transcript

Speaker 1:
[00:02] Folks, welcome to an all-new episode of So Bad It's Good. This is your pal Ryan, and this is your Tuesday episode. Yeah, you made it to Tuesday. You got through Monday. How was it? Was it a gentle reentry to the week? I hope it was. I hope you listen to our pop culture roundup. That was a lot of fun as always, and we've got a great episode for you today as well. Also, I just wanted a little programming note. Kaya has been recapping Real Housewives of Atlanta with us. We're going to be doing that talk on Tuesday. That'll be put out Tuesday afternoon, evening, and we'll be recapping Atlanta and Rhode Island, and I'm sure talking a little pop culture as well. But Kaya is going to be on the Smith Sisters radio show today on Sirius XM Channel 102, Radio Andy. If you have Sirius, go and support. Smith Sisters are amazing, Kaya is amazing, so I think that is going to be great radio programming. I was on Jeff Lewis Live for two hours today. That was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun, but you know what? I just never know if I do good on that show. I never know. Sometimes it's like you have those negative gremlins in your ears where you're like, oh man, I suck today. You know, you're like, I just never know how if it's good or it's bad. And I don't know. So if you're a chump and you listen, I hope you liked it. But it's hard, man. Chumps, chumps are a tough crowd. You know, we're very opinionated people. So I hope it was enjoyable for those of you that listened, because, you know, I always want to bring value to whatever I do. So hopefully I brought some value today. Now, we're going to talk a couple of personal things up top, and then we're going to do one new story about Summer House, because we are in a Summer House vortex right now. One of these dumb dumbs has to make some statement every day. And today the dumb dumb is West Wilson commenting on his podcast about some things. So we're going to do a story about that. And then we'll get to a fantastic interview discussion with Andrea Lavinthal, who works for People magazine. Now, I talked about this on Monday's episode, but I loved this conversation so much. People magazine holds a special place in my heart. I think if you're a pop culture fan, it's in everybody's heart. People magazine, it's just one of the biggest pop culture magazines out there for so many decades at this point. But they just released their Worlds Most Beautiful 2026 issue. And we did this interview on Thursday. I even had to sign an NDA because I didn't know who the Worlds Most Beautiful person was. And she reveals it to us and to me on this conversation. Now we talk all about that and about People magazine, but then we kind of dip into pop culture. We even talk a little Summer House. So, you know, what I'm saying is, listen to this interview. I just had such a great conversation and you're always looking for kindred spirits. Like everyone out there listening, we're kindred spirits. We're people that love pop culture. And the great thing about it is people have made fun of us in the past for liking this stuff. And I argue, you know, do you make fun of people for liking sports? No, you don't. And so I think it's ridiculous in the year of 2026 to make fun of anybody for loving the things that we do. The things that we love, I think make the world go round. Anyways, I'll get off my high horse for a second. How are you? Are you guys are hanging in there? Okay, good, good. Now, my dad and my sister are in town. We just got back from my buddy Nick's place. And it was lovely. We brought Romy and they have two kids and Nick's mom was in town. And I've known Nick since we went to ASU together back in the day. And he's been one of my best friends for a very long time. And it really is just amazing to like have our kids there and my sister. And I don't know, it was just a really very special. And we got home by 8 o'clock. That's when you know you're getting older. And especially with the baby, you can use it as an excuse. Well, we got to go. I mean, we got there at 5. It was a very early get together. So that was very, very nice. I do want to mention one thing before we get going. And I just want to say that we lost or I think the world lost, but I lost a friend and somebody that meant a great deal to so many people a couple of weeks ago. Her name is Joyce Corman Fonger. And she passed away a couple of weeks ago, unexpectedly. And they just had her memorial service this past weekend. And Joyce just had one of the best laughs that you could ever hear. You know those people where, you know, it's like I didn't get to see Joyce tons. I knew Joyce through my best friend Dusty that I got to meet in high school. And he's still my best friend to this day. Isn't it funny as you get older and you're like, that's my best friend. And you're like, yeah, you still have these kind of these terms. Even as you get older, you still call people your best friend. It's very interesting. But I knew Joyce through Dusty. And she was just one of those very welcoming people. But also she had that kind of look that she would like and potentially could be judgmental. And if she kind of liked you, you felt a little bit cooler. But at the same time, she was like, you could make her laugh really quickly. And then she had the best laugh that I will never, ever forget. I'm reading from her obituary right now. It says the world just got a lot less interesting with the departure of the one and only Joyce Corman Fonger. It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Joyce, a woman whose strength and vibrant spirit left a mark on everyone she met. Joyce was the north star of her family and a steady light in the lives of her many friends. Her son Logan was her heart and her greatest pride, and her husband Lloyd was not only her partner but the friend she loved to laugh with most. To her sister, Kelly Joyce was more than a sibling. She was a lifelong confidant, a protector, and a best friend. Beyond her family, Joyce possessed a rare gift for making everyone feel seen. While her many friends may have known different sides of her, they were all drawn to the same infectious laughter and genuine kindness. She showed her love not only in big gestures, but in the quiet, consistent ways. She showed up for the people she cared about, her loyalty was unwavering, and her presence was a constant comfort. Joyce Corman-Fonger lived with the authenticity that inspired those around her. She will be deeply missed, especially on pub trivia nights, but her legacy lives on in the kindness she showed and the love she gave so freely. So we are remembering Joyce Corman-Fonger today. And as we remember all of the people that we've lost in our lives, and that's it. And I just wish she's one of those people you guys would have all loved. And my heart goes out to her family and friends. And that's it. So I don't really know how to get out of this now that I just did a pretty memorial. How do you actually go back to being a silly goofy person? Well, you know what, I'm going to try. And by that, you know what, it's going to be easy because I'm going to come down on West Wilson right now. Yes, let's get into some Summer House. Let's shake the moody blues away. And let's talk about Summer House because we had one little update today. Folks, this podcast is sponsored by our friends over at HIMS. Now, when thinning starts, it's not just your hair that takes a hit. It is your whole self-confidence. Listen, we are raising a baby right now and she just finished crying in my face for an hour and I notice I'm starting to thin right here on my sides and in the front of my hair. 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So for simple online access to personalized and affordable hair care for hair loss, ED, weight loss and more, visit hims.com/sobad. That's hims.com/sobad for your free online visit. hims.com/sobad. Featured products include compounded drug products which the FDA does not approve or verify for safety effectiveness or quality. Prescription required, see website for full details, restrictions and important safety information. Individual results may vary based on studies of topical and oral minoxidil and finasteride.

