Episode 35: Kanye West vs. the terrorists

I love Kanye West. Newswise, he’s the gift who keeps on giving—a living, breathing savior in Givenchy boots and layered flannel. If I wake up in the morning and he hasn’t waxed poetical in the media, I simply assume he’s off turning water into moscato somewhere.

Uh huh, honey.

This week, the rapper insisted that his career is just like that of a solider in country. So, being a lover of knowledge, I called up a friendly Iraq war veteran to explain, in my latest podcast episode, exactly how correct Kanye is. Longtime fans of this show will be delighted to hear that my chosen expert is... well, I’ll let you discover for yourself.

Also this week!

• The Nerd Out’s Lisa Jenkins explains why Lady Gaga is not the failure you want her to be.
• We disclose the last known whereabouts of Ludacris.
• Lisa and I drill down—way down—on why you need to pay $40 for a Mrs. Carter Tour T-shirt.
• I go into feverish detail about precisely what you need to get me for the holidays.

You’re welcome.

Episode 34: Buggin' out

Now that Thanksgiving is over and I’ve returned to my regularly scheduled overeating, I have the time to start answering your questions again. And, really, why spend all that holiday time yakking with your family about Pappy’s goiter when you can listen to me hold forth about how celebrities really live? It’s a no brainer, people.

This week, one of you wrote in asking what the deal is with celebrity money. You know: How stars spend it, how they hoard it. So I got you Irwin Feinberg, a real fancy celebrity attorney who knows of such things. (Apparently art is a big thing with the famouses these days; if you need proof beyond this week’s episode, I recommend Nick Paumgarten’s recent New Yorker piece about the Art Basel show that happens every year in Switzerland; the fair is essentially the Davos of art, with all the smug self-importance and ridiculously sized cash transfers that such a description entails. For example, at the last Art Basel fair, one famous painting sold for a “cheap” 3.5 million; Leo DiCaprio and Cate Blanchett were among the VIP guests.)

Also in this episode: A loyal listener has a wee bit of a bedbug problem and wonders whether any celebrities have shared his pain. The answer: Yes. Just ask Howard Stern.

And! What will become of the Fast and Furious franchise without its key star? You asked. I answered.