Hey pals! Sam Sanders here. 

Welcome to my weekly newsletter, which I’m starting in conjunction with my newest project right here at KCRW: The Sam Sanders Show. If you haven’t listened or watched yet, there are already THREE episodes waiting for you in the queue:

There’s one with comedian, writer, actor, and all-around star Joel Kim Booster, on that full-frontal scene in Industry, how fame has changed him, and more.

There’s also my chat with SNL alum and comedian Sasheer Zamata, one of the stars of Disney and Marvel’s newest hit: Agatha All Along. We talk witches and why they’re so hot right now, and share some funny stories about Sasheer’s previous life as a Disney parks performer.

And the latest episode features the one and only Monét X Change, drag queen extraordinaire, and RuPaul’s Drag Race CHAMPION. We talk about how her church upbringing influences her drag, and how she’s turning her art into activism with her own political action committee. She also sings opera for me!

You can check out ALL these episodes on your favorite podcast app, on KCRW’s airwaves (Fridays at 12 PM and Saturdays at 11 PM PST), and on YouTube (where all the spicy stuff we had to cut for radio remains!). 

So, in this newsletter, I’ll be highlighting the entertainment and pop culture I’m loving — but as a little thought exercise to kick off this lil’ ole thing, can we talk a bit about some entertainment and pop culture we hate, or at least dislike strongly? Or at least think is pretty bad? That’s like, NOT good? I ask this because on Sunday, I am going to see a film that some are calling one of the worst ever made, and I am SO stoked. 

You may have seen the reviews of Francis Ford Coppola’s latest movie, Megalopolis. They are BAD. VERY bad. There’ve been reports of people laughing through entire screenings. And I should be clear: This film is not a comedy.

I always make it a point to watch bad things, on a regular basis.
1) I like to laugh at these things. And 2) a Jennifer Coolidge quote, of all things, fundamentally changed the way I feel about consuming awful pop culture. 

“I think one of the best things to cure self-doubt is just to go to really bad stuff,” the White Lotus star and all-around legend told a film festival audience in 2023. “I’m talking about plays you hear about that are terrible — go to them. There [are] shows on television that are terrible — watch them. Not the good stuff, the good stuff is just intimidating and you’re like, ‘How could I ever f***ing do that?’”

Basically, her sage logic is that watching something bad increases our confidence to make something GOOD, cuz like, at least we didn’t make *that.* So I am channeling that energy this weekend while watching Megalopolis. As long as this new show and newsletter don’t get those kinds of reviews, I can call it all a success. 

So tell me: What’s the WORST thing you’ve seen or read or heard recently? Worst album, worst book, worst movie, worst show? Reply to this email. I wanna know, and I will probably highlight some of your picks in an upcoming newsletter. 

With that, I’ll leave you with two things I am LOVING right now, and I’ll see y’all back here next week. 

CURRENT MUSIC OBSESSION: That new Sabrina Carpenter album? It’s really, really good! Slick production, incredible wordplay. I think the last track is my favorite: “Don’t Smile.” It’s got lyrics like this line: “Don't smile because it happened, baby /Cry because it's over.” Just genius!!! 

CURRENT MOVIE OBSESSION: I won’t stop telling everyone I see to go check out Strange Darling in movie theaters before it’s gone. It’s a slasher film that will push the boundaries of what you think horror can do!!! A surprise every minute. It’s spectacular. 

Yours,
Sam