Speaker 2:
[09:19] Hi, I'm Eric Voss from New Rock Stars. And if you want to know what's coming up next from the MCU, you should listen to The Snake Peak, hosted by myself and Jessica Clemens. Snake Peak is your one-stop shop for keeping up with Kevin Feige and his brain trust of nerd producers. It's a weekly roundup of all the most important Marvel news so that you can start getting excited about MCU's next big movie or series before there's even a trailer out. What should we expect, not just from this phase or saga, but the next one too? Part of the fun of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is being excited about the next chapter. And that excitement is exactly why we make Snake Peak. Listen for free on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Speaker 1:
[09:57] Now, well, I mean, it's 420 today. I'm doing this on Monday. And I think that's like the National Weed Day. And we know Amanda Petula now is a big weed proponent. She potentially had the saddest 420 known to man, or potentially she had the best 420 ever, because she has her new boyfriend, West Wilson, young Westling Wilson. And all I asked was that she stay indoors and smoke her Mary Jane. I didn't want her going to a Yankees game and smoking there. Just stay indoors. Have a quiet 420. So who knows what Amanda Petula did? But we do know that West Wilson, I guess he has a podcast. I think it's like a sports podcast, right? And he did a couple of brief comments about everything, which is very interesting because they filmed the reunion on Thursday. I think Thursday is the 23rd, right? They filmed the reunion. And so it's almost like, I don't know if this is like testing the waters or kind of trying to make things a little easier for him, facing all of these people. But let's read what he has texted or what he actually podcasted. One sec. First off, I do have to say tonight is a brand new episode of Summer House. I have seen the episode. And if you thought last week was weird or kind of made you upset because now we watch it in a different way, now that we know everything that has come to pass, well, get ready, you guys. I'm telling you, the first 30 seconds of tonight's episode, you are going to be livid. You will be livid. And the thing is, if the West of Manitang didn't happen, if they weren't together, you would view this episode in a completely different way. You would view that you would be like, oh my god, Amanda Batula is such a good friend to Ciara. You would think that. You would think, oh, West is like a really good guy that's like kind of really tried to work on himself and respect Ciara and her feelings because of what happened two seasons ago. Right? You would think all of these things. But since we know that Amanda and West are doing whatever the unholy thing that they're doing right now, you view it in a completely different way. And I'm telling you, within that first 30 seconds, but there are three moments in tonight's episode that will kind of piss you off and really go. This is so much more insidious in just the fact that how... Like, listen, I do believe that certain people are drawn together or, you know, that they have a certain, you know, it's like chemistry together. I never saw that, truly, I never saw that between Amanda and West. Like, I will say that. I've watched the show from the beginning. Never saw it. But by the way, that's not a negative. I just don't see a lot of, you know, I don't see Jessie with Ciara. Like, that's not a negative, it's just what I see. Never saw that with them. But even if you were feeling some sort of ungodly chemistry, just based on Ciara, not even her feelings, how you reacted to those feelings on this show, it makes it so much darker in the fact that they decided to, say, screw that and continue forth, and also say screw that and not give Ciara heads up. We found out around the same time. We'll find out exactly how Ciara found out and exactly when, but it was very close. In fact, she says she got a 45-minute heads up before they did their, you know, Instagram story declaration that they were, in fact, trying to make this work, right? We're going to go over the timeline once again in one second, but it does then kind of just beg the question of like, you knew exactly how she felt. You said how you guys felt about her as a friend, and you still decided this was a good idea. Kyle Cook truly, I mean, you know, Kyle, God love him. He really doesn't have tons, like they were separate. This is not, Kyle's, you know, hopefully Kyle's happy with Meghan King Edmonds for the until the end of his days. But like, you know, Kyle, you know, it's weird. And I'm sure Kyle has some weird feelings about it. I don't want to discount it entirely. But that's not the issue here. The issue is knowing how Sierra felt and knowing how you said you felt about Sierra, how could both of them then do this? And then since you did do this, and if you said you had respect for Sierra, why didn't you kind of give her some heads up or have the tough conversation? Because they're going to have the tough conversation at the reunion. They're going to have to have that tough conversation. In fact, and this is a lesson to all of us because, listen, I don't think some of us have screwed up this bigly, this bigly, this big. But I'm not, you know, some of us have. And sometimes it's the same thing is that we just didn't have balls to actually be honest and to actually just say, hey, this is it. This is what I'm feeling. This is what I'm thinking. I just wanted to let you know. And before the public found out. Now, like I said, we're normies. So we don't have to usually deal with the public in the way that they have to deal with the public. But it's not like television is new to them. Amanda's been on this show for 10 seasons. Sierra's been on it for what? Like five seasons, five or six seasons? West has been on it for three seasons? They're aware of the fan base, and especially West, who really took Heat two seasons ago because of how his relationship with Sierra turned out. So that's what I'm having a really hard time understanding. So Heat went on his podcast, which is so funny because the video, there's like, it's sponsored by Arby's and I'm like, yeah, how about a big old meat weirdo sandwich to celebrate West and Amanda? But he's doing a brief thing, talking to his female co-host, and he's saying that Amanda is taking the brunt of the online hate. So he's standing up for his lady. He's like, oh man, it's like, oh, I wish I could take the hate. But that's what I'm saying. I feel like West should take a lot of online hate as well. I mean, I will say, West is coming off very like, oh, woe is me. And he's wearing a beanie. And he has his little sweater sleeves over his hands like he's like a child or a baby or something like that. And it's like, no, man, you are a man. You did this as a grown man. And so don't hide behind a beanie and a sweater over your little phalanges, your little fingers, your little hands, very tiny hands, West. And he also says her cell phone number, Amanda Petula's cell phone number was leaked, and someone texted her home wrecking whore, which isn't very nice. Now, I don't think West realizes that home wrecking whore, unfortunately, is a Bravo term. We are a parasocial group of people, as we've talked about many times. So I don't think he understood not, I mean, like home wrecking whore is a Bravo term, unfortunately. We have a lot to be proud of as Bravo fans, don't we? Now, Cece, the Instagram account, I love Cece. What's her Instagram account handle? Cece loves you. She made a post about this and Cece said, and I agree, doxing I do not agree with. I do not agree. If anybody has Amanda Petula's number, and you texted her, oh my God, what are you doing? You're as big of an idiot, if not a bigger idiot, than Amanda Petula. Amanda Petuglia, what are you doing? Are you kidding me? Come on, guys, be a grown up, make fun of her on a podcast, come on. But I also messaged Cece and I said, did you see Amanda Petula's number? Because I'm online a lot, like I'm not on Reddit, but I'm on Instagram a lot, I'm on threads a lot. I didn't see her number anywhere. So I genuinely was asking, I was like, have you seen her number? Because I haven't seen her number. And Cece says, no, I haven't seen her number at all. And then she was like, well, do you think West made this up? Do you think that was like a tactic of his? And I was like, no, no, I mean, but that's the thing. I don't think it's a tactic of West. But what happens when you're in a situation like this? Like I said, everything becomes believable. You're like, oh my God, maybe he is just saying this to try to get sympathy. But I genuinely online have not seen Amanda's number floating around. And if I did, definitely wouldn't use Amanda's phone number. So if that is true, if that is out there, and if any of you guys have it, I just, I think my audience wouldn't do that because we're relatively sane people. I'm giving us a lot of credit here. So he put that out there. And then he also said, this is great with the timeline. He said the timeline is February is when things started to get serious. And then he claims that there was no overlap. And he feels like that's like the big point he wanted to clear up, which is not my not my issue at all. But also no overlap with what like, yeah, he knew there was no overlap with Kyle and Amanda, potentially, right? That wasn't ever a question in my head. But we're going to go through the timeline in one second. But he said the timeline when things got serious started in February. But he said when it got serious. But then that led me to believe, okay, so was it just you guys were hooking up for fun before it got serious? So how long had it been going on for fun? Because it sounded like his timeline was saying, oh, it wasn't happening while Summer House was filming this past summer. That they weren't in a serious relationship. And then I just have to think, I'm like, maybe you weren't in a serious relationship, but were you hooking up for fun? Because you are, you know, listen, think about it. You don't automatically jump into a serious relationship. You know what? Some people actually do. But I don't think that, you know, like, usually there's some dipping the toes into the water, and that usually will take a couple of months. And especially something like this, where there's a lot at stake, because their careers are tied into their own personal lives. So this started in February thing. It felt the wording was very specific. It got serious, but it seems like there was something happening before then. Now, who knows? It seems like they might have, you know, gotten their story straight. But something didn't. There was other things happening before February. I'm willing to bet anything on it. I'm willing to eat a shoe. No, I'm not. He spoke about all the theories that were out there basically being fake. I wish he would clarify more about that. And he said, he also said that he had texted many of the cast members, but not everyone has responded. And then this is, you got to love KJ, man. Our new cast member, KJ, crack, not cracks me up, because it seems like he's, he's, you know, this is, he's taken this very seriously. And he's really bummed out, because remember, KJ, it was brought on by by West Wilson, right? But KJ, sorry, I'm trying to find, because on KJ joined Threads, and he's he's killing it on Threads, man. Where is it? One sec. Oh, on Threads, he wrote, I'm checking my text messages, but I never received anything. Obviously, in reference to West Wilson. We do know that West did text Mia, and Amanda texted Mia, because she revealed that on Watch What Happens Live. But KJ is saying, West has never texted him. And then he wrote, let me log off before I get accused of cyberbullying again. So, KJ, man, I'm excited to see KJ's reunion performance. I, and I don't need him to come out like a rabbit dog. I don't need him to come out like Lala. But I'm actually genuinely interested in a very real conversation. I think, you know, I think, I think that would be fascinating with this group of people. You know, Vanderpump Rules is very different than Summer House, even though we do compare it to Scandival a lot because, you know, what else are you going to compare it to in the Bravo universe? But I do think it's very different in terms of cast makeup. And I think there's potential for actually a deeper conversation here on this reunion, if done right, than we had at all throughout Scandival. And I'm very interested in that. And I think people like KJ can actually bring a lot of clarity and have a lot of questions answered that I think that the audience is very curious about, right? So I'm really hoping that Andy facilitates that in a great way. Okay. And so one more time as a parasocial Summer House family, let's go over this timeline. Now, this is pulled from a Threads account, Your Bravo Bestie XX. You are Bravo Bestie XX. Go follow them. I thought this was a great timeline. So let's go through it. Let's see here. Timeline audit, she puts. It says, since West confirmed that him and Amanda got together in February. Now, January 19th was when Amanda and Kyle announced their joint separation statement on social media. Now, this isn't in the timeline, but just to go further back, in November, the day before BravoCon is when Page Six released the article that Kyle and Amanda had gotten separate places, which we will see in In the City. That's going to be what I believe the finale of In the City, even though I believe they picked back up cameras at BravoCon, if I'm not mistaken. And then this is where it gets dark. February 3rd, Amanda and Sierra are on Watch What Happens Live. And they're very much coming off as best friends on this. Very much coming off as best friends and complimenting each other. And I mean, I watched this. This is pre-Super Bowl, February 3rd. And there's a poll, do you still ship Sierra and West as one of the Watch What Happens Live polls that the audience votes on? And 90% said yes. I voted no. I'm like, I did not ship them even when everybody was like, Oh, it's so cute. Oh, no, I loved West at that point. And I didn't think they belonged together. I was like, no, one strike equals three strikes in my book on Bravo. And you're out. But she points out this very interesting thing when it's 90% Sierra's like, wow, 90%. And then Amanda gives this look like she's disassociating when she realizes how much the fandom supports them getting back together. And then February 8th is Super Bowl Sunday. I was on that boat with Kyle and Wes Wilson pre-Super Bowl in San Francisco. Talked to both of them, couldn't, I mean, I wouldn't even know what to look for because I had no suspicions. Wasn't even my awareness. Didn't even think in a million years that Amanda would be with Wes. I was thinking about Kyle and Amanda. And just to be honest with you, I was really proud of Wes because he was like hosting the Bravo's pre-Super Bowl party. I thought that was like a huge gig. I was like really kind of proud for him, you know? And but I will say at half time, Wes Wilson posts a picture with him and Sierra and that influencer Fibula, which by the way, Fibula must have known everything that's going on. His old boy posse had to have known, right? So February 8th, they take that picture and everybody's like, Oh my God, Wes and Sierra, that's so cool. And they're like, Oh, does everybody think they actually do get together on this season of Summer House? If you listen to this show, even when I lied to us, I was like, No, they're not together. I think he's just actually a really good friend to Sierra and really cares about her, right? So February 7th, they have that February 8th picture at Super Bowl. And then this is when the rumors surrounding Wes and Sierra start in February hooking up. And Us Weekly has an article where Sierra Miller and Wes Wilson hooking up weeks before he announced the Amanda Petula romance. So this was based on these rumors that were out there. But also that thing got interjected that he was still like he actually was sleeping with Sierra at the same time that the Amanda Petula thing got into this, right? And then also there was that other girl in, where does she live? Is it Chicago? I'm sorry. I'm probably butchering Mia that the one that made the horsehair necklace that Wes Wilson wore on Watch What Happens Live, allegedly he was dating her at the same time as well. But then we got it confirmed that this was going on pre-Super Bowl with Amanda and West. Dave Portnoy claims he knows Dave Portnoy, Barstool Sports, blah, blah, blah. He knew that Wes and Amanda were hooking up at the time of the Super Bowl because Breonna Chickenfry, who works for Barstool Sports, told Dave Portnoy, Dave Portnoy in Dave Portnoy fashion went and made a video of it and spilled the tea, even though he says he didn't realize he was spilling tea, which I also still think is bullshit, Dave Portnoy I think has said a lot of lies throughout his career in entertainment, but whatever. But he then says it's pre-Super Bowl. So you're saying it in February, early February, so it was already happening at least by the time of Super Bowl. And then March 31st is when Wes and Amanda make that joint Instagram statement. So for West, I mean, and that's what I was saying, even when I was trying to be like, okay, this happened, but it must have happened after Super Bowl. But then I kind of got convinced, and I still am convinced that it was obviously pre-Super Bowl. And I do think it predates February. I think Wes is fudging. I think him using the term, it got serious is where he's able to kind of maybe convince himself he's not lying, but something was happening pre-February. Something was happening. By the way, I realize you guys are probably worried about me because I'm really taking this way too seriously. But how? I mean, this is, it's not the gift that keeps giving because you're kind of miserable following all this stuff and I just really am going to need you guys to watch tonight's episode of Summer House so when we do the recap, we can really, really get into it. Oh wait, there was one other thing actually. So there was a lot of blind items, like I said, there was a lot of rumors, but this is why that a lot of people are thinking it was even in June, right before Summer House filmed this season. So Crazy Days and Nights, that blind item account, Thursday, June 5th, 2025, blind item number six. This seasonal house reality star is cheating on her significant other. So looking back, people are thinking that's Amanda Batula. Now, here's an account, Trampoline with Eyes, on Twitter, and it says, All T. And this is from June 6th, 2025. They are both seeing other people and have since the fall. The male counterpart is sloppily open about it and openly sharing that he's waiting until this summer to file for divorce as a storyline on his show, Messes. So this also is the other thing is that what I keep saying is that you're going to find out that they're honest about it, that they were fudging Kyle and Amanda of when they got separated, that they were already separated when they went into the summer house this season. Okay, then Crazy Days and Nights, Tuesday, March 18th of 2025. Blind item number 10. How bad is your coke problem if you are having it delivered to you at an outdoor jam packed St. Patrick's Day party where everyone can see you getting it? Yeah, I'm looking at you, Mr. Illiterate Seasonal House Star. Alliteration, West Wilson, WW, right? And then Wednesday, April 16th, 2025. Blind item number 8. April 16th was just for... No, this... Oh, sorry. Sorry, this is 2025. 2025 is last year. We're in 2026. April 16th, 2025 would be last year. Blind item number 8. This season house reality star needs rehab. And then April 4th... Then he had put that this was West Wilson, Summer House. Oh, he... West Wilson, Summer House on the delivering Coke on St. Patty's Day. Oh, was this the TikTok video where you can see somebody hand him something? But by the way, remember the Summer House recap I did? Well, it was about five episodes ago. It was Amanda's birthday night where I was like... It was the episode where West was like, I'm tripping balls right now. And I was like, I think this dude's on Molly or Mushrooms. And then I pointed out like two separate instances where you can see something. You can see a scene when they come back from the club and it's Ben, Kyle and West Wilson out by the cars. And it looks like something's being passed. And then another time by Kyle's DJ booth where West is, I don't know, like I'll have to go back and find that video for you guys. But I talked about it openly on the show. And so I don't know. I don't know what West partakes in. But it also then when Austin Kroll, remember when Kyle Cook was DJing in Charleston and Austin was being really sloppy and he did that story and said, oh, I guess doing pasta and sleeping with your friend's wife or your friend's ex or something. And, you know, it made you think of pasta drugs because of Vanderpump rules. And I was like, wow, is there is drugs a part of this whole thing? Anywho, that's it. We're going to take our last commercial break right here. And I'm so sorry. I went really down a rabbit hole. If you are here for the people interview, I hope I didn't ruin it because actually this is such a fantastic conversation that celebrates pop culture. It celebrates People magazine and it celebrates the most beautiful person in the world right now in 2026. So after this commercial break, we will talk to Andrea Lavinthal. And I think you're going to love this conversation. Have a great Tuesday. I'll talk to you later today.

