Pop Culture Debate Club with Ronald Young Jr.

PCDC is taking a holiday break and we wanted to share another BBC podcast with you this week: History's Youngest Heroes. Stripped of her crown and trapped In the Tower of London will Lady Jane Grey give up her faith or face the executioner’s axe? Nicola Coughlan shines a light on extraordinary young people from across history. Join her for 12 stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of you...

Which new classic has become the best Christmas song of all time: All I Want for Christmas Is You or Last Christmas? Writer, journalist, and poet Kyla Marshell is here to argue for Mariah Carey while radio host, music journalist, and documentary producer Jenny Eliscu takes the side of Wham! Kyla says Mariah created a new standard, which is hard to do in any genre. Jenny must admit that All I Want...

Which sketch comedy show is better: Saturday Night Live or In Living Color? Writer and performer Carma Anderson says it’s SNL while storyteller and director Jameer Pond votes for In Living Color. Carma says SNL’s longevity is proof of its superiority and argues that it’s produced more stars and has showcased a diverse array of cast members over its 50-year run. Jameer says In Living Color had bett...

Which action movie franchise is better: Mission: Impossible or The Fast and the Furious? Journalist and podcaster Sam Sanders says the answer is The Fast and the Furious while writer Audrey Cleo Yap argues for Mission: Impossible. Audrey likes that the Mission: Impossible franchise centers on Tom Cruise, who she says is the last true action star. Sam prefers that The Fast and the Furious includes...

Which classic Tom Hanks movie would you rather re-watch: A League of Their Own or Apollo 13? Normally, the co-hosts of the Born to Love podcast are the best of friends, but this week Ellie Kemper and Scott Eckert take a turn as rivals with Ellie arguing for A League of Their Own and Scott taking up for Apollo 13. Ellie says that A League of Their Own is a delightful ensemble film that offers laugh...

Which is the best movie soundtrack: Trainspotting or Purple Rain? The co-hosts of the One Song podcast square off this week with Diallo Riddle taking the side of Trainspotting and LUXXURY representing Purple Rain. However, the planned debate gets derailed immediately when host Ronald Young Jr. admits he’s “neutral” on Prince. In a PCDC first, the guests join forces and try to convince Ronald to gi...

Pop Culture Debate Club will be back with a brand new episode next week. This week, we wanted to share an episode of another great podcast from the BBC that you might enjoy – Central Intelligence, a major new audio drama series starring Kim Cattrall, Ed Harris and Johnny Flynn.     Central Intelligence tells the inside story of the CIA from the perspective of Eloise Page (Kim Cattrall), who joined...

Who is the better filmmaker: Spike Lee or Tyler Perry? Jonquilyn Hill, the host of Explain It to Me, is Team Spike while Nichole Hill, the host of The Secret Adventures of Black People, is Team Tyler. And the neutral arbiter – until the end – is Ronald Young Jr. Jonquilyn argues that Spike Lee is a true artist who has made biopics, documentaries, music videos, and TV shows. Nichole says that Tyler...

Which comic book publisher is superior: DC or Marvel? The co-hosts of the X-Ray Vision podcast duke it out this week with Rosie Knight on the side of DC and Jason Concepcion arguing for Marvel. And Ronald Young Jr. has the near-impossible task of picking a winner. Jason argues that Marvel is a more modern type of comic book experience and the characters are more grounded in reality. Rosie says tha...

Which mass transit action film is better: Speed or Passenger 57? Comedian Wyatt Cenac is here to represent Passenger 57, while comedian Chris Duffy argues in favor of Speed. And Ronald Young Jr. will cast the deciding vote. On the one hand, Speed launched Keanu Reeves’s action movie career and Chris says its legacy is undeniable. On the other hand, Passenger 57 did the same for Wesley Snipes and W...

Which children's cable TV channel is better: Disney Channel or Nickelodeon? Two comedians square off this week in this nostalgic battle, with Evan Mills taking the side of Disney Channel and Hoja Lopez here to fight for Nickelodeon. And Ronald Young Jr. will listen to what they each have to say and then declare a winner. On the one hand, Evan says Disney Channel produced a longer list of lasting s...

