Super Bowl, Justin Timberlake, This Is Us – IP 109

February 7, 2018February 6, 2018 | insidepoppodcast

It’s the day when Pop Culture fans and Sports fans join forces to create what feels like a national holiday! In this episode, we dive into the Superbowl and discuss:

The pre game turn up in Philly that Sean experienced first hand
Justin Timberlake’s Halftime performance (guess which Inside Pop co-host couldn’t even bring himself to watch the entire thing)
The Prince tribute that should’ve happened

Then, we seamlessly segue into a review of Timberlake’s latest release, Man of the Woods.

Plus, Amita reviews one of the most heartbreaking hours on television, the post Super Bowl episode of This Is Us.

And finally in the Big Sell, Amita reviews an essay on Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri. And speaking of sports – she pitches a softball to Sean with a Hamilton inspired Big Sell.

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Oscar Nominations, Black Panther, Kelela – IP 108

January 24, 2018January 23, 2018 | insidepoppodcast

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It’s been a long, strange, sometimes underwhelming trip to the Oscar Nominations but we’re here to share our immediate reactions. We give you our thoughts on why certain movies are heading to the red carpet and others got snubbed and we also try to make sense of why the film Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri has become a frontrunner. We celebrate nominations for Get Out, The Big Sick, Logan, Mudbound and Lady Bird and share our gratitude to whomever was genius enough to book Tiffany Haddish to announce the nominations.

Plus, Sean makes his case for why Black Panther should have received an Oscar nomination THIS year! He’s not joking!

And we end the show with The Big Sell. Sean rates Amita’s Big Sell from last time, Kelela’s “Frontline,” and then Big Sells Amita an article by Alissa Wilkinson (one of his favorite culture critics) on the backlash against Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri. Read it HERE

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#TimesUp, Golden Globes, Justin Timberlake, Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Cardi B, Bruno Mars – IP 107

January 10, 2018January 9, 2018 | insidepoppodcast

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This week, Hollywood flexed its social justice muscle once again when it turned the 75th Golden Globes ceremony into a rally for gender equality. We’ll debate the effectiveness of the black clad ceremony and revel in the glory of Oprah Winfrey’s memorable speech.

Then, we’ll review new songs by some of the biggest stars in music including Bruno Mars and Cardi B’s “Finesse (Remix),” Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s collaboration, “All the Stars,” from the upcoming Black Panther film and Justin Timberlake’s Super Bowl appetizer, “Filthy.”

Plus, Amita reviews last week’s Big Sell, the uplifting new age song by Laraaji, “I Can Only Bliss Out (F’ Days)” and then Big Sells Sean on a new song by Kelela.

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Black Mirror, The Chi, Forgotten Films of 2017 with Dave Karger, Pop Culture Resolutions – IP 106

January 3, 2018January 2, 2018 | insidepoppodcast

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Did you resolve to put more time and energy into staying on top of the best pop culture stories of the week? Lucky for you, The Pop Insiders are here to help you keep that resolution with our brand new episode!

First, we give our spoiler free reviews of the new Lena Waithe Showtime drama – The Chi (please feel free to listen and then correct our pronunciation of the title of this show) and the first episode of the new season of Black Mirror.

Then we speak with IMDb special correspondent and frequent Today Show awards commentator – Dave Karger – about the movies of 2017 that may not be front-runners for the big awards, but are definitely worthy of your attention. From Detroit to Wonderstruck to Downsizing, Dave will tell you why you should give these flicks a second – or maybe first chance.

We also share our pop culture resolutions for the new year and hold each other accountable for how successful we were in keeping our 2017 resolutions.

And the Big Sell returns – Sean recommends (wait for it) a new new age song (nope that isn’t a typo) to start Amita’s year off on an optimistic and blissful note.

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Life Defining Music, National African American Museum – IP 102

November 29, 2017November 28, 2017 | insidepoppodcast

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This is our final regular episode of the year and we are both sharing AND caring!

First Sean shares his experience visiting the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. He describes what it likes to visit this incredible new museum and discusses some of the amazing pop culture featured in the exhibits.

Then Amita and Sean revisit one of their favorite segments of the past year and share their discussion of the music by some of their favorite female singers that has defined pivotal moments in their lives. Whether grappling with life in the closet, coping with feeling like an outsider, celebrating the joy of a new found independence or discovering a strengthening friendship we highlight the music that has provided an essential soundtrack to our lives. Our “Defining Divas” include Mary J. Blige, Annie Lennox, Mariah Carey, Lauren Hill and BOTH Knowles sisters – Beyonce and Solange.

And then Sean rates the final big sell of the year – the single “Underdog” by singer/songwriter Banks.

And finally Amita and Sean preview their upcoming year end specials! We’re preparing our lists for the best TV, Music and Film of the year and have a few surprising choices in store!

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Interview with Dee Rees & Charles King of Mudbound, 100th Episode, Inside Pop Quiz – IP 100

November 15, 2017November 14, 2017 | insidepoppodcast

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After two years, and thousands of hours of tv viewing, music listening and theater attending . . . Inside Pop’s 100th episode has arrived! Join us as we celebrate 100 episodes of pop culture obsession!

