On this week’s episode of “This Week,” contributor Jackson Wooton covers various campus and news topics, including UC worker strikes affecting dining services, the upcoming UCLA-USC rivalry football game, the Camp Flog Gnaw Festival, the release of “Glicked” (Gladiator II and Wicked movies) and updates on national and international news.

Jackson Wooton: Hello. It is Friday, November 22, and you are listening to This Week by Daily Bruin Podcasts. This is the Daily Bruin’s weekly news podcast. Thank you for joining us for another episode. Today, we’ll be discussing the USC game, strikes, arts and entertainment, as well as the news going on around campus and internationally. My name is Jackson, and I’m a Daily Bruin podcast contributor and the host for today. Why don’t we all introduce ourselves and say if we’re going home for Thanksgiving this coming week?

Shiv Patel: My name is Shiv Patel. I’m the Campus Politics editor, and I’m the news correspondent today. Yeah, I’m going home for Thanksgiving. I have a red-eye flight back to Chicago on Monday.

Una O’Farrell: My name is Una O’Farrell. I’m an assistant Sports editor and the sports correspondent today. I am going home for Thanksgiving, and I’m very, very excited.

Reid Sperisen: I’m Reid Sperisen. I’m the music | fine arts editor, and I’m the arts correspondent today. I am going home for all of next week. I’m leaving on Sunday. I’m very excited.

Olivia Miller: My name is Olivia Miller. I am the Podcasts editor and the national and international correspondent for today. I will not be going home for Thanksgiving. I will be staying local with my cousins who live here.

JW: All right, great. Now let’s get into the top stories of the week. So, Shiv, what are the top news stories from this week?

SP: Yeah. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Workers, Local 3299, struck Wednesday and Thursday. The union, which represents patient care service and skilled craft workers across the UC, struck over health care cost increases and unsatisfactory wage increases.

JW: So, many UC dining employees are members of the union. How is food service on the Hill impacted?

SP: As of Wednesday, De Neve, Rieber and Epicuria at Covel residential restaurants, as well as some food trucks, are the only dining options for students on the Hill. Many grab-and-go facilities on the Hill, such as The Study, Rendezvous, and Café 1919 – that would normally be open – were closed as of Wednesday.

JW: Do we have any idea how long these strikes will go for?

SP: The strike was authorized only for Wednesday and Thursday.

JW: All right. Thank you for that recap.

SP: Thanks for having me on.

JW: So, Una, what are some highlights from sports this week?

UF: Yeah, so this is a big week for sports – it’s rivalry week. UCLA will be playing USC. They’re returning to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena after playing at the Coliseum last year. Both teams entered the game in a similar position. USC is ranked number 12 in the Big Ten, and UCLA is ranked number 13. They’re both teams that have struggled to assert themselves offensively in their new conference this year. So it’ll definitely be an interesting game.

JW: Great. So how does the team approach a rivalry week compared to a regular game?

UO: I think the team says every week that they try to approach every game the same, but it’s always different with the UCLA–USC rivalry game. It’s DeShaun Foster’s first year as a coach, but he’s really familiar because he played football at UCLA, and during his freshman year he beat USC. He talked a lot about that this past week during practice how it’s something they’re really focusing on. They’re looking to assert themselves offensively at the beginning of the game and hopefully carry through with a win.

JW: Interesting. Is there anything else going on with other sports?

UO: Yeah, men’s water polo is entering the MPSF Tournament this weekend. It’s their first postseason tournament of the season, and they’re going in with only one loss this season. They’ll be playing Washington and Jefferson as their first match this weekend, and it will carry out through Sunday.

JW: Thank you for that recap.

UO: Yeah.

JW: Now, Reid, what are some highlights from the world of arts and entertainment this week?

RS: The Daily Bruin covered the 2024 Camp Flog Gnaw Festival last weekend at Dodger Stadium. The 10th Camp Flog Gnaw event was organized by Tyler, The Creator, and my colleagues Eric Sican and Darlene Sanzon attended both days of the festival. The Daily Bruin covered performances from Doechii, Omar Apollo, KAYTRANADA, Daniel Caesar and Tyler, The Creator during the first day of the festival. On the second day, The Daily Bruin covered sets from RAYE, Syd, Erykah Badu, The Marías, Mustard and Playboi Carti. Notably, several sets featured guest appearances by other artists. SZA joined Doechii on stage for their song “Persuasive,” and Mustard’s set featured hip-hop stars such as Tyga, Ty Dolla $ign, YG, Roddy Ricch and Big Sean.

JW: All right. What is going on in the larger context of pop culture right now?

RS: The simultaneous release of anticipated blockbusters “Gladiator II” and “Wicked” at theaters today has been termed “Glicked,” in the same vein as last summer’s “Barbenheimer” phenomenon. “Wicked” stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda in Universal Pictures’ stage-to-screen adaptation of the Broadway musical that debuted in 2003. The film’s storyline is based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 book “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.” Paramount Pictures’ “Gladiator II” stars Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, and Pedro Pascal. The film, directed by Ridley Scott, comes 24 years after the Oscar-winning “Gladiator” starring Russell Crowe.

JW: So I think you touched on this, but how has the trend of counter-programming evolved in Hollywood recently, particularly in the wake of “Barbenheimer”?

RS: I think there’s major anticipation for “Glicked” to have a similar box office performance to “Barbenheimer.” Last summer, there was considerable speculation that the way “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” catered to different audiences actually helped fuel the commercial success of both films. The coining of “Barbenheimer” prompted interest in both films, so it remains to be seen if “Glicked” will have a similar impact. “Gladiator II” is more of a historically rooted action film, while “Wicked” is a musical. This could indicate an emerging trend of studios leveraging counter-programming to increase box office potential—especially with competition from streaming. The hope is to make theater-going a recognizable and memorable event, encouraging audiences to turn out in large numbers.

JW: Thank you for that breakdown. I guess we’ll see how the box office goes. Now, let’s pivot to national and international news. What are some highlights from the news this week?

OM: Thank you, Jackson. So, Matt Gaetz has withdrawn his name from consideration as Attorney General amid ongoing investigations. Former President Trump has named Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as his new choice for the position. In Ukraine developments, the Pentagon will provide $275 million in weapons to Ukraine. Russia has launched a ballistic missile into the country, marking a serious escalation in the conflict.

JW: Thank you for that breaking news coverage, and thank you all for joining us today. Come back next Friday for another episode of This Week.