Today: The undoing of Kanye West. “We’re in deeply vile territory, and I can’t make intellectual sense of that,” Wesley Morris says about West, who now goes by Ye.

In 2004, when Ye released “College Dropout," he seemed to be challenging Black orthodoxy in ways that felt exciting and risky. But over the years, his expression of “freedom” has felt anything but free. His embrace of anti-Black, antisemitic and white supremacist language “comes at the expense of other people’s safety,” their humanity and their dignity, J Wortham says.

Wesley and J discuss what it means to divest from someone whose art, for two decades, had awed, challenged and excited you.

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” came into theaters with a huge responsibility: It had to address the death of Chadwick Boseman, the star of the first “Black Panther” movie, who died of cancer in August 2020.

Wesley and J discuss how the film offers the audience an experience of collective grief and mourning — something that never happened in the United States in response to the losses of 2020. They interrogate what it means that this gesture of healing came from Marvel and Disney, a corporate empire that is in control of huge swaths of our entertainment, and not from another type of leadership.

Additional resources:

• To hear what Wesley and J had to say about the first “Black Panther” movie, processing-we-sink-our-claws-into-black-panther-with-ta-nehisi-coates.html">listen to this episode of “Still Processing” from 2018. 
• Ryan Coogler, the director of “Wakanda Forever,” spoke to the author Ta-Nehisi Coates about the making of movie, and how it captured the real-life grief that people experienced after Chadwick Boseman’s death. Listen to their conversation here.

Beyoncé’s latest album, “Renaissance,” showcases a pop star letting go of all expectations. Wesley and J go deep into the album and this new era of Beyoncé. It’s an era of play, freedom, comedy and queerness — unlike anything we’ve ever heard from Beyoncé Knowles-Carter before.

Wesley and J discuss the push to “return to office” — and what it means for their lives, as well as American culture as a whole. What have 50 years of workplace sitcoms, from “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” to “Abbott Elementary,” taught us about our romance with the office? And what do TikTok parodies and the TV show “Severance” get right about the history of labor in America? In this period of returning to so-called normalcy, Wesley and J reflect on how we can ensure that the lessons of the early pandemic aren’t forgotten.

Donna Summer’s 1977 hit “I Feel Love” is the inspiration for the final track on Beyoncé’s new album, “Renaissance.” Summer became the queen of disco in the ’70s, but her catalog goes much further than that. You can hear her legacy in decades of electronic and R&B. “She is an architect of the pop culture we experience today,” J says.

In this episode, J and Wesley revisit her 1982 album, “Donna Summer” — and explore why, out of all of her music, this self-titled album is the most distinctly Donna.

J Wortham and Wesley Morris are back, just in time for Scorpio season. Ever since they watched Jordan Peele’s latest film, “Nope,” together over the summer, they haven’t been able to stop talking about it. The film stars Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer as siblings whose family horse ranch is threatened by an otherworldly creature. But instead of escaping or destroying the monster, they are determined to take a picture of it. Why is proof so important? And what does it mean to be believed? 

Today: The unresolved questions of “Nope” (some of them, anyway) and what the film says about the grimmer aspects of living in America. (Beware: Spoilers ahead!)

“Still Processing” is back for a mini-season. New episodes on Tuesdays. Follow the show on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts.

Reunited at last, J Wortham joins Wesley Morris in the studio for the last episode of the season. They reflect on the challenges of being apart for almost a year while J was on book leave.

How did J deal with the inevitable stretches of loneliness? How do you re-enter your home and your relationships after so much time away?

J and Wesley discuss how they managed to stay connected over the past year, and the role of community and intimacy in moments of tragedy.

Today, Wesley leaves the studio – and goes home. He embarks on a journey that involves a car named Khad'ija, a tireless 92-year-old activist and one Chinatown. Last year, President Biden signed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill into law. One part of the initiative especially struck Wesley: the federal government’s acknowledgment that its mid-century push to build a massive highway system had caused suffering. Wesley started thinking about a highway that he sometimes crossed as a kid in Philadelphia: the Vine Street Expressway. When it was built in 1991, he never realized how deeply it had divided and altered the Chinatown neighborhood. What happened to all the people who were living there? How did their lives — and their communities — transform? On today’s show, Wesley returns to his hometown to try to find out. processing-highways-biden-infastructure.html">Click here for photos of Wesley's journey and more info about the episode.   

"This Is How We Do It" by Montell Jordan is an unforgettable hip-hop relic, a jam whose opening six words alone make you want to party. Wesley has heard this 1995 hit countless times since he was a teenager, but it wasn’t until hearing it recently at the gym that he had an epiphany: It’s a country song. It belongs to a long tradition of country music that expresses love and respect for one's hometown. 

Wesley explores other songs that have changed in meaning for him over the years (like “Losing My Religion” by R.E.M.), and he considers what happens to music’s meaning when the culture around it changes — the way it did with Britney Spears and her hits, in the aftermath of her yearslong struggle to end her court-sanctioned conservatorship.

When Wesley was 11, he wanted to be just like Sandra from the sitcom “227,” played by Jackée Harry. Sandra was sassy, boisterous and always got what she wanted. But it took reading Margo Jefferson’s latest book, “Constructing a Nervous System: A Memoir,” for Wesley understand the complexity of this memory. On today's episode, Wesley and Margo Jefferson sift through their most deep-rooted, and sometimes difficult-to-explain cultural influences. Why did Margo adore the scatting of Ella Fitzgerald, but squirm at the sight of her sweating onstage? Why was Margo drawn to Ike Turner as a teen, but not Tina Turner? Together, Wesley and Margo unpack their cultural memories — and what they reveal about who they are now.

What happens when athletes decide to act? And what doesn’t happen? Wesley Morris and Bill Simmons, sportswriter and founder of The Ringer, break down the history of athletes in movies. They start with Jackie Robinson playing himself in 1950, discuss the Blaxpoitation-era stars and make their way to the ’90s, from “He Got Game” (where Ray Allen turns in a solid performance opposite Denzel Washington, directed by Spike Lee) to “Space Jam” (the less said, the better). They trace this phenomenon all the way to Dwayne Johnson, a.k.a. The Rock, arguably the most successful athlete-turned-actor of all time — who seems to be playing the long game. Then, they imagine a new kind of renaissance for the sports movie.

Wesley wants to get to the bottom of Keanu Reeves — and to understand “why we get so much out of a movie star who appears to give us so little.” He’s joined by Alex Pappademas, the author of “Keanu Reeves: Most Triumphant: The Movies and Meaning of an Irrepressible Icon,” to solve this mystery. They discuss Keanu’s three-decade acting career, how he became the internet’s adorably tragic boyfriend and why we are seeing ourselves when we look at the actor.

processing-keanu-reeves-john-wick.html">Click here for more information about today's episode, and check out Alex's book on Keanu. 

"Fatal Attraction" came out in 1987 when Wesley was 11, and it made a permanent impression on the way he thinks about certain aspects of lust and suspense. With Jenna away on book leave, he welcomed Parul Sehgal, a staff writer at The New Yorker, to the show. Both Wesley and Parul watched “Fatal Attraction” over and over as preteens, and they’ve rewatched it multiple times in the years since. As they break down the most powerful scenes, they are reminded of the loss of high-stakes sex onscreen today. They discuss why the erotic thriller genre disappeared — and what they could gain from seeing more genuine, grown-up sex in movies.

In the 20th century, method acting was everywhere. Actors went to extreme lengths to inhabit the complicated psyche of a character, sometimes making audiences deeply uncomfortable. Think Robert De Niro in “Raging Bull” or Marlon Brando in “Apocalypse Now.” But in 2022, in our heyday of superhero blockbusters and bingeable story lines, the Method seems to be fading away. Wesley invites Isaac Butler — critic, historian and author of “The Method: How the 20th Century Learned to Act” — to dissect the Method. They discuss where it came from, its most legendary practitioners, and whether Hollywood has a place for it today.

Wesley worries the “skip intro” button is killing the TV theme song. He takes his concern to his friend Hanif Abdurraqib, a poet, music critic and MacArthur “genius grant” winner. Together, they explore their childhood memories of “Good Times,” “The Wonder Years” and “The Jeffersons.” Then, producer Hans Buetow unearths a rendition of a theme song that blows their minds — and they vow never to hit “skip intro” on it.

We have a special request: Can you identify the choir that is singing the “Good Times” theme song in this video? We’d love to find out who they are and get in touch with them. Email us at stillprocessing@nytimes.com if you have a lead. processing-binge-skip-intro.html">Click here for more details. Special prizes! Endless appreciation!

Wesley has been obsessed with lists since he was a child — think Casey Kasem’s American Top 40, the Academy Awards and Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Albums of All Time. Now, he wants to think more seriously about expanding what we call the canon, making sure more people have a say in which works of art are considered great, enduring and important.

For guidance, Wesley sits down with Daphne A. Brooks, an academic, critic and music lover, to ask whether expanding the canon is even the right way to think about this. Her thoughts surprise him: We can do better than lists!

Check out Daphne A. Brooks's reading recommendations processing-american-top-40.html">at this link or at nytimes.com/stillprocessing.

We’re back with a new season on April 14! Jenna Wortham is on book leave, so Wesley Morris will be taking on solo hosting duties for much of this spring. He will be joined by a stellar cast of guests, including Daphne Brooks to talk pop culture hierarchies, Hanif Abdurraqib to examine television theme songs (and that polarizing “skip intro” button) and Bill Simmons on what happens when athletes try to act. We can’t kick off this season, however, without first hearing about what Jenna has been up to. Spoiler alert: black holes.

Tune in Thursdays for new episodes.

When the three opening notes of the song hit, there’s only one thing to do: Find your people and dance. Today, we’re talking about “Before I Let Go,” by Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, and the song’s unique ability to gather and galvanize. It wasn’t a huge hit when it came out in 1981, but it has become a unifying Black anthem and an unfailing source of joy. We dissect Beyoncé’s cover, and we hear from friends, listeners and the Philadelphia DJ Patty Jackson about their memories of the classic song.

You can find more info on today's episode processing-before-I-let-go-frankie-beverly-maze.html">here. 

A powerful — and revealing — aspect of the Derek Chauvin trial was the community it created out of strangers. Week later, we’re still thinking about the witnesses, and the way they were connected in telling the story of how George Floyd lost his life. This phenomenon is reflected in works of art, like Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing,” which explores the conflict inherent in a community.

