21. POP CULTURE INDEX
As an undergraduate English major, I was always looking for free books. Professors and graduate students at the University of California, Riverside filled bookshelves in the halls of the humanities building with outdated or unwanted books and journal issues. One of the titles that I noticed was Eric Donald Hirsch’s Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know (1987). I was interested in both culture and literacy, and indeed, I was and still am an American. Therefore, I started looking through it to find out what I “needed to know.” Inside, I found an appendix titled “The List,” which included more than sixty pages of dates, names, subjects, and places, organized in two alphabetical columns. In order to be a “literate American,” Hirsch thought I needed to know these things. These things included “the auricle” (a fancy word for “your ear”), “the cupola” (a rounded dome forming a ceiling), and a song titled “Home Sweet Home,” which I assume is Henry Bishop’s adaptation from John Howard Payne’s 1823 American opera and not Mötley Crüe’s 1985 glam metal song by the same title.
I felt offended. Who was this person to tell me what I “needed to know”? Who decides what information is important and what information is not? I know what Hirsch was trying to do—prepare people for the types of topics and questions that might come up in academic settings such as universities. However, I never heard anyone refer to any of these three things in all of my years of schooling, from my community college through my doctoral program. I did, however, hear people talk about Mötley Crüe, Hamilton, Clint Eastwood, Slumdog Millionaire, and many other popular culture references. Some of them I knew, but others I did not. It was these moments where I felt excluded that impacted me the most. Of course, some professors referred to obscure, archaic cultural artifacts, and they were shocked when their students were unfamiliar with that piece of high art. But I wasn’t alone; many nineteen-year-old students in Southern California didn’t know who André Breton was or what a theater proscenium is.
With this in mind, I have prepared lists of cultural references that I think will be much more useful for your actual college experience. Many of your professors will be between the ages of thirty and sixty. Some will be as young as twenty-two or twenty-three (master’s or doctoral students who teach as graduate instructors or teaching assistants), and some will be in their seventies and above. They will all make references to the characters, histories, and symbols that mean the most to them, and they will hope that you understand what they are talking about. Great professors are often very aware of current events and trends as well because they are continually learning and seeking out new information. Therefore, the lists below primarily cover United States cultural references from the last twenty years. Every day on your commute to school on the bus/train or in your free time between classes, go on the internet and search for one or two of these figures. There is a good chance your university library will have audio and/or video recordings by these figures if you would like to check out their work. While you read about, listen to, or watch their performances, take some notes on this open textbook using a PDF program or in a physical journal.
I have included artists and works that have won awards simply because of the fame and notoriety that comes with winning awards. I am not saying these artists and works are necessarily any better than others. They are simply more talked about and more recognizable because of their award-winning status. I am also aware that many artists and works from historically underrepresented groups and backgrounds are correspondingly underrepresented here. Therefore, I have tried to include lists of great films by African American, Asian American, and Hispanic and Latinx American directors.
Because people will often refer to these people and things by full name (such as “Philip Seymour Hoffman” instead of just “Hoffman”), these lists are organized alphabetically by first name.
Best African American Films
This list was published in the online version of Slate magazine on May 30, 2016, by Aisha Harris and Dan Kois. More than twenty prominent filmmakers, critics, and scholars chose these films directed by African Americans, ranging in release dates from 1920 through 2016. Notably, it does not contain more recent, widely appreciated films such as: Black Panther (2018), directed by Ryan Coogler; BlacKkKlansman (2018), directed by Spike Lee; Get Out (2017), directed by Jordan Peele; If Beale Street Could Talk (2018), directed by Barry Jenkins; Moonlight (2016), directed by Barry Jenkins; or Straight Outta Compton (2015), directed by F. Gary Gray.
