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I'm Stephen Metcalf, and this is the Slate Culture Gab Fest, Plutonium Blonde Edition.

This is also the daily podcast from slate.com for Wednesday, November 18th, 2009.

On today's program, we're going to talk about Stephanie, Joanne

Angelina Germanata, I think I have that right, better known as Lady Gaga, the new movie from

Tui Maestro, Wes Anderson, an adaptation of the fantastic Mr. Fox, a classic by Roltauldahl.

And finally, when we're gone from this earth, we will have left to all of posterity, plutonium.

Joining me today, our Slate's deputy editor, Julia Turner. Hello, Julia. Hi, Steve. And of course, our film critic, Dana Stevens. Hey, Dana. Stephen. And here to begin explaining Lady Gaga to me is Slate's television critic Troy Patterson. Troy, among the many reasons we brought you in today,

is you wrote, I thought, a genuinely brilliant,

a very funny and evocative browbeat post.

Browbeat is the culture blog for Slate about Lady Gaga.

And tell us about her and how this odd creation came to be.

I mean, she's quite something, right?

She's one-of-a-kind phenomenon.

Do I need to back up and explain who she is and what she is?

I'd love to hear it, yeah.

Well, Lady Gaga is a singer and songwriter, specializing in dance pop.

...