You can find more info on today's episode processing-derek-chauvin-trial-witnesses.html">here. 

She’s simply the best. A new documentary on HBO (called, simply, “Tina”) explores Tina Turner’s tremendous triumphs, but we wanted to go deeper. We talk about how her entire career was an act of repossession: Taking back her name, her voice, her image, her vitality and her spirituality made her one of the biggest rock stars in the world, even in her 50s. 

You can find more info about today's episode processing-tina-turner-documentary-hbo.html">here, and follow Wesley’s playlist of his top Tina Turner songs. 

Also, Jenna and Wesley want your help in settling a bet! Do you know the song “Before I Let Go” by Frankie Beverly and Maze? Did you play it at a party or dance to it at a wedding? Do you jump to your feet every time it comes on? Grab your phone and record yourself telling a story about what the song has meant to you. Send it to us at stillprocessing@nytimes.com

The Asian-American poet wants to help women and people of color find healing — and clarity — in their rage. Hong's book of essays, “Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning," came out in February 2020, and it’s taken on new urgency with the rise in anti-Asian violence and discrimination during the pandemic. 

You can find more info on today's episode processing-cathy-park-hong-anti-asian-racism.html">here. And check out processing-asian-americans-racism.html">Part 1 and processing-asian-americans-racism.html">Part 2 of our series on Asian-American racism from 2018. 

Social media apologies have become the standard celebrity response to internet outrage. But why do they feel so deeply inadequate? Jenna and Wesley dissect a new spate of public apologies from the last year. And they look to the activist and writer adrienne maree brown for an example of a “fully evolved” apology.

You can find more info about today’s show processing-lil-nas-x-justin-timberlake-apologies.html">here. And in our April 29 episode, we’ll be discussing the book “Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning” by Cathy Park Hong. Read it along with us!

Disney owns a piece of every living person’s childhood. Now it owns Marvel Studios, too. Jenna and Wesley look at depictions of racist tropes and stereotypes in Disney’s ever-expanding catalog. The company has made recent attempts to atone for its past. But can it move forward without repeating the same mistakes?

You can find more info about today’s episode processing-disney-marvel-racist-stereotypes.html">here. And in our April 29 episode, we’ll be discussing the book “Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning” by Cathy Park Hong. Send us your questions and thoughts about the book at stillprocessing@nytimes.com.

“Promising Young Woman” is one of this year’s major Oscar contenders. It’s a dark revenge fantasy that asks a sweeping moral question: What if there are no good men? Wesley and Jenna go deep into the film and consider what it gets right — and wrong — about sexual assault and justice. Beware: There will be spoilers.

You can find more info about today’s show processing-promising-young-women-oscars.html">here. And in our April 29 episode, we’ll be discussing the book “Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning” by Cathy Park Hong. Read it along with us!

“Drivers License” by Olivia Rodrigo makes Wesley nostalgic for his favorite part of a song: the bridge. Bridges used to be a core feature of popular music, but they’ve become an endangered species, right next to the sitcom laugh track. While Wesley laments the demise of the bridge, Jenna points out that TikTok has given us new ways to experience the best part of a song. 

You can find more info about today’s episode processing-olivia-rodrigo-drivers-license.html">here, and follow our playlist of Wesley and Jenna’s favorite bridges. 

It’s the episode we’ve been wanting to make for years. In our season premiere, we’re talking about the N-word. It’s both unspeakable and ubiquitous. A weapon of hate and a badge of belonging. After centuries of evolution, it’s everywhere — art, politics, everyday banter — and it can't be ignored. So we’re grappling with our complicated feelings about this word. You can find more information about today's episode processing-n-word-season-premiere.html">here. 

We’re back with a new season on March 18! Join culture writers Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morris in the juiciest group chat, the coziest diner booth, the crowded kitchen at a house party with the best snacks and the real talk. Each week, they’ll come together to talk art, identity, politics, the internet — whatever they’re grappling with. Subscribe for deep chats, uncomfortable but necessary conversations and incisive takes on the cultural landscape. New episodes come out every Thursday.

We’re preparing to drop a whole new season this spring. In the meantime, we want to make sure you’ve had a chance to hear some of our all-time favorite episodes. Like this one, about Whitney Houston. It’s been nine years since Ms. Houston died. She was one of the biggest pop stars of her time, but she’s often remembered as a tragic figure. In this episode, we argue that her music is much more important than any of the scandals. When we listen to some of her best performances, we remind ourselves who we actually lost: the greatest singer of the rock ’n’ roll era.

When “Hillbilly Elegy” showed up on Netflix last November, it was just the latest in a series of media attempting to explain whiteness to its audience. We’re revisiting a better (though not perfect) example: the podcast “S-Town.” Check out our episode from 2017 while we prepare for a new season of Still Processing — coming to you in March. 

Not long ago, Harry Styles graced the cover of Vogue magazine in a dress. It was just one example of how traditional ideas of masculinity have been expanding — on the runway and in culture. In our episode “Psychobros” from a couple of seasons ago, we appreciated another man in a dress on the front page of a magazine: Brad Pitt on the cover of Rolling Stone, published just as the movie “Fight Club” came out in 1999. It’s one of our favorite past episodes coming your way … while we're getting ready to drop a whole new season this spring.

Next month we’re starting a whole new season of shows! Yes, in March! We’re thrilled. While we’re getting ready, we selected four of our favorite past episodes for you to enjoy. This first one is about one of the greats: Aretha Franklin. 

A singer, writer, arranger, pianist, performer and more, Ms. Franklin channeled both the difficult and beautiful aspects of American culture to make the songs that have scored our lives. She left a legacy of virtuosity and swagger that will live on — both online and off.

With the election (nearly) resolved, we have a moment to step back and look at what fantasies our country is built upon. From the role of president, to the threat of another civil war to the soul of the country itself, we’re all harboring some kind of fantasy that we should probably interrogate.

With a monumental election on the horizon, we want to bring up a few recent events that show some sort of truth amid the confusion. From the NBA bubble to the fly in Mike Pence’s hair to HBO's “Lovecraft Country”, these are moments that point us beyond the present, to be our best and greatest selves.

Discussed this week:

• “Scandal” (Season 4, Episodes 9-12, ABC, 2015)
• The N.B.A. bubble
• The vice-presidential debate (Oct. 7, 2020)
• “Lovecraft Country” (Episode 7, HBO, 2020)
• ra-arkestra-swirling.html">Sun Ra
• More Sun Ra
• Even more Sun Ra

“Hamilton” is back in the mix, but the flavor has changed from beloved historical blockbuster to “wait, that’s what this is?” Elsewhere, in new works like “Baited,” on Instagram Live, and “I May Destroy You,” on HBO, Black women are getting personal in ways that are expanding our palates for discomfort.

Discussed this week:

• “Hamilton” (written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Disney+, 2020)
• “Baited” on Instagram Live
• Ziwe Fumudoh
• “I May Destroy You” (written by Michaela Coel, HBO, 2020)
• land.ca/">Native Land project
• “White Fragility” lecture (by Robin DiAngelo, 2019)

When Quaker decided to take Aunt Jemima off the red pancake box after 131 years, did it also try to scrub the legacy she represents? And what sort of compensation is appropriate — and to whom — from a brand that maintained that image in public for so long?

Discussed this week:

• “jemima-racial-stereotype.html">Aunt Jemima Brand to Change Name and Image Over ‘Racial Stereotype’” (Tiffany Hsu, The New York Times, June 2020)
• “Aunt Jemima: I’se in Town, Honey” (Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia at Ferris State University)
• “chicks-change-name.html">The Dixie Chicks Change Their Name, Dropping the ‘Dixie’” (Ben Sisario, The New York Times, June 2020)
• “antebellum-lady-a-lawsuit.html">Lady Antebellum Sues the Singer Lady A Over Name Change” (Joe Coscarelli, The New York Times, July 2020)
• “Aunt Jemima’s Heirs’ $3 Billion Lawsuit Against Pepsi, Quaker Oats Tossed by Judge” (Tim Kenneally, The Wrap, February 2015)
• “slavery.html">What Is Owed” (Nikole Hannah Jones, The New York Times, June 2020)
• “The Case for Reparations” (Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic, June 2014)

Excerpts from our June 12 live event, where we caught up about the uprisings and resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement. This is the first of three special summer episodes.

Discussed this week:

• Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morris in a live New York Times event (June 12, 2020)
• “canceled-paramount-tv-show.html">‘Cops,’ Long-Running Reality Show That Glorified Police, Is Canceled” (The New York Times, June 2020)
• “LEGO Pulls Back Police Playset Affiliate Marketing Amid George Floyd Protests” (ToyBook, June 2020)
• “confederate-flags.html">NASCAR Says It Will Ban Confederate Flags” (The New York Times, June 2020)
• Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morris on “CBS This Morning” (Aug. 18, 2017, CBS)
• Speech by Stokely Carmichael (a.k.a. Kwame Ture) (Oct. 29, 1966, Berkeley, Calif.)
• “John Lewis: Good Trouble” (directed by Dawn Porter, July 2020)

In our final episode from our living rooms, we visit the dystopia of “Westworld” and the utopia of “Hollywood” to see if we can glean anything about what might be in store on the other side of this pandemic — and about who we want to be.

Discussed this week:

• “Westworld” (HBO, 2016-20)
• “Hollywood” (Netflix, 2020)
• Ryan Murphy
• “The Stepford Wives” (directed by Frank Oz, 2004)
• “The Stepford Wives” (directed by Bryan Forbes, 1975)
• The Motion Picture Production Code of 1930
• “Love Jones” (directed by Theodore Witcher, 1997)
• “Love & Basketball” (directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, 2000)
• Anna May Wong
• Hattie McDaniel
• Oscar Micheaux
• “Delivering Thanks Team” (Papa John’s, 2020)

Covid-19 isn't "the great equalizer" – except when it comes to making us need our devices more than ever. Screens have revealed superstars as civilians, and turned sitcom grouches into teddy bears. Basically: We’re ready to be more open with one another.

