Let’s go to the movies and feel joy again! Jon M. Chu’s Wicked and 86-year-old Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II are going head-to-head at the box office and we’re lapping it up. We haven’t had movies this big since 2023’s back-to-back releases of Barbie and Oppenheimer, aka “Barbenheimer”. Will “Glicked” save the movies and snatch the awards season trophies?     Guest critic Maria Lewis – screenwriter, film geek and pop culture etymologist is in the house. Also, something’s not right: John...

We’re throwing what we think about celebrity endorsements out the window after the US election results. Endorsements from Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen, Bad Bunny and Cardi B couldn’t help Kamala Harris in a race where Donald Trump had the likes of Joe Rogan – the world’s biggest podcaster – and Elon Musk – the world’s richest person – in his corner.   Stop Everything! show daddy Benjamin Law and English teacher-turned comedian Urvi Majumdar join BW live on stage from the OzAsia...

Twenty-three years after the original series of The Office debuted, Australia has its own version of the mockumentary workplace comedy, for the first time featuring women in two of the core roles. Felicity Ward, who plays needy bad boss Hannah Howard, and show runners Jackie Van Beek and Julie De Fina talk to BW about how this 13th version of The Office, streaming on Prime Video, adapts itself to the post-pandemic world of work.  

Secure your wig, pour yourself a hot cup of tea, and settle in as Kween Kong – Stop Everything! guest critic and RuPaul's Drag Race Global All Stars finalist – speaks exclusively to BW about the series finale and her experience on the show. We get into the Nehellenia drama, RuPaul saying the 'L' word, fandom backlash, and of course – the final result which saw USA's Alyssa Edwards take home the $200,000 prize and a spot in the International Pavilion at the Drag Race Hall of Fame, located in...

James Blunt weirdly got us on board with the 20th anniversary re-release of his debut album, Back to Bedlam, which features the divisive ear worm "You're Beautiful." Then actor Andrew Garfield got vulnerable on Sesame Street talking to Elmo about grief; and went on a chemistry-packed Chicken Shop Date with Amelia Dimoldenberg. How did these two celebrities, both on promotional press tours, manage to make us feel real feelings while selling us stuff? Jennifer Wong, writer, comedian and this...

What happened when Simu Liu summoned the Kenergy to address cultural appropriation of Boba, also known as bubble tea and pearl milk tea, on CBC reality show Dragons' Den, and how did the internet react? (spoiler: not well) And what's the secret sauce behind Netflix's hit rom-com series Nobody Wants This, starring Xennial dreamboats Adam Brody and Kristen Bell? Guest critic Patrick Lenton, freelance culture writer and author, joins BW to figure it out. Show notes: Simu Liu on Dragons'...

Why is the moist, ungovernable baby pygmy hippo named Moo Deng the aloe vera on our parched souls? What's it like to use Social AI, the social media app where you're the only human interacting with a universe of AI chatbots with different personalities? How is Netflix's Culinary Class Wars refreshing the cooking competition show genre? And what does Zelda do now that she's the star of her own game? BW and guest critic Gianni Di Giovanni meditate on these questions. Show notes: How games...

The big Hollywood blockbusters barely feature a kiss anymore, let alone any amorous affairs. So, why are studios so afraid of this core human experience and where do we need to go to get our vicarious fix? This week's host Wenlei Ma is joined by guest critic, Vogues' Hannah-Rose Yee to talk about sex on film. Plus, with the release of the Pitt/ Clooney vehicle Wolfs on streaming, is the movie star dead?

Is it ok that "fake German heiress" Anna Delvey has appeared in the current season of Dancing With The Stars (US)? Can a convicted scammer dance her way to reputation rehab – and should she even have the opportunity? Guest critic (and trained dancer!) Rudi Bremer is in to discuss. Show notes: "Maybe She Had So Much Money She Just Lost Track of It" by Jessica Pressler Ziwe interviews Anna Delvey.

After Taylor Swift made her politics clear by endorsing Kamala Harris for president, Donald Trump reacted by posting: I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT! But does he understand how that's activated Swifties? Guest critic Steph Van Schilt is a writer, podcast producer and Taylor Swift specialist, and she shares her take on the situation. Also: is The Bear really a comedy? We recap the Emmys and Steph explains why you should be watching Below Deck.

Raygun, Australia's most famous breaker, is back in the news again – posting photos hanging out with Sir Richard Branson and Boy George – as foreshadowed in her interview with The Project's Waleed Aly. Is this a coda to Raygun's viral moment, or a sign of things to come? Guest critic Tahlea Aualiitia is in to ponder the question, as well as Beyoncé's lack of CMA nominations. And we're also getting into our latest reality TV obsession – The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Show notes: Raygun...

