Binge on '16 political pop culture
Remember when politics was a bit boring?
Well this presidential primary season has changed all that, drawing politicos and first-time voters alike to both rallies and their television screens as they binge on what has already been an extraordinary election cycle.
Whether it's the surprise success of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders or the downright nasty squabbles on the Republican side, there's a new headline just about every day that is just too good not to click, whether you want to or not.
Sure, you may feel like you overate at McDonald's after you read it, overcome with a mix of nausea and shame, but you'll be right back the next day if history is a guide.
Biden at core of HBO's 'Confirmation'
It's kind of like Michael Corleone in "The Godfather: Part III": "Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in."
Since it seems that plenty of us are in the acceptance stage of this election, we decided to serve up a buffet of political pop culture to help feed the addiction.
With this year's intense primaries breaking TV ratings and voting records, here are 11 television shows, podcasts and movies to binge on, nausea-free.
TV
“Confirmation” -- Airing Saturday night at 8 p.m., the HBO film depicting the Supreme Court nomination hearings of Clarence Thomas is the newest political pop culture nugget to come our way. And while it deals with his 1991 nomination fight in the shadow of sexual harassment allegations by law professor Anita Hill -- not this year's election battle -- it does shine a light on 2016. It's hard not to think about the current Supreme Court battle (and election year political football) or how treatment of sexual harassment in the workplace has changed over the past 25 years. As an added bonus: Greg Kinnear plays then-Sen. Joe Biden, who was head of the Senate Judiciary Committee at the time and ran the hearings.
"The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth" -- There's behind the scenes and there's behind the scenes. This Showtime documentary series starring Bloomberg Politics journalists Mark Halperin and John Heilemann and political adviser Mark McKinnon brings viewers deep inside the presidential primary campaigns in real time. It airs each Sunday and crams a week's worth of political news in 30 minutes. (The show went on a hiatus this week, but will return in July.) The non-partisan program shows you what it's like to be on Trump's plane after a big win or puts you in Sanders' hotel room as returns come in. The show is a well shot, straightforward road diary that's perfect for those who just can't get enough of the primaries.
"Funny Or Die Presents Donald Trump's The Art Of The Deal: The Movie" -- Johnny Depp plays Donald Trump. That's all you need to know about this no-one-saw-it-coming, 50-minute web film made by Funny or Die and posted in early February to the comedy website. The film -- a satirical version of Trump's 1987 best-selling book "The Art of the Deal" -- throws extremely sharp elbows at Trump. But the ridiculousness of the movie is what makes it a winner, especially Depp's overblown Donald, comedian Patton Oswalt as a poolside Merv Griffin and former "Happy Days" star Henry Winkler as former New York mayor Ed Koch. (Eighties sitcom space puppet ALF even appears to give it a full-on '80s vibe.) The bad news is that Funny or Die took the film off its site weeks ago. The good news is you can enter your e-mail address at funnyordie.com/trump_movie and they will shoot you a message when it is re-posted.
“House of Cards” -- Don't you just love it when Kevin Spacey looks into the camera and talks to us with that slightly silly Southern accent? The delicious (and bloody) political satire returned to Netflix for its fourth season last month. By now, "Cards" fans have most likely already devoured the season. It was released in full, following the new streaming model of delivering an entire season in one day. If you haven't seen the six-time Emmy winner, it's perfect for binge watching on a rainy weekend thanks to both Spacey and scene-stealer Robin Wright. A fifth season has already been announced for next year. However, show creator Beau Willimon will be stepping down as the showrunner -- the biggest shake-up yet for the drama. Can the show (and the Underwoods) survive a fifth season? Our fingers are crossed.
"Veep" -- Let the insults begin! Perhaps the best political comedy on television, "Veep" does more than give you a comical behind-the-scenes view of the life of Vice President Biden, er, Vice President Selina Meyer. It is also full of faux politicians and their aides spitting wicked insults at each other. Our favorite might have come last year when Delaware native and actor Neil Casey was called a "moon-faced hobbit." (Keep an eye out for Casey, who stars as the villain Rowan in the new "Ghostbusters" movie July 15.) "Veep" returns April 24 -- just in time to act as an end-of-the-week sorbet as the primaries soldier on. "Veep" runs through June 26, ending just after all the primaries are over and before the July political conventions.