Discussed this week:

• “Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration” (Broadway.com)
• “bookcase-coronavirus.html">The ‘Credibility Bookcase’ Is the Quarantine’s Hottest Accessory” (Amanda Hess, The New York Times)
• Randy Rainbow’s YouTube Channel
• “A Parks and Recreation Special” (NBC, 2020)
• “The Power of Vulnerability” (Brené Brown, TEDx)
• “Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead” (Brené Brown, 2012)
• The “Unlocking Us” Podcast (Brené Brown)
• Teddy Riley Verzuz Babyface

"Fetch the Bolt Cutters" is Fiona Apple's master class in channeling frustration and anger into what can only be called wisdom. Also, we hear from listeners all over the planet, sharing how they are taking care of the people in their lives.

Discussed this week:

• "Fetch the Bolt Cutters" (Fiona Apple, 2020)
• Fiona Apple on the VMAs in 1997
• "Regret" (Fiona Apple, "The Idler Wheel Is Wiser than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More than Ropes Will Ever Do", 2012)
• "Criminal" (Fiona Apple, "Tidal", 1996)
• "Hold Up" (Beyonce Knowles, "Lemonade", 2016)

We’re trying something new this week. We want you to watch a movie with us, and not just any movie, but the 2004 superhero bomb “Catwoman,” starring two of our favorites: Halle Berry and Sharon Stone. We’ve got fun facts, some questions and a little bit of, um, cattiness.

Discussed this week:

• Catwoman
• Halle Berry
• Sharon Stone
• Benjamin Bratt
• Alex Borstein
• Pitof

Activists stood up against the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and 1990s, but the tools they used to make themselves heard are unavailable during our coronavirus pandemic. Still, many of that era’s strategies and warning signs seem alarmingly relevant now.

Discussed this week:

• “How to Survive a Plague” (directed by David France, 2012)
• ACT UP New York
• “up-aids.html">How ACT UP Remade Political Organizing in America” (David France, The New York Times, April, 2020)
• “queens-corona-jackson-heights-elmhurst.html">‘A Tragedy Is Unfolding’: Inside New York’s Virus Epicenter” (Annie Correal, Andrew Jacobs and Ryan Christopher Jones, The New York Times, April, 2020)
• “hidden-hiv-epidemic.html">America’s Hidden H.I.V. Epidemic” (Linda Villarosa, The New York Times, June, 2017)
• “Amazon’s Whole Foods to Cut Medical Benefits for Part-Timers” (Spencer Soper, Bloomberg, September, 2019)

Lions, and tigers and barely suppressed glee at criminal weirdos, oh my!

What has big personalities, big issues and big cats? Netflix’s hit streaming show “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.” We explore what the show says about America’s unique relationship to freedom.

Discussed this week:

• “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness” (Netflix, 2020)
• “Blue Caprice” (directed by Alexandre Moors, 2013)
• “The Wire” (HBO, 2002-08)
• “Breaking Bad” (AMC, 2008-13)
• “O.J.: Made In America” (ESPN, 2016)
• “Fargo” (directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, 1996)
• “Empire” (Fox, 2015-20)
• “Surviving R. Kelly” (Lifetime, 2019)
• Gunther Gebel-Williams

Not all reboots deserve to exist. Lots of them aren’t even things we want.

But the new "High Fidelity" on Hulu is the reboot we didn’t know we needed.

Discussed this week:

• Barack Obama’s Twitter
• Cardi B’s Twitter and Instagram
• "celebrities.html">Celebrity Culture is Burning" (Amanda Hess, 2020)
• "Oprah Talks Covid-19" (Apple TV+, 2020)
• Britney’s Instagram
• "High Fidelity" (directed by Stephen Frears, 2000)
• "High Fidelity" (Hulu, 2020)

From our living rooms to yours, “Still Processing” is back.

During this unprecedented time in our lives, we talk routines, dreams and what’s on our screens — or at least what will be on our screens. Because screens are all we have left.

Discussed this week:

“Darn That Dream” (Dinah Washington, 1954)

The Brian Lehrer Show (WNYC)

Working out with Mr. and Mrs. Muscle

“Ra Ma Da Sa” (Amanbir Singh, 2017)

The Wiz (directed by Sidney Lumet, 1978)

High Fidelity (Hulu, 2020)

New episodes coming March 26! You’ve got a lot of time on your hands, and so do we. Let's spend it together <3.

We examine how HBO’s series “Watchmen” and Bong Joon Ho’s film “Parasite” bring to light the hidden histories that shape our modern lives.

Discussed this week:

• “Parasite” (directed by Bong Joon Ho, 2019)
• “Watchmen” (HBO, 2019)
• “White Flights: Race, Fiction, and the American Imagination” (Jess Row, 2019)
• “In the Wake: On Blackness and Being“ (Christina Sharpe, 2016)

We're going on hiatus, but we'll be back in your ears in early 2020!

California’s new legislation allowing college athletes to make money off endorsements. One step forward. The backlash against victims who came forward in the wake of #MeToo. Two steps back. Does big, sustainable change have to feel like grasping at straws?

Discussed this week:

• “tells-the-ncaa-to-share-and-it-pitches-a-fit.html">California Tells the N.C.A.A. to Share, and It Pitches a Fit.” (Michael Powell, The New York Times, Oct. 4, 2019)
• “toll-of-me-too.html">The Toll of Me Too.” (Rebecca Traister, The Cut, Sept. 30, 2019)

We revisit "Fight Club" on the 20th anniversary of its release, and consider how the trope of the "psychobro" is showing up onscreen — in the new blockbuster “Joker” and HBO’s critically acclaimed series “Succession” — and off.

Discussed this week:

• "The Unbearable Bradness of Being" (Chris Heath, Rolling Stone, Oct. 28, 1999)
• "Fight Club" (directed by David Fincher, 1999)
• "Joker" (directed by Todd Phillips, 2019)
• "Succession" (HBO, 2019)
• "Whistleblower Explains How Cambridge Analytica Helped Fuel U.S. 'Insurgency'" (Fresh Air, Oct. 8, 2019)

Jennifer Lopez is having a triumphant 2019. From her Motown tribute at the Grammys to the success of “Hustlers” to the announcement that she’ll be performing at the Super Bowl halftime show, she seems to be enjoying the fruits of her labor from about three decades in show business. So we want to know: is Jennifer Lopez finally getting her due?

Discussed this week:

• “How Jennifer Lopez’s Versace Dress Created Google Images” (Rachel Tashjian, GQ, Sept. 20, 2019)
• “Hustlers” (directed by Lorene Scafaria, 2019)
• Jennifer Lopez’s Motown Tribute at the 2019 Grammy Awards
• “Jennifer Lopez Talks Engagement, Diddy’s Instagram Comments, Bonding With Cardi B + More” (Breakfast Club, Apr. 10, 2019)
• “movie-box-office.html">‘Hustlers’ Has a Strong Opening at the Box Office” (Gabe Cohn, The New York Times, Sept. 15, 2019)
• “rodriguez-and-jennifer-lopez-engagement-a-rod.html">Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez Announce Their Engagement” (The Associated Press, March 9, 2019)
• “Selena” (directed by Gregory Nava, 1997)
• “Movies (And Other Things)” (Shea Serrano, 2019)
• “Waiting for Tonight” (Jennifer Lopez, 1999)
• “1999” (Prince, 1982)
• “Out of Sight” (directed by Steven Soderbergh, 1998)
• “Monster-in-Law” (directed by Robert Luketic, 2005)
• “The Wedding Planner” (directed by Adam Shankman, 2001)
• “Maid in Manhattan” (directed by Wayne Wang, 2002)
• “Gigli” (directed by Martin Brest, 2003)
• “Jenny from the Block” (Jennifer Lopez, 2002)
• “Play” (Jennifer Lopez, 2001)
• “performer-puffy-combs-is-arrested-after-shootings-at-times-sq-nightclub.html">Rap Performer Puffy Combs Is Arrested After Shootings at Times Sq. Nightclub” (William K. Rashbaum, The New York Times, Dec. 28, 1999)
• “El Cantante” (directed by Leon Ichaso, 2006)
• “American Idol” (Jennifer Lopez as judge in Seasons 10-11 and 13-15)

We'll be back with a new episode next Thursday, October 17th.

Comedy is changing. Dave Chappelle’s latest Netflix comedy special, "Sticks & Stones," makes us wonder if he can keep up.

Discussed this week:

• "Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones" (Netflix, 2019)
• "Aziz Ansari: Right Now" (Netflix 2019)
• "A Black Lady Sketch Show" (HBO, 2019)
• "My Favorite Shapes" (HBO, 2019)
• "Ramy Youssef: Feelings" (HBO, 2019)

We’re in love with MTV’s dating-reality TV show “Are You the One?”

Discussed this week:

• Jenna Wortham. "queer-people-brought-some-actual-reality-to-dating-reality-tv.html">How Queer People Brought Some Actual Reality to Dating-Reality TV" (The New York Times Magazine, Aug. 28, 2019)
• Wesley Morris. "comedy-movies.html">Rom-Coms Were Corny and Retrograde. Why Do I Miss Them so Much?" (The New York Times Magazine, April 24, 2019)
• "Are You the One?" (MTV, Season 8, 2019)

How "Old Town Road" gave us hope without making us cringe, and became our song of the year.

Discussed this week:

• Joe Coscarelli, Alexandra Eaton, Will Lloyd, Eden Weingart, Antonio de Luca and Alicia DeSantis. "town-road-lil-nas-x-billy-ray-cyrus.html">Diary of a Song — ‘Old Town Road’: See How Memes and Controversy Took Lil Nas X to the Top of the Charts" (The New York Times, May 10, 2019)
• Jon Caramanica. "nas-x-old-town-road-7.html">The Short Rise and Long Tail of Lil Nas X" (The New York Times, Jun. 26, 2019)
• Jade Jolie
• "Shut Up & Sing" (directed by Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck, 2006)
• BriMalandro.tumblr.com

Remember that beer test? It’s not enough. That’s why this election season, we bring you: Still Processing’s Rubric for Leadership and Democratic Excellence.

