Culture Gabfest: Tom Cruises Off a Cliff

Published: July 19, 2023, 7 a.m.

This week, Slate culture writer Nadira Goffe fills in for Julia. The panel begins by discussing Mission: Impossible \u2014 Dead Reckoning Part One, Tom Cruise\u2019s latest romp against rogue A.I. Then, the trio review Wham!, a bittersweet and perhaps hollow documentary following the \u201880s English pop duo\u2019s rise to fame. Then, they explore Spill, a new image-based platform claiming to be the next \u201cBlack Twitter\u201d and its role in the current social media landscape.\xa0\n\nIn the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses the lost art of handwriting, inspired by this piece in The Atlantic: \u201cHow Handwriting Lost Its Personality\u201d by Rachel Gutman-Wei.\xa0\n\nEmail us at culturefest@slate.com.\xa0\n\nEndorsements:\n\nNadira: Adele\u2019s tribute to George Michael \u2014 The singer\u2019s performance of \u201cFastlove\u201d at the 2017 Grammy\u2019s is far from perfect, but it\u2019s exactly those flaws and her raw emotion that makes this rendition so moving.\xa0\n\nAlso, NewJeans! Nadira adores this shapeshifting K-pop girl group and the ways they evoke nostalgia using Y2K visuals and hip hop elements. Stream their latest songs \u201cSuper Shy\u201d and the self-titled \u201cNew Jeans.\u201d (She also likes \u201cDitto\u201d and \u201cAttention\u201d)\n\nDana: Billie Eilish, \u201cWhat Was I Made For?\u201d \u2014 Longtime Billie Eilish fan, Dana, recommends the pop star\u2019s most recent music video, which was directed by Eilish and beautifully captures the melancholy of a doll\u2019s role. It\u2019s also a bit of free promotion for the upcoming Barbie film, which uses \u201cWhat Was I Made For\u201d in its final scenes.\xa0\xa0\n\nStephen: George Michael, \u201cWaiting for That Day\u201d \u2014 Stephen will never forget the day when he, free from the bias against Wham! and pop music he grew up with, finally realized that George Michal was a musical genius. This song about loss and an inherent sadness is especially moving.\n\nOutro music: Adele's tribute to George Michael at the 2017 Grammys.\n\nPodcast production by Jessamine Molli. Audio engineering by Merritt Jacob. Production assistance by Kat Hong.\xa0\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices