Hi friends!

To kick this episode off, we chit-chat about some celebrity headlines, including Olivia Dean being criticised for being... too nice, and Jason Bateman’s awkward Charli XCX kids moment. Was this an embarrassing Dad moment or a representation of where the culture is when it comes to reproduction? 

Locally, Mecca has come under fire for using AI in a social media post promoting its Australian Open pop-up. We review their statement and the feedback they received, and ask what it means for brands in general that are incorporating AI into their creative work. Maggie references this article by Cory Doctorow in The Guardian.

Harry Styles has released worldwide concert dates “Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally” and he’s touring Australia later this year. But, despite the excitement for a new Harry era, many fans have taken issue with the price of the tickets. We explore this sentiment and ask how we got here. 

Why is there a flood of people “becoming Chinese” online? Is this latest internet fad light-hearted cultural appreciation or something we should be challenging? Maggie references videos by creators Caroline Ying Ouellette and Kathy Kalina Pham. Jas references a piece for Coveteur titled Who Gets to Be Chinese Now? by Faith Xue.

In Bookmarked, Jas recommends the blockbuster, One Battle After Another, while Maggie recommends the Everything Is Alive podcast. 

Chat to you next time! 

Jas & Mags

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Hi friends!

Nicki Minaj has hammered the final nail into the coffin that is her music career this week after outing herself as Trump's number one fan. Writer Tarla Lambert wrote a piece for the Women's Agenda on the topic titled, “Nicki Minaj thinks Trump is her ally. He sees her as his prop”. Next, Ariana Grande has been spotted in a Vogue Japan spread with an additional appendage. The AI blunder has caught the premier publication out on its editing skills. Is Ariana's reaction warranted?*

The Wuthering Heights press tour has kicked off and has audiences rolling their eyes already. Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi are giving co-dependent co-stars in press interviews, but is the PR-relationship-to-sell-a-movie over? We reference (and role play) from Vogue Australia's cover story by Hannah Rose Yee.

Sydney Sweeney has launched a new lingerie brand named SYRN. We look into the launch of the brand and her comments via Cosmopolitan magazine, where she positions herself as an apolitical artistic figure... much to think about.

In Bookmarked, Maggie recommends Hamnet whilst Jas recommends Mothering Sunday. It's a historical fiction party.

Chat to you next time!

Jas & Mags xo

*EDIT: During the episode we referenced the Vogue Japan photo as the cover, it's now been corrected to a photo in the spread, not the cover.

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Hi friends,

Hilary Duff's first new album in over a decade, titled luck … or something, is out on Feb. 20. We discuss the appeal of the Disney star and how she's handling her comeback tour. Next, we’re at the stage of celebrity where even the camera people are getting swept up in controversy. The red carpet Glambot Guy AKA Cole Walliser came under fire for questioning people's ability to use his services. We discuss the preceding JLo versus Glambot moment and ask if female celebrities are held to a much higher standard when it comes to red carpet interactions.

On his press tour to promote the new Netflix movie The Rip, Matt Damon made some pretty revealing comments about Netflix and the future of media. Are streamers going to simplify plots so we can all scroll as we watch? Next, Brooklyn Beckham is at the centre of the biggest celebrity news story of 2026 and, for the British media, perhaps the last decade... we discuss the drama so far.

In Bookmarked, Jas recommends the 1996 movie Michael while Maggie recommends the book Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro.

Talk to you soon!

Jas & Mags xo

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2026 has started with a bang thanks to Harry Styles' return. His fourth studio album, Kiss All The Time. Dance, Occasionally will be released on March 6th. Euphoria Season 3 is also back on HBO this April, and a number of book-to-screen adaptations are in the works. In Culture Shock, we discuss the cancelling of Adelaide Writers' Week after the disinvitation of Palestinian-Australian author, Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah. We reference this op-ed in The Guardian by Louise Adler.

The most popular social media trend this week? Posting like it’s 2016. We break down why people are posting throwbacks and if there's a bit of historical revisionism going on. We read from Daisy Jones' British Vogue piece titled '2016 Was Actually The Worst Year Ever, Remember?'

In Bookmarked, we discuss the new Marty Supreme movie that's released via A24 this week in Australian cinemas.

Thanks for listening!

Jas & Mags xo

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Here at Culture Club, we're big readers, and after our 2025 book recap, listener Holly asked what's on our TBR piles in 2026!

In this mini episode, we discuss the books we're currently reading, what's on our TBR list, and the 2026 book releases we're most excited about.

Maggie:

Great Big Beautiful Life - Emily Henry

Truly Madly Guilty - Liane Moriarty

Root Rot - Saskia Nislow

Ghost Cities - Siang Lu

The Ten Year Affair - Erin Somers

Lost Lambs - Madeline Cash

Vigil - George Saunders

Jas:

Happiness and Love - Zoe Dubno

August Blue - Deborah Levy

One Story - Pip Finkemeyer

Cape Fever - Nadia Davis

How To Kill A Guy In Ten Dates - Shailee Thompson

Just Watch Me - Lior Torenberg

We also reference The Vegetarian by Han Kang during our chat.

