Hi friends,

Hilary Duff's first new album in over a decade, titled luck … or something, is out on Feb. 20. We discuss the appeal of the Disney star and how she's handling her comeback tour. Next, we’re at the stage of celebrity where even the camera people are getting swept up in controversy. The red carpet Glambot Guy AKA Cole Walliser came under fire for questioning people's ability to use his services. We discuss the preceding JLo versus Glambot moment and ask if female celebrities are held to a much higher standard when it comes to red carpet interactions.

On his press tour to promote the new Netflix movie The Rip, Matt Damon made some pretty revealing comments about Netflix and the future of media. Are streamers going to simplify plots so we can all scroll as we watch? Next, Brooklyn Beckham is at the centre of the biggest celebrity news story of 2026 and, for the British media, perhaps the last decade... we discuss the drama so far.

In Bookmarked, Jas recommends the 1996 movie Michael while Maggie recommends the book Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro.

Talk to you soon!

Jas & Mags xo

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2026 has started with a bang thanks to Harry Styles' return. His fourth studio album, Kiss All The Time. Dance, Occasionally will be released on March 6th. Euphoria Season 3 is also back on HBO this April, and a number of book-to-screen adaptations are in the works. In Culture Shock, we discuss the cancelling of Adelaide Writers' Week after the disinvitation of Palestinian-Australian author, Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah. We reference this op-ed in The Guardian by Louise Adler.

The most popular social media trend this week? Posting like it’s 2016. We break down why people are posting throwbacks and if there's a bit of historical revisionism going on. We read from Daisy Jones' British Vogue piece titled '2016 Was Actually The Worst Year Ever, Remember?'

In Bookmarked, we discuss the new Marty Supreme movie that's released via A24 this week in Australian cinemas.

Thanks for listening!

Jas & Mags xo

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here at Culture Club, we're big readers, and after our 2025 book recap, listener Holly asked what's on our TBR piles in 2026!

In this mini episode, we discuss the books we're currently reading, what's on our TBR list, and the 2026 book releases we're most excited about.

Maggie:

Great Big Beautiful Life - Emily Henry

Truly Madly Guilty - Liane Moriarty

Root Rot - Saskia Nislow

Ghost Cities - Siang Lu

The Ten Year Affair - Erin Somers

Lost Lambs - Madeline Cash

Vigil - George Saunders

Jas:

Happiness and Love - Zoe Dubno

August Blue - Deborah Levy

One Story - Pip Finkemeyer

Cape Fever - Nadia Davis

How To Kill A Guy In Ten Dates - Shailee Thompson

Just Watch Me - Lior Torenberg

We also reference The Vegetarian by Han Kang during our chat.

Thank you for listening! Follow us on Culture Club Pod's Instagram and TikTok.

Jas & Mags xo

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.