The Federal Communications Commission requires that The Nose cover each and every new Taylor Swift release*. Folklore is Swift's seventh number-one album, and it's become, in just two weeks, the highest-selling album of 2020 so far. But rather than just spending a segment talking about the album... We came across a term that's new to us: cottagecore. Folklore is, apparently, cottagecore. We're not entirely convinced that cottagecore is a thing, but we're covering it anyway, and we'll get to Folklore that way.
And: When You Finish Saving the World is an audiobook/podcast/radio play/thing written by and co-directed by and starring Jesse Eisenberg. It's a five-hour, three-act, three-monologue, audio-only Audible original that also stars Kaitlyn Dever and Finn Wolfhard as the wife and son of Eisenberg's character, respectively.
*No, it doesn't.
Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take:
- Will White People Forget About George Floyd?
A parable embedded in The Maltese Falcon offers a cautionary tale. - The Reconciliation Must Be Televised
What is the next step as America confronts its racism? A broadcast spectacle, our critic writes, that could look like court, a telethon, therapy, an Oprah show -- and more. - Wilford Brimley, 'Cocoon' Star and Quaker Oats Pitchman, Is Dead at 85
- The Mind Behind Japan's Legendary Batmanga, Jiro Kuwata, Has Passed Away
- The End of the Fictional Cop
Television and film helped naturalize police violence. Noir offers a way out. - Brad Garrett, Lea Thompson declare Ellen staff mistreatment "common knowledge"
- Hollywood Is Finally Admitting That the U.S. Is a Lost Cause
The country's sluggish pandemic response has forced movie studios to release big movies, such as Christopher Nolan's Tenet, abroad first -- a highly unusual move for the industry. - Netflix is rolling out video speed controls
- Zelda recipe appears in serious novel by serious author after rushed Google search
A bad day for literature, a great day for Polygon's SEO
GUESTS:
- Lucy Gellman - Editor of The Arts Paper and host of WNHH radio's Kitchen Sync
- Bill Yousman - Professor of Media Studies at Sacred Heart University
Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.