<p>This week, Julia and Steve welcome guest host Sam Adams to deconstruct the aggravating, yet strangely charming, table tennis phenom on the make that is <em>Marty Supreme</em>. Played with “BDE off-the-charts” (Steve’s words) by Timothée Chalamet, the unceasingly shameless hustler may just be an avatar for our age.</p><p>Speaking of avatars, we can’t avoid discussing <em>Avatar: Fire and Ash, </em>the latest installment of James Cameron’s immersive mega-franchise. Once again, the big blue folks peopling Pandora drew boku bucks at the box office… but do the <em>Avatar </em>films have any “cultural impact”? And what does “cultural impact” even mean? <em>New Yorker </em>staff writer Michael Schulman steps into the cultural cage match to debate this long-simmering internet argument.</p><p>On this week’s bonus episode for Slate Plus subscribers, the hosts take up a listener question about “cultural bran muffins,” the bits of culture you know would be good for you if only you could get them down. The hosts confess their bran secrets.</p><p><strong>Endorsements</strong></p><p><strong>Steve</strong>: The essay "<a href="https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n23/bee-wilson/two-pins-and-a-lollipop"><u>Two Pins and a Lollipop</u></a>" about Judy Garland by Bee Wilson in the <em>London Review of Books.</em></p><p><strong>Sam</strong>: The album <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/4zTve3KmaKstuT61AyoGjV"><em>Penthouse</em></a> by the band Luna, particularly the song  "<a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/66ZWRUlzpvgW1uc3yXNUqP?si=90e6fae6b3724483"><u>Chinatown</u></a>."</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Julia</strong>: Slate's beloved annual tradition <a href="https://slate.com/tag/movie-club-2025"><u>Movie Club</u></a> which for its 2025 edition gathers film critics Bilge Ebiri, Alison Wilmore, Justin Chang, and our very own Dana Stevens for a rollicking exchange about the year in film.</p><p>---</p><p>Email us your thoughts at <a href="mailto:[email protected]"><u>[email protected]</u></a>. </p><p>Podcast production by Benjamin Frisch. Production assistance by Daniel Hirsch.</p><p><br></p><p> </p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>