The Daily - Sunday Special: Wicked, Good?

“Wicked” was one of the biggest movies of 2024. It was culturally ubiquitous, a box office smash and an Oscar nominee for Best Picture. Now, a year later, “Wicked: For Good” arrives in theaters to finish the tale of the complicated friendship between Glinda the Good Witch and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. Can “Wicked: For Good” be the sensation that its predecessor was? Will it inject new life into a movie business that has suffered a historically bad business year? Will it satisfy the legions of “Wicked” fans who have been waiting to see their favorite musical brought to the big screen?

Gilbert Cruz is joined by Kyle Buchanan, a pop culture reporter for The New York Times who profiled the stars of “Wicked,” and Madison Malone Kircher, a reporter for the Styles desk and affirmed “Wicked” fanatic, to discuss what “Wicked: For Good” means for the movies.

 

On Today’s Episode

Madison Malone Kircher is a reporter covering internet culture for The Times.

Kyle Buchanan is a pop culture reporter and serves as The Projectionist, the awards season columnist for The New York Times.

Photo: Universal Pictures

 

Additional Reading

Ariana Grande Still Has Surprises in Store

There Have Been Dozens of “Wicked” Interviews. Why Did This One Go Viral?

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Pod Save America - What Will Democratic Governance Look Like? + Lina Khan (Crooked Con)

Live from Crooked Con, Alex Wagner hosts a discussion with Sen. Brian Schatz, Sen. Ruben Gallego, and Rep. Pramila Jayapal about what America would look like with Democrats in charge of one or both chambers, and how we sell Americans on that vision. Then, former FTC Chair Lina Khan joins Tommy Vietor to talk about the power of good ideas and how progressives can keep up the fight against the tech monopolies threatening to swamp America.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.


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The Gist - Mike on Matt Lewis Can’t Lose

Mike joins Matt Lewis for a lively crossover conversation that opens with deep dives into Huey Lewis puns before shifting into the Democrats' "affordability" message, why word wars matter more than policy wins, and how political optics collide with economic reality. They unpack everything from tariffs to AI dislocation to the future of the Democratic bench — and why charisma might matter more than infrastructure. Later, Mike breaks down the exploding sports-betting scandals in baseball and the NBA, how prop bets make cheating easier to spot, and why league integrity hinges on catching every idiot who thinks he can game the system. Plus: a brief remembrance of Parker Lewis, the Ferris-Bueller-for-TV that almost worked. Listen to the full episode here: Matt Lewis Can't Lose - Podcast - Apple Podcasts

Produced by Corey Wara

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The Daily - ‘The Interview’: John Green Knows That No One Really Loves You on the Internet

The writer and YouTube star on trying to get back to the experiences that make us feel alive.

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Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova - Risky Business Live! How To Read People In Poker And Beyond

Most people are bad at spotting bluffs and tells – but there are ways to get better. Nate and Maria discuss tips and tricks from the poker table s with a live audience at Ludlow House in New York City.


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The Leap from Maria Konnikova

Silver Bulletin from Nate Silver 

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The Gist - Funny You Should Mention: Myq Kaplan

Comedian Myq Kaplan joins the show for a deep dive into joke logic, philosophy, and the very slippery business of defining who counts as a comedian. Using his new special Rini as a jumping-off point, he and Mike wander through Grecian maxims, the paradox of the heap, why some laughs are closer to enlightenment than punch lines, and how his relationship with Rini turned into a whole cosmology of love, language, and life on stage. Along the way they talk genre, jazz, governing boards of comedy, and what it means to do "Myq and Rini based" comedy instead of fitting into anyone's box. Plus, revisiting Biden world's insistence that the disastrous 2024 debate did not hurt the president in the polls.

Produced by Corey Wara

Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠ad-sales@libsyn.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠

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The Bulwark Podcast - Adam Kinzinger: Trump Has Never Seemed this Scared

As a man who’s not used to losing, Trump is going through a bit of a rough patch since his party turned against him over the Epstein case. He’s flailing, lashing out, and acting afraid. After all, he knows how many times his name comes up in the Epstein files, and Ghislaine Maxwell continues to enjoy a bevy of special perks at her cushy prison for some reason. At the same time, the economy isn’t helping him, the stench of a lame duck is growing, and the threat of oversight by Dems after the midterms feels real. Plus, some skepticism about MTG’s new-found clarity, Fox and Trump’s war on Christmas, the crash of bitcoin, and the Kinzinger documentary.

Adam Kinzinger joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.

show notes

1A - The News Roundup For November 21, 2025

Congress voted overwhelmingly to authorize the release of the Epstein files. President Donald Trump welcomed the decision, signing the bill on Wednesday.

ICE activity in Charlotte, North Carolina, ramped up this week; authorities reportedly made some 250 arrests.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics said the economy added 119,000 jobs in September, while the unemployment rate edged up to 4.4%. It is the only jobs report the BLS will release until December. On Wednesday, the agency canceled the October jobs report for the first time in 77 years.

And, in global news, US President Donald Trump said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “knew nothing” about the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, in direct contradiction of U.S. intelligence. The president welcomed the kingdom’s de facto ruler to the Oval Office where they announced military and investment deals between the two nations.

In Gaza this week, some of the deadliest Israeli airstrikes since the U.S. brokered ceasefire took effect on October 10. On Monday, the UN Security Council endorsed Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza, including the deployment of an international stabilisation force.

And the war of words between Trump and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is heating up. However, both sides have indicated they’d be willing to meet face to face.

We cover the most important stories from around the world in the News Roundup.

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Federalist Radio Hour - Roadmapping Republicans’ 2026 Midterms Strategy

On this episode of The Federalist Radio Hour, Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters joins Federalist Senior Elections Correspondent Matt Kittle to share the GOP's plan for next year's midterm elections, review President Donald Trump's accomplishments so far, and discuss how Democrats' radicalism squares with voters' top concerns. 

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