Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with popculture

Let me tell you a story about a horse while I diffuse this missile...

katyggls — Mon, 06 May 2013 05:41:37 -0800

I'm trying to find TV shows (or films) that contain a particular trope that I noticed while watching some old 1980's shows lately. Namely shows where the main character provides a sort of running narration throughout. I was watching the pilot episode of Macgyver on Netflix yesterday and noticed that during the beginning of the episode, the main character (Macgyver) was narrating a story about an encounter with a Palomino horse in voiceover while on screen he was diffusing a missile in central Asia (YT link of what I'm referring to). It made me realize -or recall- that this was a pretty commonly used trope in 1970's and 1980's TV, where the main character would narrate or provide voice over commentary while we watched whatever they were doing on screen. I know Quantum Leap did this a lot and if I recall correctly, I think Magnum P.I. did it too.

What I'm looking for are other examples of TV shows that did this (or films). Are there any current or more recent TV shows that do this? I haven't noticed any recent examples of it myself so I'm curious as to why it's a trope that has been largely abandoned (if it has). Do current TV viewers see it as breaking the fourth wall?

movies that have become a part of pop culture?

colfax — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 03:45:21 -0800

I'm 30 years old and I just saw Casablanca for the first time. All of a sudden I understand why so many people joke about "always having Paris." And all of those references to gin joints. Can you recommend some other movies to me that are equally important for understanding American pop culture? This has happened to me before. I saw Karate Kid like ten years too late, but when I did, I suddenly realized why all of the kids on the playground kept playing, "Wax on, wax off; wax on, wax off." As a kid I'd always assumed they were actually talking about a car wax commercial that I'd never seen, because I didn't watch much television either. Since then I've become a bit more tv-literate, at least in the genres that interest me, but movies have always been a bit...intimidating to me.

So, can you recommend to me some more movies like Casablanca that have seeped into the general culture? I'm not looking for movies that are good but obscure; I'm looking for the movies that your average group of Americans would be appalled to hear I've never seen, and that are frequently referenced in pop culture. It makes me a bit embarrassed to admit this, but I'm really not interested in learning to appreciate film as an art form. I mostly just want to understand what everyone else is talking about. Assume no suggestion is too basic. All genres are welcome.

I want to know the history of the city without a history

Sara C. — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:03:25 -0800

Please recommend some books about the history of Southern California. I'm specifically interested in the evolution of car culture and the L.A. area as a cultural incubator. The backstory: I work out of a house in the San Fernando valley that was built in the 40's. I was sitting around at lunch yesterday, shooting the shit, and started wondering aloud what Southern California was like before the freeways.

If you lived in Van Nuys or Sherman Oaks in the 40's, what was your life like? What did you do for a living, and where would that be located? How did you get there? When were all the suburban developments in that area created, anyway? Is a house built in the 40's the oldest house in the neighborhood? What was it like before the 'burbs?

I want to know all about the history of Southern California, especially during the 20th century. Mainly in the evolution of car culture and SoCal as a sort of archetypal post-war suburban environment, especially in a pop cultural sense. Everything from drag racing in the LA River basin to the Beach Boys to donut shops with giant donuts on the roof.

I know that there are primary sources in the media for this sort of thing. Raymond Chandler, movies like Rebel Without A Cause and Valley Girl, etc. I wouldn't mind recommendations for things like that, but what I really want is non-fiction. Preferably history, but possibly also sociology or anthropology.

Podcasts, documentaries, and other non-fiction media are also fine. I already listen to 99% Invisible, which has fueled my interest in how the suburban car-centric landscape came about and shaped people's lives. The LA Times website has been a pretty good source of information about this sort of thing, but I want to go deeper.

I am less interested in the history of Hollywood, but I'd be into historical writings about the film industry as they relate to Los Angeles as a city. When did the studios move out to the Valley, and what brought about those changes, for example?

I am not really as interested in historical works about 19th century Los Angeles, though if a work spans the Spanish/Mexican period and goes into the 20th century, that would be OK.

I am also not terribly interested in essays and cultural commentary from people who are not historians. I have read a lot of Joan Didion already.

What are the go-to historical writings about 20th century Southern California?

