Ariana Grande’s “Thank U, Next” music video is a treasure trove of pop culture inside jokes and messages. “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” is the latest chapter of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter chronology, but fans are cursing HER for fudging pieces of Potterverse canon previously set in (sorcerer’s) stone. And radio stations are saying “NO NO NO” to “Baby It’s Cold Outside” for its tone deafness in the #MeToo era. It’s our pop culture roundtable!

Guests:

Rachel Rubin - Professor of American studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Michael Jeffries - Associate professor of American studies at Wellesley College.

Later in the show…

Tchaikovsky's classic ballet The Nutcracker, adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story The Nutcracker and the Rat King, has been a beloved holiday tradition in the U.S. since the 1950s. Over the decades, variations of the production have evolved to reflect a diverse array of dance communities. This year Bostonians will be treated to five separate productions of The Nutcracker each with its own special presentation.

Guests:

Tony Williams - Founder and artistic director of Boston’s Urban Nutcracker. Williams also runs the Tony Williams Dance Center.

Iris Fanger - Boston-based theater and dance critic and arts historian. Fanger has written for the Patriot Ledger, the Christian Science Monitor, the New York Times and Dance Magazine.

Jennifer Weber - Director and choreographer of the internationally touring Hip Hop Nutcracker. Weber is also the founder and director of the Brooklyn-based hip- hop theatre company, Decadancetheatre.