Discussed this week:

• Astead Herndon, Jon Caramanica and Jon Pareles. "campaign-songs-playlists.html">What Do Rally Playlists Say About the Candidates?" (The New York Times, Aug. 19, 2019)
• Clara Guibourg and Helen Briggs. "Climate change: Which vegan milk is best?" (BBC News, Feb. 22, 2019)
• The AP reporter Alexandra Jaffe’s post on Twitter that Senator Kamala Harris drinks oat milk
• Matt Flegenheimer and Sydney Ember. "klobuchar-staff.html">How Amy Klobuchar Treats Her Staff" (The New York Times, Feb. 22, 2019)
• Carl Zimmer. "warren-native-american.html">Elizabeth Warren Has a Native American Ancestor. Does That Make Her Native American?" (The New York Times, Oct. 15, 2018)
• Adrienne Keene, Rebecca Nagle and Joseph M. Pierce. "Syllabus: Elizabeth Warren, Cherokee Citizenship, and DNA Testing" (Critical Ethnic Studies, Dec. 19, 2018)
• Thomas Kaplan. "warren-native-american.html">Elizabeth Warren Apologizes at Native American Forum: ‘I Have Listened and I Have Learned.’" (The New York Times, Aug. 19, 2019)
• Matt Stieb. "does-marianne-williamson-actually-stand-on-vaccines.html">Where Does Marianne Williamson Actually Stand on Vaccines?" (NYMag, Aug. 4, 2019)
• Glenn Thrush. "obama-history.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage">Obama and Biden’s Relationship Looks Rosy. It Wasn’t Always That Simple." (The New York Times, Aug. 16, 2019)

Still Processing will be back in your ears on Thursday, September 12th.

We dissect Jordan Peele’s new psychological thriller, “Us,” and discuss the film’s central question (WITHOUT SPOILERS): Are any of us ever truly free from the past?

Also, we’re going on a short hiatus. Happy spring, and we’ll be back in your ears soon.

Discussed this week:

• “Us” (directed by Jordan Peele, 2019)
• “Suspiria” (directed by Dario Argento, 1977)
• “The People Under the Stairs” (directed by Wes Craven, 1991)
• “It Follows” (directed by David Robert Mitchell, 2014)
• “White Is for Witching” (Helen Oyeyemi, 2014)
• “Beloved” (Toni Morrison, 1987)
• “Beloved” (directed by Jonathan Demme, 1998)
• Jan Svankmajer
• “Beloved” (Toni Morrison, audiobook, 2006)
• “The Souls of Black Folk” (W.E.B. DuBois, 1903)

We celebrate Whoopi Goldberg from her days as a boundary-pushing stand-up comedian in the early ’80s to her current role as professional curmudgeon on “The View.”

Discussed this week:

• “Whoopi Goldberg” (Ottessa Moshfegh, Garage magazine: Issue 16, Feb. 19, 2019)
• “Whoopi Goldberg: Direct From Broadway” (directed by Thomas Schlamme, 1985)
• “The Color Purple” (directed by Steven Spielberg, 1985)
• “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” (directed by Penny Marshall, 1986)
• “Burglar” (directed by Hugh Wilson, 1987)
• “Fatal Beauty” (directed by Tom Holland, 1987)
• “Clara’s Heart” (directed by Robert Mulligan, 1988)
• “Ghost” (directed by Jerry Zucker, 1990)
• Whoopi Goldberg winning the best supporting actress Oscar for her role in Ghost (1991)
• “Sister Act” (directed by Emile Ardolino, 1992)
• “The Fine Print: Danson in the Dark” (Louis Theroux, Spy magazine, February 1994)
• “The Associate” (directed by Donald Petrie, 1996)

We chat with David Wallace-Wells, climate columnist for New York Magazine, about the limits of individual consumption choices and the necessity of political action to combat climate change.

Discussed this week:

• “The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming” (David Wallace-Wells, 2019)

HBO’s “Leaving Neverland” — a two-part documentary that focuses on the stories of two men, James Safechuck and Wade Robson, who allege that Michael Jackson sexually abused them as children — prompts us to wrestle with our love for and discomfort with the pop star. We examine how Jackson seemed to have been culturally exonerated, and we ask what to do with a man whose artistic reach is so profound that “canceling” him — an imperfect way of dealing with problematic artists to begin with — might not even be possible.

Discussed this week:

• “abuse-assault-support-mental-health.html">How to Support a Friend or Loved One Who Has Been Sexually Abused” (Vanessa Marin, The New York Times, 2019)
• “Leaving Neverland” (HBO, 2019)
• “Moonwalk” (Michael Jackson, 2009)
• “The Oprah Winfrey Show” (ABC, Feb. 10, 1993)
• “Living With Michael Jackson” (ITV, 2003)
• “On Michael Jackson” (Margo Jefferson, 2006)

The Jussie Smollett investigation has captured America’s attention — and ours. We take a look at the support for as well as the doubts about Smollett’s claims, and try to make sense of the charge that Smollett staged his own attack. In an era in which personal trauma and victimhood are often leveraged for cultural capital, we consider the long-term repercussions of the Smollett case.

Discussed this week:

• “smollett-attack-timeline.html?rref=collection%2Fbyline%2Fsopan-deb&action=click&contentCollection=undefined®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=collection">Jussie Smollett Timeline: Mystery Remains as Actor Is Charged With Faking His Assault” (Sopan Deb, The New York Times, Feb. 17, 2019)
• “Lee Daniels Shares Powerful Words for Jussie Smollett After Racist, Homophobic Attack” (Alex Ungerman, ETOnline, Jan. 29, 2019)
• April Ryan asks span.org/video/?457444-1/president-trump-if-wall-work">President Trump what he thinks about the alleged attack on Jussie Smollett (C-Span, Jan. 29, 2019)
• “Jussie Smollett speaks to Robin Roberts in ABC News exclusive interview” (Good Morning America, Feb. 14, 2019)
• “awards-diversity.html">Can the Grammys Please Anyone?” (Ben Sisario, The New York Times, Feb. 7, 2019)
• “Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened” (Netflix, 2019)
• “Fyre Fraud” (Hulu, 2019)
• “Breaking Bad” (AMC, 2008-13)
• “Where’s All This Energy for the Attacks on Black Transgender Women?” (Raquel Willis, Out, Jan. 31, 2019)
• “At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance — A New History of the Civil Rights Movement From Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power” (Danielle L. McGuire, 2011)
• “Prada, Gucci and now Burberry: Are brands under fire for offensive designs doing it on purpose?” (Rachel Leah, Salon, Feb 20. 2019)
• “Former Goucher Student Faces Four Counts of Hate Crime Charges for Racist Graffiti” (WJZ, Dec. 5, 2018)
• “tawana-brawley-story.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FBrawley%2C%20Tawana&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=3&pgtype=collection">Revisiting a Rape Scandal That Would Have Been Monstrous if True” (Retro Report, The New York Times, June 3, 2013)
• “Why You Always Lying” (Nicholas Fraser, Sept. 14, 2015)

With the Academy Awards right around the corner, we take a look back at some previous Best Picture winners. When these winning films were about race, they often highlighted a feel-good racial reconciliation fantasy. But about 30 years ago, there was one movie that was snubbed at the Oscars — “Do the Right Thing” — that is anything but a feel-good racial reconciliation fantasy. We revisit how “Do the Right Thing” showcased realities about race in America in ways that none of the current Oscar nominees — including Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman” — do, and why it matters.

Discussed this week:

• “Green Book” (directed by Peter Farrelly, 2018)
• “Forrest Gump” (directed by Robert Zemeckis, 1994)
• “Crash” (directed by Paul Haggis, 2004)
• “Driving Miss Daisy” (directed by Bruce Beresford, 1989)
• “BlacKkKlansman” (directed by Spike Lee, 2018)
• Kim Basinger going off-script at the 1990 Academy Awards
• “Do the Right Thing” (directed by Spike Lee, 1989)

"Becoming," the best-selling memoir by the former first lady, Michelle Obama, is a study in what happens when the ways we see ourselves don't always line up with the ways that society sees us. In reading about her journey from high-achieving, self-possessed child in Chicago to the fraught glamour of her life in the White House, we marvel at the ways she balanced herself and her image in service of the country. And we discuss how Michelle Obama's memoir fits into a powerful lineage of black women navigating entirely new circumstances with curiosity, strength and grace.

Discussed this week:

• “Becoming” (Michelle Obama, 2019)
• Beyoncé singing “At Last” at Barack Obama’s 2008 inauguration
• “Lean In” (Sheryl Sandberg, 2013)
• “Complete Writings: Phillis Wheatley” (Phillis Wheatley, 2001)
• “Thick: And Other Essays” (Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom, 2019)
• “Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower” (Dr. Brittney Cooper, 2018)
• “Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds” (adrienne maree brown, 2017)

Inspired by Netflix’s “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo,” we decide to KonMari Wesley’s Brooklyn apartment. We ask ourselves what sparks joy in our lives and examine whether Marie Kondo’s philosophy extends into the metaphysical realm.

Discussed this week:

• "Tidying Up with Marie Kondo" (Netflix, 2019)
• "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing" (Marie Kondo, 2014)
• "The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter" (Margareta Magnusson, 2017)

We now live in an era where people can choose to believe whatever they want to believe, regardless of proof or evidence. From the Laquan McDonald trial to the film “Green Book” to R. Kelly’s song “I Believe I Can Fly” to the Nick Sandmann/Nathan Phillips encounter at the Lincoln Memorial, we wrestle with the ways that reality is contested, both personally and politically.

Discussed this week:

• "van-dyke-sentencing.html">Jason Van Dyke Sentenced to Nearly 7 Years for Murdering Laquan McDonald" (Mitch Smith and Julie Bosman, The New York Times, Jan. 18, 2019)
• "Who is America?" (Showtime, 2018)
• "Green Book" (directed by Peter Farrelly, 2018)
• "book-interracial-friendship.html">Why Do the Oscars Keep Falling for Racial Reconciliation Fantasies?" (Wesley Morris, The New York Times, Jan. 23, 2019)
• "Surviving R. Kelly" (Lifetime, 2019)
• The Nick Sandmann/Nathan Phillips phillips-covington.html">encounter at the Lincoln Memorial (Jan. 25, 2019)

The new Netflix show “Sex Education” feels so refreshing because for the longest time, there has been a dearth of cultural properties that specifically deal with the realities of sex. Sure, there’s sex in film and TV, but in recent history, there has been an absence of content that treats sex (and the complicated feelings that it can bring up) not as an aside, but as the main event. From “Fatal Attraction” to “Sex and the City” to “Knocked Up” to “Black Panther,” we trace the history — on screen and off — of how we went from lots of bad sex to no sex to hopefully some good sex moving forward.