What's so awesome about Korean stuff?

gimletbiggles — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 15:03:12 -0800

I'm interested in Korean pop culture: K-pop, K-drama, K-film. I've seen previous questions about specific recommendations if music and movies. I am checking those out. There is so much material, I'm trying to get a broader perspective. If you are a fan of K-pop/drama/film in general or a specific K-song/group/drama/movie/director/etc.:

What makes it so awesome?
What distinguishes it from the American equivalent?

and, if you care to speculate,

Is that difference representative of something about Korean culture/history?

Works of literature or film featuring taxidermy or taxidermied animals?

fleetofblimps — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 07:18:31 -0800

References both great and small are welcome. Seeking references to literary works (of fiction, primarily) and films that include or depict taxidermy or taxidermized animals. I'm less interested in TV shows with taxidermy (Scrubs, Immortalized, American Stuffers), but if you know of anything good I'd still be happy to hear about it. A few pieces I'm already familiar with:

--Psycho (film)
--Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel
--The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving

Even minor/brief mentions or depictions of taxidermized animals are welcome. Many thanks!

What 'diversity in pop culture' resources are out there?

littlegreen — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 21:33:00 -0800

I'm applying to teach an honors composition course with the theme 'diversity within pop culture'; what interesting/cool/new resources are out there? I'm looking for either examples of pop culture that specifically demonstrate diversity (or a problematic lack thereof), or for resources (articles/podcasts/YT videos etc.) commenting on specific issues of diversity within pop culture. The students will be 18-ish and fairly intelligent, so there shouldn't be many issues with things being 'too complex'.

The course is essentially writing-based, but there's plenty of scope to use non-written texts (film, TV, music, etc.); if it's freely available on the internet, even better! They definitely don't have to be 'academic', and it's cool if they're problematic (or even diverse in some ways but problematic in others). I want to talk about things like the Bechdel test, the overwhelmingly white Girls cast, and issues of intersectionality, so anything along these lines would be appreciated!

Additionally, I'd ideally like to get the class thinking about all forms of diversity - e.g. representation of non-cisgendered people, ableism, & so on. Resources from the past few years would be especially great.

Your favourite clever pop culture sites/podcasts/lectures

everydayanewday — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 20:41:29 -0800

I'm at home ill at the moment, watching lots of films and reading a lot (this week I've watched 14 films and read 2 books). I'd like to find sites (or podcasts/lectures/etc) that intelligently examine media and/or popular culture. I regularly read articles on Popmatters and sometimes the A.V. Club (but not so much). What are your favourite film/media crit resources? Podcasts? Lectures? Thank you in advance for any help!

Examples of timelines in movies and other pop culture?

oulipian — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 13:13:01 -0800

I'm looking for examples of visual timelines in movies, video games, or fiction. Scenes where a span of time is represented metaphorically, preferably as a physical object, diagram, or action. A good example is this scene from Me and You and Everyone We Know in which two characters use a street as a visual metaphor for their potential relationship. My meager collection of examples:
- The scene in Vertigo where Madeleine uses the cut tree cross-section to show her past life (this scene is referenced in La Jette and 12 Monkeys, as shown here).
- Picnicface's Growing Boy skit.
- Jason Rohrer's game Passage (walking represents the passage of time).

A second chance to turn back time

evolvinglines — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 17:47:35 -0800

Today, a time capsule was opened after 20 years buried in the Denton Town Square. It was not what we expected. A list of what was in the capsule is mentioned in the comment below the linked article. In short, it was all old business stuff specific to the bank that buried it, and no city-wide or pop culture items, despite the capsule being buried in the public square, and the plaque displayed for 20 years indicating they'd open it last September. A friend commented that it seemed like they just grabbed all the promotional materials they had at the time and shoved them in the capsule without much thought.

After that disappointment, my friends and I are trying to figure out if we can make our own, and think of things we'd bury in a capsule to be opened in twenty years. Also, where to bury it, how to get permission and have it protected by the city, etc.

I've seen previous time capsule MeFi topics before: here, here, here, and here, but those don't seem to be quite the same as what I'm asking, and they're a few years old.