Speaker 3:
[31:41] Bye. If you have nothing nice to say, you can sit with us. I'm Suzanne Lambert, comedian, mean girl and internet menace. And this is the Mean But True Podcast. Every week, a special guest in the old talk, pop culture, current events, romance, whatever we feel like. I don't know. Are you a cop? We'll be keeping it funny, playful, and petty per usual. You cringe at the sight of people posting QR codes to fund their own bachelorette parties. You need to know how to respond to that coworker with the bad haircut who's always making bigs, or just need to get something off your chest. Make sure to subscribe to Mean But True wherever you listen to podcasts, unless of course you hate fun, in which case, don't. I'm Suzanne Lambert and this is Mean But True.

Speaker 4:
[32:30] Hey guys, I'm Brian, the host of Brian Enton Investigates. Most other true crime and breaking news podcasters are in their basement or studio. But not me, I am out on the road every single week. From inside prisons to murder scenes to active manhunts, there really isn't anywhere I won't go. Coast to coast, I am all about old fashioned boots on the ground reporting. You have to show up in person to cover the news and get the secrets, and I have a way of getting people to talk. I cover stories others ignore with a relentless determination to get to the truth. Listen to Brian Enten Investigates, every day, wherever you get your podcasts.

Speaker 2:
[33:12] When news breaks about Marvel, DC, Star Wars, or anything else you're obsessed with, the break room is where the conversation is happening. I'm Jon Costa.

Speaker 5:
[33:19] And I'm Zach Huddleston. Together with our co-hosts Eric Voss, Jessica Clemens, Brandon Barak, and Gina Ippolito, we help you digest the headlines around your favorite fandoms. Casting, plot leaks, interviews, actors crashing out on social media, we get into all of it.

Speaker 2:
[33:33] Plus, we do weekly after shows and Q&A's for The Break Room's favorite shows and movies. We got you covered and we'll give you the context you need to have a deeper understanding of the things you love.

Speaker 5:
[33:42] With new shows three times a week, you'll be up to speed in no time. Listen to The Break Room for free on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Speaker 1:
[33:50] Folks, welcome to another episode of So Bad It's Good. Today is a very special day. I've been looking forward to this for a minute because I had to sign an NDA. That's how important this episode is. I had to sign an NDA because we are revealing important information. Now, if you've listened to this show, I've talked about this so many times over the years, is that the magazine People has a special place in my heart because every Christmas and when mom was here, she would get me the year-in-year book issue and she would put it in my stocking and I looked forward to that issue every year. But People has so many amazing issues. If you're studying pop culture like I have for the last multiple decades, People magazine has always been at the forefront. Now, what's very special about this week is that their issue of the Worlds Most Beautiful 2026 is going to hit the newsstands and we're going to reveal today who that is. And I don't know. They're going to reveal this to me on air. And with us to talk about this and reveal this very important information is the director of special projects at People magazine, Andrea Lavinthal. Welcome to the show.

Speaker 6:
[34:55] Hi, how are you?

Speaker 1:
[34:57] I'm really good. I really was and have been looking forward to this because I think like a lot of us, you know, People magazine really holds this special place for all of us. And especially in 2026 with how like magazines are, you know, it's like you guys are still there. I have like I've signed up for your email updates. So I get updates on every pop culture event through People magazine. But like this magazine issue in particular, I want to clarify, this isn't the world's sexiest person. This is the world's most beautiful person. Right.

Speaker 6:
[35:29] So we have sexiest man alive, and then we have Worlds Most Beautiful, which is like no pressure, right? Worlds Most Beautiful. You're just the most beautiful woman in the world. And then have the entire internet tell you you're not, which is the worst thing.

Speaker 1:
[35:43] But in 2026, that's really bold is because the internet, I don't know if you guys have paid attention, has a lot of opinions. So you guys are going to have so many people that will agree religiously with this choice, or they're going to say why their favorite person should have been voted most beautiful.

Speaker 6:
[36:00] I know, I know. It's like every year, I can't wait to hear how wrong people are.

Speaker 1:
[36:06] Well, I mean, and I want to, there's so many cool facts about this. So this, this magazine special debuted in 1990. And my favorite was the most beautiful person that year. It was Michelle Pfeiffer.

Speaker 4:
[36:19] Right, perfect.

Speaker 1:
[36:21] She really was. No, I mean, truly no notes. As a little kid, the show knows this. I was so obsessed with Michelle Pfeiffer when she played Catwoman, that as a kid, I went back and watched her whole movie catalog, which no like 13-year-old should be watching like Russia House or the Fabulous Baker Boys.

Speaker 6:
[36:38] Grease 2 is probably one of my favorites. I'm sure she wouldn't love that in her, you know, in her canon of work. But for me, Grease 2, better than Grease 2.

Speaker 1:
[36:49] I'm sorry, Cool Rider is one of the best songs ever. And as you get older, I think maturity is realizing that Grease 2 is just as good as Grease.

Speaker 6:
[36:57] Better.

Speaker 1:
[37:01] Listen, come at us, Internet, come at us.

Speaker 6:
[37:03] Right?