Discussed this week:

• "Sex Education" (created by Laurie Nunn, 2019)
• "Fatal Attraction" (directed by Adrian Lyne, 2019)
• "Basic Instinct" (directed by Paul Verhoeven, 1992)
• "Color of Night" (directed by Richard Rush, 1994)
• "The Witches of Eastwick" (directed by George Miller, 1987)
• "Sex and the City" (created by Darren Star, 1998-2004)
• Bill Clinton denying his sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky (1998)
• "Knocked Up" (directed by Judd Apatow, 2007)
• "X-Men" (directed by Bryan Singer, 2000)
• "Black Panther" (directed by Ryan Coogler, 2018)

Last fall, Nike released a groundbreaking ad featuring the former N.F.L. quarterback Colin Kaepernick. His kneeling protest, which started in 2016 as a response to police brutality, was reinterpreted by social media, celebrities and Nike itself to mean something that doesn’t always match the intention of his original protest. So what does it say that a multinational corporation has aligned itself with a social movement? And are we O.K. with this form of “Kaepitalism”?

Discussed this week:

• "Samson et Dalila" at the Metropolitan Opera
• Jennifer Lee Chan’s tweet showing Colin Kaepernick not standing for the national anthem (Aug. 27, 2016)
• Colin Kaepernick explaining why he won’t stand for the national anthem (Aug. 28, 2016)
• "gets-to-be-called-a-patriot.html">Colin Kaepernick and the Question of Who Gets to Be Called a 'Patriot'" (Wesley Morris, The New York Times Magazine, Sept. 12, 2016)
• Nike’s ad featuring Colin Kaepernick (September 2018)
• "Nike’s Colin Kaepernick ad sparked a boycott — and earned $6 billion for Nike" (Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, Sept. 24, 2018)
• "colin-kaepernick-ad-raises-issues-of-workers-rights.html">This Could Be the Next Step for the New, Socially Conscious Nike" (Sarah Spellings, The Cut, Sept. 6, 2018)
• "Nike Is Facing a New Wave of Anti-Sweatshop Protests" (Marc Bain, Quartz, Aug. 1, 2017)

New year, new season.

Kevin Hart. Ellen. Brett Kavanaugh. We live in an age of #SorryNotSorry, prevalent in our pop culture and woven into the fabric of our nation’s founding. But how can we grow into the people we want to become when we can’t acknowledge our mistakes and the effect that they've had on others? We invite you to start off 2019 with an apology.

Discussed this week:

• Christine Blasey Ford’s span.org/event/?451895/judge-kavanaugh-professor-blasey-ford-testify-sexual-assault-allegations">testimony at the Kavanaugh confirmation hearing (2018)
• “I Won’t Back Down” (Tom Petty, 1989)
• “Ms. Jackson” (OutKast, 2000)
• “All Apologies” (Nirvana, 1993)
• “Sorry” (Beyoncé, 2016)
• “Poltergeist” (directed by Tobe Hooper, 1982)
• “The Best Man” (directed by Malcom D. Lee, 1999)
• Dan Harmon’s apology on the Harmontown podcast (Jan. 10, 2018)
• Kevin Hart’s non-apology on Instagram (Dec. 6, 2018)
• Kevin Hart’s appearance on reveals-she-called-the-academy-to-help-re-hire-kevin-hart-as-oscars-host.html">Ellen (Jan. 4, 2019)
• “The Apology of Socrates” (Plato, translated by Benjamin Jowett)
• “I’m Sorry” (Brenda Lee, 1960)

Buckle up, babies. Still Processing returns on Thursday, January 10th.

This week we pay our respects to the late, great Aretha Franklin. A legendary singer, writer, arranger, pianist, performer and more, Ms. Franklin channeled both the difficult and beautiful aspects of American culture to make the songs that have scored our lives. From her breakout hit “Respect,” to her performance of “Dr. Feelgood” at Fillmore West in San Francisco, to her rendition of “My Country, ’Tis of Thee” at former President Barack Obama’s first inauguration, she left a legacy of virtuosity and swagger that will live on — both online and off.

We’ll be taking some time off, but you can expect us back in your headphones sometime in the fall.

• "Respect" (Aretha Franklin, 1967)
• "Respect" (Otis Redding, 1964)
• "I Never Loved a Man [the Way I Love You]" (Aretha Franklin, 1967)
• "Dr. Feelgood" - Live at Fillmore West (Aretha Franklin, 1971)
• "Think" (Aretha Franklin, 1967)
• "Think" - The Blues Brothers version (Aretha Franklin, 1980)
• "Rocksteady" (Aretha Franklin, 1972)
• Aretha Franklin performing "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" at former president Barack Obama's first inauguration (January 20, 2009)
• Aretha Franklin performing "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" at the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors
• "A Different World" theme song (1988)

This week, we realize we have two black klansmen on our hands — one on the big screen in the form of Spike Lee's new film "BlacKkKlansman," and one on the small screen in the form of America's most notorious reality show villain turned ex-White House employee, Omarosa Manigault Newman. Both the film and person showcase black people infiltrating hostile white institutions and coming out the other side to tell us about it. We question, however, if the message they're bringing us was worth the journey.

Discussed this week:

• "BlacKkKlansman" (directed by Spike Lee, 2018)
• "Unhinged: An Insider's Account of the Trump White House" (Omarosa Manigault Newman, Gallery Books, 2018)
• "The Apprentice" (NBC, 2004)
• "Donald J. Trump Presents The Ultimate Merger" (TV One, 2010)
• "The Bitch Switch: Knowing How to Turn It On and Off" (Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, Phoenix Books, Inc., 2008)

This week, our friend and colleague, Taffy Akner, chats with us about her viral article, "business-gwyneth-paltrow-wellness.html">How Goop’s Haters Made Gwyneth Paltrow’s Company Worth $250 Million." We trace some similarities and differences between Gwyneth and fellow mogul, Oprah, and ask why the wellness industry, ironically, can make us feel bad. Taffy helps us understand how oftentimes, when our current healthcare systems fail to take the pain and suffering of women and gender non-conforming people seriously, Goop can offer a seductive alternative — that comes at a price.

Discussed this week:

• "business-gwyneth-paltrow-wellness.html">How Goop’s Haters Made Gwyneth Paltrow’s Company Worth $250 Million" (Taffy Akner, The New York Times Magazine, July 25, 2018)
• "Our First Podcast: GP Sits Down with Oprah" (The Goop Podcast, March 8, 2018)

This week, we celebrate summer and present to you our 2018 Summer Faves. From tech to treats, tunes to TV, and of course, summer looks, we make some recommendations to help you live your best life in these warmer months.

Special thanks to James McCombe of Maple Street Creative and Taylor Wizner for remote recording support.

Discussed this week:

• land.ca/">Native Land app (by Victor Temprano, 2015)
• "Mission: Impossible — Fallout" (directed by Christopher McQuarrie, 2018)
• "Vida" (Starz, 2018)
• "Freeway of Love" (Aretha Franklin, "Who's Zoomin' Who?", 1985)
• "Lucid Dreams" (Juice WRLD, "Goodbye & Good Riddance," 2018)
• "Afro-Harping" (Dorothy Ashby, 1968)
• "The greatest five-minute tomato pasta on earth" (Francis Lam, Salon, 2010)
• "american-muslim-kebab.html">A burger, but better" (Samin Nosrat, The New York Times Magazine, 2018)

This week, we trace the evolution of black American cinema from blaxploitation in the 1970s to what we’re calling "blaxplaining" in 2018. While blaxploitation sought to showcase black actors in dramatic, action-packed films, today’s blaxplaining centers on the challenges of being black in America. We examine three films — "The Hate U Give," "Blindspotting" and "Sorry to Bother You" — and ask if they accurately depict aspects of contemporary black life, or instead merely seek to make some black experiences more palatable to white audiences.

Discussed this week:

• "The Hate U Give" (directed by George Tillman Jr., 2018)
• "Blindspotting" (directed by Carlos López Estrada, 2018)
• "Sorry to Bother You" (directed by Boots Riley, 2018)
• "Coffy" (directed by Jack Hill, 1973)
• "Slaves" (directed by Herbert Biberman, 1969)
• "Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song" (directed by Melvin Van Peebles, 1971)
• "The Devil Finds Work" (by James Baldwin, 1976)
• "Lady Sings the Blues" (directed by Sidney J. Furie, 1972)
• "Mandingo" (directed by Richard Fleischer, 1975)
• "Jaws" (directed by Steven Spielberg, 1975)
• "Hammer" (directed by Bruce Clark, 1972)
• "Truck Turner" (directed by Jonathan Kaplan, 1974)
• "Shaft" (directed by Gordon Parks, 1971)
• "Blacula" (directed by William Crain, 1972)
• "Proud Mary" (directed by Babak Najafi, 2018)
• "The Equalizer 2" (directed by Antoine Fuqua, 2018)
• "White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism" (Robin DiAngelo, Beacon Press, 2018)
• "Super Fly" (directed by Gordon Parks Jr., 1972)
• "Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde" (Directed by William Crain, 1976)
• "Cotton Comes to Harlem" (Directed by Ossie Davis, 1970)
• "Mahogany" (Directed by Berry Gordy, 1975)
• "striking-humanity-of-moonlight.html">Dancing in the Moonlight" (Still Processing, 2016)

It’s the 20th anniversary of the release of Ms. Lauryn Hill’s 5-time Grammy-winning debut solo album, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.” Still very much a part of our contemporary musical landscape — being sampled by everyone from Drake to Cardi B to Kanye — her prophecies on fame, artistry and the music industry reflect her own career trajectory and serve as a cautionary tale for other artists on the rise. We take a closer look at “Miseducation,” alongside her follow-up “MTV Unplugged No. 2.0” album, and try to understand both her meteoric rise, and what she means when she says it “all falls down.”

