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That offer code is Slate. I'm Stephen Metcalf, and this is the Slate Culture Gab Fest Friendly Barbarians Edition.

It's Wednesday, October 20th, 2010. On today's program, the Jackass franchise sets October

box office record. The would-be mogul Nick Denton gets the full treatment from both the New Yorker and New York Magazine. Go figure. And celebrity sightings, share your best stories with us. We're going to share our best ones with you. Joining me today, our Slate's deputy editor, Julia Turner. Hello, Julia. Hi, Steve. And our film critic, Dana Stevens. Hey, Dana. Hey, Steven.

So we all went, we all went and saw, but after much debate, right, after much back and forth,

much foot dragging, much foot dragging and extraneous commentary. We all got it together and went and saw

the movie Jackass 3D.

The movie made $50 million last weekend, which I believe is an October record, but as we all know, we paid about 50% more to see it because it's a 3D movie.

That's an extraordinary amount of money for any movie, but I think for this movie it has to be reckoned rather a astonishing achievement right of some kind or another dubious or otherwise so let's go around the table talk a little bit about the movie um uh Julia I just can't wait to hear what you thought of this.

Okay so I came to this franchise totally cold.

Somehow I was the wrong age or demographic slice for Jackass.

I never watched the TV show.

I didn't see either of the first two movies.

I was vaguely aware of who Johnny Knoxville was when I was first starting life in the working world.

But like, I've never seen any of these guys

schick.

I was dreading going to the movie, had no desire to see it.

I thought it was kind of beautiful.

I'm not really kidding.

...