Speaker 1:
[37:05] So the winner of, I mean, not that a winner, but the person that's graced the People's World of the Most Beautiful cover the most is Julia Roberts. 1981, 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2017, more than anyone else. So can I, it's not Julia Roberts this year, is it?

Speaker 6:
[37:24] It's not. This is not your number six. We're giving her a break. We're letting her live her life peacefully. We will come back, I am sure. Julia, don't rest too much. No.

Speaker 1:
[37:34] I mean, Julia Roberts is one of those pop culture icons that we really will, you know, like we will get to watch her in her Catherine Hepburn days. She's going to continue to put out amazing work, you know, no matter how old she is. And just so I don't want to get a lot of mail, I just want to clarify once again, this is Most Beautiful. If it was Sexiest Man Alive, there's a chance that I would be up for it. So I don't want to hear anybody saying that people, people ignored me again for Sexiest Podcaster, okay? Thank you.

Speaker 6:
[38:01] Dirsted.

Speaker 1:
[38:02] Now, also another, another thing that people might not, you know, mainly women have won this, but there have been a couple of times where men have been on the cover of the Most Beautiful Issue. Who are these men? Do you remember?

Speaker 6:
[38:16] Well, we fixed that, to be clear. They no longer interest us for this issue. But back when it started, it was like a mix of the Most Beautiful people. So, I mean, you had Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio. And it all made sense in the mix, but it was like, we have sexiest men alive. Men have their moment. Let's give the gals their spotlight. And so hence it became just for women.

Speaker 1:
[38:43] I mean, I completely, I think us men, we have enough.

Speaker 6:
[38:47] I think you guys are good. If you're not, let me know.

Speaker 1:
[38:52] So are you allowed to like kind of speak on the process of what goes in to choosing the most beautiful for this issue?

Speaker 6:
[39:00] So what was really cool about this year is there was one person. And when you have, when everybody has the same person in mind, for the most part, I mean, there's always ideas, but like, there was one big person we all wanted. And when that person says yes, you're like, oh, we're not, it's happening because it's hard. You think that you're going to just go to a big celebrity like, we want to name you Sexiest Man Alive or Worlds Most Beautiful. Some of them, believe it or not, are like, no, thank you. And you're like, oh, this is so awkward. But, you know, it has to be somebody who's feeling really confident. They're having a moment in their career. They understand how to handle this title, you know, because it's not easy, honestly. It's not easy to call the world's most anything, maybe richest. I think that would be okay.

Speaker 1:
[39:55] I don't think in 2026, it's okay to be called the richest, but I mean, I wouldn't want to be called the richest, but I will say, I would be, it would be amazing to be called the most beautiful and not have to say it yourself. Like if people magazine says it, then it's okay. But if I said it about myself, I don't know if that would fly. So how many people go into like, what kind of, how many, what is the team of people and how long have you been with people at this point?

Speaker 6:
[40:18] So I have been with people for 14 years. I was originally the style and beauty director. And then about two years ago, I became this very long title, the executive director of special integrated projects. My mom still doesn't know what that means and that's fine. And so now I oversee, Sexiest Men Alive, Worlds Most Beautiful, all these huge tent poles as we call them, for a brand that I love and respect and like you have been reading since probably way before I should have been reading it. So I get to be in the room. It's like the coolest experience. And so we talk like it's obviously the person is going to be attractive, right? Like this is Hollywood. They're all so beautiful. That part's easy. But it's finding someone. It's like right person, right time. Are they, do they have something about them that makes people care beyond the fact that they have really pretty hair? You know, or it has to be something.

Speaker 1:
[41:16] Can it be a, I mean, I guess it can be, because Michelle Pfeiffer in 1990, but can it be somebody young, or does it have to be somebody with an established career, somebody that has gravitas?

Speaker 6:
[41:27] We've had, you know, people in their early 30s. I'm sure we've even put people on the cover in their 20s. And I think probably the oldest of us ever was Helen Mirren just a few years ago. So you could be Worlds Most Beautiful at any age. I think you probably should be drinking age. But you have to have something going on that makes people drawn to you and excited and talking about you right now.

Speaker 4:
[41:54] So that is the key.

Speaker 6:
[41:55] That's my biggest clue is somebody who is about, I mean, they've been everywhere for a while.

Speaker 1:
[42:01] So somebody potentially with a big project.

Speaker 6:
[42:04] Oh, yeah.

Speaker 1:
[42:04] Somebody that's really in the scope of pop culture at this moment.

Speaker 6:
[42:08] Right.

Speaker 1:
[42:08] And I was kind of trying to give a little, I try to ask something to maybe get a little clue. And I was thinking maybe Zendaya, but then you said not, you said, oh, we've done 20s in the past. So I don't think it's Zendaya.

Speaker 6:
[42:20] That's good.

Speaker 1:
[42:21] I was trying to throw that out there.

Speaker 6:
[42:22] Yeah. We love her and she appears in the issue, but she is not our cover.

Speaker 1:
[42:27] Okay. So that's the other thing. In this issue, you don't, you know, you crown one winner, but there is, it's a whole issue dedicated to so many different aspects of beauty. Correct?

Speaker 6:
[42:37] So we did a lot of really fun things in this issue. It's sort of just like an excuse to have fun and get really creative using some of the talent we love. So we come up with, you know, crazy ideas and we're like, who's down to do this? So one of the acts, we call them acts, is current, like really hot stars in the music space, recreating looks of pop music female icons of the past, all the one-namers.

Speaker 1:
[43:07] So Madonna, Beyonce.

Speaker 6:
[43:10] Madonna, Cher, Dolly and Janet.

Speaker 1:
[43:14] Oh, which Cher outfit?

Speaker 6:
[43:17] Okay, I love that you asked. So we have Dove Cameron recreating a look that Cher did on the Sunny and Cher show. It is so incredible how they were recreating.

Speaker 1:
[43:29] So is it the long hair down to the waist?

Speaker 6:
[43:31] Long hair, it's a purple sparkly kind of Bob Mackie looking number. It's unbelievable how these people leaned into these recreations while also bringing their own personality into it. So it's not like a, you can see them. So Tiana Taylor does Janet Jackson.

Speaker 1:
[43:53] Oh my gosh, which way, which look of Janet's?

Speaker 6:
[43:56] So she, I had the vision, I was like, she has to do if, right? Like she has to, and she did want to do if, but she's so devoted to Janet, she's like, not only is she a huge fan, they're apparently friends, like no big deal. She wanted to do Janet's if performance, like a specific performance of hers, and somehow has like the outfit, you're going to die when you see it. It's so good. And then we have Megan Moroney doing Dolly Parton, who's her-

Speaker 1:
[44:25] Oh, amazing.

Speaker 6:
[44:26] I mean, that's her main inspiration.

Speaker 1:
[44:28] Yeah.

Speaker 6:
[44:30] She's the same age that Dolly was when Jolene came out. So she's doing a Jolene moment. And then we have Madonna and we got Jade, also goes by one name, Jade, to do like a prayer. It's so good. I got chills. I was like, I can't believe this happens. You're sitting in a conference room like, and then we'll do this, and we'll do this, and sometimes.

Speaker 1:
[44:55] I mean, this is the dream gig for me, like to sit around and try to honor and talk about pop culture. And what I love about what you were just talking about is, I say so many times on this show is like, open the schools. We need to teach kids pop culture and pop history. It's not just important to learn American history and worldwide history, but pop culture history, I don't want that to be a dying art. So we need to stress the importance of Madonna, Janet Jackson, Dolly Parton, all of these great people and these icons and these certain eras that they've gone through because I think, first off, they're just amazing visual images. But my hope always is that a younger generation will open up Spotify or Apple Music and go directly to Dolly Parton's catalog and start playing music and fall in love with something that they might not have before.

Speaker 6:
[45:41] Yes, I agree and so to that point, one of the things we love to do is a nostalgia moment. This year, we reunited most of the original female cast of Melrose Place. This was my dream. But I have to tell you, when you are at a publication and you have been there for as long as I have, and you work with Gen Z, Millennials, they're like, what?

Speaker 1:
[46:12] As you said, open the school. You don't fire them immediately?

Speaker 6:
[46:16] I say, sit down, babe. Open your textbook, you're about to learn Amanda Woodward, Chapter 1. I got my PhD in Melrose Place. I thought I had it, but you forget, right? It's like time...

Speaker 1:
[46:32] You gotta revisit the classics.

Speaker 6:
[46:34] Oh my God, I forgot just how bonkers. I was telling them on set, like, okay, when this one and the paternity, and then they were like, I don't even remember that.

Speaker 1:
[46:47] The wig moments, I mean, come on.

Speaker 6:
[46:49] Yeah, so that was a true, I can't believe this is my job.

Speaker 1:
[46:54] Are you allowed to say who actually participated in the Melrose Place shoot? Because I'm thinking of a bunch of names, but who will participate?

Speaker 6:
[47:01] Okay. Number one, Heather Locklear.

Speaker 1:
[47:03] Okay.

Speaker 6:
[47:03] We got a man's a woodward, guys, and let me tell you.

Speaker 1:
[47:06] By the way, I just saw that she was dating somebody from an 80s icon, this guy I'm forgetting right now. But anyways, Heather Locklear.

Speaker 6:
[47:16] She is gorgeous and so funny. I didn't know she was so funny, and she has a filthy mouth, which I love. Courtney Thorne-Smith, Laura Leighton, Daphne Zuniga, Josie Bissette, and Vanessa E. Williams. Who am I missing?

Speaker 1:
[47:32] Lisa Rinna?

