Life and Art from FT Weekend

Today, we’re taking on the much-hyped film adaptation of the musical smash Wicked. Starring Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo and Jeff Goldblum, the story is a loose prequel to The Wizard of Oz, following its two star witches before they become Glinda the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West. Why is this film such a big deal? How does it hold up to the Broadway show? And what makes a musical work well onscreen? Lilah is joined by the FT’s Anna Nicolaou and Eric Platt, who attended the New York premiere together, to discuss.-------The show is ending, and we’re collecting your cultural questions. We have access to critics, reporters, producers and experts. What’s rolling around in your head? Let Lilah know by email at lilahrap@ft.com or on Instagram @lilahrap. And – thank you.-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): – The FT’s four star review of Wicked is here: https://on.ft.com/3CDHvgW – Anna is listening to The Good Whale, a New York Times podcast about the whale from Free Willy– Eric does not recommend the show House of Villains – available on E! and Hayu – but Lilah and Anna think it sounds pretty good– Anna Nicolaou is on Instagram @annanicolaou. Eric is on Bluesky, Instagram and X @EricGPlatt-------Original music by Metaphor Music. Clips copyright Universal PicturesRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com

You probably noticed by their clothes: this summer, men just wanted to have fun. Crop tops, short shorts and even kilts and skirts were in. Long sleeves, and long inseams, were out. Today, two FT men’s fashion experts, Robert Armstrong and Eric Platt, join us to discuss how and why this happened, and what the rise of skimpy menswear tells us about masculinity today. -------We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and email at lifeandart@ft.com.-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): – Rob’s latest style column is here: https://on.ft.com/3xWm8pa– Rob is on X @rbrtrmstrng. Eric is on X @EricGPlatt– Here’s the GQ piece we mentioned, called “Why is everyone on steroids now?” https://www.gq.com/story/why-is-everyone-on-steroids-now -------Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart

Today we’re talking about Anora, the new critical darling about the whirlwind romance between a Brooklyn sex worker and the hell-raising son of a Russian oligarch. The film follows the couple’s chaotic week together, their impulsive marriage, and what happens when the oligarchs hear the news and demand an annulment. It’s directed by Sean Baker, known for The Florida Project and Tangerine. It won the Cannes prestigious Palme d'Or award and is tipped as an Oscar winner. Who holds the power in the film? And why do people love it? FT film critic Danny Leigh and deputy news editor India Ross join Lilah to discuss. -------We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap, and email at lilahrap@ft.com. And we’re grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify!-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): – Danny Leigh’s interview with director Sean Baker is here: https://on.ft.com/3YJXqBF – His five-star review of Anora is here: https://on.ft.com/40PEFzc – Danny recommends Andrea Arnold’s Bird and the documentary Soundtrack to a Coup d'etat. India mentioned the film American Honey– Here’s Lilah’s piece about the Met’s employee art show: https://on.ft.com/4ewTl9R-------FT subscribers can share your suggestions for Woman of the Year 2024 in the comments here, before November 25. Who has had a big year, in your industry and elsewhere? Who has earned accolades, accomplished remarkable things, made huge strides, produced important work or set records? Who has shaped this year? -------Clips copyright Neon and FilmNation EntertainmentRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com