Discussed this week:

• “The Score” (The Fugees, 1996)
• “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” (Lauryn Hill, 1998)
• “MTV Unplugged No. 2.0” (Lauryn Hill, 2002)
• “Ooo Baby Baby” (Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, “Smokey Robinson and the Miracles LIVE!,” 1969)
• "They Won't Go When I Go" (Stevie Wonder, "Fulfillingness' First Finale," 1974)
• “All Falls Down” (Kanye West, “The College Dropout,” 2004)
• “Dave Chappelle’s Block Party” (Directed by Michel Gondry, 2006)

Jenna's back in New York after spending last week at the Tin House Summer Workshop in Portland, Oregon. An explosive moment at the workshop prompted us to consider what it means for an institution — from a writing workshop to a TV network to a social media platform — to really commit itself to inclusion, and whether inclusion is even enough.

Discussed this week:

• Tin House Summer Workshop
• "The Danger of a Single Story" (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, TED, 2009)
• "et-mn-all-white-oscar-acting-nominees-20160114-story.html">Oscars 2016: Here's why the nominees are so white — again" (Rebecca Keegan and Steven Zeitchik, The Los Angeles Times, 2016)
• "Hannah Gadsby: Nanette" (Netflix, 2018)
• "gallery-of-ontario-indigenous-art.html">A Canadian Museum Promotes Indigenous Art. But Don’t Call It ‘Indian.’" (Ted Loos, The New York Times Magazine, 2018)

Correction: In this episode, the story read by Wells Tower that was the subject of controversy at the Tin House Summer Workshop was misidentified as having appeared in "Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned," a collection of short stories. The piece in question was a nonfiction article, "Own Goal," published in Harper's Magazine in 2010.

This week, we take a deep dive into "Pose," Ryan Murphy's new show on FX, and unpack the role of queer chosen families in pop culture. We dissect some of our favorite scenes — featuring Blanca Abundance Evangelista (Mj Rodriguez), Elektra Abundance (Dominique Jackson), and Angel (Indya Moore) — and celebrate the nuanced stories told of queer and trans characters of color by queer and trans people of color. Are we free to create chosen families that support who we are and who we're trying to be, or are we destined to replicate the burdens and blessings of our biological families?

Discussed this week:

• "Far From the Tree" (dir: Rachel Dretzin, 2018)
• "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" (dir: Morgan Neville, 2018)
• "Whitney" (dir: Kevin MacDonald, 2018)
• "review-whitney-houston-documentary.html">Review: ‘Whitney,’ a Pop Music Tragedy, Is Sad, Strange and Dismaying" (Wesley Morris, The New York Times, July 5, 2018)
• "Three Identical Strangers" (dir: Tim Wardel, 2018)
• "Whack World" (Tierra Whack, 2018)
• "Pose" (FX, 2018)
• "Queer Eye" (Netflix, 2018)
• "My House" (Viceland, 2018)

It’s the second installment of our two-part series on anti-Asian racism. Once again, we hand over the mics to our Asian-American colleagues, friends and listeners to hear about their experiences with dating, work and more as they relate to race and identity. We hear varied and nuanced perspectives — from the writer Jen Choi, the musician Simon Tam, the podcaster Andrew Ti and others — on what it feels like to be a part of the diverse community of Asian-Americans, which makes up almost 6 percent of the United States population. If you haven’t already, check out last week’s episode for Part 1 of this series.

This week and next, we’re doing something different. After witnessing an awful instance of anti-Asian racism at a movie theater, we couldn’t stop thinking about how this type of racism is rampant in American culture, both on the screen and off. At first, we wanted to talk about it. But then, we realized that we needed to listen.

For the next two episodes, we hand the microphones over to our Asian-American colleagues, friends and listeners to hear about their experiences with racism. From Pablo Torre (of ESPN) to Emily Yoshida (of Vulture) to Parul Sehgal (of The Times) and more, we hear about childhood traumas, politicization, pop culture and hierarchies of oppression as they relate to Asian-American identity. The ideas are varied and complicated, conflicting and nuanced — which makes sense for a hugely diverse community that makes up almost 6 percent of the American population. We’ll bring you the second part of this two-part series next week.

Beyonce and Jay-Z. Donald and Melania. Kim and Kanye. Harry and Meghan. We're compelled by the performance of marriage in culture. And with The Carters' new surprise album, "Everything Is Love," we wonder what it means for our beloved Beyonce -- and Jay-Z -- to position their marriage as a black cultural institution -- akin to the Huxtables or the Obamas -- that everyone should believe in. From writing their legacy into The Louvre in their "Apes**t" video to documenting the turmoil and triumph of their relationship in "Lovehappy," The Carters remind us that marriage, like everything, is performance -- and that matters.

Discussed this week:

• "Everything is Love" (The Carters, 2018)
• Zerina Akers' Instagram
• Vince Aletti's Interview with Madonna in Aperture 156 (Summer 1999)
• Deana Lawson, Photographer
• John Edmonds, Photographer
• Carrie Mae Weems, Photographer
• "Consecration of the Emperor Napoleon I and Coronation of the Empress Josephine in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris on 2 December 1804" (Jacques-Louis David)

After watching the blockbuster hit "Ocean’s 8" and BBC America’s cat-and-mouse drama "Killing Eve," we noticed some similarities in these leading women - they’re all “bad.” They’re indulgent and driven. They care about their work more than your feelings. They perform for each other more than they do for men (do they even perform for men?). They’re complicated and that’s why we like them. So we wonder: is our current cultural climate — specifically around this #MeToo moment — making space for more dynamic women characters?

Discussed this week:

Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins uses signs to advocate for criminal justice reform

Actor Ari'el Stachel delivers moving speech at the 72nd annual Tony Awards

"The Man Behind the fx-broad-city.html">Music of 'Broad City'" (Stacey Anderson, The New York Times, March 22, 2016)

"This is America” (Childish Gambino, 2018)

"All Mine" (Kanye West, 2018)

"Why 'You are loved' & 'please reach out' are crappy things to post after someone has died by suicide" (Deanna Zandt, Medium, June 8, 2018)

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 800-273-8255

"Dykes to Watch Out For" (Alison Bechdel, 1983-2008)

"Ocean's 8" (dir: Gary Ross, Warner Bros., 2018)

"Killing Eve" (Sid Gentle Films, 2018)

Almost one week after Kanye West released his eighth studio album, "Ye," we wonder what to do with artists who displease us. Going back to 2004, we take a closer look at Kanye, the artist, who questioned the role of higher education, called out former president George Bush after Hurricane Katrina on live television, and publicly grieved over the untimely death of his mother. We also examine Kanye, the problem, and try to understand how the same person who seemed to champion black solidarity in the early 2000s is now calling slavery a choice and aligning himself with President Trump. From "The College Dropout" to "808s & Heartbreak" to "Yeezus" to "Ye," we've kept listening to Kanye, but we ask ourselves: what will make us stop?

Discussed this week:

• "Ivanka Trump, Samantha Bee, and the Strange Path of an Ancient Epithet" (Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, June 1, 2018)
• Rebecca Traister's tweets about Samantha Bee calling Ivanka Trump the C-word (2018)
• "Running Up That Hill" (Kate Bush, 1985)
• "The Man Who Ate Everything" (Jeffrey Steingarten, 1998)
• "Julián is a Mermaid" (Jessica Love, 2018)
• "O Superman" (Laurie Anderson, 1982)
• Kanye's comments about former president George Bush after Hurricane Katrina (MTV, 2005)
• "Ye" (Kanye West, 2018)
• "The Life of Pablo" (Kanye West, 2016)
• "Yeezus" (Kanye West, 2013)
• "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" (Kanye West, 2010)
• "808s & Heartbreak" (Kanye West, 2008)
• "Graduation" (Kanye West, 2007)
• "Late Registration" (Kanye West, 2005)
• "The College Dropout" (Kanye West, 2004)

When actor Jessica Walter said fellow co-star Jeffrey Tambor verbally harassed her on the set of "Arrested Development," the show’s lead, Jason Bateman, jumped to Tambor’s defense -- and we noticed. This week, we suss out what this interaction -- documented in sound -- shows us about the subtle and not-so-subtle ways that we're taught to minimize the experiences of women. We juxtapose Jessica Walter's quiet, composed anger with Asia Argento's seething indictment at Cannes, and interrogate the stakes that make women -- and other marginalized groups -- temper their rage. What would happen if our culture allowed these groups to more fully occupy their anger?

Plus, we talk about the cancellation of ABC's "Roseanne," because even though on some level justice has been done, we're still mad.

Discussed this week:

• happy-hour-portland.html">"'Reparations Happy Hour' Invites White People to Pay for Drinks" (Daniel Victor, The New York Times, 26 May 2018)
• "El Anillo" (Jennifer Lopez, 2018)
• "Shades of Blue" (Kelsey Lu, 2018)
• Agnes Varda and Cate Blanchett at Cannes 2018
• Asia Argento at Cannes 2018
• development-netflix-interview-jeffrey-tambor.html">"'Arrested Development:' We Sat Down With the Cast. It Got Raw." (Sopan Deb, The New York Times, 23 May 2018)

With Rita Ora, Janelle Monáe, Kehlani – and even fictional characters like Lando Calrissian – embracing bisexuality, pansexuality, queerness, and more, we wonder: what does it mean to publicly declare your sexual identity as something outside the gay/straight binary in 2018? And what did these declarations look like in the 80s and 90s, when we were growing up? We compare the sincere loneliness of R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion" to the frustrating inauthenticity of Rita Ora's "Girls," and celebrate the thoughtful portrayal of the queer relationship featured in the new film, Disobedience. Plus, we break down what's wrong with sex scenes between women – with the hope that directors and cinematographers take note – because depictions of non-binary sexualities should reflect the humanity of the people who occupy them.

Discussed this week:

• "The Hand That Robs the Cradle" (Ellen; Season 1, Episode 6; 1994)
• "Girls" (Rita Ora feat. Cardi B, Bebe Rexha, and Charlie XCX, 2018)
• "PYNK" (Janelle Monáe, 2018)
• "Curious" (Hayley Kiyoko, 2018)
• Kehlani's Tweets about her sexuality (2018)
• Kristen Stewart's SNL monologue (NBC, 2017)
• Disobedience (dir: Sebastián Lelio, Braven Films, 2017)
• "Losing My Religion" (R.E.M., 1991)
• Cruel Intentions (dir: Roger Kumble, Columbia Pictures, 1999)
• Blue is the Warmest Color (dir: Abdellatif Kechiche, Quat'sous Films, 2013)

This week, shortly after multi-hyphenate artist Donald Glover blew up the internet with the video for his song "This is America," Wesley and guest host Rembert Browne (New York Magazine, Grantland) explore Glover's career, and how he evolved from a likable comedian to a cultural provocateur and authority on blackness. We like Glover's brain and the music and TV he is making, but we also wonder about the speed with which he's been anointed a "genius." Who gets left out when we apply that label so liberally to men? What do women have to do to be considered geniuses? More specifically, why aren't we using that term for black women? And is there such a thing as black male privilege?