What kinds of things would you include in a city-wide capsule for a small-ish city filled with college students?

I thought it would be neat to have menus from the local restaurants and cds from local bands (music is big here). Other friends suggested theater playbills, photos from the outdoor events on the Courthouse Lawn, video interviews showing the style of the city at the time, a day-in-the-life list of things to do (which may be laughable in twenty years). What would YOU put in it?

Help me find Korean pop culture

Merzbau — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 15:06:08 -0800

I'm starting a Korean class next week, and I'd like to get a broader exposure to modern Korean media. I want to get more exposure to the sound of spoken Korean, but also learn about Korean pop culture in the process (not K-pop, but the broader media landscape of film, music, etc). Right now it's mostly genre films:

Shiri
Most of Chan-Wook Park's films (Joint Security Area, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, I'm A Cyborg But That's OK, Thirst)
Ditto Bong Joon-Ho (Barking Dogs Never Bite, Memories of Murder, The Host, Mother)
A few Kim Ji-Woon films (A Tale of Two Sisters; The Good, The Bad, The Weird; I Saw the Devil)
Save the Green Planet
Some uncategorizable stuff (the bizarro animated movie Aachi & Ssipak, Kim Jong-Il's juche kaiju movie Pulgasari)

There's a surprisingly huge selection of Korean melodramas/soap operas on Hulu, but I'm not really sure which if any are entertaining in their own right for someone largely unfamiliar with the larger cultural context.

By all means, feel free to suggest stuff outside of film/TV/music so long as it's relatively accessible- I'm willing to try pretty much anything.

Japanese Houseboy - WTF?

Miko — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 08:45:17 -0800

What is the story behind the pop-cultural trope of the "Japanese Houseboy?" So this is something you encounter from time to time in midcentury American books, movies, and TV - a house servant who is (apparently, maybe not actually) Japanese. It's often played for a laugh in a racist way. A primary example is the character of Ito in Auntie Mame. But my question is: what reality, if any, does this reflect? Were there large numbers of Japanese people entering household service in the US in the 20s, 30s, 40s? It just doesn't jibe with my understanding of world history, and I'd like to identify any non-fictional resources that indicate this was a real phenomenon, and if possible, describe the historical conditions that gave rise to it.

Give me your assistants!

missjenny — Tue, 29 May 2012 08:26:41 -0800

Help me make a list of assistants/valets/right-hand people in pop culture. For example: Smithers, Mr. Belvedere, Alec Baldwin's assistant on 30 Rock. Extra points if the assistant person is portrayed as being smart and on top of things and kind of the only one who really knows what's going on.

Magic?

anastasiav — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:45:07 -0800

I'm being forced to visit Disney in September, for two and a half days. The rest of my family will be staying longer, so I get to pick what we do those two and a half days. My son is 5 and this is his first Disney "experience". What the heck do I select? I know, I know ... first world problems. I'm also aware that I sound like a huge curmudgeon, but visiting these parks just doesn't sound fun to me.

The "Magic Kingdom" part isn't really interesting to me, and my son is not really familiar with most Disney property characters (Cars excepted). I accept, though, that he'll experience the Magic Kingdom with all the awe and magic that is intended, and I accept that one of my two and a half days will need to be spent visiting it. But what else do I choose?

I arrive late Friday night. My flight leaves at 6 pm Monday, leaving behind my husband and son and the rest of my husband's family to do stuff. The only thing that sounds somewhat interesting to me is the Animal Kingdom part but my in-laws (who have been to Disney many many times) have been pretty clear about how "slow" "crowded" and "boring" they think it is.

Thoughts? Disney veterans here? Help me enjoy this enforced vacation.

ID this 90s baddie

2ghouls — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 20:07:37 -0800

Can you identify this action figure? (the one in the middle) Close up pic.

Clues: I think he is a villain. I've had him since I was pretty young, and I was born in 1986. I was really into Swamp Thing, but I haven't found him on any Swamp Thing enemies lists.

My memory fails me

trillian — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 07:58:02 -0800

I'm trying to remember a web-video series that was mentioned on the blue a couple of times in the last year or two. All I can remember is that they were hosted by a woman (maybe light brown/blond hair...?) who was giving a funny/feminist take on various things in pop culture. Does that ring a bell with anyone? I think maybe one of the topics she talked about was yogurt commercials aimed at women. I know, not much to go on!