First up, we present our interview with director Dee Rees (Pariah, Bessie) and Charles King, Executive Producer, CEO and Founder of Macro. The pair sit down with Sean to discuss their new film, Mudbound; and in addition to sharing a behind the scenes view of their epic new film, they also discuss their unique working relationship; why they both choose to work in film AND television and their future plans to tell diverse stories.

Next, we celebrate our 100th episode with a special edition of the Inside Pop quiz called, ” You Don’t Know Me Inside Pop . . .Quiz!” Sean and Amita quiz each other on how well they know . . . their own podcast. Can you guess who has won the equivalent of the Inside Pop EGOT? Can you name all of the inductees in Sean’s ‘House of Hyperbole’? Play along to see if your attention span and your memory is better than ours.

And we present the 100th edition of the Big Sell. Sean’s rates Amita’s Big Sell from last week, the artist Makoto Azuma, and sells Amita John Legend’s cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock.”

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Stranger Things 2 premieres, 2 Years of Inside Pop, Produced By NY, BigSell30 Wraps – IP 98

November 1, 2017October 31, 2017 | insidepoppodcast

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We’ve come along way, baby! This week Inside Pop celebrates two years of weekly pop culture podcasting!

We start with a round-up of the Producers Guild of America’s Produced By NY conference. We attended this event along with 100s of other television and film producers and gathered information about some major upcoming projects including Black Panther, Mudbound, Marshall, The Post, Call Me By Your Name, The Shape of Water and more! And we share some great stories with you!

Then we review the first few episodes of Stranger Things 2. One of us is as happy as Dustin playing Dig Dug to be back with the gang from Hawkins. The other is worried the series may be in danger of repeating itself.

Finally we wrap our #BigSell30 day challenge and discuss some of the pop culture we consumed over the past 30 days. And Sean rates Amita’s Big Sell from last week (a photo project from Stefan Draschan) and Big Sells her on a new documentary about George Michael.

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Blade Runner 2049, Riz Ahmed, Vegas Baby documentary, Big Sell 30 – IP 95

October 11, 2017October 10, 2017 | insidepoppodcast

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This week we dive inside Box Office Busts, a bold new doc and #BigSell30 is underway!

First up, Sean and Amita examine why the highly anticipated, sure-fire hit Blade Runner 2049 actually failed at the box office. Why did the masses stay away from Denis Villeneuve’s artistry and Ryan Gosling’s baby blues? And are the masses actually missing out on a great film? We’ll discuss!

Also, Amita was in the same room with her celebrity husband, Riz Ahmed, and didn’t faint! Find out how she got to see him in person and what happened.

Then, Amita interviews Oscar nominated director, Amanda Micheli about her new documentary, Vegas Baby, which follows multiple stories of women and couples and their struggles to have a child.

Plus, Amita reviews last week’s Big Sell from Sean, an early film from Ava DuVernay, Middle of Nowhere, and then sells him on a new single from Lin-Manuel Miranda featuring a slew of popular Latino singers and hip hop artists, who came together to raise funds for hurricane relief in Puerto Rico. And we review some of our favorite Big Sells thus far in the Big Sell 30!

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Favorite Pop Culture Families, Queen Sugar Interview Part 2, Tom Petty, Big Sell 30 – IP 94

October 4, 2017October 3, 2017 | insidepoppodcast

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It’s a family Affair this week on Inside Pop!

We start off with a discussion of our favorite pop culture families – both real and fictional including The Jacksons, The Fischers, The Pearsons and The Knowles Sisters (Beyonce AND Solange).

Then we bring you the second part of our interview with Kat Candler, the producing director of Queen Sugar. We dive into the mid season premiere and illuminate the character development, storylines and memorable scenes from the episode which was directed by film legend Julie Dash (Daughters of the Dust).

Then Amita shares her favorite Tom Petty songs in tribute to the recently deceased singer.

And finally we check in on the Big Sell 30 Day Challenge and discuss how our daily intake of new pop culture is changing our lives for the better. And Sean shares the Big Sell Day 4 of 30 – Middle of Nowhere by Ava DuVernay!

The Big Sell 30 Day Challenge 2017!

September 30, 2017 | insidepoppodcast

Each week on Inside Pop, hosts Amita Patel and Sean David Johnson take turns recommending something new in the world of pop culture for the other to check out in a segment called “The Big Sell”.

During the month of October, join Sean and Amita in their commitment to try one new piece of pop culture every day, for 30 days with the Big Sell 30 Day Challenge- a new song, TV episode, movie, viral video, app – anything goes!

Follow Inside Pop on Twitter (@PopInsiders) and Facebook for daily big sells and share your suggestions using #BigSell30

And of course listen to Inside Pop every Wednesday for some special Big Sells from some very special guests.

**Participation in the Big Sell 30 Day Challenge guarantees increased muscle tone, a shinier aura and a head jam packed with the very best pop culture.