‘The Daily Show’ shocker: Jon Stewart returns
The old host of the Comedy Central late-night show is the new host. PLUS: Oscar nominations, a new ‘Jurassic World’ movie, and new trailers for ‘Bad Batch,’ ‘Road House’ and ‘Hit Man.'
It’s Friday, so it’s Popculturology time. What was the bigger pop culture news this week: Oscar nominations (including the Greta Gerwig snub) or Jon Stewart returning to The Daily Show? We’ll get to both of those stories in a few ...
We watched Dumb Money earlier this week and really liked the movie. Its Social Network roots run deep. Beyond being produced by Sony and being based on a book by Ben Mezrich (The Social Network was based on his The Accidental Billionaires and Dumb Money was based on his The Antisocial Network), the soundtrack did everything it could to evoke Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ iconic Social Network score.
I finally caught up with the final three episodes of the recent season of Harley Quinn. Wallowing on the couch after my Buffalo Bills were eliminated from the postseason probably wasn’t the most enjoyable way to watch Harley Quinn, but that’s not the show’s fault.
The Ringer nailed how it feels to be a Bills fan, writing: “There is nothing more to be said that they don’t already know — from the oldest Bills fan, who has seen four straight Super Bowls lost and not a single appearance before or since, to the youngest, who has inherited the scars.”
Reader survey
Before we jump into this edition of the Friday newsletter, can I ask for a favor? Can you take a few minutes to fill out the first ever Popculturology Reader Survey? After more than a year of writing this newsletter (and with the migration putting everything on the table), I’d love to get your feedback and thoughts. The survey is anonymous unless you want to add your name to say hi.
OSCAR NOMINATIONS
The nominations
Nominations for the 96th Academy Awards were announced on Tuesday. Oppenheimer leads the pack with thirteen nominations. And you’ll never guess whether Barbie’s Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie got nominations for directing and acting ...
Bill Kuchman
“There is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie”
Ryan Gosling released a statement in support of his Barbie director and costar, saying he was “extremely honored to be nominated by his colleagues” but Gerwig and Robbie’s “work should be recognized along with the other very deserving nominees.” Read the article at The Hollywood Reporter.
“Hollywood still appears to be one big mojo dojo casa house”
Vulture’s Jen Chaney broke down how Gerwig, after delivering the acclaimed Barbie (and getting a Directors Guild Award nomination in the process), was absent from the Academy’s Best Director field. Read the article at Vulture.
NEWS, NOTES & TRAILERS
With the 2024 election looming, The Daily Show turns to Jon Stewart
The world of late-night television got a major shock on Wednesday when the news broke that Jon Stewart was returning as the (partial) host of The Daily Show.
The Comedy Central mainstay has been without a permanent host since Trevor Noah left in December 2022. Since then, The Daily Show has turned to a rotating roster of hosts, mixing Daily Show correspondents like Roy Wood Jr. and Desi Lydic with guests like Hasan Minhaj and Karl Penn. At one point, Minaj appeared to be a lock to replace Noah, but a New Yorker feature on the truthiness of the comedian’s standup specials killed Minhaj’s shot at the hosting gig.
Stewart left The Daily Show in August 2015. He recently had a new show on Apple TV+, The Problem With Jon Stewart, but that show met an early end due to “creative differences.”
