When it comes to music, who decides what’s good? From boomers to kids on TikTok, the goal posts are constantly shifting. Culture writers Kelefa Sanneh and Niko Stratis wade into the debate around Rolling Stone co-founder Jann Wenner, who is facing backlash for profiling seven white male rock musicians in his new book The Masters — at the exclusion of everyone else.

Vulture pop culture and film critic Nate Jones joins host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about the new comedy Dumb Money, inspired by the 2021 GameStop stock controversy, and what it says about Hollywood's thirst for quick turnarounds ripped from the headlines. Plus, Toronto music historian Daniel Tate explains how rare video footage he procured of Drake’s dad, Dennis Graham, became part of the rollout plan for the rapper’s new album, For All the Dogs.

USA Today is hiring two new reporters — one focused on Taylor Swift, and one dedicated to Beyoncé. These job postings raise all sorts of questions about the state of pop culture journalism today. For this week's wrap panel, host Elamin Abdelmahmoud chats with culture critics Eli Glasner, Kathleen Newman-Bremang and Mastermind about this and other big stories of the week.

Filmmaker Thom Zimny discusses his new documentary, Sly, which takes an intimate look at the life of Sylvester Stallone and celebrates the cinematic auteur lurking behind his muscle-bound action-hero image.

Vancouver author Alex Kazemi joins Elamin Abdelmahmoud to discuss his audacious debut novel, New Millennium Boyz — a no-holds-barred account of late '90s adolescence that posits the crass youth culture of the Y2K era as a harbinger of the toxic masculinity and online hostility that permeate our lives today. Plus, with the final season of Netflix’s UK crime series Top Boy out now, culture critic Ian Steaman talks about the show’s legacy and why it resonated so much with fans on this side of the pond.

Journalist Lane Brown investigated the popular film review site Rotten Tomatoes — and found out just how skewed the rankings really are. He joins film critic Rad Simonpillai and host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to discuss what's going on with the business of film criticism more broadly. Plus, Drew Barrymore has announced her daytime talk show is back in production amid the Hollywood writers' strike. Entertainment reporter Teri Hart unpacks this choice, and the fallout so far.

When Louis C.K. was accused of sexual misconduct by a group of women, he did something different: he admitted it, said sorry. Then, he turned his experience into one of the most successful comedy tours in recent history. Two filmmakers join Elamin to talk about how the saga illuminates so-called cancel culture. Plus, Alison Herman explains why the new live action version of the popular manga series One Piece has been more successful than past attempts.

For this week's wrap panel, Kathryn VanArendonk breaks down Rolling Stone Magazine's investigation into the culture behind The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, plus Niko Stratis and Falen Johnson share their reactions to Olivia Rodrigo’s new album GUTS, and explain why some are calling the latest episode of the final season of Reservation Dogs required viewing for all settlers.

Farhad Delaram’s film Achilles is having its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. He sits down with Elamin to talk about the cost of making art in Iran. Plus, Coralie LaPerrière is a comedian in Quebec who regularly calls out the province’s "boys club" comedy culture. She talks about the range of reactions to her calls for more diversity in lineups, and what systemic changes she hopes to see in Quebec’s comedy scene.

Canadian filmmaker Emma Seligman has a big hit on her hands with the teen sex comedy Bottoms. Culture writers Madeline Ducharme and Mel Woods join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to share their thoughts on the wonderfully absurd and hilarious movie, and look at how queer coming-of-age is growing up on screen. Plus, Bloomberg reporter Ashley Carman explains how white noise podcasters have cut into Spotify’s annual profits by $38 million dollars.

TV experts Kathryn VanArendonk, Nina Metz and Emily Longeretta look ahead to the fall television season and discuss how the ongoing labour disputes in Hollywood will affect what we’re going to see on our screens. Plus, we remember musicians Steve Harwell of Smash Mouth and Jimmy Buffet, who died over the weekend.

As the opening to TIFF grows closer, film fans are watching how Hollywood actors are navigating the red carpets and cameras at the Venice International Film Festival. Host Elamin Abdelmahmoud chats with film critics Elena Lazic, Teri Hart and Rad Simonpillai about how the ongoing actors’ strike is affecting international film festivals, and what they're seeing at the unofficial start of Oscar season.

For this week's wrap panel, culture critics Ashley Ray, Morgan Campbell and comedian Natalie Norman join Elamin to discuss Adam Sandler's new Netflix film, You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah, this week's viral moment surrounding track star Noah Nyles, and whether Ontario's ban on gambling ads featuring celebrities and athletes is a good thing.

JD Ryznar and Dave Lyons, co-creators of the mid-2000s comedic web-series Yacht Rock, discuss how the joke genre they coined led to a legitimate smooth-music renaissance in pop culture — and how that’s led to a distorted definition of what yacht rock is all about. Plus, journalist Anne Helen Petersen takes us inside the online phenomenon known as RushTok: the real-time TikTok dispatches of young women vying for a coveted spot in the University of Alabama’s elite sororities.

HBO's new docuseries Telemarketers follows a pair of work buddies who find themselves in the middle of a massive scam — and it's one of this year's surprise hit shows. Co-director Sam Lipman-Stern joins Elamin to talk about how he knew this story needed to be shared, and what it was like making this docuseries over the last 20 years.

Madonna turned 65 this year, and she’s set to go on tour this fall. Culture critics Craig Seymour, Maura Johnson and Syrus Marcus Ware join Elamin to look back at Madonna’s reign as the Queen of Pop — including the hits, misses and criticisms — and how her legacy holds up all these years later.

British professor Elly McCausland explains why she’s launching a Taylor Swift-inspired literature course at Belgium’s Ghent University this fall, while hip-hop historian Dalton Higgins details his experience teaching a Drake-themed course at Toronto Metropolitan University, to highlight the value of bringing pop culture into the classroom. Plus, author Jael Richardson tells host Elamin Abdelmahmoud about what she says to anyone who thinks that listening to an audiobook doesn’t count as reading.

The Sex and the City spin-off, And Just Like That..., wraps up its second season this week. For this week's wrap panel, culture critics Amil Niazi, Chris Murphy and Lainey Lui join guest host Talia Schlanger to discuss how Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha's New York City exploits continue to leave an indelible mark on our culture, as well as the resurgence of Suits and the return of NSYNC.

Culture critics Ryan Britt and Hanna Flint join guest host Talia Schlanger to review Ahsoka, the latest standalone series in the Star Wars canon, and whether this live-action take on one of the franchise’s most beloved animated characters does justice to her legacy. Plus, Leela Gilday is a Dene musician who had to evacuate Yellowknife due to wildfires. She talks about music’s power to heal and reflects on her own relationship to the environment through her music.

With the Federal Trade Commission in the U.S. expected to pursue antitrust action against Amazon’s monopolistic bookselling practices, authors Jen Sookfong Lee and Anakana Schofield talk about how the online retail empire has impacted the publishing industry and their own careers. Plus, Canadian translator Yilin Wang’s original translations of Chinese poetry were used by the British Museum in London in an exhibit without her permission or crediting her. She tells guest host Talia Schlanger about what her experience with the British Museum says about how the work of translators is valued.