Which phone is superior: the iPhone or the Android? Taking the side of iPhones is actor and comedian Langston Kerman, while fellow actor and comedian Baron Vaughn is Team Android. And here to adjudicate is Ronald Young Jr. Langston says iPhones look better, are easier to use, and that the majority of Americans agree with him because iPhones are a majority of cell phones in the US. Baron says Andro...

Which political TV show is better: Veep or The West Wing? Two familiar voices square off this week, with former host Aminatou Sow returning to argue on behalf of Veep and previous guest Hrishikesh Hirway taking the side of The West Wing. This is not going to be an easy decision for new host Ronald Young Jr. to make! Aminatou says that recent political headlines prove that Veep is a realistic portr...

Which Love Island franchise is the best: the original UK or the upstart USA? British podcast host Will Njobvu and American magazine editor Nikki Ogunnaike are here to represent their homelands and do their best to sway Aminatou Sow to pick their show. Will says Love Island UK is real, raw, and vintage reality TV and finds the American version “a bit corny.” Nikki says that Season 6 of Love Island...

Who is the truest New Yorker on Sex and the City? The hosts of 2 Black Girls, 1 Rose are here to make Aminatou Sow choose between Carrie Bradshaw and Samantha Jones. Justine Kay is Team Samantha – a sex-obsessed PR executive who lives in the Meatpacking District and whose girlboss ways Justine argues scream New York. Natasha Scott-Reichel comes representing Team Carrie – a fashion-loving sex colum...

Who is the worst fictional American abroad in pop culture? Two comedians square off this week and try to convince Aminatou Sow that their pick should be barred from international travel. Solomon Georgio wants to ban Indiana Jones from leaving America while David Gborie thinks it's Deuce Bigalow who needs to stay Stateside. Solomon says Indy steals antiquities and didn’t stop Nazis when he had mult...

This week we wanted to share another great podcast from the BBC that you might enjoy – Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley. Lucy travels back in time to revisit the unthinkable crimes of 19th century murderesses from the UK, Australia and North America.    In this episode Lucy is joined by Evy Poumpouras, former special agent with the Secret Service, where she protected five US presidents as part of th...

Which is the better franchise: the original Bachelor/Bachelorette or the spin-off, Bachelor in Paradise? Podcast host Traci Thomas loves the original franchise while radio host Mariah Smith prefers the spin-off, and they're both here today to convince Aminatou Sow that their pick should win. Traci loves the drama and romance of the Bachelor/Bachelorette and thinks that Bachelor in Paradise always...

It’s our first literary – and marital – debate! Which is the best way to consume books: audiobooks or paper books? Essayist and critic Maris Kreizman prefers to listen to her books while comedian Josh Gondelman wants to physically hold what he’s reading. And their job today is to convince Aminatou Sow to pick their preferred format. Maris loves that audiobooks allow her to multitask and thinks the...

Who is the worst lawyer on TV? Author and TV writer Samantha Irby says it’s Will Gardner from The Good Wife and writer and podcast host Josie Duffy Rice picks Rusty Sabich from Presumed Innocent. One’s a prosecutor, the other a defense attorney. One’s accused of murder, the other bribing a judge. And they both make questionable romantic decisions. Aminatou Sow must render her verdict and declare w...

What is the best on-screen depiction of motherhood? Parenting columnist Amil Niazi picks the TV show Better Things and journalist Jane Marie chooses the 1958 movie Auntie Mame, leaving Aminatou Sow with the unenviable task of selecting a winner. Which of the two better captures the highs and lows of motherhood? How do you compare someone who chose to be a mom with someone who had motherhood thrust...

Which made-for-TV movie on the Lifetime Network is the best of all time? The co-hosts of The Deep Dive take sides, with Jessica St. Clair choosing Jackie’s Back! (1999) and June Diane Raphael picking the 2016 remake of Mother, May I Sleep with Danger? But, how do you compare a shockingly star-studded mockumentary with a sexy vampire thriller? That’s Aminatou Sow’s challenge this week! She does her...

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...

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...

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 i...