Pop Culture Diner

We're back, and we've got a Jilly Box! This time, we're yapping a LOT about TV and movies, minimal Bachelor Nation news, lots of Jilly, and we talk about our plans to cover the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives in September on "Soda Jerks" - same place you get this podcast, just a slight rebrand on Pop Culture Diner. So check us in a couple weeks when we come back with that, plus some more book reviews on the horizon! 

It may be bleak in Bacheor nation, but hey, we have a JILLY BOX to open! It's a summer of pickleball and us figuring out what topics we'lll cover next. Tune in soon, we have SOME plans, we swear! 

Is this the last episode of Rose Plate Special ever? Tune in to find out!

We talk Taylor Fankie Paul, the Mormon wives, a little Bravo news, and compare the TFP situation with what Rachel Lindsey covers in her book, Miss Me With That.

We're back! Did you miss us! 

Another season of The Bachelorette is looming on the horizon (and it's MORMON and on SUNDAYS), but until that arrives, we have something else to share with you - our latest Jilly Box! 

Join us on YouTube to see the box in all its glory, or just listen to us and imagine what the items are. We'll be back soon with a talk about Rachel Lindsay's book, Miss Me With That, and the new season of The Bachelorette later this month. 

We've got another special episode for you, this time featuring the Winter 2025 Jilly Box! That's right, tariffs be damned, we got the Jilly Box! This one will be better in video form, so if you usually give us a listen, seek us out on YouTube or something, why don't you? 

Next week, we'll be covering at least 2, if not more, Christmas Carol-related movies. Did you know there are 247 of them? 

Another crossover episode and another gentle reminder that we will be publishing some episodes like this with other friends as well on thehorrors.co in the coming months. Keep an eye on that space and we will send more details as we have them! Thehorrorsdotco on all social media pages as well! 

If you want to hear us babble, start from the beginning. For The Network overview, start at 30 min in. 

Some things we mention on the pod: 

• Sammi's sweater is from Oxknit (sponsor me, Oxknit!) 
• Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy on Netflix
• Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career by Kristi Coulter - a must-read for people who want to hear about early days at Amazon (I've added an affiliate code so if you order from there, I may get a little bit of money) 
• Movies with loose ties to Network in theme, tone, and message include: Nightcrawler, Late Night With the Devil, Spotlight, Zodiac 
• If you haven't already, check out "The Danish Deception" on TikTok 

Quick edit: At 28 min, Sammi says "The Sound of Music." She meant "Singing in the Rain." 

In light of the recent censorship on behalf of ABC/Disney, we decided it was a good time to talk about some important movies and other pieces related to censorship and the media. Yes, we will likely return to Bachelor Nation, but not right now! For the time being, consider this a crossover episode into a new podcast that will be launching soon - The Horrors Persist. 

For our first episode, we cover A Face in the Crowd, a 1957 movie starring Andy Griffith. Steve describes it is as  movie that covers the first influencer. Sammi describes it by saying it's like what Being There would be like if the main character was a dick. Either way, we hope you enjoy it! 

You can watch this movie on Tubi if you're looking for a place to stream it, at least as of the time of this publishing. Some other things we cover: 

• The Culture of Narcissism by Christopher Lasch 
• Food for Nought, a book by Ross Hume Hall 
• In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson 
• Welcome to Me 
• Citizen Kane
• Network
• Ace in the Hole 

If you want to keep up with more horror and horror-adjacent work (this one is definitely adjacent, but horror-like based on the state of things), make sure you check out theorrors.co. There will be much more on there soon! 

We are just as messy with our notes (OK, Sammi is) as the Mormon Wives are with their friendships. We talk about the middle of the second season of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives while we unbox the last (for now) Jilly Box from Fall 2025. Sad days, but warm vibes from that scalloped baking tray. 

This one sat in the drafts for a second, friends. SO sorry! Blame Sammi and her first week back to school. 

So, not all our predictions were correct, but one thing is for sure: Nobody on this show thought much about game theory. OR, maybe they think more about being perceived as a villain in this age of social media scrutiny? Well, either way, we're onto the new season in just a few short weeks. Will we cover Survivor? Do the people want it? 

Believe it or not, we recorded this a couple of days ago, but Sammi is still in recovery mode, getting back into the swing of things after her surgery, so be PATIENT!

If you are curious about the cozy games Sammi talks about, they are available here:

• Discounty
• Tiny Bookshop 

Also here's more info on Sean's dad, you can look it up yourself. We didn't get too much into the ALLEGED scandals. 

Also, support Parisa in her amateur chef journey!