Olympic & Bundy with Christine Devine

Grae Drake is a senior editor at Rotten Tomatoes. She often comes on Good Day LA to review upcoming films in theaters, but has done many other jobs beyond watching and critiquing movies.

She's worked as a producer for reality TV shows like "Women on Death Row" and "Women Who Kill," as well as "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," jobs which she says made her cry on the regular. 

We talked about what it's like to be a movie reviewer. How much does she read about a film beforehand, and what is she looking for in the film? 

We also discussed some of films up for Academy Awards this year, including "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," "I, Tonya," "Darkest Hour," "Dunkirk," as well as her experiences interviewing people like Gwyneth Paltrow, Ryan Gosling and her special friendship with the great Samuel L. Jackson!

Grae is witty, smart and just a very entertaining and fun person in general. 

If you love movies, this episode is for you!

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Thank you to Grae! 

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Street artist Morley is responsible for art you've likely seen while walking down the sidewalk or driving through the various neighborhoods of Los Angeles.

He's known for creating bold, typographic posters with a cartoon-like image of himself that he wheat pastes on utility boxes, boarded up buildings and other places that won't leave lasting damage.

I first learned about Morley when a friend invited me to one of his pop-up art shows. I was immediately struck by his ability to so eloquently put into words exactly what I was feeling, and as it turns out, that's kind of his goal.

"I wanted to create art that was broad yet somehow specific," he said. "I wanted a million people to walk by something that I had done and a million of them to say, 'I feel like he made that just for me.'"

Morley first moved to Los Angeles as a screenwriter. Combining his talent for writing and art, he's found a way to combine the two passions into something that inspires other people moving through their day to day lives.

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Thank you to Morley!

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When you get engaged and begin to plan a wedding, you find yourself having to make decisions about this or that: Are you going to wear a white dress? Will you have a best man? Will you do the bouquet and garter toss?

I'm getting married, and the planning process has led me to question why some common wedding traditions even exist in the first place. As it turns out, some of them have quite bizarre origins.

Kristin Banta is a Los Angeles event and wedding planner. Her company has put on some big parties, including the premiere party for "Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri" in Hollywood and plenty of beautiful, unique weddings.

Our conversation in this episode covered topics such as:

-Kristin's background and what led her to event planning.

-Some of her favorite weddings that she's helped plan and design.

-Wedding trends she's noticed for this year.

-The origins behind common wedding traditions (begins around 28:30):

1) "Something Olde, Something New..." rhyme

2) The garter toss

3) The wedding bouquet

4) The bridal veil

5) Wedding and engagement rings

6) The white wedding dress

7) Matching bridesmaids

8) The best man

9) The breaking of glass at Jewish weddings

10) The Honeymoon

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Thank you to Kristin Banta! 

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Growing up in Mississippi, Lance Bass wanted go to school for space engineering and become an astronaut before he rose to fame in NSYNC.

A quick Google search will show you that the former boy band member has done many, many things beyond music -- including acting, TV hosting, cooking, documentaries and more.

In fact, Lance moved to Russia in 2002 after NSYNC disbanded and went through several months of rigorous training to win a seat on a Russian Soyuz space capsule. He was certified by both NASA and the Russian Space Program.

Funding ultimately fell through and he didn't get to go to the International Space Station, but his dreams of traveling to space remain.

Lance joined me on Olympic & Bundy to chat about topics like marriage and starting a family, his pop star days, and of course, space travel!

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Thank you to Lance Bass.

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Do you drink kombucha?

The trendy fermented beverage used to just be found in health food stores and in the kitchens of home brewers, but now it's everywhere.

There are a lot of health claims online about kombucha, but is it just hype?

Andrew Thomas, director of marketing for KeVita, joined me on Olympic & Bundy to talk all about kombucha. As KeVita is now owned by PepsiCo, his job is an interesting one when it comes to how to further market this kind of drink to people -- beyond the super health conscious.

Our conversation covered many subjects, including:

-Andrew’s background and how he began working at KeVita.

-How kombucha is made and the typical ingredients.

-The scary-looking “scoby” – what is it?

-Kombucha and alcohol: How much is in it?

-What are probiotics and what health benefits do they have?

-Why does gut health matter?

-The many health claims online about kombucha.

-Other probiotic drinks and apple cider vinegar.

-Some history behind kombucha.

-How kombucha companies market the drink to a wider consumer base.

And more!

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Thank you to Andrew Thomas with KeVita.

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I first met Karena Dawn and Katrina Scott of Tone It Up during an appearance on Good Day LA and have since continued to workout with them (well, online anyway).

Together, they've created a gigantic fitness brand and community for women that offers a place to workout, get nutrition guidance, fashion and beauty tips, and most uniquely -- a place to find friendship.

