In PCJ Pops, the Pop Culture Junkies share their recommendations on what to experience in pop culture, today and yesterday. In this episode, Olivia continues her 2024 binge read with Spiral by Bal Khabra (among others!) and anime fan Shauna finally watches the 1988 film Akira.

Watch the full video version up to one week early on Patreon: patreon.com/PopCultureJunkiePodcast 

This week, the Junkies talk about the best pets in pop culture: the goodest boys, the bestest girls, the finest...fish? Whether furry, feathery or finned, animal characters in the media are often the most lovable and memorable. Shauna and Olivia discuss what makes a great on-screen critter. Cats, dogs or other? Animated or animatronic? Talking or mute? They list their favorites, including Garfield, who happens to both Junkies' spirit animal, and the pets they definitely wouldn't cuddle with, ever. The discussion then moves to famous real-life pets, and scandals like Lady Gaga's purloined pooches and the Kardashians' disappearing doggos. Ruh-roh!

You can watch the Pop Culture Junkie Podcast on YouTube! Click here:
https://www.youtube.com/@popculturejunkiepod/videos

We have all new Patreon tiers! Be the first to hear new and uncensored content, if you dare! 
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Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pop-culture-junkie/id1536737728 
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7k2pUxzNDBXNCHzFM7EL8W 

Website: www.popculturejunkie.com 
Facebook: PopCultureJunkiePodcast 
Instagram: @pop.culturejunkie 
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Bluesky: @pop-culture-junkie.bsky.social
Email: [email protected] 

Shauna on Instagram: @shaunatrinidad 
Shauna on Threads: @shaunatrinidad

Olivia on Instagram: @livimariez 
Olivia on TikTok: @livyolife420

Olivia and Shauna get pixelated this week with a look at The Sims, the long running game that allows - even encourages - murder and other virtual, victimless vices. They delve into the game lore, highlighting the oddball characters that appear in every version of the game, and discuss the various ways they make the game their own. The Junkies also talk about the Sims movie being produced by Margot Robbie, and answer the important question: does playing the Sims make us akin to the Old Testament God, or are we all in a simulation with a supreme being programming our actions for their own amusement somewhere? Or is it both?

You can watch the Pop Culture Junkie Podcast on YouTube! Click here: https://www.youtube.com/@popculturejunkiepod/videos

We have all new Patreon tiers! Be the first to hear new and uncensored content, if you dare! 
Click here: https://www.patreon.com/popculturejunkiepodcast/posts

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pop-culture-junkie/id1536737728

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7k2pUxzNDBXNCHzFM7EL8W

Website: www.popculturejunkie.com
Facebook: PopCultureJunkiePodcast
Instagram: @pop.culturejunkies
Threads: @pop.culturejunkies
Bluesky: @pop-culture-junkie.bsky.social
Email: [email protected]

Shauna on Instagram: @shaunatrinidad 
Shauna on Threads: @shaunatrinidad

Olivia on Instagram: @livimariez
Olivia on TikTok: @livyolife420

Shauna and Olivia welcome special guest Michael E. Cullen, award-winning filmmaker and host of the All2ReelToopodcast. Michael has directed films like the horror comedy Pi Day Die Day (available on Tubi!), the Christmas horror film Shelved, and co-hosts the podcast All 2 Reel Too, a look at the "wild and wacky realm of pop culture". Michael joins the Junkies to talk about the 1983 NBC miniseries V, about a large-scale invasion of seemingly friendly, seemingly humanoid aliens. Michael and the Junkies talk about the series' prescient parallels to the current political situation. Find it on Plex to follow along! Then Michael, Shauna and Olivia discuss their common love of Marvel and documentaries about scammers and other lowlifes.

Find Michael E. Cullen's work and more information at his website, Cullen Park Productions.
http://www.cullenpark.com/

Find the All2ReelToo podcast at https://all2reeltoo.com/

You can watch the Pop Culture Junkie Podcast on YouTube! Click here: https://www.youtube.com/@popculturejunkiepod/videos

We have all new Patreon tiers! Be the first to hear new and uncensored content, if you dare! 
Click here: https://www.patreon.com/popculturejunkiepodcast/posts

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pop-culture-junkie/id1536737728

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7k2pUxzNDBXNCHzFM7EL8W

Website: www.popculturejunkie.com
Facebook: PopCultureJunkiePodcast
Instagram: @pop.culturejunkies
Threads: @pop.culturejunkies
Bluesky: @pop-culture-junkie.bsky.social 
Email: [email protected]