Speaker 6:
[47:33] Lisa, no. We just did really our season one, Two Gals. It was like the early, because really when you go deep in that cast, you're talking Kristen Davis. There's like Alissa Milano. It's wild. So we wanted to keep it kind of like core, and we recreated the facade of the Melrose-

Speaker 1:
[47:55] That's what I was going to ask...

Speaker 6:
[47:56] .Permit building. They walked in, and one by one they were like, oh my God.

Speaker 1:
[48:01] Did anybody get emotional? Because I would imagine, like, a lot of these people, like, that's one of the things, the big things they came up with. Not Heather Locklear, but a lot of them, this really launched them in terms of their careers in some ways, and I would imagine it's interesting for them to experience that nostalgia.

Speaker 6:
[48:16] I mean, I got emotional, but I couldn't believe it. They were so funny because what they kept saying during the interview to me was like, we never got to hang out on set. We worked, they worked like 14, 18-hour days, and when they weren't working, they were like driving home and sleeping, or doing promotional stuff. They really never got to just, like, chill. So they said being in a room together with no, you know, they're not shooting anything, they're just having fun, with such a treat. And you can see, there is such an amazing report. They're like family. They were so funny, so funny.

Speaker 1:
[48:53] I can't wait to see that. I mean, listen, we're 15 minutes in. I'm kind of, my anticipation's like off the charts here.

Speaker 6:
[48:59] Yeah, when am I going to get to tell you?

Speaker 1:
[49:00] That's what I was like, I mean, maybe we can talk about it right now. Is there any, will you give me a clue so I can try to have one more guess?

Speaker 6:
[49:11] Okay, oh, it's like the line everybody's using right now because of the time of year, florals for spring.

Speaker 1:
[49:20] Oh, oh, oh, got it, Meryl Streep.

Speaker 6:
[49:24] Well, no, it's Anne Hathaway. I should have done one of Anne's lines, thumbs up.

Speaker 1:
[49:31] Okay, so Anne Hathaway, which is perfect because Devil Wears Prada 2 comes out May 1st, you guys. I talked about that, I think, on Monday. And that's kind of perfect. And Anne Hathaway also, just to remind everybody, is kind of having the biggest year ever because she's in that. She's in this A24 film, I think, called Mother Mary. She's also in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, which we're going to be able to see this summer, which is going to be like an IMAX, all shot on IMAX. So that is kind of the perfect choice because Anne Hathaway had a moment where she kind of disappeared for a second and now she's back in full force.

Speaker 6:
[50:02] Six movies this year, six. So we're saying if she's Anne in demand, like this is the year of Anne. And when I said we like our cover person to be someone who is really having a moment in the zeitgeist and has something you can connect to, that's her. She's watching her on set at her cover shoot, man, she's, I mean, she's a star. She doesn't need me to tell her that, but she's a star. She was stunning, she was funny, she was glamorous, she wore amazing outfits, she gave a phenomenal interview. We were like all mesmerized by her.

Speaker 1:
[50:44] So, I mean, you reach out to her people and go, hey, we want to present, you know, the most beautiful issue Anne Hathaway. Is it an immediate yes? Is it like, we gotta think about this?

Speaker 6:
[50:56] She was quick enough for me, yes, where she didn't leave us hanging. That's always the best, because it's the same thing with Sexiest Man Alive. You want someone who's excited. You don't want to convince, right? Like, if you have to like beg and plead, they're never gonna embrace it and have to take it the way they should. It's, listen, it's hard. It's hard to be called the most anything. We already, you know, so you kind of have to have fun with it and be ready to just roll. And she is, that's her whole thing now. She's like, I used to be so bogged down in the idea of perfection. And now I'm just like, I'm having fun. And I'm like, yeah, you are. She's, she's having fun.

Speaker 1:
[51:36] Now there's an interview that corresponds with this cover shoot, correct?

Speaker 6:
[51:40] Yes, yes. My boss, our editor in chief, Charlotte did the interview and I got to watch.

Speaker 1:
[51:45] And does it, do you talk about what beauty means to Anne Hathaway and what beauty means at large?

Speaker 6:
[51:52] Yeah. It's always interesting to ask that question because I feel like it's the hardest question to answer when you're like, what is beauty means to you? I wouldn't want to be asked that. And she gave a beautiful poetic answer that involved nature that was much more highbrow than anything I could think of. So kudos to her.

Speaker 1:
[52:10] I'm like beauty's in bed with some cheese and a glass of wine watching TV, but you know, whatever.

Speaker 6:
[52:14] Perfect. Beauty's in the eye of the beholder.

Speaker 1:
[52:18] You know, in the cover shoot, like I am so weird with getting my picture taken. I get all nervous and stuff like that. Is for a cover shoot for a star of Anne Hathaway's caliber, is she playing music, is what goes on in something like that?

Speaker 6:
[52:31] Her own playlist. She made her own playlist. She like DJed her own shoot. And it was a really cool mix of music. She had like Bad Bunny, she had Lana Del Rey, she kind of had a little bit of everything. And you know, someone at that point in their career, man, do they know lighting. She's so good at lighting. And she even said to us in the interview, she made a joke like, I don't mind aging, I just mind bad lighting. And it's like fair.

Speaker 1:
[53:00] Well, yeah, I mean, I just finished the Barbara Streisand autobiography last year, which took me most of the year, but like she'll travel with her own lighting crew because she knows the importance and she knows her angle, she knows how she wants to look. And I think sometimes unfairly they'll be like, well, she's just being a difficult woman. I'm like, no, she's being a professional that cares about how she presents herself and that is not gender based. That is just somebody that knows that they're presenting who they are. So I always find that actually kind of comforting if the outlet's always able to entertain it, which people is. Well, so what is the cover shoot? Is it just a tight of her face? Is it her in a dress? What are we talking about?

Speaker 6:
[53:39] It's so pretty. So she gave us just too many options, I'm going to be honest. Like sometimes you look and you're like, there's really only three pictures here that could be the cover. We were struggling and we vote. We're all in a room and we're all looking at the different options. It's like, I loved the version with the jacket and this one loved the version without the jacket. But what if we did something crazy and whatever? So it's like from upper waist up, she's wearing the most outrageous Tamara Ralph, sweetheart neck gown with these feathers. When we have the fan on her, the feathers were moving, it was like poetry. And her hair, she's such a star, and then she wore a bunch of other killer outfits.

Speaker 1:
[54:24] Does it get heated in the, I'm picturing this intense people boardroom, pictures are flying. Does it get intense? People are like, no, it's got to be number one. No, it's got to be number three. You don't understand. Do you guys get passionate in your ideas about what is going to present best?

Speaker 6:
[54:39] Absolutely, and you better. If you don't have that passion, if you're not willing to fight for the idea, why are you even in the Zoom? Get out of the room. You got to have an opinion, and you also have to know when to just let it go. Because sometimes I'm the weirdo who's like, guys, it's number four. I know you all think it's one, it's four. It's not, and that's okay.

Speaker 1:
[55:03] So the sexiest man alive last year, I believe, was Jonathan Bailey, right? Yeah. I'm glad we can keep it in the family. But I think that was a very important. I think that was our first openly gay sexiest man of the year, is that right? Ever, ever. Ever, ever. Okay. So that's amazing. Now, in terms of the most beautiful, and I know this might be a silly question, does anybody campaign for this? Are you getting calls going, you know, I'd like to present my client. I think this person would be the best for the most beautiful or sexiest man. Do you get pitches?

Speaker 6:
[55:33] Yes, actually we do. And, you know, most of the time, I'm trying to think, you know, we do. We know that there's people who are open to it. And it's like a good time, right? Like they have a big project, they're hitting a milestone. They have, so it's like, they're open to it, you know, if we want to talk about it.

Speaker 1:
[55:53] Yeah.

Speaker 6:
[55:53] But at this case, I mean, we had to go to her. We were like, hey girl. But you hope again that they're open to it. I mean, we get nos for acts and you're like, you're, I want to be like, this is a huge mistake that you're saying no. Like I wish I could call the celebrity myself and be like, you don't understand what you're saying no. But in the end, it all somehow works out and you're like, I'm glad they said no and this one city asked for this. It all shakes out.

Speaker 1:
[56:26] It all works out. So in terms of People magazine itself, I mean, you guys have managed to still be at the forefront, even though the landscape is changing so much. But like I said, I have people alerts that you can get email to you and I have a push alert on my text just so I can say, on top of everything, how have you seen the pop culture landscape change in the last five years or even the last decade?

Speaker 6:
[56:49] I think the biggest change I've seen in my time at People is the rise of creator influencer culture and trying to figure out how our reader connects to them in terms of celebrity. There's always a lot of discussion of like, does this influencer creator belong alongside your more well-known household name stars and if so, how and where? I think people who made their fame online, obviously their home base is digital. Those are the people you'll see on our social and on our site. It's different when it comes to the print product. I think that that audience still really connects to the people they know, the faces they know. They want to be introduced to new, but don't waste their time with somebody that's not interesting. There's got to be a real story there.

Speaker 1:
[57:45] You're so right. I mean, that's the thing is that I grew up with movie stars.

Speaker 6:
[57:49] Movie stars.

Speaker 1:
[57:49] And dancers and singers and pop stars, all of these things. And I hate to be an old fuddy-duddy, but sometimes with content creators, you appreciate it, but not in the sense that the youth do. And that really is hard of, like, you know, how many movie stars do we have left? You know, it's like Chalamet's out there, Zendaya, they have the new Dune movie coming out, you know, at Thanksgiving. Like, the movie stars are dissipating, you know, and even like we had just Coachella this past weekend. But at the same time, I feel like content creators were covered just as much, if not more, than the actual musical acts. Right. But if I told this to my dad, if I explained any of this to my dad, it would be completely foreign. He doesn't go on YouTube, he doesn't have a TikTok account. And I think that's the weird shift is that I'm fighting, not that to keep it in the dark ages, but like people that are actually doing an art and, you know, like try to highlight artists. And not to say content creators don't involve art in some degree, but that's even hard for me is that like, what are we celebrating? Like we're in the middle of an Alex Earl, Alex Cooper, like...