Show me the Awesome!

bondcliff — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 07:50:42 -0800

I'm looking for images, most likely illustrations but photos might do, that depict the most absurd, over-the-top awesomeness. Imagine someone sat down and said "I'm going to draw the silliest, most awesome thing ever." I don't mean pictures of, say, Superman, because he's awesome, or the Death Star, because it's impressive and really neat, I mean a picture of Jesus riding a Star Destroyer over the crowd of a KISS concert. Stuff like that. The sillier the better. I should laugh immediately after clicking on it.

This Star Wars rock concert is a good example.

The work of Brandon Bird is very much like what I'm after. Stuff like Christopher Walken building a robot in his garage or Michael Landon with a big dead squid.

This Fawkes/Codex (Wil Wheaton / Felicia Day) painting is another one.

Unintentional awesomeness might also work, such as these Stevie Nicks fantasy drawings..

I'm not after screenshots of iconic scenes in film or TV. Some album covers might work, as long as they're over-the-top and not just a picture of, say, David Bowie.

I know I can Google "Awesome" and there are probably sites that have a lot of this sort of thing, but I really like the way Metafilter can filter this stuff down to only the best.

I'm more after pop culture references to straight out fantasy stuff. Safe For Work links preferred.

Sorry about the multiple use of the word "awesome", I know that's sort of overdone, but that's really the best word to describe what I'm looking for.

It was the third of September.

timsteil — Fri, 06 May 2011 10:08:13 -0800

What songs, from any genre, mention a specific calendar date. For example, Papa Was a Rollin Stone (the 3rd of September), September by EWF, (21st night, September. Pride in the Name of Love "early morning, April 4) etc?

There were no train stations. There were no downtowns. Hey, ho, nowhere to go: Ohio.

carmicha — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:07:07 -0800

What are your favorite interesting or telling U.S. pop culture references to urban planning issues, including the image of city/suburb/exurban/rural areas as places to live and the process of creating community? I'm interested in songs, TV shows, movies, video/MMO games, art, slang, etc. If you think current events (e.g., disaster planning in Japan or public squares as democracy tool in Egypt) will affect pop culture expression of and attitudes towards planning, feel free to expound. As this is for a talk (to professional urban planners), links to visual depictions are especially welcome. They can be funny or serious, cursory or technical. See, for example:

Monorail! or
Seinfeld or
Chinatown or
Chrysler's Superbowl Ad Referencing Detroit.

The more, the better; thanks for your help, MeFites!

that's so 7.5 years ago

philip-random — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 09:56:32 -0800

What was so darned special about 2002-2003? Help me flesh out some research I'm doing for a fiction that's set in urban/suburban North America during the years 2002-2003 (post 911, build-up to the invasion of Iraq, the invasion and it's immediate aftermath).

I'm less concerned with the specific politics and current events than just basic zeitgeist (cool movies, TV shows, music, fashion trends, facial hair advancements). What did you do with your spare time before YouTube hit? How did you connect with your friends before Facebook and Twitter? Did you still buy CDs?

*special bonus favorite to anyone who can tell me what a Betacam-SP camcorder would have retailed for at the time

help me tie my rec room together.

bondcliff — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 08:11:44 -0800

I want to decorate a rec room in my basement with prints and other items that have been featured in movies and TV shows. I’m not looking for promotional things or other advertisements, but prints that are well known from those movies. Someone should see it and go “Hey!! That’s the thing from that movie! Where did you get that?” Some examples of what I’m looking for:

The poster of Nixon bowling from The Big Lebowski
The famous “Dogs Playing Poker” that has been in a number of shows. (I already have this one)
The “Hipster Doofus” print of Kramer from Seinfeld (a bit dated by now, though)
The “Zero Gravity Toilet” instructions from 2001: A Space Odyssey

Other items will work as long as they’re something you might find in a rec room, not just a prop. The “major award” leg lamp from A Christmas Story would work, since I can use it as a lamp, but a laser gun from Star Wars would not fit as that’s just a prop. The Red Swingline from Office Space probably wouldn’t work. It’s useful, but it’s not something you’d find in a rec room.