What's next for Biden? We have (fun) suggestions.
“The Triumph 2016 Election Special” -- Have you missed Triumph the Insult Comic Dog? The old staple from "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" is back with a Hulu comedy special that follows the dog (and his hidden comedic master Robert Smigel) on the campaign trail, getting a little too up close with candidates, campaign staffers, supporters and just about anyone else he comes across. The fat jokes come especially fast and furious for University of Delaware graduate and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. In one elaborate prank, a fake news anchor is outside of a Christie town hall at a New Hampshire middle school surrounded by his supporters. She then reports that the candidate has become stuck in a school desk chair. Moments later, a large man is rolled out on a stretcher and wedged in the chair while firefighters begin to cut him out using an electric saw. The look of confusion on the faces of Christie supporters is the pay off.
PODCASTS
“Off Message” -- It's a lofty title. POLITICO's chief political correspondent Glenn Thrush tries his best to scratch the surface of this election season with an hour-long podcast that posts multiple new episodes each week. Check out February 28's podcast with David Plouffe, former senior adviser to President Obama. The Wilmington native and graduate of University of Delaware and St. Mark’s High School is Thrush's guest, giving Delawareans a homegrown expert view of the primary campaigns and a pinch of insight into his Delaware roots. Past guests have included everyone from politicians like Ben Carson and former congressman Barney Frank to media and Hollywood figures like former New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson and "The Big Short" director Adam McKay. (Available for free on iTunes or at soundcloud.com/off-message.)
"NPR Political Podcast" -- A rotating crop of NPR political reporters and editors guest on this podcast, including NPR lead political editor Domenico Montanaro, a University of Delaware graduate and proud Blue Hen. The show posts a couple of episodes per week, giving instant analysis to campaign trail successes and blunders. Not every episode is a day-to-day breakdown, however. Monday's 38-minute episode dug deep into a single question: can candidates pay delegates for their support? Republican election lawyer Ben Ginsberg, who helped former President Bush in his 2000 Florida recount battle, gets into the nitty-gritty -- something you would see on cable news if they weren't breathlessly reporting poll numbers nonstop. (Available for free on iTunes or npr.org/podcasts.)
“Keepin' it 1600” -- The podcast of former Obama staffers Dan Pfeiffer (senior adviser) and Jon Favreau (director of speechwriting) is housed on sports guy Bill Simmons' podcast network "Channel 33." The weekly podcast is new, launching less than a month ago with the pair dissecting the week's political and election news. (This podcast also has plenty of Delaware flair with Pfeiffer being a Wilmington native and all.) The relative youth of these White House veterans -- Favreau is 34 and Pfeiffer is 40 -- works perfectly for the younger-themed podcast network. It allows Pfeiffer to use phrases like "wet dream" to describe how cable executives would react to a contested Republican convention -- something we certainly have never heard him say on CNN, where he is a contributor. (Available for free on iTunes and soundcloud.com/channel33.)
MOVIES
"Bulworth"-- Eighteen years ago next month, Warren Beatty's "Bulworth" brought America a candidate willing to tell you what he really thinks, unvarnished. (Sound familiar?) Re-watching the political comedy in the age of Trump might make you wonder if Beatty, who co-wrote, directed and starred in the film, is a psychic. While both Jay Bulworth and Donald Trump have unfiltered mouths, Bulworth was a Democrat who drank, rapped and smoked weed in public while pushing for a single-payer health care system. Trump, on the other hand, is running as a Republican and has yet to appear to be under the influence of anything other than orange make-up. Still, the film's plot of following a straight-shooter candidate who says things that makes the establishment recoil sure feels familiar.
"Home Alone 2: Lost in New York"-- Let's get this our of the way first: we know "Home Alone 2" is not a political film. No one will mistake it for 1998's "Primary Colors." But the Macaulay Culkin-starring sequel to the original comedy does include a Donald Trump appearance. The film, which grossed more than $300 million, is one of his best-known Hollywood turns before he landed on NBC with "The Apprentice." If you remember, little Kevin McCallister is running around New York in the film when he enters the Plaza Hotel and bumps into Trump, asking for directions to the lobby. The scene ends with Trump delivering a double-take at the young boy alone in the ritzy hotel.
Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).