Speaker 6:
[58:51] The Alex on Alex. Yeah, Alex on Alex. Could this be the next Ryan Murphy?

Speaker 1:
[58:57] I was just going to say that.

Speaker 6:
[59:00] Really? Because he like, with the notebook, and it's like two gorgeous, blonde girls, and he's like, cage match.

Speaker 1:
[59:06] But even Ryan Murphy is like, I don't know if I can go there. That's not established enough. I don't know if people will go there.

Speaker 6:
[59:11] Not iconic yet. So I think what the thing is that's so interesting, when we were looking back at Worlds Most Beautiful, the whole franchise since the 90s, what we also realized is that for a long time, it was all movie stars. TV people were kind of like B-team. We watched their shows, but they weren't movie stars. It's only in the last maybe 10 years that TV stars became big stars and movie stars started going to TV, like Nicole Kidman and whatnot. So it is also interesting to see that evolution.

Speaker 1:
[59:48] I mean, we spend more time at home on our TVs now than we ever have, I think, in the history of pop culture. But you're right. TV is so premium, so prestige now, that it's like, but you're talking about Melrose Place, those actors potentially couldn't have gotten Melrose in the age 20, 26, because they would be looking for straight up movie stars to be in Melrose Place at this point.

Speaker 6:
[60:12] Or Alex Earl to play Sydney or whatever.

Speaker 1:
[60:17] You're right.

Speaker 6:
[60:18] And what's funny is I look at what's bubbling in our newsroom and we have a Slack channel devoted to Summer House, right? Because that blew up.

Speaker 1:
[60:28] Can I be on that? Can you just put me on the Slack channel for a day? My God. Because I was on your Instagram, which by the way, I'm going to put Andrea's Instagram. So make sure you go follow her. You can keep in touch with her. There's a lot of great stuff on there. I was watching actually you guys talking about Summer House, which by the way, in the World's Most Beautiful issue, do you give any mileage to reality TV in it? Reality stars?

Speaker 6:
[60:49] They, there's a little bit, but it's not a big moment. We have our moments for reality stars during the year, and we definitely give them big, gorgeous shoots. We've done digital covers with Portia from Real Housewives of Atlanta. We've done it with Ariana Maddox. I mean, we love our reality gals.

Speaker 1:
[61:08] May I pitch Ciara Miller for a People magazine exclusive?

Speaker 6:
[61:11] Listen, if you think we haven't already, picks up the phone and said when she is ready, camera is up over here for her. We're ready.

Speaker 1:
[61:21] Wouldn't that be amazing? We get, not we, but Ciara gets a People magazine exclusive. I'm here for it.

Speaker 6:
[61:30] I would love that. You know, it's funny. I had a concept in my mind that I really wanted to do something fun on the whole Hot Divorcees of Bravo and I had a whole list and Amanda was on it. What could we do? Let's do something fun. Then this happened and I was like, done.

Speaker 1:
[61:51] Let's take Amanda off that.

Speaker 6:
[61:53] Yeah, maybe. We scratched Amanda and then we put Ciara and I was like, let's get her. You got to move at the speed of news. Can you imagine if we had booked that? Well, first of all, she never would have done.

Speaker 1:
[62:04] But that's the thing, the speed of news. That's the other thing I think that's changed in pop culture is that we used to live in a 24-hour news cycle and now we live in a 24-hour pop culture cycle.

Speaker 6:
[62:13] Oh my God. It's like 24 seconds. It's like this happens and then we'll look over here and then let's talk about this. So it's funny. I mean, the Summer House thing feels like it happened four years ago.

Speaker 1:
[62:23] And I think we're only like two and a half weeks in or something. And we have about five more weeks before I think we even see the reunion or the finale.

Speaker 5:
[62:32] That reunion.

Speaker 6:
[62:34] I'm going to watch that like I would normally watch a state of the union.

Speaker 1:
[62:39] I'm going to watch it like the Zapruder film. I'm going to be just like going through it frame by frame.

Speaker 6:
[62:44] The last time I think I was that excited was the Oprah Meghan Markle sit down.

Speaker 1:
[62:51] That happened over lockdown, you guys. You remember that. And that was like, were you silent or were you silenced?

Speaker 6:
[62:58] And I just kept thinking I would have styled her so differently, Meghan, for this. She should have been wearing creamy neutrals. It was very Angelina Jolie. She had a black pump and heavy makeup. And I thought, this, you are not going to get the sympathy looking like too glamorous. You look like Angelina. You got to be Jenn-Anne.

Speaker 1:
[63:19] Well, that's interesting that you said she's not going to get the sympathy. And I think in pop culture, that's the other thing is, is realizing that usually stars or something, they want to portray something there or they want to evoke a certain emotion. Like Worlds Most Beautiful issue, I think there's something that we want to appreciate beauty. We want to appreciate the different kinds of beauty. We want to be stunned in a certain way. But I think that is interesting to also remind ourselves is that when we're reading something, there usually is a goal behind it. And that's with all of pop culture. There's usually some sort of message. They try to hide it as deep as they can because they don't want to hit you over the head with it. But I find that so fascinating. So Summer House, though, where is your personal taste? What do you allow yourself to watch?

Speaker 6:
[64:01] Oh, allow. Well, I of course watch Summer House. It's required, right?

Speaker 1:
[64:07] Okay, that's what I was wondering if you're fully...

Speaker 6:
[64:09] Absolutely. Okay. Absolutely, I'm in. I have to say for a while, I fell off of Real Housewives. Rhode Island has... So good. I did like, I'm going to watch it while I'm blow-drying my hair. I stopped blow-drying my hair. I was like, I got a list in Volume On, captions. Those ladies are so funny and so out there. Still, I'm at the point where... Well, actually, no, I'm just starting to be able to tell them apart. That's like when you're getting to know them and you're like, damn it, which one is that? But this is, we're only three episodes in. I'm hooked.

Speaker 1:
[64:48] Oh, I was messaging with somebody over at that works at Bravo yesterday, and we were talking about Rhode Island. And she said, Ryan, you have no idea, the whole season is that good. The whole season is that good is the first three episodes.

Speaker 6:
[65:03] Just listening to them talk. I could listen to them just sit and talk. The crackers, just talking about how she has to bring her crackers wherever she goes.

Speaker 1:
[65:11] Yeah, gotta bring my snacks. And then Alicia, talking about her doll collection in this past, she was showing us her Monster High dolls and how beautiful and artistic they are.

Speaker 6:
[65:18] They're wacky. They're wacky, they're funny, they have a sense of humor about themselves. And I've never seen people move on so quickly from what an insult that would take me to a, I'd probably get two therapists for some of the stuff they say to each other. And it's like, you know, that was just one picnic.

Speaker 1:
[65:38] That's another sign of a great reality television show, what you just said, is when an insult can be hurled and you will fight about the insult for maybe 30 seconds and then they just pick up and move on. Because normal people don't do that. You know, it's like you're dealing with a superhero at that point because, like you, it would floor me for the rest of the year and they just pick up and move on.

Speaker 6:
[65:57] Yeah, she's like, you know, you're not really their mother. You didn't make them. And she's like, you know, that's really hurtful. And she's like, sorry. And she's like, okay, whoa, whoa, you know, and it's like, oh, well, we all know that your husband has a girlfriend. She's like, that's not nice. And she's like, well, it's true. And then she's like, I guess.

Speaker 4:
[66:20] And fair, fair point.

Speaker 6:
[66:22] And I'm like here where I live in Greenwich. I mean, you would probably have to move. They'd be like, get the hell out of here.

Speaker 1:
[66:30] They would ask you to move.

Speaker 6:
[66:31] You wouldn't have to go live somewhere. You're not in this club anymore.

Speaker 1:
[66:35] So may I recommend, may I recommend the New Ladies of London if you have not watched it. I started it.

Speaker 6:
[66:41] They're so beautiful. I love their outfits and they're really like they're fun to watch. They get they're like kind of giving just like that fantasy version of reality TV. Like they don't even seem real. They actually seem like characters.

Speaker 1:
[66:57] Well, because I never I hate to admit this, I've never been to London. So for me, it really is this kind of magical place where I've never like, wow, look at they have streets like we do, like ugly American. But I love Ladies of London so much. So with Summer House, in your, since you watch Summer House, what do you think the obsession with this storyline is?

Speaker 6:
[67:20] Honestly, I think if we're all going to look in the mirror and have a man in the mirror moment, it's relatable. We've all either done something bad, like, you know, that we're like, thank God there was no cameras, whether it's, you know, dating a friend's boyfriend, whatever, or have it done to you.

Speaker 1:
[67:38] Did you just admit to dating a friend's boyfriend?

Speaker 6:
[67:40] Okay. So there was a time, there was a time in high school where, you know, he asked me to the prom and if I'm being honest, they were not meant for each other. We were. That's what I told myself.

Speaker 1:
[67:53] I want to clarify, she said high school, you guys.

Speaker 6:
[67:55] High school and I am very old. I have two children. But, you know, I got all in my high horse when we were shooting our pop take at People and I'm Going Off. And then all of a sudden I like disassociated and remembered that I went to the prom with my best friend's ex-boyfriend because I was like, well, we're still friends.

Speaker 1:
[68:14] Where did you like you disassociated?