These things should have been featured exactly the same way in the show or movie. A poster advertising Gobius Industries (Arrested Development), while funny, isn’t something that was ever on the show. On the other hand, having a copy of The Man Inside Me on my bookshelf would work. Make sense?

It should also be something easily recognizable by a casual fan. Only the biggest Lebowski fans would recognize The Dude’s rug, no matter how well it ties the room together.

What else is there?

Ironic Print Ads with Pop Culture Reference?

zresearch — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 22:52:50 -0800

Can anyone suggest good examples of ironic/self-referential (e.g. perhaps they acknowledge their own advertising purpose) *print* ads (or perhaps billboards) that also use some kind of popular culture reference (could be movie/music/trend/celebrity/subculture etc.)? We know there are many TV spots like this out there, but we're finding it difficult to find print examples...

All tips are welcome but pop culture references recognizable to a US audience would be particularly useful...

Thanks so much for any suggestions!!

First TV show that included texting

TsuKata — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 09:54:59 -0800

What was the first instance of two characters on a TV show sending or receiving a text message on TV? My husband and I are really curious as to which TV show was the first to show two characters texting each other. We've tried Googling for this piece of trivia with no luck. He thinks it's probably The OC or something similar; I suspect there was an earlier instance. I figure if someone knows of a texting on a show and none of us can think of an earlier instance, that's probably it.

Please include, if possible:
* name of show
* episode title or number
* which characters were texting

An approximate airdate would be nice, too. Thanks!

8 yrs old, going on 14. Tired of Nickelodeon.

cross_impact — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 07:27:51 -0800

Is there a kid-friendly portal to pop music videos? She is not satisfied by Kid Disney and she wants to listen to the "latest" hits. She begs us to let her watch music videos on YouTube, but she's not ready to be let loose on that yet. So where can we let her browse and watch "current" videos with not too much bad stuff? Yeah, we do sometimes sit with her and guide her choices, but we cannot always do that. We'd like to let her browse while we make dinner in the next room. She swears she'll stick with approved artists like Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez, but the links on the side of the page and the links to parody material are just one click away from territory we'd rather not have her see.

Is there such a site? "Cool" music videos appropriate for 8 year olds?

(Broadening my daughter's tastes in music is a separate project for us. For right now we want to teach her to "engage" the popular culture of her peers in a critical way. You may set different standards for your kids, but that's not my question!)

What is the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything?

Shepherd — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 12:30:36 -0800

What are the greatest 100 questions in English-language pop culture? I'm working on a Web site based on what is, in essence, a customized database where people can ask questions and the site will generate answers. It's about one company in particular, so the tags are all kinda context-sensitive and the questions/answers will be quite limited in scope.

But I also have permission to load the thing with some Easter eggs.

So I want questions -- questions -- that are generally well known by geeks and non-geeks alike, and that have answers. Not "pop culture facts phrased as a question," but things that were originally questions.

For instance:
Q: Who’s the black private dick that’s a sex machine to all the chicks?
A: Shaft!

is good.

Q: How many roads must a man walk down before you can call him a man?
A: Blowin’ in the wind.

Also good.

Q: Who is Luke Skywalkers's father?
A: Anakin Skywalker, also known as Darth Vader.

No good. Trivia question.

Q: When you're a Jet, are you a Jet all the way?
A: From your first cigarette, to your last dying day!

No good. Not originally a question.

This is going to be in English, for an English audience, so great questions that are not English are also not so great.

Summing up: popularly known questions, with answers, that were originally phrased as a question. Both question and answer, please, as I'm not as well-versed in pop culture as I like to think I am.

Pop Idols and Lolitas - I need a list

xo — Fri, 14 May 2010 08:07:51 -0800

I'm looking to generate a cross-cultural list of famous young talents (singers, actors, dancers younger than ~20, from any time in history) that are/were widely considered to be precociously charming. Idols and starlets, if you will. Is/was there a Russian Donny Osmond? An Indian Justin Timberlake? Who's the quintessential Morning Musume girl?