It's Been a Minute

It's been almost two decades since the star-studded romantic comedy premiered, but Love Actually is still a holiday staple that plays in both movie theaters and living rooms across the country. Since the film is here to stay, we feel it's about time to see how it holds up. Host Brittany Luse chats with NPR Weekend Edition's Ayesha Rascoe, who saw the film for the first time this year. They also break down what defines the Christmas movie genre – and its surprising overlap with horror.

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Donna Tartt's The Secret History turned 30 this year. Since the book's release, the novel has sold millions of copies and become a classic - the blueprint for a cluster of aesthetic and literary works under the label "dark academia." Host Brittany Luse and culture writer Alice Vincent examine the novel's long shelf life and why it's still relevent to young people today. Then she sits down with author Olivie Blake, who shares how authors are bringing new perspectives to the genre.

Then, Brittany is joined by Avery Trufelman, host of the podcast Articles of Interest. In her latest season, Trufelman explores the classic look of ivy style, and its journey from the hallowed halls of academic institutions to retail stores near you.

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#BlackLivesMatter. #OscarsSoWhite. #Zola. These huge cultural moments come from one of the most chaotic, beloved, and influential communities online: Black Twitter. But with Elon Musk at the helm, the future of the community is in question. What's next for the digital public square and by extension Black Twitter?

Host Brittany Luse sits down with Jason Parham, senior writer at WIRED, to discuss why he believes, "There Is No Replacement for Black Twitter"; and why his three-part oral history, "A People's History of Black Twitter" is needed now more than ever.

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When the world never stops questioning you, do you refuse to answer... or do you play along to get what you want? These questions are at the heart of Framing Agnes, an award-winning documentary about the legacy of a young trans woman in the 1950s who was forced to choose between access and honesty. The film uses the format of a talk show to re-enact interviews with the eponymous Agnes and five other trans people – taken from case files from a decades-old gender identity clinic at UCLA. Brittany Luse chats with the film's director, Chase Joynt, and historian Jules Gill-Peterson about the ways our society tells trans stories. They also dive into the limits of representation, the power dynamics of interviews and the nature of truth itself.

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Think of the top women rappers of our time: Cardi B. Megan Thee Stallion. Nicki Minaj. They all showcase a signature style that involves multicolored wigs, skyscraping heels and designer logos on everything. But that blend of high fashion, femininity and attitude began before any of them, pioneered in the 1990s by the original queen bee: Lil' Kim. Ahead of its time, Kim's ingenuity – and her place in the fusion of fashion and hip-hop – has not always been recognized. Host Brittany Luse and fashion journalist Scarlett Newman make the case for why it's time Lil' Kim gets the credit she deserves.

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Recently, host Brittany Luse has found herself curious about motherhood. As she's thought about the kind of mom she might be, she looked for models in film and TV – and found that there's little room for mothers, and Black moms in particular, to be anything but excellent. From Brittany's previous podcast, For Colored Nerds, a discussion with Eric Eddings about motherhood and misbehaving, and why less than perfect is more than enough.

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From our friends at Pop Culture Happy Hour, a deep dive on The Godfather – and why the classic film was not universally loved by the Italian-American community that it portrayed. This episode is part one of the new three-part podcast series Screening Ourselves, which is all about the complicated relationships between on-screen characters and the people they aim to represent.

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There's nothing like the holidays for family drama. And in today's episode, Brittany Luse sits down with two actors who portray a classic brother-against-brother dynamic in the Pulitzer-winning play Topdog/Underdog, which recently returned to Broadway. Corey Hawkins and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II talk sibling rivalries, the American dream and why their two-man show is not just an exploration of race.

Then Brittany goes fangirl on actor Randall Park, whose 2019 film Always Be My Maybe is a staple in her household. She and Park talk about his latest projects: the holiday-friendly Netflix sitcom Blockbuster and his forthcoming directorial debut. They also get into the challenges of making it big in Hollywood and his passion for all things creative.

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According to the CDC, out of all the American adults who have had COVID — and that's a lot of us — one in five went on to develop long COVID symptoms. While so many are struggling with this new disease, it can be hard for people to know how to take care of themselves.

The Long COVID Survival Guide aims to give people struggling with long COVID practical solutions and emotional support to manage their illness. Host Brittany Luse talks to Fiona Lowenstein, editor of the guide, and Karla Monterroso, one of the contributors, about the difficulty of getting diagnosed, navigating long COVID and creating long-term collective care.

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They call him a 21st-century god of soccer. One of the all time greats. A king. But Lionel Messi's crown is still missing one big jewel: a World Cup trophy for his home country, Argentina.

In this episode, host Brittany Luse explores Messi's long road to a World Cup victory with Jasmine Garsd, host of NPR's new podcast The Last Cup. Along the way, they go into how immigration, race and class coil around the world of international soccer.

Then, Brittany goes on a gastronomic journey with food columnist Illyanna Maisonet, whose new cookbook Diasporican weaves in diasporic influences with Puerto Rico's Indigenous, African and European culinary traditions.

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