Life Defining Music, National African American Museum – IP 102

This is our final regular episode of the year and we are both sharing AND caring!

First Sean shares his experience visiting the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. He describes what it likes to visit this incredible new museum and discusses some of the amazing pop culture featured in the exhibits.

Then Amita and Sean revisit one of their favorite segments of the past year and share their discussion of the music by some of their favorite female singers that has defined pivotal moments in their lives. Whether grappling with life in the closet, coping with feeling like an outsider, celebrating the joy of a new found independence or discovering a strengthening friendship we highlight the music that has provided an essential soundtrack to our lives. Our “Defining Divas” include Mary J. Blige, Annie Lennox, Mariah Carey, Lauren Hill and BOTH Knowles sisters – Beyonce and Solange.

And then Sean rates the final big sell of the year – the single “Underdog” by singer/songwriter Banks.

And finally Amita and Sean preview their upcoming year end specials! We’re preparing our lists for the best TV, Music and Film of the year and have a few surprising choices in store!

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Janet Jackson State of the World Tour, Top Female Friendships in Pop Culture, John Legend – IP 101

This week, we bask in the glow of seeing the one and only Janet Jackson (Ms. Jackson if you’re Nasty) in Brooklyn on her State of the World Tour. Find out which one of us puts this show in their Top 3 Concerts of all time.

Then, we discuss our Top Female Friendships in Pop Culture- featuring The Golden Girls, the women of Living Single, Lucy & Ethel, Meredith & Cristina and more. We share how their bonds inspire us and why their relationships are everlasting.

And Amita rates and reviews last week’s Big Sell from Sean- John Legend’s cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock” and also shares the origin of this song as part of a collection of covers for the new Ken Burns documentary about The Vietnam War. You can find all of the songs and their originals here. And then Amita sells the single “Underdog” by singer/songwriter Banks.

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Interview with Dee Rees & Charles King of Mudbound, 100th Episode, Inside Pop Quiz – IP 100

After two years, and thousands of hours of tv viewing, music listening and theater attending . . . Inside Pop’s 100th episode has arrived! Join us as we celebrate 100 episodes of pop culture obsession!

First up, we present our interview with director Dee Rees (Pariah, Bessie) and Charles King, Executive Producer, CEO and Founder of Macro. The pair sit down with Sean to discuss their new film, Mudbound; and in addition to sharing a behind the scenes view of their epic new film, they also discuss their unique working relationship; why they both choose to work in film AND television and their future plans to tell diverse stories.

Next, we celebrate our 100th episode with a special edition of the Inside Pop quiz called, ” You Don’t Know Me Inside Pop . . .Quiz!” Sean and Amita quiz each other on how well they know . . . their own podcast. Can you guess who has won the equivalent of the Inside Pop EGOT? Can you name all of the inductees in Sean’s ‘House of Hyperbole’? Play along to see if your attention span and your memory is better than ours.

And we present the 100th edition of the Big Sell. Sean’s rates Amita’s Big Sell from last week, the artist Makoto Azuma, and sells Amita John Legend’s cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock.”

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Thor: Ragnarok, N.E.R.D & Rihanna “Lemon”, Sexual Harassment in Hollywood – IP 99

This week, Christmas comes early in the form of the new single “Lemon” from N.E.R.D & Rihanna! We try (and fail) to contain our excitement about the song, video and their upcoming album. We provide an N.E.R.D primer and also bow down to the dancer in the music video- Mette Towley.

Then, Sean gives a review of Thor: Ragnarok he was not expecting to give; and we question whether we’re in the midst of a superhero films and TV overload.

Plus, we have a frank discussion about the recent sexual harassment allegations in Hollywood – our reactions, opinions and a personal story.

And of course- there is no Inside Pop without the Big Sell! Amita gives her thoughts, rating and review on Sean’s suggestion- the music documentary George Michael: Freedom and sells Sean on an innovative floral artist Makoto Azuma.

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LINKS:

If you like the new N.E.R,D video Lemon – check out its ancestor Janet Jackson’s The Pleasure Principle

Read the article Sean references in the discussion about how to handle sexual misconduct in the workplace:

Checking My Male Privilege by Charles M. Blow

 

Stranger Things 2 premieres, 2 Years of Inside Pop, Produced By NY, BigSell30 Wraps – IP 98

We’ve come along way, baby! This week Inside Pop celebrates two years of weekly pop culture podcasting!

We start with a round-up of the Producers Guild of America’s Produced By NY conference. We attended this event along with 100s of other television and film producers and gathered information about some major upcoming projects including Black Panther, Mudbound, Marshall, The Post, Call Me By Your Name, The Shape of Water and more! And we share some great stories with you!

Then we review the first few episodes of Stranger Things 2. One of us is as happy as Dustin playing Dig Dug to be back with the gang from Hawkins. The other is worried the series may be in danger of repeating itself.

Finally we wrap our #BigSell30 day challenge and discuss some of the pop culture we consumed over the past 30 days. And Sean rates Amita’s Big Sell from last week (a photo project from Stefan Draschan) and Big Sells her on a new documentary about George Michael.

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