Jenna will be back next week.

Discussed this week:

• Magic Mike XXL (Warner Bros., 2015)
• "I'm Not Black, I'm Kanye" (Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic)
• "This is America" (Childish Gambino)
• "That Hump" (Erykah Badu)
• "How I Got Over" (Aretha Franklin)
• more-does-beyonc-have-to-do-to-win-album-of-the-year.html">"For a Black Artist to Win Album of the Year, They Have to Make an Album of the Decade" (Rembert Browne, Vulture)
• "Miss Independent" (Ne-Yo)

This week we're talking about white culture, and what it is trying to tell us about itself on TV, at the movies and in books. We're noticing that white people are anxious--consciously and unconsciously--about their place in the world, and it's fascinating to unpack. First, we look at the new season of Roseanne, a show that explicitly embraces its whiteness and thumbs its nose at anyone who would challenge that. Then, we talk about the hit horror movie A Quiet Place, which explores dystopia in a way that reveals submerged white fears of a brown invasion (we liked the craft of the movie a lot, but it’s got some problems it’s not aware of). We pose the question: what would a self-aware interrogation of being white look like?

Plus, we celebrate JaVale McGee's incomparable stank face, worry about Kanye's tweets (we recorded this episode before his most recent tweets in support of Trump, which we'll have to address another time), and bring you our very first nominee for Song of the Summer...!

One last thing: we're bringing the show to Australia, and we'll be back with new episodes in a couple weeks. Till then, keep stuntin'! Keep shinin'!

Discussed this week:

JaVale McGee (NBA player, Golden State Warriors)

"The Legacy of Childhood Trauma" (Junot Diaz, The New Yorker)

"I Like It" (Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J. Balvin)

Kanye's recent tweets

Roseanne (ABC)

A Quiet Place (directed by John Krasinski)

White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America (Nancy Isenberg, Penguin Books)

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis (JD Vance, HarperCollins)

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City (Matthew Desmond, Broadway Books)

Green (Sam Graham-Felsen, Random House)

We were so blown away by Beyoncé’s performance at the Coachella music festival that we decided to scrap our previous plans and dedicate this week’s entire episode to it. We think her performance will go down in the annals of American pop music as one of the greatest live shows ever.

We close read some of our favorite moments, including her beautiful rendition of the black national anthem, “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” and how she turns the swag surf into a dance for royalty. And we talk about the ways Beyoncé continues to shape-shift and grow as an artist, reinterpreting her own musical catalogue and making it richer, more sonorous and more black. We think about the ways black American music has always been misappropriated, and the ingenious way Beyoncé is pushing against that history, making music so skillful it can’t ever be replicated.

Discussed This Week:

“lamar-pulitzer-prize-damn.html">Kendrick Lamar Wins Pulitzer in ‘Big Moment for Hip-Hop’” (Joe Coscarelli, The New York Times)

As a break from the onslaught of traumatic news, this week we're talking about what makes us feel good about ourselves. Really good. We start by exploring what has been lost with the recent closure of Craiglist's personal ads section: a unique place, so distinct from Tinder or Grindr or Bumble, where you could search honestly for your own sexiness. Then we share some our personal tips for maintaining and nurturing that feeling once you find it. Finally we jam out to some of our all-time favorite songs of seduction, from k.d. lang to Beyoncé to Cardi B, and explain why exactly they make us feel the way they do. And finally, here’s a link to all of our favorite jams to turn it up by yourself: Still Processing Presents: The Autoerotica Mix (Spotify).

Discussed This Week:

The Magicians (SyFy)

“We need to talk about how Grindr is affecting gay men’s health” (Jack Turban, Vox)

“‘I Am Super Straight and I Prefer You be Too’: Constructions of Heterosexual Masculinity in Online Personal Ads for “Straight” Men Seeking Sex With Men” (Chelsea Reynolds, Sage Journals)

“personals-trafficking-bill.html">Missed Connections: Craigslist Drops Personal Ads Because of Sex Trafficking Bill” (Niraj Chokshi, The New York Times)

“A Field Guide to Getting Lost” (Rebecca Solnit, Penguin Books)

“Sexiness: Rituals, Revisions and Reconstructions” (Tamara Santibanez, Discipline Press)

Still Processing Presents: The Autoerotica Mix (Spotify)

This week, we commemorate the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s death. While MLK’s birthday is celebrated on a national level, we spend time processing why his death holds a significant importance as well. We examine the months leading up to MLK Jr.’s death, including his iconic speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” and discuss the ways in which his ideals shifted after his “I Had A Dream” speech. MLK day is a celebration of King’s birthday, and we suggest that maybe what we should really be marking is the day of his assassination.

Discussed This Week:

“My Life with Martin Luther King Jr.” (Coretta Scott King, Henry Holt & Co.)

“push-they-protest-and-many-activists-privately-suffer-as-a-result.html">They Push. They Protest. And Many Activists, Privately, Suffer As A Result” (John Eligon, The New York Times)

“brown-symbol-of-landmark-desegregation-case-dies.html">Linda Brown, Symbol of Landmark Desegregation Case, Dies at 75” (Neil Genzlinger, The New York Times)

A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King Jr. (Martin Luther King Jr., HarperCollins Publishers)

This week we're talking about why we're stressed out, why the country is stressed out, and whether anxiety has become a permanent condition. We consider the role technology has played in driving us to this point, from push alerts — so many push alerts — to Twitter to the "algorithmic gaze." Then we come back to culture and focus on a few works that either encapsulate the chaos of 2018 or offer a possible path for moving ahead.

Discussed This Week:

“Pony” (Genuwine)

“The Middle” (Zedd, Maren Morris, Grey)

“beans-garlic-toast-broth-recipe.html">The Comfort in Stockpiling Dried Beans” (Tejal Rao, The New York Times Magazine)

“man-who-knew-too-little.html">The Man Who Knew Too Little” (Sam Dolnick, The New York Times)

Annihilation (Paramount Pictures)

“Southern Reach Trilogy” (Jeff VanderMeer, Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

Ready Player One (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Downsizing (Paramount Pictures)

Angels in America (Tony Kushner)

Angels in America (miniseries; HBO)

This week we pay homage to aunties, in our own lives, in politics, and in pop culture. But first we have to define what an aunty is, so we play a little game called "Aunty or Nah-nty," naming aunty candidates from television shows and movies to refine our criteria for who is and isn't one. We examine the historical relevance of aunties, and think about portrayals of women who are not-quite-our mothers, fiercely independent and repositories for our secrets. Can the "aunty" label be a caricature, or is it strictly an honor? Have on-screen "aunties" changed the way we view childless women in our culture? And can white women be aunties?

Discussed This Week:

Mystic Pizza (The Samuel Goldwyn Company)

“Snapchat Lost $800 Million After Rihanna Criticized Its Offensive Ad” (Emma Stefansky, Vanity Fair)

“LGBTQ Brazillian Councilwoman Assainated” (Saurav Jung Thapa, HRC)

“graham-felsen-green.html">Bridging The Racial Divide in a Middle School Friendship” (Jonathan Miles, The New York Times)

“richie-american-idol-interview.html">Lionel Richie Wants to Teach You How to Be a Real ‘American Idol’” (Alex Pappademas, The New York Times)

Eve’s Bayou (Trimark Pictures)

This week, we discuss "A Wrinkle in Time," Ava DuVernay's attempt to take the audience on a magical adventure with Meg Murray as she searches for her father through multiple universes. Our time traveling experience ... wasn’t as magical as we hoped. But this is good news. We explain why the film's shortcomings do not impact the upward trajectory of Ava DuVernay career or black filmmaking in general, but actually work to highlight the progress of black filmmakers and encourage black artists to take bigger risks. We dive deep into what it means to criticize black works of art and express what gets lost when we decide it’s beyond criticism.

Discussed this week:

O.J. Simpson described ‘blood and stuff’ in hypothetical scenario (Jean Casarez, CNN)

“leitch-on-raising-sons-in-2018.html">How to raise a Boy; I’m not sure what to think about what my dad tried to teach me. So what should I teach my sons?” (New York Magazine, Will Leitch)

Fathers and Sons and Privilege (The Brian Lehrer Show, WNYC Studios)

“In My View” - Young Fathers

“For Decades, Our Coverage Was Racist. To Rise Above Our Past, We Must Acknowledge It” (National Geographic, Susan Goldberg)

A Wrinkle in Time (Madeleine L’Engle, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1962)

A Wrinkle in Time (Walt Disney Studios)

Black Panther (Marvel Studios)

“The Sounds, Space And Spirit of ‘Selma’: A Director’s Take” (NPR, Fresh Air)

“literature-books-blacks.html">Black Kids Don’t Want to Read About Harriet Tubman All the Time” (The New York Times, Denene Millner)

Lemonade (Beyonce, Parkwood Entertainment)

Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color (Kimberly Crenshaw, 1991)

Small Doses with Amanda Seales (Starburns Audio)

How To Get Away With Murder (ABC)

Scandal (ABC)

Mo’Nique Calls For Netflix Boycott Over Alleged Gender and Race Pay Disparity (Deadline, Dino-Ray Ramos)

We went to the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. to look at the recently installed portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama. The paintings--Barack's by Kehinde Wiley, Michelle's by Amy Sherald--prompted both rapture and controversy when they were unveiled in February, and we wanted to see them in person to try to evaluate our own responses. As we traveled through the gallery from George Washington to Obama, we discussed what portraits can tell us about presidential power. And then we lingered at Barack and Michelle's portraits, admiring their beauty, trying to decipher their meaning, and allowing ourselves to be deeply moved. Come linger with us.