Speaker 6:
[68:16] Yeah. And I said it on camera and they cut it. And I said, what are you so scared of? Like I think the statute of limitations on this is up, but, you know, it's, it's weirdly and sadly relatable because you've either done it to an extent or had it done to you. And it's, it's every show. It's 902 and oh, if you want to get out our textbooks, it's Kelly and Brenta and Dylan. We've all been there.

Speaker 1:
[68:44] I'm trying to get an interview with Jenny Garth right now because she has a new book.

Speaker 6:
[68:47] She was just on the cover for her book. Gorgeous. She looked gorgeous.

Speaker 1:
[68:51] I, I, a huge Kelly Taylor fan. And that's what I said with Sierra when, when there was allegedly this fight between Jesse West and Sierra on Summer House. I was like the Kelly Taylor episode where, where Brandon and Dylan were both after her. And she's like, I choose me. I wanted Sierra to have an I choose me moment, not even realizing that I was supposed to be looking at West and Amanda and Sierra and Jesse was not a threat at all. And I think that's another thing is that sometimes we can usually sniff out like liars and drama, but this I couldn't sniff out at all. So we're now going back and watching it with like a fine tooth comb and trying to pick out moments like in this episode this week, West sat on Amanda Batula and Sierra let us know earlier in the season when West sat on her that it means he has a crush when West Wilson sits on you. That's a crazy moment.

Speaker 6:
[69:36] You could not script this because people would say, it's not that believable, even though it's relatable. It's not believable that he would do the sitting on her and touch her hair and that they would have it for this long. Also, when I was watching the episode and she's crying about feeling bad that she hurt the other girl's feelings and is being comforted by Sarah and Mia, I thought, is Amanda really an amazing actress? Is she the Meryl Streep of Summer House? Because she seemed truly upset, but then is she just upset because she knows she's a horrible person? Is that where the tears-

Speaker 1:
[70:11] That's what boggles my mind as well. And also, it's like people don't like when I try to like, but I've been through a divorce before many, many years ago, and it's very painful. And I will say is that you're not really in your right head and you don't really even think, you don't really even realize you weren't in your right head until-

Speaker 6:
[70:29] Interesting. That's good perspective.

Speaker 1:
[70:31] Well, and I hate to admit that because I don't want to make excuses for Amanda.

Speaker 6:
[70:34] That's what I said. It's relatable. We see things in ourselves here, good or bad.

Speaker 1:
[70:38] So I don't want to make excuses because she's making just such horrible choices and she has a certain section of the world's eyes on her and she seems to be ten toes down. You never want to see that where a woman throws it all away for a guy like West who we've been led to believe is he just likes to hook up with a lot of girls. So you're kind of, I don't know, it's like you have the cheat codes for something and you're like, wait a sec, every information we've gotten about West is that he doesn't want to settle down and he likes to be with as many women as possible. And you're like, I'm going to throw it, I'm going to throw away certain parts of my reputation for him. And I'm not trying to rip on West, but it's just how the show has presented him.

Speaker 6:
[71:18] I think it's very easy to watch from home, a friend have all the information and be able to say, when you're in it, to your point, you're not in your right mind. It's not an excuse. It's an explanation maybe. And you make bad choices. People make bad choices.

Speaker 1:
[71:39] But it is interesting to have that perspective of watching this and to see what a beautiful human Sierra is. You know, we've watched her grow on this show. I remember her when she was on, where I was like, oh, she would be like two in the page camp, and I really didn't know her own voice.

Speaker 6:
[71:53] Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[71:54] These last two seasons, her voice is just, she just seems like a very amazing person.

Speaker 6:
[72:00] I got to sit next to her at an event maybe two years ago. And when I realized, when I saw her name next to my name, I thought, oh God, it's like being like the ugliest bridesmaid, right? I was like, I loved her. I thought she was, I mean, she's so beautiful, but she doesn't know me. She doesn't need to give me the time of day. She also knows, knew where I worked. I told her, and yet we had such an open and honest conversation about life and living in New York City. And I told her about how I met my husband and we talked about dating. And I was like, yeah, she's actually a real person, and she is special. We never talked again, but I'm here if you want.

Speaker 1:
[72:43] Yeah, I don't know what I like about that too, is that she, you know, even in her talking head, she's like committed to growth. She's committed to trying, and you just hope that these kind of things don't push her back, you know, don't like put her.

Speaker 6:
[72:56] I don't think so. I don't think so. I think judging by how she's been handling it on social media with like a little sassiness, a lot of wink-wink, but also getting opportunities. I think in the weirdest way, this will be a gift she never wanted and didn't ask for, but it's only going to push her forward.

Speaker 1:
[73:14] And that's why in similar ways it is compared to Ariana Maddox, because we saw what she was able to do with this. And I always argue of like, well, if that didn't happen, like, whatever, like careers in entertainment have to have a little bit of luck, a little bit of something that you can't explain, but you have to then have the talent once those opportunities are presented to you. If Ariana couldn't host Love Island, if she wasn't good, she wouldn't be back. She wouldn't, she brought eyes to that show, especially for the USA version. So I'm excited to see what Sierra chooses because she's also seems like she's very selective. Like I was thinking she was going to be at Coachella this weekend and trying to get photo ops and she wasn't. And that actually was a good move. Oh, amazing move. I was like, wow, look, that's because I'm so used to seeing people take every bit of publicity.

Speaker 6:
[73:56] Every bit. Like the next thing you know, they've got hair gummies and water with electrolytes and they're everywhere. So I agree. I think that's smart on her part and her team to keep it selective.

Speaker 1:
[74:10] So you've been and worked with some of the biggest celebrities known to humankind, I would imagine. You had spoke about like sitting next to Sierra. Obviously, you know, like, you know, you, you're a professional. You've been doing this for so long. You know, but obviously you're amazing at your job or you wouldn't be where you're at. But what are the times that you've gotten like verklemp, like you can't speak, you know, where you get ultimately nervous?

Speaker 6:
[74:34] I was very nervous to interview Mariah Carey. I had to interview her or I had the honor of interviewing her on Zoom, which was a bummer that it wasn't in person.

Speaker 1:
[74:50] But that's also hard because I would be nervous she wouldn't be able to know how to work the Zoom or like somebody wouldn't be able to get her on the Zoom.

Speaker 6:
[74:56] And nine times out of 10, their camera off and she was camera off. So I was like, then how, what am I going to get from her? Okay. So we're waiting and we're waiting and we're waiting. And we're on Mariah time, like I'm here all day, right? And then I hear what sounds like water splashing. And I'm like, and she's like, I'm here. I'm just in the bath.

Speaker 1:
[75:21] Meredith Marks is here with me just in a bath. Yeah.

Speaker 6:
[75:23] I wouldn't have had it any other way. The interview was about diamonds. It was for a partnership she had with Chopard. So I got to interview Mariah Carey in a bathtub wearing, I pictured, I'll never know, but in my head she was wearing all the diamonds. Delight, she was hysterical, but I was very, very nervous. I've interviewed JLo, so nervous. I interviewed Blake Lively weeks after all the stuff hit the fan.

Speaker 1:
[75:51] Weeks after all the stuff hit the fan?

Speaker 6:
[75:53] So I got to interview Blake right before the promo tour for It Ends With Us. Right when she launched her haircare line was right before the promo tour officially started. So I spoke to her before a lot of the backlash about the haircare line. And then I got to speak to her about, maybe it was a year later, I don't remember, about another product she launched in the line. And you're thinking, God, there's so much going on in this woman's life that I wish I could ask about, but it's not the time or place. And I didn't, I wanted to do my job as a journalist and talk about the hair mists, because that's what I was invited to talk to her about. But I didn't want to come back looking like I thought hair mists were the only thing going on in her life right now. That was a hard one. She was, listen, she was good.

Speaker 1:
[76:45] Yeah, as I was saying, like, because, you know, we do this, you know, you do this with high profile people a lot more than I do. Is it something that you're able to pick up on context clues of like, oh, it looks like she's been through it, you know, things like that?

Speaker 6:
[76:58] Usually, it's their publicist glaring at me or like looking up, you know, from their phone and just like, you feel it. You can feel them staring at you. One of the funny things is, and I do a little pop take is our little video series about this. I got to interview Julia Roberts the last year that she was Worlds Most Beautiful. I didn't do the full interview. I did the beauty and style portion. And this was probably the biggest interview of my career to date is Julia Roberts. In person, on camera, all the lighting, her whole team, my boss, the editor-in-chief at the time, watching me ask her questions about fashion.

Speaker 1:
[77:37] So your boss is watching you?

Speaker 6:
[77:38] I'm sweating. And I had what I thought were really fun, but smart questions about fashion and the red carpet. But somehow I blurted out a question like, how do you shop? Do you shop? And she was like, huh? And I was like, like, do you go into stores or online? And she's like, yeah. And I said, oh, and she looked at me and said, how do you think I get clothes? And then we both burst out laughing. Thank God. And I said, I have no idea. You're Julia Roberts. I don't know. And we both just started laughing because thank God, she had a sense of humor and saw how nervous I was and that I was trying to ask somebody real.

Speaker 1:
[78:26] Well, it's like, I would say, does Julia Roberts know what Old Navy is?

Speaker 6:
[78:29] That, it was my point was like, can you walk into a Bloomingdale's or you just go on netaporte.com? Or do you even know what that is? Does someone else do it for you? But it wasn't a good question and it wasn't a clear question. And she handled it and made me laugh. And we just laughed. And I was like, just call me Diane Sawyer, give me the Pulitzer. That was, but she's such a star and such a pro that instead of making me feel like an idiot, we just giggled.

