RECOMMENDS
OUR TOP POPCULTURE PICKS OF THE MONTH
AUDIOBOOK
1. ‘The Meaning of Mariah Carey’
Just getting her tellall autobiography is a dream, but the fact that it’s also coming out on Audible — read by Mariah herself, mixed with musical interludes — is almost too much diva majesty to process.
DANCE APP
2. LADP Digital
This app from the L.A. Dance Project offers ballet and contemporary classes for dancer types — as well as cardio and strength sessions for those with a little less coordination.
MINISERIES
3. ‘The Comey Rule’
If you find exFBI Director James Comey detestable, this twopart HBO movie chronicling his brief time serving under 45 may not change your mind. But with Jeff Daniels as Comey, Brendan Gleeson as
Trump, and Holly Hunter as Deputy AG Sally Yates, it’s definitely entertaining.
DOCUMENTARY
4. ‘Feels Good Man’
The directorial debut from animator Arthur Jones follows Pepe the Frog’s progression from sad cartoon amphibian to altright symbol — and creator Matt Furie’s quest to reclaim his character.
TV SHOW
5. ‘Woke’
After he’s tackled at gunpoint by cops because he “fits the description” of a mugger, easygoing black cartoonist Keef Knight (Lamorne Morris) suddenly sees racism everywhere. This halfhour Hulu comedy, cleverly packaged with bits of animation and goofy sidekicks, couldn’t be more timely.
SINGLE
6. Birdthrower’s “Pray”
“I close my eyes and I can hear my demons sing,” offers singersongwriter Robert O. Leaver, a.k.a. Birdthrower, in this gothfolk gem, a highlight from his new Ben Harperproduced debut LP.
INDOOR ACTIVITY
7. Geeks Who Drink
These virtual bartrivia events (hosted by quiz masters Geeks Who
Drink) are just the thing if you miss those wild preCovid19 nights of flexing your intellect while stomping your brain cells.
BOOK
8. ‘Made Men’
For its 30year anniversary, film critic Glenn Kenny gives Goodfellas the deepdive it deserves, from scenebyscene breakdowns to onset anecdotes and new interviews with Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro.
PODCAST
9. ‘How to Save a Planet’
Climate expert Ayana Elizabeth Johnson teamed up with podcast heavyweight (and Gimlet Media cofounder)
Alex Blumberg for a lighthearted show tackling a very serious question: How screwed are we?
SINGLE
10. Westside Gunn’s “Lil Cease”
This new track is a fearsome showcase for Armani Caesar, who raps with casual swagger in a tone that can evoke classic Lil Kim: “Like Britney Spears, oops, I did it again/Shittin’ on the very ones that ain’t want me to win.”