We forget that “the news” is first and foremost entertainment. So-called “news junkies” are seeking the same gratification those of us thumbing through US Weekly seek; they just couch it under loftier umbrellas. Politics and the environment can be (and often are) just as rife with cattiness as Perez Hilton. This is a self-serving declaration of course, as I write about entertainment, but I do believe my intrigue in pop culture is just as valid as your interest in Capitol Hill and the EPA.
I wouldn’t call Pop My Culture confection. Sure it’s sweet and the subject matter is ephemeral, but this “weekly-ish” podcast, hosted by comedians Cole Stratton and Vanessa Ragland (both self-professed entertainment nerds) can be so much more.
It’s gotten accolades from Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, IFC.com, and Mashable.com. Inaugural guest Samm Levine, a pop culture nerd if there ever was one, helped kickstart this one in 2010, and Pop joined the Nerdist Network in December 2011. The show has featured all of the comedy podcast regulars from Jimmy Pardo to Paul F. Tompkins.
On the the 150th episode, Patton Oswalt joined the hosts to talk about this summer’s blockbusters: Jaws, Godzilla, Guardians of the Galaxy, and X-Men: Days of Future Past. Johnny Depp and Wesley Snipes dominated the conversation, and the show went down like an ice cold Yoo Hoo–lots of silky dairy goodness, without lactose’s pesky collateral damage.
News junkie or not, this podcast deserves your attention.
