Imari Paris Jeffries, President and CEO of Embrace Boston, joins The Culture Show for his monthly segment “AI: Actual Intelligence.” This month we get his take on Bunny’s final concert in Puerto Rico, which Jeffries attended. It wasn’t just a performance — it was a homecoming and a moment of pride for millions across the diaspora. We’ll also get his take on the reaction that Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show is already generating.

From there we’re joined by Sam Kissajukian. In 2021 the Aussie comedian quit stand-up, rented an abandoned cake factory, and became a painter. Over the course of what turned out to be a six-month manic episode, he created three hundred large-scale paintings, unknowingly documenting his mental state through the process. He turned this experience into his one-man show “300 Paintings,” now onstage at the American Repertory Theater through October 25th; more information here.

Finally we get a preview of Boston Baroque’s season opener “Baroque Masterworks." The acclaimed harpsichordist and conductor Christian Curnyn and Boston Baroque Executive Director Sarah Radcliffe-Marrs join The Culture Show. “Baroque Masterworks" is October 11th and October 12th at Jordan Hall; more information here.

We continue our “Countdown to 2026” series with the Museum of Fine Arts to look at the art reframing our understanding of the American Revolution. Ahead of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we zoom in on Fritz Scholder’s “Bicentennial Indian.” Ethan Lasser, John Moors Cabot Chair, Art of the Americas and Marina Tyquiengco, Ellyn McColgan Associate Curator of Native American Art, lead the conversation.

From there, Harvard historian and New Yorker staff writer Jill Lepore examines whether the U.S. Constitution still functions as a living document. Drawing on The Amendments Project—a vast archive of thousands of failed amendment proposals—Lepore argues that structural and political barriers have made constitutional change nearly impossible. In her new book, “We the People,” she traces how that paralysis has shifted the power to interpret and reshape democracy from citizens and lawmakers to the courts. You can catch Jill Lepore tonight at the First Parish Church at 7:00. The event is hosted by Harvard Book Store. To learn more go here.

Finally filmmaker Tom Clement turns his lens on a new form of activism: light projections as protest. His documentary “Projecting Protest” follows artists and activists using buildings as canvases for messages that illuminate the ongoing battle between free expression, property rights, and public space. You can catch him tonight for a free screening at MassArt. The event is at 6:00. To learn more go here.

Today Culture Show co-hosts Jared Bowen, Callie Crossley and Edgar B. Herwick III drive our arts and culture week-in-review.

First up, Taylor Swift dropped her new album at midnight. “Life of a Showgirl” blends spectacle with storytelling, marking –and marketing–another milestone in her reign over pop culture.

From there, Bad Bunny is headlining the Super Bowl halftime show, a career touchdown that also amplifies Latin music on the world’s biggest stage. While fans cheer the, MAGA critics are calling it a cultural mismatch.

Plus Jane Fonda is resurrecting the Committee for the First Amendment, a Hollywood group her father once joined during the McCarthy era. With new battles over censorship raging, she says the fight to defend free expression is as urgent as ever.

Finally we remember Jane Goodall, the trailblazing primatologist, has died at 91. Her groundbreaking work with chimpanzees transformed our understanding of animal intelligence and deepened our sense of responsibility toward the natural world.

Celebrated writer Walter Mosley joins The Culture Show to talk about his latest book in his Easy Rawlins series, “Gray Dawn: An Easy Rawlins Mystery.” Easy has led readers through Los Angeles — from the 1940s to the turbulent 1970s — with stories that combine the pace of classic crime fiction and the depth of literary character. In “Gray Dawn” a search for a missing woman drags Easy back into secrets from his past. Tonight you can catch Walter Mosley at Harvard Book Store at 7:00. To learn more go here.

From there we enter the moonlit world of “Viola’s Room.” The immersive experience, which is at The Shed in New York City through November 16th. Created by Punchdrunk, a pioneer in immersive theatrical experiences, we talk to founder and artistic director, Felix Barrett. To learn more about “Viola’s Room” go here.