Shauna on Instagram: @shaunatrinidad 
Shauna on Threads: @shaunatrinidad

Olivia on Instagram: @livimariez
Olivia on TikTok: @livyolife420

Pulling an Uno Reverse from their last episode about celebrity feuds, Olivia and Shauna take on celebrity best buds, looking at famous people who genuinely like each other a lot. To figure out what makes a great friendship, the Junkies examine their own iconic pop culture friendship, and determine it's down to being annoying in the same way. Are celeb BFFs like Gayle and Oprah, Snoop and Martha, Cameron and Drew, Brad and George, Jennifer and Courteney, Ben and Matt, etc. also compatibly irritating? We don't know, but it's certainly possible. But it's more likely that fame and friendship works best when both parties understand what life in show business entails, and are each other's biggest fans...just like Shauna and Olivia are.

You can watch the Pop Culture Junkie Podcast on YouTube! Click here: https://www.youtube.com/@popculturejunkiepod/videos

We have all new Patreon tiers! Be the first to hear new and uncensored content, if you dare! 
Click here: https://www.patreon.com/popculturejunkiepodcast/posts

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pop-culture-junkie/id1536737728

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7k2pUxzNDBXNCHzFM7EL8W

Website: www.popculturejunkie.com
Facebook: PopCultureJunkiePodcast
Instagram: @pop.culturejunkies
Threads: @pop.culturejunkies
Bluesky: @pop-culture-junkie.bsky.social 
Email: [email protected]

Shauna on Instagram: @shaunatrinidad 
Shauna on Threads: @shaunatrinidad

Olivia on Instagram: @livimariez
Olivia on TikTok: @livyolife420

Celebrities are not like us: when they bicker amongst themselves, it's all over the news, and maybe even the Super Bowl half-time show. Shauna and Olivia break down why celebrities feud publicly - and why we like it so much. Olivia thinks maybe it's a way to satisfy our deep-seated need for interpersonal conflict in ways we mere mortals can't achieve in our petty office spats, while Shauna thinks we just really enjoy laughing at the rich, famous, and ridiculous. And both agree, these beefs can be great publicity tools. Then the Junkies look at some of the more notable rivalries, going back to Debbie Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor, and each lay out their favorite among the feuds. And who would they start beef with? The answers may surprise you. (Or not, if you have been listening to this podcast a while.)

You can watch the Pop Culture Junkie Podcast on YouTube! Click here: https://www.youtube.com/@popculturejunkiepod/videos

We have all new Patreon tiers! Be the first to hear new and uncensored content, if you dare! 
Click here: https://www.patreon.com/popculturejunkiepodcast/posts

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pop-culture-junkie/id1536737728

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7k2pUxzNDBXNCHzFM7EL8W

Website: www.popculturejunkie.com
Facebook: PopCultureJunkiePodcast
Instagram: @pop.culturejunkies
Threads: @pop.culturejunkies
Bluesky: @pop-culture-junkie.bsky.social 
Email: [email protected]

Shauna on Instagram: @shaunatrinidad 
Shauna on Threads: @shaunatrinidad

Olivia on Instagram: @livimariez
Olivia on TikTok: @livyolife420

Olivia and Shauna are working on their long-distance relationship, but they're always together in spirit, especially when it comes to talking about pop culture. 2025 is going to be a monumental year, for better or worse, and in order to have something to look forward to, The Junkies discuss the pop culture they most want to put in their veins this year. Olivia tries to convince Shauna to keep watching White Lotus, and Shauna makes Olivia promise to go see the new Fantastic Four movie with her. Between new Lady Gaga (and maybe Taylor Swift) music and more Dexter and a Freakier Friday on the horizon, this could very well be a great year. And if not, Shauna has a great drinking game for you.