Fittingly, Tone It Up started with friendship when one approached the other at the gym -- both open to friendship and new opportunities. Armed with a tripod and camera, they began filming fitness videos in 2009 and started building an online audience.

Their own authentic selves and friendship certainly inspired others. A community started growing where women could not only come to "tone it up," but feel confident and supported by other like-minded women.

Fast forward to 2018, and the Tone It Up business has grown immensely. They've partnered with big brands, you can get their products at Target, they have their own app, they go on tour and reach millions of people across all of their online platforms.

If you ever needed to channel your inner boss lady, these two are it!

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Thank you to the Tone It Up team!

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The annual CES, also known as the biggest consumer technology show on the planet, wrapped up this week in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The event showcases the latest innovations from big corporations and tiny startups, including a technology to "see through" cars in front of you on the road, a robot dog, an Alexa-enabled smart bathroom and more!

Tech reviewer and FOX 11 editor Tshaka Armstrong joined me to talk about his experience at CES 2018 and some of the cool new products and technologies on the floor.

Some of these inventions could soon be useful to consumers, while others may seem kind of impractical. It might be too soon to tell either way.

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Thank you to Tshaka Armstrong!

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It's 2018, and California now has dispensaries selling legal pot.

There are some dispensaries that opened January 1, some that may not open for a few weeks or months -- and some local governments that have opted not to open any for the foreseeable future (note: this episode was recorded 1/3/18 ).

Two people who have been working to educate others about cannabis and to change the public perception about people who use it joined me on Olympic and Bundy to talk about all things marijuana in California.

Kandice Hawes is the founder and executive director of Orange County NORML, part of a nationwide organization that works to reform marijuana laws. Stefan Borst-Censullo is an attorney who has worked in cannabis legislation, lobbying and more.

Whether you are a regular cannabis user and want to know what has changed (i.e. How much can you buy now? How do these changes affect medical marijuana patients?), or perhaps you've never smoked or consumed a drop of THC in your life, everyone can get something out of this episode.

Our conversation covered many subjects, including:

-What led both Kandice and Stefan to working and advocating for the cannabis industry
-Cannabis, weed, pot, Mary Jane: What terminology they prefer to use and why
-What Proposition 64 legalized, as well as the criminal justice reform aspect
-Where you can now buy legal pot and why some local governments are opting out
-As a medical marijuana patient, what has changed in 2018
-Various taxes that will be introduced and potential sticker shock for consumers
-The issue of banking for the cannabis industry
-What happens if you drive while impaired by marijuana
-How they plan to talk to their kids about cannabis

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Thank you to Kandice Hawes and Stefan Borst-Censullo.

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The difference between "old school bullying" and our current culture of connectedness is that it can be a 24/7 problem. You can no longer go home to get away from people at school -- it follows you home.

Approximately 43 percent of kids say they have been victim to cyberbullying, according to stopbullying.gov, and 58 percent of them have not told their parents.

Jamie Weddle is a school counselor at Beverly Vista School and El Rodeo School, working with kids age K-8. Mandy Amano works with the Matthew Silverman Memorial Foundation (MSMF), which is dedicated to stopping student suicide through school-based mental health programs.

MSMF was started by Ron Silverman after losing his child, Matt, to suicide at age 18 -- and wants to ensure that no other child or family suffers through this pain.

Jamie and Mandy joined me on Olympic & Bundy for a conversation about many topics related to student bullying, mental health and suicide prevention.

"We can only fix what we can talk about."

If you experience suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1 (800) 273-8255 or text the Crisis Text Line at 741-741.

If you or someone you know needs to just talk to someone for support, perhaps another teen who understands, text "TEEN" to 839863 between 6 and 9 p.m. PST to speak with someone -- or call Teen Line at (310) 855-HOPE or (800) TLC-TEEN (nationwide toll-free) from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. PST.

If would like to make a donation in support of the Matthew Silverman Memorial Foundation and its work to prevent teen suicide, visit www.mattsfoundation.org/donate

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Thank you to Jamie, Mandy and the Matthew Silverman Memorial Foundation.

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There is something weird and wonderful happening in the world right now, and that is the rise of "animal influencers" on social media.

If you're like me, you might be wondering, "How does this cat have almost 4 million followers on Instagram?" And better yet, "How much is his owner making for doing this?!"

Colleen Wilson, the founder of animal influencer management firm Pets on Q (and dog mom to @DeafDal), joined me on Olympic & Bundy to talk all about the fascinating and sometimes lucrative world of being a pet influencer.

Colleen manages many Insta-famous animals that get deals with big companies, such as:

@rheathenakedbirdie (442K followers)

If you think your dog or cat has a million dollar face, give this episode a listen!

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Thank you to Colleen Wilson (www.petsonq.com)

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