News and Happenings

Which Real Housewives franchise is the best of all time: New York or Beverly Hills? The Watch What Crappens podcast co-hosts square off – Ben Mandelker is team RHONY while Ronnie Karam is repping Beverly Hills – to try and get Aminatou Sow to select their respective installment as the winner. Who’s the bigger villain, Ramona Singer or Camille Grammer? How does Yolanda Foster’s “almond mom” moment compare to Bethenny Frankel’s Skinnygirl empire? And what do we even do with the RHONY reboot? Aminatou considers all of these questions and more on her way to declaring the best Real Housewives franchise ever.

Which feast from a film would you most want to eat? Podcaster Hrishikesh Hirway would like to slurp up the noodles from In the Mood for Love (2000) while podcaster and cookbook author Dan Pashman craves the cheeseburger from The Menu (2022). And their task in today’s episode is to do their best to convince Aminatou Sow that their dish should reign supreme. Which is more compelling, the comfort of the noodles or the creative spark of the cheeseburger? Which food plays a more pivotal role in its respective movie? And perhaps a surprising consideration, which dish is accompanied by the better music? Aminatou weighs these factors and more when deciding which movie feast she’d order for herself.

What is the most important hip hop movie of all time? Journalist Bomani Jones says it’s House Party (1990), while rapper Fat Tony picks CB4 (1993). After hearing from both sides, Aminatou Sow must choose one as the winner, and it’s not an easy pick! How does CB4’s look at the fetishization of gangsta rappers by the music industry compare to House Party’s subtle examination of class and Blackness in American society? Which is more damning, the early-90s-era homophobia in CB4 or the old actors playing high school kids in House Party? And since we’re talking about hip hop, which movie has the better music? There’s so much for Aminatou to think about before crowning the most important hip hop film of all time.

Aminatou Sow must pick between actor Carl Tart’s choice of the original Space Jam (1996) and TV writer Lamar Woods’s selection of D2: The Mighty Ducks (1994). Which is a more fearsome opponent, aliens or Iceland? Who is a better coach, Michael Jordan or Gordon Bombay? How realistic is the sports action in each film? Which one better stands up to the test of time? Aminatou asks these questions and more in order to crown the best sports film of all time.

Which TV ensemble would make for a better hang: journalist Candice Lim’s choice of New Girl or audio producer Ronald Young Jr.’s pick of Community? That’s up to Aminatou Sow to decide! Would you rather spend time with a crew who are all at the prime TV cool age (aka late 20s/early 30s), or with people of all ages and backgrounds? Which show had the better guest stars … and the better hijinks? And how does Jess’s quirkiness compare with Pierce’s problematic ways? Aminatou weighs the answers to these questions and more to decide which cast would be more fun to add to her social circle.