Pop Culture Coffee Break

This episode, Ani and Will, noted film buff and Traffic Director, talk about the Oscar nominations of the season. Hear the talks of predictions, picks and of course, our villains of the award season. This episode also includes conversations about previous Oscar snubs, music scores with a person whose show on Freeflow is all about rescoring movies and a gush session about Delroy Lindo 

WSUM's Catalina Desua joins us as we talk about the most recent Taylor Swift album and all the related backlash it has had. Discussions include the lyrics, the Charli XCX beef and NOT THE AI STUFF (this happened before people figured out there was AI in the promo vids) 

To celebrate halfway towards 50, the New York Times dropped ballots for readers to vote for the best movies of the 21st Century so far. To celebrate this, we decided to set up the weirdest episode of the Pop Culture Coffee Break. In studio is Ani and Elliott but joining on phone in his Wisconsin basement is Vince. Listen to extensive conversations about the seven degrees of Paul Dano, the White Sox and discussions on the official NYT list

This episode, Ani and Elliot discuss summer playlists and what they look for in their summer media. This includes conversations on My Chemical Romance, Quentin Tarantino and Letterboxd. Also includes some mentions of Stevie Wonder's 90-minute album about plants and everyone's favorite, Chat Pile. 

This Pop Culture Coffee Break episode introduces WSUM's newest talk director, Aniruddh Nambudiri! Outgoing talk director Kayla Dembiec gets to know Aniruddh by asking a series of fun and goofy questions. Stay tuned to see episodes hosted by Aniruddh himself! 

This week on Pop Culture Coffee Break, Kayla, Ray, Anna and Avery dive into cancel culture! The group shares the most unforgettable situations and their opinions on whether cancel culture demands accountability, or if it ever really works.

This Pop Culture Coffee Break episode introduces WSUM's newest talk director, the one and only Kayla Dembiec! Outgoing Talk Director Ray Kirsch asks Kayla all of the need-to-knows about her, including which Dance Moms member she's met, how she thinks Challengers ended and more. Stay tuned to see episodes hosted by Kayla herself!

In this episode, Talk Director Ray Kirsch and future Talk Director Kayla Dembiec quiz Sports Director Vince Hesprich on all things pop culture. He guesses the singer behind lyrics, who is starring in the latest films and more.

In this episode, Kayla, Anna, Oliver and Annika discuss their favorite pop culture moments related to the 2024 Presidential Election, which will occur on Tuesday, November 5. In addition to talking about TV makeup and vice president picks, the group weighs in on the role of social media in such a close race. 

Ray Kirsch and Kayla Dembiec discuss the show of their childhoods: Glee. They talk about their favorite duos, the problematic sides of glee and what modern songs the Glee club should sing.

Pop Culture Coffee Break is BACK! This week, Ray, Ani, Kayla, Anna and Manola discuss fan culture in the United States and the digital craze of celebrities. They discuss fan culture before and after social media, which celebrities they've DMed and what fandoms they consider themselves a part of.

Ray, Anna, Lexi and Owen discuss Charli xcx's new album 'brat' and everything that goes into a brat girl summer.

Hosts Ray Kirsch and Kayla Dembiec alongside guests Ian, Vince and Molly discuss JoJo Siwa's new song "KARMA." They discuss the rebrand, the music video and more.

In this episode, Lexi, Owen, Anthony and RJ discuss their thoughts on the 2024 Super Bowl. They talk about who their dream half-time performer would be, reactions to the game and their favorite moments.

Host Ray and guests Ani and Kelsey discuss the SAG-AFTRA awards that occurred on February 24. They talk about the decision to host it on Netflix, the results and their predictions for the upcoming Oscars. 

To celebrate the start of a new year, Ray, Quentin and Georgie discussed their ins and outs of 2024. 

In this episode, Ray, Heewone, Lexi, Georgie and Eliana discuss the new Hunger Games movie, "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes." They talk about the differences between the book and the movie, who their favorite characters were and their ratings of the overall plot.

Host Ray Kirsch with WSUM members Lexi Spevacek, Georgie Laws and Kayla Dembiec discuss their favorite dystopian series from their childhood. They talk about what makes dystopian movies so compelling, who their favorite characters were and what the future of dystopia looks like.

Camila Trimberger-Ruiz and Sports Team members Krissy Birdsall, Shannon Maynes and Vince Hesprich discuss the budding relationship between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. They break down who Travis Kelce is, why this relationship is important and whether they think the relationship is fake or real.

Host Camila Trimberger-Ruiz is joined by Hayden Woodard and Nick Doermann, hosts of Haunted Horror Hour on WSUM 91.7 FM. They give their top horror movies, hold the popular Halloween versus horror debate and recommend horror movies for listeners to watch. 

Hosts Camila and Ray, joined with station members Anna and Heewone, discuss the new Bottoms film. After taking a bus to the nearest movie theater and watching it, they talk about their favorite characters, the soundtrack and starting a WSUM fight club. 

Host Ray Kirsch and Heewone Lim discuss film showings at UW Cinematheque and WUD Film, from their past summer showings to their upcoming fall catalogues. They decide what films they wish would be shown, and Ray shout-outs their Com. Arts TA a few times.

Host Ray Kirsch and guest John Michels discuss the latest pop culture drama, from Lizzo and Doja Cat getting canceled to Olivia Rodrigo's new music. They also discuss Lil Tay's hacked Instagram claiming she was dead and their thoughts on cancel culture in general. 

Hosts Camila Trimberger-Ruiz and Ray Kirsch have an outdoor coffee date to discuss their top albums of the summer. They selected their favorite albums that have been released in 2023 and shared what songs they still want to listen to. Listen to their playlist of songs they recommend off the albums they discussed: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2xzgLajtZcA0xTjdp7RpMJ?si=ynlYJBOGRW6VzmYiOr-HJw 

Hosts Camila Trimberger-Ruiz and Ray Kirsch discuss celebrity PR relationships, which popular couples they think were just for clout and relationships they wish were a PR stunt.

These Barbies spoil the movie! Hosts Camila Trimberger-Ruiz and Ray Kirsch, alongside guests Heewone, Krissy and Lexi, discuss the new Barbie movie. They talk about their favorite songs from the soundtrack, voice their opinion on the Oppenheimer versus Barbie debate and discuss their favorite scenes.

Hosts Camila Trimberger-Ruiz and Ray Kirsch and News Team member Heewone Lim discuss the recent release of Speak Now (Taylor's Version). Listen to hear their favorite tracks, which song should've stayed in the vault and their overall ratings of the album.

Host Ray Kirsch and Music Director Amany Khreis discuss the Eras Tour after seeing Taylor Swift in Minneapolis. Listen to hear their thoughts on the surprise songs, the openers, and the concert experience.

Hosts Camila Trimberger and Ray Kirsch discuss “Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies” and the themes of feminism, sexuality, and love. Listen to hear their opinions about the musical and how it compares to the original “Grease.”