Finally, Oliver Jeffers—author-illustrator and studio artist – joins The Culture Show. His picture books live on nightstands worldwide; his portraits and projects test what we remember and what we miss. Now with a solo exhibition at Praise Shadows Art Gallery he joins us to talk about how he thinks about story, image, and time. “Dipped Paintings: Oliver Jeffers” is on view through November 8th. To learn more go here.

Jared Bowen, Callie Crossley, and Edgar B. Herwick III host our inaugural Wednesday Watch Party with a comedy classic: Eddie Murphy’s Coming to America. The 1988 hit follows a prince who trades royal privilege for a crash course in Queens. At the time critics were divided, audiences were not. It was a box office smash at the time, now we ask you, nearly 40 years later, does it hold up.

From there Mahesh Daas, president of Boston Architectural College, joins The Culture Show for his monthly appearance. Today he’s discussing the best way to power AI: geothermal power. Boston Architectural College pioneered this over a decade ago with eight wells under their Green Alley. Mahesh Daas is the author of four books including Towards A Robotic Architecture and I, Nobot, a graphic novella exploring relationships among artificial intelligence, robotics, and cities.

We continue our Countdown to 2026 series with Andrea Puccio, Director of the Library at The Clark Art Institute. She gave us an overview of their new exhibition “Back Bay to the Berkshires: Celebrating 250 Years of Art in Massachusetts.” Russell Lord, Chief of Curatorial Affairs at the Norman Rockwell Museum, also joined us with a preview of their upcoming exhibition “Visions of a Nation: 250 Years from Revolution to Rockwell.”

From there we looked at how Netflix’s “K-Pop Demon Hunters” has become the streamer’s most-watched film ever, showing the global pull of Korean pop culture. Ray Seol, Associate Professor of Professional Music at Berklee College of Music, helps us unpack how the movie builds on K-Pop’s history and what it reveals about Korean culture today.

Finally, Henri Matisse. He’s known for paintings of light and joy, but his wartime years tell another story. Historian Christopher C. Gorham joins us to discuss his new book Matisse at War, which explores how the artist endured Nazi occupation, family hardship, and illness — transforming adversity into some of his boldest work. Tonight you can catch Christopher C. Gorham at Harvard Book Store at 7:00. To learn more go here.

Pulitzer Prize–winning author Stephen Greenblatt joins The Culture Show, to talk about his latest book, “Dark Renaissance: The Dangerous Times and Fatal Genius of Shakespeare’s Greatest Rival.” It traces the meteoric rise and violent end of Christopher Marlowe—playwright, poet, spy, and heretic—whose genius endures today. Stephen Greenblatt is the John Cogan University Professor of the Humanities at Harvard University.

From there Courtney O’Connor, Producing Artistic Director for Lyric Stage Boston, gives us an overview of their production of “Our Town,” which is onstage through October 19th. To learn more go here.

Finally dating coach Caitlin Hana joins us to talk about her approach to helping people meet the right match. Her aim is to help smart, quirky people find love in Boston, the Bay Area, and New York. She runs Enchanted Analytics. To learn more go here.

Culture show co-hosts Jared Bowen, Callie Crossley and Edgar B. Herwick III go over the latest headlines on our arts and culture week-in-review.

First up: Jimmy Kimmel is back on late night. After ABC pulled his show, he returned with a monologue defending satire and drawing his biggest audience in years.

From there, Apple TV+ has postponed “The Savant,” Jessica Chastain’s thriller about infiltrating extremist circles. While Apple cites political tensions, Chastain says the show’s urgent themes need to be heard.

Plus, Bad Bunny wrapped a historic 31-show residency in Puerto Rico with a finale streamed worldwide. His run was both a love letter to the island and a global cultural moment.

Finally, food critic Marilyn Hagerty, whose glowing Olive Garden review went viral in 2012, has died. She spent decades championing small-town diners, truck stops, and chain restaurants.