12 Years a Slave (2013), directed by Steve McQueen
25th Hour (2002), directed by Spike Lee
Ashes and Embers (1982), directed by Haile Gerima
Belle (2014), directed by Amma Asante
Bessie (2015), directed by Dee Rees
Black Girl (1966), directed by Ousmane Sembène
Boyz n the Hood (1991), directed by John Singleton
Cooley High (1975), directed by Michael Schultz
Car Wash (1976), directed by Michael Schultz
Creed (2015), directed by Ryan Coogler
Crooklyn (1994), directed by Spike Lee
Daughters of the Dust (1991), directed by Julie Dash
Devil in a Blue Dress (1995), directed by Carl Franklin
Do the Right Thing (1989), directed by Spike Lee
Eve’s Bayou (1997), directed by Kasi Lemmons
Friday (1995), directed by F. Gary Gray
Hollywood Shuffle (1987), directed by Robert Townsend
House Party (1990), directed by Reginald Hudlin
I Like It Like That (1994), directed by Darnell Martin
Juice (1992), directed by Ernest R. Dickerson
Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. (1992), directed by Leslie Harris
Killer of Sheep (1978), directed by Charles Burnett
Losing Ground (1982), directed by Kathleen Collins
Love and Basketball (2000), directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood
Malcolm X (1992), directed by Spike Lee
Medicine for Melancholy (2008), directed by Barry Jenkins
Middle of Nowhere (2012), directed by Ava DuVernay
Mo’ Better Blues (1990), directed by Spike Lee
Night Catches Us (2010), directed by Tanya Hamilton
O.J.: Made in America (2016), directed by Ezra Edelman
Pariah (2011), directed by Dee Rees
Selma (2014), directed by Ava DuVernay
Sugar Cane Alley (1983), directed by Euzhan Palcy
Super Fly (1972), directed by Gordon Parks Jr.
Sweet Sweetback’s Badasssss Song (1971), directed by Melvin Van Peebles
The Blood of Jesus (1941), directed by Spencer Williams
The Learning Tree (1969), directed by Gordon Parks
The Spook Who Sat by the Door (1973), directed by Ivan Dixon
The Watermelon Woman (1996), directed by Cheryl Dunye
Their Eyes Were Watching God (2005), directed by Darnell Martin
Timbuktu (2014), directed by Abderrahmane Sissako
To Sleep with Anger (1990), directed by Charles Burnett
Tongues Untied (1989), directed by Marlon Riggs
Touki Bouki (1973), directed by Djibril Diop Mambéty
Waiting to Exhale (1995), directed by Forest Whitaker
When the Levees Broke (2006), directed by Spike Lee
Best Asian American Films
This list was published in the online version of the Los Angeles Times on October 4, 2019, by Brian Hu. More than twenty Asian American critics and curators chose these films directed by Asian Americans, ranging from release dates in 2000 through 2019.
Advantageous (2015), directed by Jennifer Phang
American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs (2013), directed by Grace Lee
Better Luck Tomorrow (2002), directed by Justin Lin
Colma: The Musical (2006), directed by Richard Wong
Columbus (2017), directed by Kogonada
Crazy Rich Asians (2018), directed by Jon M. Chu
Gook (2017), directed by Justin Chon
In Between Days (2006), directed by So Yong Kim
In the Family (2011), directed by Patrick Wang
Journey from the Fall (2006), directed by Ham Tran
Minding the Gap (2018), directed by Bing Liu
Refugee (2003), directed by Spencer Nakasako
Saving Face (2004), directed by Alice Wu
Searching (2018), directed by Aneesh Chaganty
Spa Night (2016), directed by Andrew Ahn
The Farewell (2019), directed by Lulu Wang
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006), directed by Justin Lin
The Grace Lee Project (2005), directed by Grace Lee
The Motel (2005), directed by Michael Kang
The Namesake (2006), directed by Mira Nair
Best International Feature Film Winners
Before 2020, this category of the Academy Awards was called “Best Foreign Language Film.” These films are produced outside the United States and use mostly non-English dialogue.
Best Hispanic and Latinx American Films
Some of the directors on this list do not hold United States citizenship nor do they call the United States home. However, since their films had a powerful impact on United States cinema history and popular culture, I included them on this list.
