‘Star Wars,’ Russian Trolls and More: Your Tuesday Pop Culture Cheat Sheet



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Welcome to your new daily breakdown of the movie, TV and pop music news you should know about, from The New York Times and across the web.

What would you like to see here? Email us at [email protected] and let us know the good, the bad and the silly.

• Remember all those vitriolic tweets directed at Rian Johnson about how his “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” ruined the franchise? Some of them were likely sent by Russian trolls. A new study has found that 50.9 percent of negative tweets about the film came from politically motivated sources, including bots that appeared to be linked to Russian troll farms, sock-puppet accounts, or what the study defined as users with a “political agenda.” [THR]

• A third high-profile CBS employee has left the network amid claims of abuse. Brad Kern, a former showrunner for “NCIS: New Orleans,” has been fired following three internal investigations into “allegations of harassment, unprofessional conduct and vindictive behavior,” reports THR.

Louis C.K. just can’t keep away from the Comedy Cellar. On Sunday he performed an unannounced set, as he did in late August, and since then the club has put up a sign warning patrons, “We never know who is going to pop in.” This effort has failed to placate: “It was so passive — as if they have no say,” said one comedy fan. [NY Times]

• Our theater critic Ben Brantley loved “Girl From the North Country,” a play based on Bob Dylan’s work. Dylan’s songs “never sounded quite so heartbreakingly personal and universal at the same time,” writes Brantley. [NY Times]

What did UB40 have to say? The band released a statement: “?”

Alongside her musical successes, M.I.A. has often faced criticism in the Western media, whether liberal or conservative. A new documentary, “MAYA / MATANGI / MIA,” tells things from her perspective, and this Vulture essay thoughtfully interrogates our treatment of the pop star over the last decade.

Captain Marvel is getting a new comic-book series, ahead of her debut on the big screen in March. Unlike a lot of other heroes, she “is incredibly human and flawed, which makes her relatable,” said Kelly Thompson, who is writing the new series. [NY Times]

• The new animated movie “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” riffs on the many iterations before it, with a teenage Spider-Man meeting his fellow Spideys from other dimensions. A new trailer looks fun, and the voice cast includes Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, John Mulaney and Nicolas Cage.

The gorgeous photos in Nylon’s Jenny Slate cover story. Come for the colorful disco vibes, stay for the piece’s argument that “we should all be a little more earnest.”



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