Thank you for listening! Follow us on Culture Club Pod's Instagram and TikTok.

Jas & Mags xo

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We're back for 2026 with a fresh, new look! We discuss our new era and Jas' Instagram post sharing her feelings about building a creative project. Timothee Chalamet and Kylie Jenner are packing on the PDA at awards season, and creating discourse including GQ's take about using the term 'partner'. In Culture Shock, we break down what's going on with Ashley Tisdale's supposedly toxic mum group.

As we enter a new year, many people have been setting goals to be more offline—but in our tech-obsessed lives, is this even possible? We reference Tamara's 365 Buttons, people turning on Gen Z's internet speak and the proliferation of AI slop, including Jeanswest's strange Instagram rebrand. We ask if the chronically online will become a new type of class, as posed by YouTube creator, Magic. And, in a world of personal branding and content creation, can we even afford to go offline? We reference a piece from The Cut, titled In 2026, We Are Friction-Maxxing by Kathryn Jezer-Morton and attention as a form of prayer by TikTok user, Denise Stobes.

In Bookmarked, Jas recommends Amy Taylor's novel Ruins while Maggie recommends the Scottish documentary, The Golden Spurtle.

Thanks for listening and thank you again to everyone who sent a kind word via Jas's post or Apple reviews! We're so grateful to have you and can't wait to create more in 2026.

Our new cover art is by Katie Zhou and podcast and jingle editing is by India Wallis.

Jas & Maggie xo

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Welcome to our last Culture Club episode for 2025! We start this chat with a pop culture year review, reminiscing on the biggest stories of the last 12 months.

Then, we get into our annual book recap! Here we discuss our best, worst and most unexpected reads of the year.

Jas' least favourite reads were Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao and Orbital by Samantha Harvey. Her most unexpected reads were Drive Your Plow Over The Bones Of The Dead by Olga Tokarczuk and Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner. And her favourite books of the year? The Coin by Yasmin Zaher and Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors.

Maggie's least favourite reads were Eat Your Heart Out by Victoria Brownlee and Three Days in June by Anne Tyler. Her most unexpected reads were The Names by Florence Knapp and Gliff by Ali Smith. Her favourite books were Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy and The Bee Sting by Paul Murray.

Thank you for listening to Culture Club this year. If you've enjoyed this conversation, please share it with a friend. We'll see you next year!

Jas & Mags x

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Daphne Berry is the host of the number one music podcast in Australia, Airing Your Dirty Laundry. Since launching in 2024, she’s welcomed a host of artists into her laundromat, from Peach PRC and Ayesha Madon, to GFlip and 5 Seconds of Summer. Married to one half of Lime Cordiale, Daphne is well and truly embedded in the Australian music scene. From her international modelling days to her stint in teaching, Daphne’s career has twisted and turned in unconventional ways. In this solo interview episode of Culture Club, Maggie chats with Daphne about her podcast, manifesting her dream career and the judgement of being a music "WAG".

You can follow Daphne on Instagram and TikTok.

Jas & Mags <3

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Hi friends,

In today's episode, we chit chat about Kendall Jenner's mountain Architectural Digest video, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson's A24 movie, and Melbourne's new DIVA exhibition. Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson have been confirmed to make an appearance in Sunrise on the Reaping confirming Jas' theory of a Josh Hutcherson renaissance. We reference a New York Times interview and the Jesse Tyler Ferguson podcast Dinner's On Me.

Disney, the company that's famously staunch on copyright, have made a huge deal with OpenAI. We reference an article by Crikey and the Search Engine podcast. Analysis has found that Taylor Swift was the victim of a targeted online bot attack that aimed to align her and Life of a Showgirl to Nazi and rightwing imagery and values. We discuss the report findings and the headlines coming out of the first two episodes of Disney+'s Taylor Swift documentary series, The End of an Era.

In Bookmarked, Jas recommend the HBO show I Love LA and references a substack by Whitney Friedlander on Gen Z's new era of TV shows. Maggie recommends Zootopia 2.

Talk to you next time, and take care. <3

Jas and Mags

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Hi friends!

Miley Cyrus has confirmed her engagement to musician Maxx Morando, and the new Sunrise On The Reaping trailer is here. In Culture Shock, James Charles discovered the deep Australian lore of the Bunnings sausage sizzle.

From the 10th of December, anyone under 16 in Australia won’t be able to keep or make accounts on social media apps. We discuss the pros and cons of the law and what it's like living in one of the first countries in the world to implement restrictions for kids on social media.

Spotify Wrapped dropped last week to slightly less fanfare than years previous. We share our personal thoughts on the hallowed pop culture tradition, and Maggie shares the op-ed she wrote for Cheek Media titled 'Why I opted out of this year's Spotify Wrapped'. We also reference the new podcast, Fan To Fan podcast by Bridget Hustwaite and Alex Pearce.

In Bookmarked, Jas enjoyed the new A24 rom-com, Eternity, while Maggie loved Consider Yourself Kissed by Jessica Stanley.

Talk to you soon!

Jas & Mags xo

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