Amores Perros (2000), directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu
Frida (2002), directed by Julie Taymor and produced by Salma Hayek
Gravity (2013), directed by Alfonso Cuarón
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), directed by Guillermo del Toro
Selena (1997), directed by Gregory Nava
Roma (2018), directed by Alfonso Cuarón
Y Tu Mamá También (2001), directed by Alfonso Cuarón
The EGOT List
EGOT is an acronym that stands for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. People or productions on this list have won at least one of these awards in the last twenty years:
•Emmy Award (television) for “Best Comedy,” “Best Drama,” “Best Variety,” “Lead Comedy Actor,” “Lead Drama Actor,” “Lead Comedy Actress,” or “Lead Drama Actress”
•Grammy Award (music) for “Record of the Year,” “Album of the Year,” “Song of the Year,” or “Best New Artist”
•Oscar, or the Academy Awards (film), for “Best Picture,” “Best Actor,” or “Best Actress”
•Tony Award (theater) for “Best Musical”
12 Years a Slave (film)
24 (television)
30 Rock (television)
A Beautiful Mind (film)
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (musical)
Adele
Adrien Brody
Alec Baldwin
Alison Krauss
Allison Janney
Ally McBeal (television)
America Ferrera
American Beauty (film)
Anderson .Paak
Arcade Fire
Argo (film)
Ariana Grande
Arrested Development (television)
Avenue Q (musical)
Beck
Ben Affleck
Bill Hader
Billie Eilish
Billy Elliott: The Musical (musical)
Billy Porter
Billy Ray Cyrus
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (film)
Black Panther (film)
Breaking Bad (television)
Brie Larson
Bruno Mars
Bryan Cranston
Cardi B
Casey Affleck
Cate Blanchett
Charlize Theron
Chicago (film)
Chick Corea
Claire Danes
Claire Foy
Game of Thrones (television)
Gary Oldman
Gladiator (film)
Glenn Close
Gloria Gaynor
Green Book (film)
Hadestown (musical)
Hairspray (musical)
Halle Berry
Hamilton (musical)
Helen Hunt
Helen Mirren
Herbie Hancock
Hilary Swank
Homeland (television)
In the Heights (musical)
James Gandolfini
James Spader
Jamie Foxx
Jean Dujardin
Jeff Bridges
Jeff Daniels
Jeffrey Tambor
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Lawrence
Jersey Boys (musical)
Jim Parsons
Joaquin Phoenix
Jodie Comer
John Cryer
John Lithgow
Jon Hamm
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Julia Roberts
Julianna Margulies
Julianne Moore
Justice
Kacey Musgraves
Kate Winslet
Kelsey Grammer
Kevin Spacey
Kiefer Sutherland
Killing Eve (television)
Kinky Boots (musical)
Kirk Franklin
Kyle Chandler
Kyra Sedgwick
Lady Gaga
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (television)
Late Show with David Letterman (television)
Lauryn Hill
Leonardo DiCaprio
Lil Nas X
Lizzo
Lost (television)
Mad Men (television)
Marion Cotillard
Mariska Hargitay
Matthew McConaughey
Matthew Rhys
Melissa McCarthy
Memphis (musical)
Meryl Streep
Michael Chiklis
Michael J. Fox
Million Dollar Baby (film)
Modern Family (television)
Moonlight (film)
Mumford & Sons
Natalie Portman
Nicole Kidman
Nipsey Hussle
No Country for Old Men (film)
Norah Jones
Olivia Colman
Once (musical)
OutKast
Parasite (film)
Patricia Arquette
Patricia Heaton
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Pose (television)
Rachel Brosnahan
Rami Malek
Ray Charles
Ray Romano
Reese Witherspoon
Renée Zellweger
Ricky Gervais
Robert Plant
Russell Crowe
Sally Field
Sandra Bullock
Santana
Sarah Jessica Parker
Sean Penn
Sela Ward
Sex and the City (television)
Slumdog Millionaire (film)
Spamalot (musical)
Spotlight (film)
Spring Awakening (musical)
Steely Dan
Sterling K. Brown
Tanya Tucker
Tatiana Maslany
Taylor Swift
The Artist (film)
The Band’s Visit (musical)
The Book of Mormon (musical)
The Chemical Brothers
The Colbert Report (television)
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (television)
The Departed (film)
The Handmaid’s Tale (television)
The Hurt Locker (film)
The King’s Speech (film)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (film)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (television)
The Office (television)
The Practice (television)
The Producers (musical)
The Shape of Water (film)
The Sopranos (television)
The West Wing (television)
Thoroughly Modern Millie (musical)
Tina Fey
Toni Collette
Tony Shalhoub
Tyler, the Creator
U2
Vampire Weekend
Veep (television)
Viola Davis
Will & Grace (television)
Willie Nelson
The Literary List
People on this list are Americans (or people who spent a significant part of their writing careers in the United States) and have won the Nobel Prize for Literature (at any time), the Neustadt Prize, or the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in the last twenty years.
