 19 cinemas in the country are showing it in its intended 70mm IMAX film format, leading some fans to several travel hours.

Nolan fans are traveling hours to see 'Oppenheimer' in its intended 70mm IMAX format

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