🤖 AI Summary
Overview
This episode dives into the cultural highs and lows of the summer, featuring discussions on viral internet moments, music trends, pop culture phenomena, and the intersection of media and celebrity. Hosted by Gilbert Cruz, with guests Jon Caramanica and Madison Malone Kircher, the conversation spans everything from Taylor Swift's engagement to the peculiarities of summer's most talked-about songs and memes.
Notable Quotes
- Taste is a privilege.
– Jon Caramanica, reflecting on Addison Rae's self-awareness about her cultural evolution.
- If I come to your wedding and 'Ordinary' is even playing out of an Amazon delivery van that's driving by outside, I'm going home.
– Jon Caramanica, on his disdain for the summer's viral song.
- Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday.
– Madison Malone Kircher, humorously summarizing the absurdity of a viral TikTok trend.
🎶 Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce: The Engagement Heard Around the Internet
- Madison Malone Kircher recounts the newsroom frenzy following Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's engagement announcement, including her sprint to cover the story.
- The engagement photos, featuring Travis in shorts, sparked debates about celebrity aesthetics and casualness. Jon Caramanica noted this reflected Kelce’s athletic, non-Hollywood roots.
- Swift’s appearance on Kelce’s podcast to announce her new album was described as a masterclass in blending personal branding with commercial strategy.
🎵 The Debate Over the Song of the Summer
- Jon Caramanica dismissed the concept of a Song of the Summer,
citing the fragmented nature of modern music consumption.
- Viral hits like Alex Warren’s Ordinary
were critiqued for being algorithmically driven and lacking substance.
- Personal picks included Caramanica’s choice of Zetty Will’s Can’t Go Broke
for its humor and TikTok virality, and Kircher’s love for Ben Platt’s comedic rendition of Addison Rae’s Diet Pepsi.
📹 Viral Internet Moments: From ColdplayGate to Jet2 Holidays
- ColdplayGate
highlighted the dangers of public surveillance, as a couple’s affair was exposed via a concert jumbotron. Kircher called it a warning shot
about privacy in the digital age.
- The Jet2 Holidays TikTok trend humorously juxtaposed mundane or disastrous moments with the tagline Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday,
showcasing the internet’s ability to turn ads into memes.
- The Benson Boone-Crumble Cookie collaboration was dissected as a calculated attempt to create a viral moment, though the cookies themselves were panned for their taste.
🎥 Movies and the Summer’s Pop Culture Discourse
- The animated Netflix film K-Pop Demon Hunters became a surprise hit, with Gilbert Cruz praising its catchy soundtrack, particularly the song Golden.
- The rom-dram Materialist sparked heated online debates over its dialogue and character realism. Kircher criticized the unrealistic portrayal of a matchmaker’s lifestyle, while Caramanica lamented the film’s lack of humor despite its comedic potential.
🧠 The Pop Culture Quiz
- The episode concluded with a lighthearted quiz on summer pop culture, testing the guests’ knowledge of viral moments, movies, and music. Jon Caramanica emerged victorious, earning the inaugural Gilby
trophy.
AI-generated content may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon as a sole source of truth.
📋 Episode Description
Welcome to the Sunday Special, running now through the end of the year. Every Sunday, Gilbert Cruz, the editor of The New York Times Book Review, will talk with a rotating cast of Times critics and culture and lifestyle reporters about “the fun stuff”— pop culture, movies, TV, music, fashion and more.
On today’s inaugural episode, Gilbert sits down with Jon Caramanica, a pop music critic at The Times, and Madison Malone Kircher, an internet reporter at The Times, to recap their cultural highs and lows of this summer.
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.