If you are someone who has or wants to have wine at your house, this episode is for you. Whether you’re looking to buy a few bottles you’ll drink in the next few months, or you’d like to start collecting and ageing wine for years to come, we’ve got you covered. FT wine editor Jancis Robinson, author of the Oxford Companion to Wine, talks us through what wines we should be on the lookout for and how to make sure they blossom into something better over time.-------We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify. And please share this episode with your friends!-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): – Earlier this year, Jancis wrote articles about building a cellar on a budget. These included advice on how to store wine properly and an overview of how to build an affordable cellar. She also wrote regional guides for collecting Italian wines, wines from the Americas, and beyond. – You should also check out Jancis’s site JancisRobinson.com, which has daily updates on the latest wine news, as well as guides for wine novices and seasoned enthusiasts– You can follow Jancis on X @JancisRobinsonRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Today, we explore how to discover new music. Despite having access to more music than ever before, many of us are still falling back on the same old stuff. The algorithms may be pushing us toward uniformity, but how do we break out of the echo chamber? FT pop critic Ludo Hunter-Tilney and music and culture writer Arwa Haider join Lilah to share advice for finding new artists, and recommend new music that they love.-------We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify. And please share this episode with your friends!-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): – You can find all of the artists mentioned today in this playlist we made for you here.– Arwa Haider’s playlist is here.– Ludo Hunter-Tilney’s latest review of the electronic music duo Xeno & Oaklander’s new album, Via Negativa, is here. We also love his interview with Irish-language hip-hop band Kneecap.– Here’s Arwa’s interview with Norwegian singer-songwriter Aurora. – You can follow Ludo on X @ludohunter. Arwa is on Instagram @arwa.haider and X @ArwaHaider ------Original music by Metaphor Music. Music clips from Asylum, Abu Recordings and Felukah, Speedy Wunderground / PIAS, Defjam Recordings / PolydorRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Critics have been warning about the death of photography as an art form for years. Smartphones were going to lead to its demise by making everyone a photographer. Then came warnings about AI, which can create photographic images without a human actually being present at a given time and place. But, the FT’s US art critic Ariella Budick argues that instead of dying, the medium has evolved. She joins us to discuss how it has changed from its purest form in the 1950s to today.-------We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap, and email at lilahrap@ft.com. Get in touch this week if you have questions for the great wine critic Jancis Robinson, who'll be answering them on our next Monday episode.-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): – Lilah’s profile of the Bronx Documentary Center is here: https://on.ft.com/3NQeAZe–  Ariella’s most recent review is of the exhibition We Are Here at the International Center of Photography: https://on.ft.com/48BeUof– She’s also recently written about Robert Frank at the MoMA: https://on.ft.com/3ArjnNHRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Today we head to Rutshire, to take a crack at the frothy, riotous TV adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s 1980s romance novel, Rivals. The eight-episode series follows a cluster of posh English country-dwellers – including TV executive Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tennant) and local heartthrob Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) — as they bonk and bust their way around the Cotswolds. Shoulder pads, extramarital affairs and messy dinner parties abound. But what is the show really about: Class? Sex? The 80s? Lilah is joined by the FT's Robert Shrimsley and Harriet Fitch Little to discuss. -------We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap, and email at lilahrap@ft.com. And we’re grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify!-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): –  Rivals is out now on Disney+ in the UK, and Hulu in the US. You can read the FT’s four star review here: https://on.ft.com/40sqQa6 – Robert Shrimsley’s column, ‘Were the 80s as much fun as Jilly Cooper says?’ is here: https://on.ft.com/4f5PcL8 – We also love Jo Ellison’s recent column, ‘Jilly Cooper’s Britain: the bad sex world capital’: https://on.ft.com/3Uvj0Zt – Robert is on X @robertshrimsley. Harriet is on X @HarrietFL and Instagram @huffffle -------Original music by Metaphor Music. Clips copyright Disney.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Historian Sir Simon Schama is one of the most influential public intellectuals of our time. So when he replied to our invitation to come on the show ahead of the US presidential election by saying he wanted to talk about “the unprecedented collapse of truth”, we immediately said yes. It’s been a disorienting presidential campaign. For many Americans, it’s hard to understand how statements which are so clearly untrue – such as the government controls the weather, and sent hurricanes to Republican-leaning states – are working on voters. On today’s show, Simon tells us why the current state of misinformation is unprecedented in American history, and what he thinks can be done to reverse it.-------We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap, and email at lilahrap@ft.com. And we’re grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify!-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): – Simon’s latest piece in the FT on the fight over American patriotism, written in September: https://on.ft.com/48iEHSdRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Today we are pulling on our striped demon ghost suits for a special Halloween episode: a deep-dive on Tim Burton’s 1988 classic, Beetlejuice. It persists in our cultural memory, remade as an animated series, a theme park ride, a musical, and as of last month, a legacy sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. We talk about why it’s endured with such ferocity, how the sequel compares, and whether films like it even exist anymore. We also share our own, and listeners’, top Halloween films. Lilah’s joined by FT horror movie superfan Topher Forhecz and political columnist, film buff and Beetlejuice hater Stephen Bush. -------We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap, and email at lilahrap@ft.com. And we’re grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify!-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): – Beetlejuice (1988) is on Netflix in the UK and Max in the US. The sequel is still in theatres– HTSI’s recent cover interview with Beetlejuice star Michael Keaton is here: https://on.ft.com/3C3iWcM –  Here’s film critic Danny Leigh’s 2-star review of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the 2024 sequel: https://on.ft.com/3YcfWCx  – Stephen Bush is on X @stephenkb. You can sign up to receive his newsletter Inside Politics here.Spooky film recommendations: – Stephen recommends The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Topher recommends Blades (1989) and Lilah recommends It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966). –  Our listeners recommended: Hocus Pocus, House (1977 Japanese psychedelic), Rosemary’s Baby, Practical Magic, Giallo films (Italian 70s slashers, like Deep Red), Mermaids, Sleepy Hollow, Halloween 3, Young Frankenstein and more. If you have Instagram, here’s the full list of listener film recommendations: https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/18073242955580424/ -------Clips this week courtesy of Warner Bros-------Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com