The Pop Culture Junkie Podcast can now be seen on YouTube! Click here: https://www.youtube.com/@popculturejunkiepod/videos

We have all new Patreon tiers! Be the first to hear new and uncensored content, if you dare! 
Click here: https://www.patreon.com/popculturejunkiepodcast/posts

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pop-culture-junkie/id1536737728Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7k2pUxzNDBXNCHzFM7EL8W

Website: www.popculturejunkie.com
Facebook: PopCultureJunkiePodcast
Instagram: @pop.culturejunkies
Threads: @pop.culturejunkies
Bluesky: @pop-culture-junkie.bsky.social 
Email: [email protected]

Shauna on Instagram: @shaunatrinidad 
Shauna on Threads: @shaunatrinidad

Olivia on Instagram: @livimariez
Olivia on TikTok: @livyolife420

Olivia and Shauna find themselves on the Naughty List (again) this holiday season, so this episode is all about those holiday romance movies - the kind where big-city girls visit their hometowns and fall for a hunky carpenter/baker/farmer (or whatever) and learn the true meaning of Christmas. These movies are often associated with the Hallmark Channel, but can be seen everywhere, really. Netflix in particular, is doing their best to put their own stamp on the genre, peopling the films with male strippers and sexy sentient snowmen and such. Then the Junkies talk about the holiday season's biggest movie, and whether or not it 'defies gravity'.

The Pop Culture Junkie Podcast can now be seen on YouTube! Click here: https://www.youtube.com/@popculturejunkiepod/videos

We have all new Patreon tiers! Be the first to hear new and uncensored content, if you dare! 
Click here: https://www.patreon.com/popculturejunkiepodcast/posts

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pop-culture-junkie/id1536737728

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7k2pUxzNDBXNCHzFM7EL8W

Website: www.popculturejunkie.com
Facebook: PopCultureJunkiePodcast
Instagram: @pop.culturejunkies
Threads: @pop.culturejunkies
Email: [email protected]

Shauna on Instagram: @shaunatrinidad 
Shauna on TikTok: @shaunatrinidad
Shauna on Threads: @shaunatrinidad

Olivia on Instagram: @livimariez
Olivia on TikTok: @livyolife420

This week, Olivia and Shauna give their book reports - how many books they've read this year above and beyond their goal, and not to brag, but we know two people who'll get coupons for a personal pan pizza this year. In other news, it's the holiday season, and for a lot of us, that means traveling, whether to get to or get away from family. And the perfect marriage of pop culture and traveling is the road trip movie. The Junkies talk about what makes a great road trip movie, and name some of the best road trip movies in every genre: comedy, drama, horror, comedy...well, they're mostly comedies because traveling is so much fun! Then, Olivia and Shauna plot out the perfect snack regimen for their upcoming trip to Frisco, and you won't believe what they plan to do with the Bugles. 

The Pop Culture Junkie Podcast can now be seen on YouTube! Click here: https://www.youtube.com/@popculturejunkiepod/videos

We have all new Patreon tiers! Be the first to hear new and uncensored content, if you dare! 
Click here: https://www.patreon.com/popculturejunkiepodcast/posts

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pop-culture-junkie/id1536737728

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7k2pUxzNDBXNCHzFM7EL8W

Website: www.popculturejunkie.com
Facebook: PopCultureJunkiePodcast
Instagram: @pop.culturejunkies
Threads: @pop.culturejunkies
Email: [email protected]

Shauna on Instagram: @shaunatrinidad 
Shauna on TikTok: @shaunatrinidad
Shauna on Threads: @shaunatrinidad

Olivia on Instagram: @livimariez
Olivia on TikTok: @livyolife420

The Junkies gather together to mourn some hopes, but also to celebrate an important victory. And while the future looks uncertain, Shauna and Olivia vow that we'll all get through whatever comes next together, and pop culture is going to help us do just that. Speaking of girl power and pop culture (and we were!), this week the Junkies take a good look at the history of feminism and how it was represented by pop culture. The Junkies recount the history, starting over a hundred years ago with the suffrage movement, flappers and the first "It Girl", straight through to where we are today, when we had a female president for the first time (if only for 40 minutes). Then Shauna and Olivia talk about their favorite feminist media, and look at how far we have yet to go for everyone to be able to see themselves represented in their favorite media. 

The Pop Culture Junkie Podcast can now be seen on YouTube! Click here: https://www.youtube.com/@popculturejunkiepod/videos

We have all new Patreon tiers! Be the first to hear new and uncensored content, if you dare! 
Click here: https://www.patreon.com/popculturejunkiepodcast/posts

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pop-culture-junkie/id1536737728

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7k2pUxzNDBXNCHzFM7EL8W

Website: www.popculturejunkie.com
Facebook: PopCultureJunkiePodcast
Instagram: @pop.culturejunkies
Threads: @pop.culturejunkies
Email: [email protected]

Shauna on Instagram: @shaunatrinidad 
Shauna on TikTok: @shaunatrinidad
Shauna on Threads: @shaunatrinidad

Olivia on Instagram: @livimariez
Olivia on TikTok: @livyolife420