Hi friends,
It's Saturday! Every week, I send out an email with my upcoming shows, one thing I think is great, one thing that made me laugh, and one thing I found interesting.
Upcoming Shows
EVERYWHERE:
For the past five months, I've been writing for Wyatt Cenac and John Oliver's new HBO show. We've finally got an air date and a trailer. I'm proud to be a part of this team and I can't wait for you to see it! Here's the trailer: Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas
On this week's episode of You're the Expert, Todd Barry, Sasheer Zamata, and Courtney Gilmour talk to the world's leading expert on raccoon intelligence. We recorded this one at the Just For Laughs festival and it's one of my all-time favorites! Link
NEW YORK:
Sunday, March 18 at 7 p.m. at Caveat. You're the Expert returns with Jo Firestone, Zhubin Parang, and a guest scientist. Link
Saturday, March 24 at 4 p.m. at Caveat. I'm hosting my variety show and Oprah-style prize giveaway with performances by Celisse Henderson (who sang backup for Kesha at the Grammys), comedy from Ashley Brooke Roberts, and a reading by Emma Carmichael (former editor-in-chief of Jezebel). Link
WASHINGTON, D.C.:
Saturday, April 14 at 7 p.m. at National Geographic. I'll be back with NatGeo Live for another You're the Expert taping. Link
My full schedule with all upcoming dates is online here.
This week's list
GREAT:
Today's three things are all food-related. And what better food to start with than pizza? It's delicious, cheap, and widely available. Perfection in triangular form.
In the first episode of David Chang's new Netflix documentary series, Ugly Delicious, he flies all around the world to figure out what a "real" pizza is. Helen Rosner, in the New Yorker, said "the Momofuku chef's lavishly produced show isn't about what food is, it's about what it means, and about the choices people make that change its meaning." Read her excellent review and then watch the show: David Chang Combats Culinary Purity in His New Netflix Series, "Ugly Delicious"
FUNNY:
While I liked Ugly Delicious, I definitely thought it was weird how few women David Chang interviewed. It's a real blindspot for the show. I kept wishing that they would bring Jacqueline Novak along for one of the segments. She's a hilarious standup and writer, whose bit about the correct amount of slices is, to me, perfect. Here's a little taste of it, but if you want the whole thing, you'll need to watch her half hour special, which you should also do. Jacqueline Novak on the Late Late Show
INTERESTING:
One of my favorite parts of hosting You're the Expert is getting to find out the weird, very human quirks of brilliant scientists. I love hearing that someone can win the Nobel Prize and be completely stumped by the dishwasher. I leave seeing them a little bit fuller, as more complete human beings. That's exactly what Jessica Valenti is going for in her new series "Eating Out Loud." It's a look "at the way that food fuels and defines the people who are changing politics and culture." You can read Valenti's introduction here or just jump straight into one of my favorite episodes, a conversation about "performative eating" with Lindy West.
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Enjoy the weekend!
Chris