Speaker 1:
[79:00] So that was a couple more things before we wrap up here. But I was, you know, Julia Roberts, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez. I was just thinking as you were saying those names, what I love about pop culture and being a student of it for so many now decades is that we get to watch the ebbs and flows of careers. Even Anna Hathaway, who's the most beautiful issue, is that you get to see them at like the highest points of their career and then kind of they take a little bit of a dip. And what's so exciting is to watch them come back. Like Mariah Carey now has, you know, she's been a legend for a long time, but it is interesting year after year, she becomes almost bigger. And Jennifer Lopez, she took the stage at Coachella for a surprise performance with a DJ this weekend as she came out in full like skin-type bodysuit with like probably a fake mink on. And I was like, of course, she's in the desert, 100 degree heat in a mink. But it's interesting to follow somebody for so long and to see them still doing it because you realize how much goes into it in the year of 2026. It's not just the work. It's not just Anne Hathaway getting to act, which is her love. It's her promoting her taking photo shoots and her treating all of these things just as seriously because it is part of the work. Like you said, Anne Hathaway for the photo shoot, she knew lighting. She was a part of everything.

Speaker 6:
[80:16] She, you know, these celebrities have become so smart at the way they market, you know, the whole idea of the method dressing for the promo tours. That was what I thought was just going to be a trend that maybe Margot Robbie did for Barbie. But everyone has been doing it, like really everyone. And Ann, the color scheme of the clothes she wore for our cover shoot are all Devil Wears Prada coded. They're so smart, you know, they know how to do this and really tell. It's not just the story they're telling, you know, with the words they give you, it's the visual they're creating for it. It's wild to watch the machine in action.

Speaker 1:
[80:58] I mean, that's part of the reason why I love it. There's layers to everything and especially the people that do it right. Who has inspired you in your career to do what you do?

Speaker 6:
[81:07] Oh my God, the other editors people. We have, there's a handful of editors at People who have been there for almost 30 years. These people are so smart and they write, they've seen it all, they've written it all and yet the next story excites them and makes them nervous just as much as the one. There's an editor, her name is Liz McNeil. She is a legend at People. She is the JFK Junior like, like expert. She's literally written a book on him and everybody wants to interview her after Love Story came out. And getting to-

Speaker 1:
[81:45] I think I have, I think I have her JFK Junior book right here.

Speaker 6:
[81:48] It's the world history.

Speaker 1:
[81:49] Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 6:
[81:50] She's a star in her own right. Every time Liz has a new assignment, you would think it was the first time. It's because she's that good. She takes each one that seriously. And you're like, Liz, you've been doing this forever. It's like, that's not the point. She wants to get the story and the best story and the new story, even when the people are no longer alive. She's still getting a good story. It's crazy. So that's who inspires me.

Speaker 1:
[82:18] Did you watch Love Story?

Speaker 6:
[82:20] Oh my God. I didn't want to. I was like, why do I need to? I, you know, they were real people. Then I saw the trailer and I said, damn it, Ryan Murphy, this trailer is amazing.

Speaker 1:
[82:30] I was taken by the aesthetic and the music and the throwback of it all, you know.

Speaker 6:
[82:34] It took me back to a time. I was an intern at a magazine that had the same publisher as George. So the big legend in the building was like, if you get to see JFK Jr. around the building. And one time I did and I'll never forget it. He was at the newsstand. So that was a legendary time in New York City. I love that there was a girl at work one day, very young, God bless her, and she said, oh, I saw you did a video about that woman married to the guy. And I said, Shirley, you're not talking about Carolyn DeSette Kennedy, are you? She was like, right, right, right, the blonde lady. And I was like, you're fired. I don't even know where you work, which magazine or which team, but you're out of here.

Speaker 1:
[83:20] Pack it up, pack it up.

Speaker 6:
[83:21] Yeah, but they're all just either rediscovering the lore or discovering it for the first time. Some of these people were born in 2000.

Speaker 1:
[83:30] No, I know. And they'll have pop culture conversations. And then I'll say something, or I'll bring up a John Hughes film, and they'll be like, who's John Hughes? What's 16 Candles? And you're like, oh my gosh. It is interesting to see what references actually play to a younger audience. But at the same time, that's exciting. And a challenge for everybody out there is open the schools, teach kids pop culture, use magazines like people as a resource like we used to use as a physical encyclopedia. What else in the most beautiful issue? We obviously have the Melrose Place, we have Anne Hathaway, or is there anything else that you can see?

Speaker 6:
[84:07] We have the music icons and then we have EJ from K-pop Demon Hunter. EJ's story is exactly what Worlds Most Beautiful was built for. Not only is this woman absolutely stunning, wait till you see these photos, she has the best story. This woman was never supposed to be the face of K-pop Demon Hunters. It's an animated movie. She's just the voice. But what she did and she's now in the spotlight. You know, she's won a million different awards.

Speaker 1:
[84:37] Yeah.

Speaker 6:
[84:38] So to get to show off this woman and tell her story and give her the moment she deserves, that was really, really fun.

Speaker 1:
[84:49] Gosh, that's so amazing. And finally, in terms of people, you guys are on top of pop culture trends. What are in your predictions? Like, is there any pop culture trends we're keeping an eye out for? I mean, Summer House broke, we didn't expect it, even though it was a good season to have the season that it's having. Is there anything else that people is kind of looking at for the future?

Speaker 6:
[85:07] Well, I mean, I hate to say that cheating is a trend, but let's be honest.

Speaker 1:
[85:13] No, first time it happened was with Summer House.

Speaker 6:
[85:15] That's right. Like I'm like, you think nothing could have been bigger than Sandoval and here we are. So I think any, I don't want to call it a victimless crime because people's hearts get broken. But this is the stuff that keeps us connected to reality TV. We form relationships for better or worse with these people, and when we see them get hurt or rise up, it's like the best. I also love this wave of nostalgia. I think we're going to see more of looking back to look forward. When the rumor was that Ryan Murphy's next love story was going to be Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, perhaps. To say it again, open those schools. That is-

Speaker 1:
[86:00] Because a lot of people don't realize, I made a joke about Ben Affleck and JLo being our Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

Speaker 6:
[86:06] They are.

Speaker 1:
[86:07] People don't even realize sometimes who Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were, and how many times they were married. It's so funny, on Southern Charm, they visited Elizabeth and Richard Burton's place. It's like a lot of people didn't know what that was, but we were like, oh my God, how cool is that? It's amazing.

Speaker 6:
[86:23] If you think the people that you watch on Love Island and all these shows were hot and horny, you have not read Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton's letters. What's up their book, Furious, whatever, with their letters. Oh my God. You think sliding into someone's DM. They had to write actual like pen to paper.

Speaker 1:
[86:48] They had to write you up at three in the morning. They couldn't just send it over a Snapchat.

Speaker 6:
[86:54] Yeah. I mean, the language is like, it's some horny stuff.

Speaker 1:
[86:58] Well, I love all of it. Also, I got to pitch you this. You know what you need to do because people are at the forefront of so much. What I would love is for you guys to either create a little column or a podcast once a month, where you take a 1989 People Magazine and go through it, and talk about how pop culture has changed and read like, oh Michelle Pfeiffer said this at this point. Because you guys have so many different articles and feature so many musicians. And like to our point, that would actually help people appreciate nostalgia because people has been there. I mean, when, what year was people formed?

Speaker 6:
[87:36] So people is 50 years old. So if I'm doing math correctly, it was, cause we celebrated our 50th anniversary two years ago.

Speaker 1:
[87:48] I mean, you're sitting on a gold mine. You're sitting on a gold mine of-

Speaker 6:
[87:51] 1976, right? That's 1976. I, math is hard.

Speaker 1:
[87:55] Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 6:
[87:56] I went to journalism school.

Speaker 1:
[87:58] Guys, she didn't go to math school. Come on.

Speaker 6:
[88:00] God, I'm mortified that I-

Speaker 1:
[88:02] No, but I think, I mean, the intellectual property that people has just with their back catalog, I hope you guys explore that in the years to come because it would be a great throwback podcast.

Speaker 6:
[88:13] What's your favorite decade to look back on?

Speaker 1:
[88:17] You know, I think, I mean, maybe I'm just biased because of Love Story, but I think the 90s really were a magical time because of the, you know, we had a little taste of the Internet, but it wasn't ever present and we didn't have phones and cameras on our phones. And, you know, you really had to, I always say there was something magical about searching pop culture out. Like if you heard about an album or if you read about it in people, you, if you couldn't afford it, you had to find a way to get it or which friend of yours had it. And there was something magical in the searching, in the journey or the story that led you to that. Because now we have access to everything and it's so hard to make it special.

Speaker 6:
[88:58] Yeah, yeah. I like that. When I was writing the Melrose Place story, I was like, oh my God, people used to watch this in viewing parties. They would get together at the same time in the same place together in real life.

Speaker 1:
[89:14] And if you missed it, you missed it. You had to wait for a repeat like six months later.

Speaker 6:
[89:18] And you had to wait for a commercial to go to the bathroom. Like, there was a struggle.

Speaker 1:
[89:25] Take me back, take me back. I used to walk three miles in the snow to watch Melrose Place.

Speaker 6:
[89:30] Same, same.

Speaker 1:
[89:33] Andrea Lavinthal, this has been so delightful. I hope you'll come back. I love you so much. And you guys, this, this, Worlds Most Beautiful 2026 will be on newsstands this week. Go buy a copy because you're going to want this on, your nightstand or even a coffee table as a conversation piece. But also we want to support, we want to support a, I need these magazines in my hands. There's something magical about holding a book or a magazine in your hand, and we don't want that to ever go away. Even though people's digital presence is very strong as well. I'll put all that information in the show notes. But hopefully, I will talk to you again down the line. And I am campaigning for World Sexiest Podcaster. We're putting it out there now, you guys.

Speaker 6:
[90:12] I love it.

Speaker 1:
[90:14] Bye.

Speaker 6:
[90:15] Bye.