Discussed this week:

“MoviePass launches a new division to acquire and distribute movies” (Lizzie Plaugic, The Verge)

“peeles-x-ray-vision.html">Jordan Peele’s X-Ray Vision” (Wesley Morris, The New York Times)

“Jordan Peele Dedicates Original Screenplay Oscar To Those ‘Who Raised My Voice’” (Dawn C. Chmielewski, Deadline)

“What’s An Inclusion Rider? Here’s The Story Behind Frances McDormand’s Closing Words” (Colin Dwyer, NPR)

“haddish-maya-rudolph-oscars.html">Tiffany Haddish and Maya Rudolph, 2019 Oscar Hosts?” (Sopan Deb, The New York Times)

This week, we examine four of the Best Picture Oscar-nominated films—“Call Me By Your Name”, “Get Out”, “Shape of Water”, and “Phantom Thread”—to ask whether we are entering a new phase of romance films. By diverging from conventional norms and stereotypes, these films have created on-screen relationships that are reminiscent of our own relationships. We then look to the history of romantic dramas and comedies to see how this new version of romance-on-screen came to be and what it potentially communicates about the way men and women are relating to one another.

Discussed this week:

“Why the Trump administration's new SNAP proposal is hard to swallow” (Devra First, Boston Globe)

Janelle Monae - Make Me Feel

Maybe It’s You - The Friend Zone Podcast

The Shape of Water (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Phantom Thread (Focus Features)

Get Out (Universal Pictures)

Call Me By Your Name (Sony Pictures Classics)

“Luca Guadagnino Had a Good Reason for Not Showing the Sex Scene in ‘Call Me By Your Name’” (Jude Dry, Indiewire)

Gone With the Wind (Loew’s Inc.)

Beyond Borders (Paramount Pictures)

The English Patient (Miramax Films)

Blade Runner 2049 (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Ingrid Goes West (Neon)

Wonder Woman (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Thelma (SF Studios)

Leap Year (Universal Pictures)

Pillow Talk (Universal-International)

This week we're looking for a thread running through three seemingly disparate moments: the release of Clint Eastwood's new film "The 15:17 to Paris," the Olympics in South Korea, and the tragic death of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. We use these events to discuss how culture can act as a smokescreen for reality and a way to avoid our fears. Plus: Jenna defends her surprising position that spoilers are actually good.

Discussed this week:

Queer Eye (Netflix)

Alt.Latino (NPR)

gonzalez-florida-shooting.html">“Emma González Leads a Student Outcry on Guns: ‘This is the Way I Have to Grieve’” (Julie Turkewitz, Matt Stevens and Jason M. Bailey, The New York Times)

“Whole Lot of BS” Funkadelic (Maggot Brain, 1971)

"Fergie’s National Anthem Draws Criticism" (ESPN)

“of-recommendation-spoilers.html">Letter of Recommendation: Spoilers” (Jenna Wortham, The New York Times Magazine)

“The Sixth Sense” (Hollywood Pictures)

“On the Evolution of Hollywood Films” (James Cutting, Cornell University, 2010)

“Pulp Fiction” (Miramax)

"The 15:17 to Paris" (Warner Bros. Pictures)

“American Sniper” (Warner Bros. Pictures)

“Sully” (Flashlight Films)

GOP Rep. Brian Mast on Florida School Shooting (Rachel Martin, NPR)

panel-part-1.cnn">Andre Bauer on State of the Union (CNN)

It's going to be one of the biggest opening weekends in movie history. But "Black Panther" is about so much more than the box office. This week we're putting Ryan Coogler's new film in the full context it deserves and demands, with a little help from our friend Ta-Nehisi Coates.

There's no episode of Still Processing today, but Wesley and Jenna are cooking up something special — a whole show on "Black Panther" with special guest Ta-Nehisi Coates. Check your feed Friday morning!

This week, we take the Oscar-nominated film "Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri" as a starting point for a discussion about a new sense of placelessness in film and TV. Over the last year, we've been seeing stories set in ambiguous spaces--the limbo between heaven and hell, distorted models of our world, towns that look like no place we recognize as American. We talk about "The Good Place," "Westworld," "Downsizing," and the Sunken Place from "Get Out" to try and figure out how we lost a sense of where we are. Then we look to shows like "Atlanta" and "The Chi" to think about how we might find our way back.

Discussed This Week:

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

“Grownish” (Freeform)

“Riverdale” (The CW)

Hot Topic "Riverdale" Merchandise

edwards-former-temptations-lead-singer-dies-at-74.html">“Dennis Edwards, Former Temptations Lead Singer, Dies at 74” (Daniel E. Slotnik, The New York Times)

"Don’t Look Any Further" (Dennis Edwards)

"'Three Billboards’ Production Designer Inbal Weinberg on Martin McDonagh’s Unique Approach To Screen Language" (Matt Grobar, Deadline)

“The Good Place” (NBC)

“Stranger Things” (Netflix)

“Coco” (Pixar)

“Black Mirror” (Netflix)

“Get Out” (Universal Pictures)

“Dunkirk” (Warner Bros.)

“Downsizing” (Paramount Pictures)

“Westworld” (HBO)

"Instravel - A Photogenic Mass Tourism Experience" (Oliver KMIA, Vimeo)

“Singin’ in the Rain” (MGM)

sugar.html">“Queen Sugar” (OWN)

“Atlanta” (FX Networks)

“Insecure” (HBO)

“Black-ish” (ABC)

“The Chi” (Showtime)

“Moonlight” (A24)

“Black Panther” (Marvel Studios)

"Space and Place: The Perspective of Experience" (Yi-Fu Tuan, 1977)

"Place and Placelessness" (Edward Relph, 1976)

Super Bowl LII Commercials

commercial-ram-dodge.html">“Ram Trucks Commercial with Martin Luther King Jr. Sermon is Criticized” (Sapna Maheshwari, The New York Times)

2018 Kia Stinger - Steven Tyler Big Game Ad - Feel Something Again

Blacture Super Bowl Ad

Amazon Alexa Loses Her Voice - Super Bowl LII Commercial

This week, in light of Justin Timberlake’s upcoming Super Bowl performance, we revisit his infamous 2004 “wardrobe malfunction” halftime show with Janet Jackson. We dissect the public reaction to “nipplegate,” why Janet (and not Justin) took the fall, and how the controversy changed the course of both artists’ careers. We consider Justin’s new musical direction in the context his history of appropriating other cultures. And we offer Janet the forgiveness she deserves, realizing that her sexual experimentation led to some of our favorite moments in music history.

Discussed This Week:

rupauls-drag-race-the-most-radical-show-on-tv.html">“Is ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ the Most Radical Show on TV?” (Jenna Wortham, The New York Times)

Evidentiary Bodies (Barbara Hammer at the Leslie-Lohman Museum)

blood-blue-moon-eclipse.html">“The Lunar Eclipse and Super Blue Moon Are Here. Watch it Before Work.” (Nicholas St. Fleur, The New York Times)

“The Color of Kink” (Ariane Cruz, 2016)

awards-jesse-williams.html">“How Jesse Williams Stole BET Awards with Speech on Racism” (Katie Rogers, The New York Times)

Man of the Woods (Justin Timberlake)

History of Rap (Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake, “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”)

Janet Jackson (in Tyler Perry’s “Why Did I Get Married”)

This week, we examine the outrage that is expressing itself in all corners of the culture. In the process, we found unexpected connections between events and ideas that might seem unrelated: Ed Sheeran being left out of all the major Grammy categories as a (possible) way to avoid controversy, the heated debate over an account of a bad date with Aziz Ansari, the testimony at the sentencing of Dr. Larry Nassar from hundreds of gymnasts who had been sexually abused, and year two of the women's march. We're thinking about why women's anger is feared, and what it means to dole out punishment against men. Whose anger counts, what kind of anger is healthy, and is there solidarity to be found in anger? Our conversation took us to places we didn't know we'd go--including becoming enraged ourselves.

Discussed This Week:

oriordan-dead.html">“Dolores O’Riordan, Lead Singer of the Cranberries, Dies at 46” (Christine Hauser, The New York Times)

nominations.html">“2018 Oscar Nominations” (Brooks Barnes, The New York Times)

nominations-2018.html">“2018 Grammy Nominations” (The New York Times)

“Electric Dreams” (Amazon)

sheeran-shape-of-you.html?rref=collection%2Fbyline%2Fjon-pareles&action=click&contentCollection=undefined®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=17&pgtype=collection">“How Ed Sheeran Made ‘Shape of You’ The Years Biggest Track” (John Pereles, The New York Times)

“The Grammy Awards Voting Process” (Recording Academy)

“I went on a date with Aziz Ansari. It turned into the worst night of my life.” (Katie Way, Babe.net)

“Modern Romance” (Aziz Ansari, 2015)

used-to-insist-i-didnt-get-angry-not-anymore.html?rref=collection%2Fissuecollection%2F12118-issue&action=click&contentCollection=magazine®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=collection">“I Used to Insist I Didn’t Get Angry. Not Anymore.” (Leslie Jamison, The New York Times Magazine)

letter-to-aziz-ansari-sexual-assault-accuser-banfield.hln">“Banfield slams Ansari accuser in open letter” (CNN)

nassar-women.html">“One After Another, Athletes Face Larry Nassar and Recount Sexual Abuse” (Scott Cacciola and Christine Hauser, The New York Times)

The wait is finally over - we’re back for Season 3! This week, we look at the movie “Proud Mary” starring Taraji P. Henson as a jumping off point for the cultural moment that black women are having right now in pop culture. We run through a brief history of black women in movies and television and consider those who built the foundation for this moment. From Hattie McDaniel to Dorothy Dandridge to Whoopi Goldberg to Halle Berry, we consider what all of this means for how we discuss Oprah’s (possible) presidential run.

Discussed This Week:

“She’s Gotta Have It” (Netflix)

new-york-city-public-transportation-wealth-inequality.html">“The Case for the Subway" (Jonathan Mahler, New York Times Magazine)

jones-alabama-black-voters.html?mtrref=www.google.com&gwh=917FC10045E2AFAFE5AD4AF93749B83E&gwt=pay">Black Women Voters of Alabama

“Picturing Us: African American Identity in Photography” (Deb Willis)

Diahann Carroll (in "Julia")

Pam Grier (in "Coffy")

Oprah’s SNL Cold Open

“The Spector of Oprah Winfrey: Critical Black Female Spectorship“ (Terisha L. Stanley, 2007)