Blind Plea - Listen Now: Pop Culture Debate Club with Aminatou Sow

Episode Date: June 27, 2024

We’re excited to drop in your feed today to tell you about a new series from Lemonada Media and the BBC: Pop Culture Debate Club with Aminatou Sow. Being a pop culture fan naturally comes with a lot of opinions. You’ve got your favorites and you’re ready to defend your picks at a moment’s notice. That’s what Pop Culture Debate Club is all about. Each week, two notable mega-fans square off, ready to convince host Aminatou Sow that their opinion on TV, movies, and music is the only one that matters. And then Aminatou picks a winner. But we’re all friends, so even though someone wins, no one loses. You’re about to hear a preview of the first episode of Pop Culture Debate Club, where Aminatou Sow must pick between actor Carl Tart’s choice of the original Space Jam and TV writer Lamar Woods’s selection of D2: The Mighty Ducks for the best sports film of all time.  To hear more of Pop Culture Debate Club, head to: https://lemonada.lnk.to/7JiEmtfdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey, listeners, we are dropping on your feed today to play you a clip of Lemonada Media and the BBC's newest podcast, Pop Culture Debate Club. Are you a pop culture connoisseur with strong opinions? Join the new home of the mega fans, Pop Culture Debate Club. Each week, two pop culture aficionados battle it out to convince host Aminatu So that their opinion reigns supreme. Each guest is a self-described expert in the topic they're debating, and they'll have to prove it by winning Aminatu over.

What is the greatest sports movie of all time? Who made the most delicious on-screen meal? Topics like this lead to some fun, occasionally heated banter, but don't worry, they're all still friends in the end. After you listen to this clip, search for Pop Culture Debate Club in your podcast app to hear the full episode. You can also find a link in the show notes to take you there. I'm Aminatou Soh, and I'm a writer who loves pop culture. So welcome to Pop Culture Debate Club from Lemonada and the BBC.

We bring on some of the funniest, smartest folks in the biz to go head to head over TV, music, and movies that we love. And because I'm the judge, I get to choose the winner. ["Dreams of a New World"] So welcome to our first episode. We knew we needed to kick this season off with some hot competition, so we have Karl Tartt and Lamar Woods debating the best sports film of all time. Thanks so much for joining us.

Today we're discussing what you both deem to be the best sports film. Let's meet our panelists. Joining me today is star of the NBC series, Grand Cru, and frequent comedy, Bang Bang podcast guest, Carl Tart. Hi Carl. Hi. And also with us is comedian, actor, musician, Lamar Woods. Lamar, your latest album is called Highly Sensitive Person.

I feel that. Welcome to the show. Hey, what's up? I'm Meenat. How you doing? Thanks. I feel that. Welcome to the show. Hey, what's up? I'm Meenat. How you doing? Thanks for having me. So happy to be here. It's a beautiful day. Before we get into our picks, I'd like to get to know the both of you a little bit. Okay. I know that you co hosted a Gossip Girl recap podcast called XOXO Gossip Kings.

Can you tell me a little bit about how that started? We have been trying to figure out a podcast to do together because we talk a lot of shit Oh, you know, it'd be really funny if we did a gossip girl Watch and rewatch podcast. So I'm watching in real time and he had already seen it. I just fell in love with it I thought it was such a good show or it definitely kept me, you know kept my spirits high during that pandemic That was a crazy time. It was a lot of gossip girl for three years watched it in real time and I only got a couple spoilers and during that pandemic. That was a crazy time. It was a lot of Gossip Girl for three years. Watched it in real time. We committed to it. And I only got a couple spoilers.

And I want to thank everybody who listened and who kept me safe from any type of big spoilers. Yeah. Because I finished the show, and I was just as disappointed as everybody was in 2012. Okay, well, we're going to talk about sports today. I'm going to tell you a little bit about, like, my relationship with sports.

Like, I am African. I grew up in Africa and in Europe. I'm a soccer girlie. I'm a long-time, painful supporter of Manchester United. So I've had... It's like I know heartbreak, you know? I know, like, have had some like elating years and some years where it's just... We're gonna cry today. But... And I try to keep it in check because sometimes I'm like, you know, like, the sports fandom, it's like a little...

