With Election Day just days away, you can almost feel the anxiety in the air. And that anxiety is making its way into seemingly everything, from news to pop culture. It’s almost like all of us are collectively wanting it–the election, the news, celebrities getting involved in campaigns, etc.–just to be over so that we can get back to normal. But what exactly is normal? And after next Tuesday, is it even possible to get there? Let’s go over the week that was as we prepare ourselves for the great unknown.
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Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump speaks to reporters while wearing a safety vest on the tarmac at Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport on October 30, 2024 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. With less than a week until Election Day, Trump is campaigning for re-election in the battleground states of North Carolina and Wisconsin.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
We start things off by breaking down the state of this chaotic presidential race on the Parting Shot podcast. The big question asked: Will people show up to vote or is the apathy just so strong that people will decide to stay home? While Vice President Kamala Harris makes a case against former President Donald Trump and a case for unity, Trump is pulling out all the stops (and stunts) to get those middle-class Americans to vote Trump once again. Newsweek‘s Jason Lemon and Jenni Fink stopped by to break down the state of the presidential race before next Tuesday. You can watch the full episode in the video above or listen to it on the Parting Shot podcast.
Now, because the presidential race is sucking up all the energy in the room (rightfully so), it makes sense that we as a culture could use a little distraction. (Even though celebrities like Jennifer Lopez for Harris and Hulk Hogan for Trump keep popping up at all these campaign events, it almost feels like you can’t escape the political news even when you start to watch your favorite show.) Despite that, millions of Americans are finding that distraction with CBS‘ Matlock starring Oscar-winner Kathy Bates. A reimagining of the classic Andy Griffith series, Bates plays Madeline Matlock, a woman rejoining the workforce at a prestigious law firm in her senior years. She stopped by the Parting Shot podcast to talk about why this character means so much to her and whether she feels like she has redefined how Hollywood looks at leading ladies.
“Rome, in a Day” – As Matty settles into her new role at Jacobson Moore, Olympia and the aptly nicknamed “Team You Three” (Matty, Billy and Sarah) take on a lawsuit involving a developmentally delayed teenager whose family claims he’s been wrongly accused of murder. Also, Olympia and Julian disagree on a parenting matter, on MATLOCK, Thursday, Oct. 17 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs)*. Pictured (L-R): Jason Ritter as “Julian Markston”, Kathy Bates as “Madeline Matlock”, and Skye P. Marshall as “Olympia Lawrence”. Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Sonja Flemming/CBS
Also on the podcast, Amber Ruffin stopped by to talk about CNN‘s Have I Got News For You. A late-night comedy game show on CNN? Yes, it’s real, and it is funny.
“On regular late-night shows, you have to teach the audience what the news story is and then you can talk about it,” Ruffin says. “But here [on CNN] there’s way less learning. You’re all people who love knowing what’s going on in the world, so it is a lot faster moving.”
And if that wasn’t enough of a distraction for you, I spent some time with Survivor‘s Tiyana Hallums. If you watched the latest episode of Survivor, then you know all about that shocking Tribal Council. (That was a plot twist I did not see coming.) I spoke with Hallums about that shocking Tribal Council, why she was so emotional, and where she thinks her game went wrong.
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That’s a wrap on this week. It’s feeling a bit like the calm before the storm, and guess what? We’ll be here to cover it all. Make sure you’re subscribed to the For the Culture newsletter and the Parting Shot podcast for the latest in culture, entertainment news, and all the ways it intersects with the news of the week.
