Warning to listeners: the audio contains some information about "The Revenant" that slipped out of one of the guests during the discussion. It could be considered "a spoiler."
It seems only natural that Sarah Palin and Donald Trump would find one another.
According to Charles Cooke, a staff writer at the conservative National Review:
ours is an age in which politics and entertainment are melted together without opposition or disfavor; a silly, self-indulgent, shallow age in which Kanye West thinks he can be president of the United States and the president of the United States thinks he can be Kanye West.
Is it really this simple? The boundary between politics and entertainment is blurred and the belief that this entertainer sounds smart and informed enough to run the country is absurd. But, the more outlandish Donald and his Alaskan supporter sound, the more power they accrue. Why? Maybe, as The Atlantic points out, because they're smart enough to recognize the widespread rebellion of voters who, until now, have consistently voted against their own economic interests.
Also this hour, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's new film, "The Revenant," leads the pack in this year's Oscar nominations. It's a movie that wants you to feel cold. Set in 1823 in the wild territories of northern Missouri, "The Revenant" is based on the historical story of Hugh Glass, a guide who survived many terrors, including a grizzly bear attack. The movie is gloriously drunk on its fabulous natural surroundings and the audiences seem to like that.
Lastly, another fail in the toy department where the female star of Star Wars is underrepresented.
GUESTS:
- Rand Richards Cooper - Author, essayist, restaurant critic for the New York Times, and blogger at Commonweal
- Taneisha Duggan - Producing Associate at TheaterWorks in Hartford
- Jacques Lamarre - Director of Communications & Special Projects at Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford
Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
Colin McEnroe, Chion Wolf, and Betsy Kaplan contributed to this show.
