Characters

We're reflecting on the first seven episodes of Love Island USA with my friend and fellow creator, Jackson Strike (@jacksonstrike)! We talk about who we'd like to see the newest bombshells couple up with, our favorite couples, individual Islanders that are really standing out so far, and our predictions for the next elimination from the villa.

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The unlikely friendship of Marilyn Monroe and Ella Fitzgerald, and the phone call that helped quietly boost one of the greatest careers in music history! We're covering one of my favorite Marilyn stories after last week's episode - the story of her calling up Hollywood's Mocambo night club to lobby on behalf of Ella Fitzgerald's residency, and how Ella Fitzgerald credits Marilyn to her "never playing a small club again."

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Let's talk about the first episode of Love Island USA! We're overviewing the intro package themes - a lot of mentions of marriage, babies, and the narratives of being "lovers." Plus, the maturity and weight that is implied by people coming in with regular jobs. Plus, the disconnected initial couples - where two of the five already not interested in continuing to "date" because of a trait they would not pursue in the real world. I loved the fun of leaning into "Love Island norms," like making breakfast and comments as the cast explores the villa. Lastly: are people just here for fame? And if so - who cares?

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On the week marking what would be Marilyn Monroe's 100th birthday, we are revisiting (and reframing) one of the most famous brand relationships she was understood to be a part of: Playboy Magazine, serving as their first ever cover model. We'll overview the story of why Marilyn posed nude in the first place, how Hugh Hefner got his hands on the rights to those images, and her own reflection on how she was used to generate millions (with not even a thank-you note). Plus, the follow-up invitation to pose for the magazine, after she posed unclothed in a swimming pool on the set of Something's Got To Give - photos that ended up in Life Magazine, successfully generating buzz for her career again while Fox poured money and attention into Elizabeth Taylor. The Playboy "invitation" came on her last day alive. Finally, we'll overview another Playboy model's celebrated "kinship" to Marilyn, Anna Nicole Smith, and our understanding of how Marilyn was used as a template for the magazine's next 60+ years.

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We got our first glimpse of the new cast of the world's biggest reality show, Love Island USA! We'll overview today what we know so far about the twelve OG Islanders entering the Villa. Plus, I'll share some of my predictions for this upcoming season and what I *do not* want to see! For the Love Island USA season, I think Friday episode of Characters will be focused on overviewing the happenings and ongoing discussions of the previous week on the show (so we can continue the real-time conversations we'll be having on social media!).

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The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show has been one of the highest viewed fashion moments since its television debut in 2001. We're overviewing the history of the fashion show: from the modest first show in NYC in 1995, to the sensational show in Cannes in 2000, and the history-making first broadcasted show in 2001. We're zooming in on one of my favorite pop culture moments: the 2004 Angels Across America Tour, when in lieu of the cancelled show, the brand sent Heidi, Gisele, Tyra, Alessandra, and Adriana to four cities in five days. The 2004 tour changed so much about how the brand was recognized and related to by the everyday consumer - VS became the most aspirational mall brand. We'll talk about the fashion of this tour, its impact, and what people mean when they say "they want the OGs back."

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Time stamps:

00:00 Intro, Casting Calls in 2026

02:22 Early VS Fashion Shows (1999-2000); First Angels

05:37 2001 First Televised Fashion Show

06:23 Who are the Angels?

08:18 2004 Cancellation

09:15 Angels Across America Tour

14:49 2005 Show + Beyond

15:52 Impact of Angels Across America

17:42 Open Casting Calls Today

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Was the fight between Kelsey and Rosie *really* about the square footage of Rosie's home? Let's unpack that altercation... that I feel will be a foundational conflict in this franchise's next few seasons. After Kelsey arrives at Rosie's home, with sirens, announcing "house police" (allegedly a joke) .. the scene almost instantly becomes an altercation attacking insecurities around notoriety, sense of accomplishment, and local celebrity status. What do 30-something women want from being on a Real Housewives?

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Cher is one of the most iconic figures in modern fashion. We are overviewing the milestones in her fashion history of consistently pushing the envelope on what's accepted, what's allowed, and what is celebrated. We're of course discussing her longtime friendship and partnership with costume designer Bob Mackie, and sharing the stories behind some of her most monumental looks. From baring the first navel on national television, to outfits that defined eras! The "naked dress" at The Met Gala is 1974; her Academy Awards "revenge dress" in 1986; her Oscar-winning gown in 1988; and bonus! the insane costume on the set of a Navy battleship for her "If I Could Turn Back Time" music video.

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Time stamps:

00:00 Intro: The Met, 1974

02:18 Bob Mackie

03:36 Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour

05:22 Censorship - The Navel Wars

08:04 The Met, 1974, "The Naked Dress"

11:30 Academy Awards, 1986, "The Revenge Dress"

13:35 Academy Awards, 1988, Moonstruck Win

14:42 "If I Could Turn Back Time", 1989

17:27 Timeline Recap + Reflections

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I've been noticing lately reality casts being prompted to "open up" - from Ladies of London to the most recent episodes of Real Housewives of Rhode Island. We're talking about these "forced trauma bonding" activities - what they do to actually bring casts together, and what they do to humanize the "characters" to the audience. We'll also reference Real Housewives of Atlanta and Beyond the Villa as we question: how much performance is necessary on shows today? How much "opening up" really must happen on television today?

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Time stamps:

00:00 Intro to "trauma prompts"

02:10 Ladies of London - Misse

04:35 RHORI - Liz's unmasking dinner (ep 6)

08:41 RHORI - Alicia and Jo-Ellen's walk (ep 7)

09:30 Audience impact

11:35 RHOA - Pinky Cole

11:57 Preforming for TV - Beyond the Villa

12:28 Closing

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Tippi Hedren infamously had a full grown, 400-pound male lion named Neil living in her home for years in the 1970s. As she and her then-husband Noel Marshall set out to make Roar, a film that would hopefully support big cat conservation, they began acquiring big cats themselves (and living with one).

Photos in Life Magazine of Neil the Lion sleeping in bed with her daughter Melanie Griffith still live in our imaginations.

Roar went on to be what is today referred to as the most dangerous film ever produced - with over 70 cast and crew members injured by the 40+ exotic animals on set. We'll discuss today the film, the chaos, and Tippi Hedren's big cats today at Shambala Preserve.

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Time stamps:

00:00 Intro

01:26 Tippi Hedren

02:23 Tippi and Noel Marshall go to Mozambique

03:37 Roar concept

04:48 Life magazine photos

07:13 Roar production

09:52 Roar release

11:11 Shambala Preserve

14:00 Reflections

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