RECOMMENDS
OUR TOP POPCULTURE PICKS OF THE MONTH
MOVIE 1. ‘Glass Onion’
Rian Johnson’s mystery Knives Out is the epitome of a crowd-pleaser. The sequel, which sends Daniel Craig’s Southern-fried detective Benoit Blanc to a tech billionaire’s private island, is just as fun, if not more, with an all-star cast including Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, and Dave Bautista.
ALBUM 2. ‘Tu Historia’
As last year’s hit “Lo Siento BB:/” showed, fans have been begging for a Julieta Venegas renaissance — and Latin pop’s favorite 2000s-era indie queen delivers. Her first album in seven years sees her reflecting on love and her experiences being a woman in Latin America.
DOCUMENTARY 3. ‘If These Walls Could Sing’
Photographer Mary McCartney’s first film mines the memories of not just her dad, Paul, but music luminaries from Elton
John and Jimmy Page to Roger Waters, Kate Bush, and even composer John Williams, for a tribute to Abbey Road Studios.
BOOK 4. ‘The Number Ones’
Tom Breihan of indiemusic website Stereogum delivers a collection of deep-dive essays on every Number One single since the Billboard Hot 100 chart’s inception, from Chubby Checker’s “The Twist” to BTS’ “Dynamite,” for a rich critical history of pop at its most universally revelatory.
CONCERT 5. Merry Christmas to All!
Mariah Carey brings a festive spirit and her glass-shattering whistle tones to New York and Toronto for her latest Christmas revue. The limited engagement is sure to be a diva spectacle of North Pole proportions.
TV 6. ‘Slow Horses’
A delightfully gross and obnoxious Gary Oldman is back for another season of this nimble adaptation of Mick Herron’s comic novels, which center on disgraced British spies who keep proving more useful than anyone expects — or wants — them to be.
PODCAST 7. ‘First’
In each episode of this delightfully unself-serious podcast, comedian Kareem Rahma hosts a fellow funny person — Ramy Youssef, for instance — to tell the story of a historical figure who broke down a racial barrier in their industry — say, Omar Sharif, the first Arab Oscar nominee.
ALBUM 8. ‘Cazimi’
The first album in nearly a decade from Caitlin Rose is well worth the wait, with the Nashville indie-roots pioneer meditating on hard lessons learned and grown-up accountability over a warm blend of textured chamber pop, atmospheric country folk, and pulsing surf rock.
BROADWAY SHOW 9. ‘& Juliet’
The Bard would applaud this cheeky remix of
Romeo & Juliet, which reimagines the Shakespeare tragedy from the perspective of a free-spirited Juliet, and sets it all to iconic
Max Martin pop songs like “Since U Been Gone” and
“. . . Baby One More Time.”