PopaHALLics 140 "Pop Go the Clues"

It's no mystery why we love TV's "The Residence" and the book "The Last"—they're both murder mysteries, albeit very different ones (a comedy and a dystopian thriller). And does Seth Rogen have a clue about being a Hollywood executive in "The Studio"? Stay tuned!

Streaming:

• "The Residence," Netflix. A brilliant, eccentric, no-nonsense detective (Uzo Adoba) investigates a murder in the White House residence during a State dinner in this comedy from Shondaland Productions. With Giancarlo Esposito, Bronson Pinchot, Al Franken, Jane Curtin, and more.
• "The Studio," Apple +. A new studio head (Seth Rogen) tries to juggle his desire to make great movies with his boss' desire for big box office. A Kool-Aid movie, anyone? With Catherine O'Hara, Kathryn Hahn, Bryan Cranston, and such real-life Hollywooders as Martin Scorsese playing themselves.

Books:

• "Everything I Know About Love," by Dolly Alderton. In a funny, sometimes heartbreaking memoir, a British journalist and podcast host reflects on the trials and tribulations of becoming an adult.
• "The Last," by Hanna Jameson. Imagine an Agatha Christie novel written by Stephen King. This dark, chilling, highly original novel finds a historian trying to solve a murder at an isolated Swiss hotel after the end of the world.
• "A Hound Dog Tale: Big Mama, Elvis and the Song That Changed Everything," by Ben Wynne. This nonfiction book traces the unusual development of the song "Hound Dog"—written by two Jewish teenagers, popularized by a black woman with a large frame and a booming voice, parodied by a Las Vegas lounge act—and then taken to new heights of popularity by Elvis Presley.

Podcasts:

• "Miss Me?" from BBC Audio. Join pop star Lily Allen and Miquita Oliver, her friend since childhood, for a twice-weekly podcast. On Mondays they answer questions on a theme: celebrity weddings, lies, orgasms, etc. On Thursdays, they pick apart everything from intimacy to interiors.

Music:

Because of our discussion of the book "A Hound Dog Tale," PopaHALLics #140 Playlist (Hound Dog) features various versions of that song, more Big Mama songs, and some classics from "Hound Dog" writers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.

Click through the links above to watch, read, and listen to what we're discussing.

PopaHALLics #139 "Deception"
The truth is, er, fluid in the pop culture discussed in this episode, from a married spy trying to determine if his spouse is doing wrong, to an Australian pretending to have a fatal disease for profit and influence, to a supervillain seemingly going straight who might still be very bent.

In Theaters:

• "Black Bag." In this spy thriller directed by Steven Soderbergh, a legendary intelligence agent (Michael Fassbender) must determine if his wife/fellow spy (Cate Blanchett) has committed treason—and whether his loyalty is to his marriage or his country.

Streaming:

• "Apple Cider Vinegar," Netflix. In this limited series based on true events, two young women (Kaitlyn Dever and Alycia Debnam-Carey) set out to cure their life-threatening illnesses through health and wellness, influencing their global online community along the way. Unfortunately, they aren't really ill.
• "Daredevil: Born Again," Disney +. Marvel's blind superhero returns, sort of. After a disturbing event, attorney Matt Murdoch (Charlie Cox) hangs up his Daredevil suit. But wait—does his nemesis Kingpin/Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) have an ulterior motive in running for mayor of New York?

Books:

• "Say No to the Devil: The Life and Musical Genius of Rev. Gary Davis," by Ian Zack. Davis, a blind street preacher and amazingly talented guitarist, is not as well-known today as contemporaries like Son House and Lightning Hopkins. Yet, as this 2016 biography explains, Davis had an outsized influence on music because of his many guitar students and admirers, who include Bob Dylan, Stefan Grossman, Eric Clapton, Hot Tuna, and more.
• "The Blackbird Oracle," by Deborah Harkness. In the fifth installment in the bestselling All Souls series, witch/Oxford scholar Diana and vampire geneticist Matthew seek to avoid the testing of their twins' magical skills. Attempting to forge a new future for her family, Diana must face "a confrontation with her family’s dark past and a reckoning for her own desire for even greater power."

Music:

On PopaHALLics #139 Playlist (Rev. Gary Davis), experience the music of the blind guitarist/street preacher (see "Say No to the Devil" above) as interpreted by Jackson Browne, the Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead, Mavis Staples, and more, as well as Davis himself. We've also added a few tunes by Kate's new discovery, the 1960s/70s French rock band Les Variations.

Click through the links above to watch, read, and listen to what we're discussing.

PopaHALLics #138 "I'm Still Standing"

As the Who said: "People try to put us d-down" ... whether the "us" is Elton John, British gangsters, or a smartypants movie critic. But guess what: We're still standing, yeah, yeah, yeah!

Streaming:

• "Elton John: Never Too Late," Disney +. As his final American concert approaches at Dodger Stadium, Elton John looks back at his meteoric rise to success in the 1970s and his 50-year career in this warts-and-all documentary.
• "A Thousand Blows," Hulu. Two best friends from Jamaica (Malachi Kirby and Francis Lovehall) fight for survival in the melting pot of Victorian London. This crime drama series comes from the creator of "Peaky Blinders."
• "Freud's Last Session," Netflix. On the eve of World War II, Sigmund Freud (Anthony Hopkins) and C.S. Lewis (Matthew Goode) have a charged conversation about family, love and God. Based on a stage play.

Books:

• The David Blake crime fiction series, by Howard Linskey. Blake, a smooth, intelligent white-collar criminal working for a British gangster, tells himself he's not really a bad guy. Until he is. Gripping crime fiction.
• "Movie Freak: My Life Watching Movies," by Owen Gleiberman. The longtime movie critic for Entertainment Weekly explores the movies that shaped him and the ups and downs of his personal and professional lives.
• "Blood in the Tracks: The Minnesota Musicians Behind Dylan's Masterpiece," by Paul Metsa and Rick Shefchik. Dissatisfied with the New York session recordings of five songs on his "Blood on the Tracks" album, Bob Dylan went back to Minnesota to have local musicians re-record them.
• "I'm Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself: One Woman's Pursuit of Pleasure in Paris," by Glynnis MacNicol. After a hermit-like existence in NYC during the pandemic, MacNicol journeys to Paris for friendship, sex, food, sex, etc.

Music:

Our PopaHALLics #138 Playlist includes Elton John, Bob Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks" songs recorded in Minnesota, and "Vegetable Soul," catchy, soulful songs about produce by Louie Zong.