It's like one area in life where I'm like, wow, like things are about to go off the rails, like the friends are about to fight, somebody is about to go down here. Can you tell me like what kind of sports fan you are? Are you like, do you think that you're chill? Are you a little psychotic? Like, be honest. I wouldn't say psychotic, but I definitely am very anxious.

I hate certain players. And so when they're being successful, I'm really upset. I'm a big sports guy I played all the major American sports through my throughout my entire life and I played I played basketball in college There's never a conversation that goes by without me mentioning that and I would give it all up right now I'll give up my whole career to just get one free throw in the NBA game. But regardless of that- They should do that, like a three throw instead, like how people do the first pitch. They should let celebrities do that.

Celebrities shoot a free throw? They should do that, but they should ask you how much you're willing to give up. And it's like, you gotta give your 401k to the league. You gotta, it's like, you know, you're like, here's my child. You're like, what are you gonna mortgage in your life? And then you get to do that.

If I'm just doing a ceremonial opening free throw, I'm not giving up nothing. But if they're like, you can suit up tonight and we guarantee you four minutes in the game, I would give up quite a bit. And I know that's stupid. Okay, what team are you suiting up for? The Clippers, I'm a Clipper fan.

Wow, so you know pain and suffering too. Yeah, but hold on now because I wanted to ask you about this Manchester United pain and suffering thing. I'm not big on soccer. I can't say that I am. So sorry to all the international fans. I actually was in Europe during a World Cup one time and I was being real obnoxious about how bored I was.

All right. How? Talk to me about this. I don't understand how you can be bored by it. I was like, all these feet pushing a ball forward. Like, what are you talking about? All this drama, like, what are you even talking about? I got a couple things to say about that. We're gonna be here for a long time, I'm not too...

Okay, great, okay, we're here. I was being obnoxious about the World Cup. The World Cup was actually exciting. If it's just six o'clock in the morning and I'm watching, uh, today it's the silly nine eights versus the... I'm not watching that. I ain't watching that. What are you watching? A racehorse? Oh, it's just Bayern Munich versus...

It's coming on 30s going out. What are you... It's like, oh, I got 25, 25, lady in a hat, lady in a hat, 25, 35 thousand. I'm a little different, yeah. I kind of go in and out of sports fandom, but I think I like players more than I like teams. Like I really like Anthony Edwards.

I like watching that storyline and seeing how that plays out, or like Jalen Brunson. So I think I'm just like, I really like to get into the like character. What's going on? They were embarrassing me. We was watching the game the other night, they was embarrassing me.

Because him and my other best friend Phil, they're two very level headed dudes. And I look up to them both quite a bit. And so I'm sitting here just pissed off at this game that has no bearing on my life whatsoever. But it's truly raising my blood pressure. And I just look at them and I look at it and I feel like I'm ruining the mood. I'm ruining the mood because I'm just like, I hate the ride. And they're just sitting there kind of sipping on their margarita and I'm like, see I wish

I could just not care. Yeah. I have a theory of social gender engineering that sports is one of the only areas that we let men have big feelings and you don't get punished for it. Yeah. But I can see, I feel it happening. I think part of my lack of emotional reactions, just because I don't watch it enough, like I've been following probably this year more

with football and basketball more than I ever have. Like I was in a bad mood the other day when Nick's loss and I was kind of like, where's this? Why am I sad? And I was like, oh wait, I think I wanted them to really win. I was like, oh, it's like, I was like feeling it. But I think it takes like, Carl has been a fan of sports. You know, he's followed a Clippers your whole life. Yeah, that that is gonna like have a reaction when things don't go well. So I have I do have a relationship with sports. I just don't have that like that fire that everyone else has.

Carl, can you tell me what film you chose today? Okay, the film I chose today is the 1997. I should have googled that before I came in here, but I think I got it right. The 1997 Michael Jordan Warner Brothers outlet Space Jam. 96? Okay. That was pretty close. You can leave in my snafu. I don't mind. Okay, let's do it again. Okay. I chose the 1996 Warner Brothers and Michael Jordan outlet Space Jam. And I know that from the top of the dome, and this is not an edit. And keep it like this.