Netflix’s Cobra Kai is an update of the Karate Kid franchise starring Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and his arch-nemesis Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) (Photograph courtesy of Netflix)
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They say nostalgia’s not what it used to be, but we can’t help but wax on (and off) about Netflix’s Cobra Kai—an update of the Karate Kid franchise that’s so faithful to the spirit of the 1984 original it’ll make you want to pull out your out legwarmers and Mötley Crüe cassettes. Set in modern-day L.A., the show’s two main characters, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and his arch-nemesis Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), are now grown up and operating rival karate dojos. Cue the well-choreographed karate fights. The third season drops on Jan. 8.
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Conventional wisdom used to be that learning was over once we left school. But, in Beginners, acclaimed journalist Tom Vanderbilt argues that education is a journey, not a destination. Vanderbilt spent an entire year learning new skills known for their difficulty and for possessing a “distinct lack of career marketability”—chess, singing, surfing, drawing and juggling—in order to appreciate the act of learning.
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A charismatic billionaire businessman with a penchant for beautiful women and a background in populist TV and real estate, who ascended to power despite zero political experience. Sound familiar? It’s not who you think. In the eight-part podcast Bunga Bunga, comedian Whitney Cummings outlines the tale of Silvio Berlusconi, who became Italy’s longest-serving prime minister before being brought down by scandal.