Next Season on 'Serial'
Fans of the mega-hit podcast "Serial" are gearing up for the show's second season now that word has leaked that it will examine the capture and imprisonment of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. The season will be co-produced with Page One, a film company that is working on a movie about Bergdahl that Kathryn Bigelow will direct. However, a "Serial" spokesman would not confirm that the second season topic had been chosen, saying only, "Over the last few months they’ve been reporting on a variety of stories for both Seasons 2 and 3 of ‘Serial,’ along with other podcast projects.” [Dateline]
Airbnbodega
Have breakfast in bed at your neighborhood deli.
Jesse’s Deli, a beloved bodega in Boreum Hill, is listing space in its front window on Airbnb in a stunt protesting rising rents faced by small businesses through the city. The business is advertising a $329-per-night spot “in a gentrifying neighborhood” with a bed that’s separated from the 25-year-old institution by a potato chips stand.
It’s not the first time Jesse’s Deli has called attention to rent hikes — over the summer, the business advertised items priced two and a half times higher than usual with an “artisanal sale.” [Brooklyn Paper]
How Stephen Colbert Handled Donald Trump
Stephen Colbert's interview with Donald Trump on Tuesday was hotly anticipated, especially because it followed Colbert's interview with GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz the night before. However, TV critics came away from the affair somewhat disappointed, with Megan Garber from The Atlantic writing that the host was "repeatedly bested by his guest" and appeared unable to stand up to him.
Wow! What a great night. Thank you to all of the viewers and congratulations to @StephenAtHome http://t.co/5rq2iMpHx6 @colbertlateshow
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2015Trump took to Twitter and seemed very happy with the interview. [The Atlantic]
Jamaica Estates, Trump’s Old Neighborhood, Contrasts With Diverse Areas Around It
Jamaica Estates, an affluent secluded enclave in Queens, has for decades been home to many politicians, lawyers and doctors. The neighborhood built in part by Trump’s father, is where the Republican presidential candidate grew up more than 50 years ago. The New York Times takes a look at the quiet oasis, which at the time was a “nearly all white place.” Jamaica Estates is still very different from the surrounding neighborhoods of Jamaica and Hollis, where many residents, primarily African-Americans, Hispanics and South Asians, do not agree with Trump’s blunt views. [NYT]
“Normal Barbie” Hits Puberty
While the original Barbie is starting to talk, “Normal Barbie” — aka Lammily, the doll made with average body proportions — is becoming a woman.
The makers behind the alternative toy are now offering a “Period Party,” pack, filled with accessories for your doll that includes pads and liners, a pair of panties and an educational pamphlet about menstruation, according to TIME. Nickolay Lamm, Lammily’s creator, said they wanted to help make periods less taboo. [TIME]
Travel the Globe from Your Couch
For the past several years, the New York Times Magazine has published a Voyages Issue, an edition dedicated to the lovely imagery and accompanying stories from photojournalists' trips to far-flung places. This year, they’ve turned the print edition into a beautiful online interactive. As you scroll through the lush photography of six journalists' travels, you move around the world — from a journey along Nigeria’s longest train route, to majestic images of Venezuela’s Angel Falls, and an intimate look at family life in Istanbul. [NYT Magazine]
How Has Chinatown Kept Its Character?
As the neighborhoods around it have changed to in the face of gentrification and time, Chinatown has remained largely intact. Paired with portraits and mini-profiles of the leaders who have helped shape one of Lower Manhattan’s last ethnic enclaves, this New York Magazine piece explores how Chinatown has managed to keep its shape, even as the neighborhood grapples with its own internal changes. [NY Magazine]
PETA Rallies for Monkey’s Claim to Copyright
Headlines were made when Wikimedia Commons published charming photos or “selfies" of a macaque monkey, which took the photos itself with the photographer’s camera in Salawesi. The photographer contends his British copyright should be honored worldwide, but PETA filed a lawsuit on Tuesday saying the photos belong to the monkey. [AP]
Stonewall Gets Panned
Mired by controversy since its trailer was released earlier this year, things aren't looking up for disaster movie auteur Ronald Emmerich's "Stonewall." The movie about the 1969 Stonewall Inn riots that are credited with sparking the modern gay rights movement has been panned, with critics calling it offensive, unimaginative and an all-around terrible movie. "Stonewall" is out in theaters Friday. [Vanity Fair]
'Good Burger' Returns
Comedians Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell reprised their popular “Good Burger” roles on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” Wednesday night, to the delight of millions of young adults.
The characters first appeared on “All That,” a “Saturday Night Live”-style show for kids that aired on Nickelodeon in the 90s. The beloved “Good Burger” skit was also made into a feature film in 1997. [Variety]
'We Need to Call the Aquarium Or Somethin’ Dude!'
If anthropologists 1,000 years from now are looking for a stunningly perfect example of a 21st Century Bostonian Bro, they could do a lot worse than this exquisite, expletive-filled five-minute video [NSFW] of a man — Mike Bergin of Malden, Massachusetts — absolutely losing his mind over what appears to be a very large, very sick fish floating in the water near his friend Jay’s boat in Boston Harbor. Our favorite part: “That’s a tuna, bro!” around minute 3:15. For a bleeped-out version, click here.