Megan Thee Stallion may have originated Hot Girl Summer and WAP, but she's also a self-proclaimed Otaku Hot Girl, ie like millions of people around the world – an anime superfan. If it's good enough for Thee Stallion, maybe you should check it out too? Anime superfan and guest critic Ahmed Yussuf is in to make the argument for why you should get into anime too. We're also weighing up our feelings about Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

Midwest Princess Chappell Roan is asking you to respect her boundaries, and we wish her good luck, babe! The American singer songwriter is grappling with her meteoric rise to fame and calling out predatory behaviour, unwanted touching and asking "superfans" to stop being weird to her family and friends. Guest critic Wenlei Ma is in to discuss this, J.Lo and Ben's Affleck's breakup, nostalgia for 1999 teen films like Cruel Intentions and 10 things I Hate About You, and a TV recommendation...

It's a very demure, very mindful episode of Stop Everything! in this the cutesy edition: How Chicago TikTok creator Jools LeBron is redefining demure and changing her life in the process!  Guest critic Jared Richards is in to analyse demure, Katy Perry’s comeback album launch missteps and the Olympics of Drag – Rupaul’s Drag Race Global All Stars – whose cast includes Stop Everything! family member, Kween Kong.  

We're talking about the moment B-girl Raygun, aka Dr Rachael Gunn, became the world's favourite meme. Raygun's breaking performance at the Paris Olympics was instantly iconic – and divisive: Is this how people really dance in Australia? Was this the best Australia had to offer? Was this a weird academic stunt? Is Raygun an Aussie hero or taking the piss? There's a lot of noise – guest critics Hannah Reich and Rudi Bremer (a trained dancer!) weigh in.

Big feelings are in the air as Stop Everything! co-founding parent Benjamin Law returns to talk about Netflix's gay Japanese dating reality show The Boyfriend, and Beverley tells him about the latest chapter in the Ballerina Farm trad wife mumfluencing saga. Also: Ben recounts his favourite horny moments from The Olympics. Show notes: The Times article "Meet the Queen of the Trad wives and her eight children" The Times follow up article "My day with the Trad wife queen and what I really...

We're all over the Paris 2024 Olympics. From the booze cruise boats of the opening ceremony to the uniforms, Simone Biles' comeback and becoming armchair experts in obscure sports, guest critic Tahlea Aualiitia is in to talk through all the details of the games that you actually care about. Then stick around as we do our best to explain why US Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance is contending with baseless rumours that he had sex with a couch. And other things.

Stop Everything! and catch up with Atsuko Okatsuka – stand-up comic, social media star and bowl cut icon – who's coming to Australia with her new show, Full Grown. In 2022, Atsuko's debut HBO comedy special, The Intruder – and her viral "drop challenge" – marked her arrival as a comedy star on the rise. Atsuko talks to BW about how full grown she actually feels, backup career plans and the power of the bowl cut. Show notes: Atsuko Okatsuka's website Atsuko Okatsuka's TikTok Couple...

What happens when you say the quiet part out loud? For Tenacious D's Kyle Gass, it means a tour cancellation and possibly the end of the band, with co-founder Jack Black announcing "all future creative plans are on on hold" after Gass shared his birthday wish on stage: "don't miss Trump next time." It's been a wild week of news from an assassination attempts on former US President Donald Trump to rubbernecking at the display of wealth, celebrity, and influence on display at the billionaire...

2024 is a huge year for horror releases with features like The First Omen, A Quiet Place: Day One, Trap and The Moogai luring audiences into theatres for a good jump scare. Guest critic and horror aficionado Maria Lewis talks through what's exciting her in horror right now. And hands (up) if you've got mixed feelings about season three of FX's The Bear.

There are more than one billion smartphone users in China, and the only thing stopping many of us from understanding their social media world is language. Dr Candise Lin is a Chinese-American tutor who has amassed a 1.5m following on TikTok with her quirky content, translating Chinese social media posts for her English-speaking followers. Candise opens a window into Chinese pop culture, WeChat, beauty standards and Gen Z trends in this deep dive episode. Show notes: Candise Lin Instagram...

The remix of Charli XCX's The girl, so confusing featuring verses from Lorde has got the internet talking, Justin Timberlake's mugshot goes viral and "realistic" lunch packing mumfluencers are rotting our brains. Stop Everything! for guest critic Yumi Stynes, author, foodie and host of Ladies, We Need To Talk, who's dropping insights on all the above like no one else can. This a fun one! Show notes: I am: Céline Dion review Ladies, We Need To Talk: Horny Women

I am: Céline Dion captures a scene so confronting even its filmmaker didn't know whether Celine would be happy including it in the documentary. BW sits down with director Irene Taylor to discuss the journey with Céline in making this intimate and raw documentary, and what it was like to witness the superstar experiencing Stiff Person Syndrome firsthand. Show notes: I am: Céline Dion review

Now that the second part of Bridgerton season three has dropped, it's time to Stop Everything! for a loving critique of the hit Netflix series' sex scenes. They're hot, but perhaps a bit more time focusing on female pleasure wouldn't hurt? And we're jumping into the TARDIS with journalist, Whovian and guest critic Ahmed Yussuf, who's taking us on a journey through the latest season of Dr Who, a revamped BBC-Disney co-production featuring the joyfully charismatic Ncuti Gatwa. Show notes LA...