Adam Johnson
Andrew Sean Greer
Anthony Doerr
Bob Dylan
Colson Whitehead
Cormac McCarthy
Donna Tartt
Edward P. Jones
Edwidge Danticat
Elizabeth Bishop
Ernest Hemingway
Eugene O’Neill
Geraldine Brooks
Isaac Bashevis Singer
Jeffrey Eugenides
Jennifer Egan
Jhumpa Lahiri
John Steinbeck
Joseph Brodsky
Junot Díaz
Michael Chabon
Michael Cunningham
Paul Harding
Pearl S. Buck
Raja Rao
Richard Powers
Richard Russo
Saul Bellow
Sinclair Lewis
Toni Morrison
Viet Thanh Nguyen
The Kennedy Center Honor List
People on this list have received a Kennedy Center Honor in the last twenty years for their contributions to American culture, regardless of their citizenship.
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Angela Lansbury
Al Green
Al Pacino
Barbara Cook
Barbra Streisand
Bill T. Jones
Billy Joel
Brian Wilson
Bruce Springsteen
Buddy Guy
Carmen de Lavallade
Carol Burnett
Carole King
Carlos Santana
Cher
Chita Rivera
Chuck Berry
Cicely Tyson
Clint Eastwood
Dave Brubeck
David Letterman
Diana Ross
Dolly Parton
Dustin Hoffman
The Eagles (Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Timothy B. Schmit, Joe Walsh)
Earth, Wind & Fire
Elizabeth Taylor
Elton John
George Jones
George Lucas
Gloria Estefan
Grace Bumbry
Hamilton: An American Musical creators (Lin-Manuel Miranda, Thomas Kail, Alex Lacamoire, and Andy Blankenbuehler)
Herbie Hancock
Itzhak Perlman
Jack Nicholson
James Brown
James Earl Jones
James Levine
James Taylor
Jerry Herman
Joan Sutherland
John Williams
Julie Andrews
Julie Harris
Led Zeppelin (John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, and Robert Plant)
Leon Fleisher
Lily Tomlin
Lionel Richie
Linda Ronstadt
LL Cool J
Loretta Lynn
Luciano Pavarotti
Martha Argerich
Martin Scorsese
Martina Arroyo
Mavis Staples
Mel Brooks
Merle Haggard
Meryl Streep
Michael Tilson Thomas
Mike Nichols
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Morgan Freeman
Natalia Makarova
Neil Diamond
Oprah Winfrey
Ossie Davis
Patricia McBride
Paul McCartney
Paul Simon
Philip Glass
Plácido Domingo
Quincy Jones
Reba McEntire
Rita Moreno
Robert De Niro
Robert Redford
Ruby Dee
Sally Field
Seiji Ozawa
Sesame Street (television)
Shirley MacLaine
Smokey Robinson
Sonny Rollins
Steve Martin
Steven Spielberg
Sting
Suzanne Farrell
The Who (Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey)
Tina Turner
Tom Hanks
Tony Bennett
Twyla Tharp
Van Cliburn
Warren Beatty
Wayne Shorter
Yo-Yo Ma
Zubin Mehta
The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
Named after the nineteenth century American humorist author, this prize is given to people who “had an impact on American society in ways similar to the distinguished 19th-century novelist and essayist Samuel Clemens, best known as Mark Twain.” This often means that awardees have commented on society and social injustice in ways that make us laugh. The first award was given out in 1998.
Bill Cosby (taken away in 2018 due to his sexual assault conviction)
Bill Murray
Billy Crystal
Bob Newhart
Carl Reiner
Carol Burnett
Dave Chappelle
Eddie Murphy
Ellen DeGeneres
George Carlin
Jay Leno
Jonathan Winters
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Lily Tomlin
Neil Simon
Richard Pryor
Steve Martin
Tina Fey
Whoopi Goldberg
Will Ferrell