Podcast
Characters
Hosted by Cloud10 · EN
Diving deeper on the characters we love to consume! Laura Diez hosts guest conversations and shares stories exploring the portrayals of real people on reality tv, fictionalized women that stay in our memories, and pop culture legends. New episodes Tuesdays and Fridays.
13episodes
Episodes
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Love Island USA Wrap-Up: was this season even good?
2w ago00:22:00Tap to summarizeNow that we officially have our winners (and our evenings back), let's recap and reflect on the most recent season of Love Island USA. We'll talk character arcs, editing choices, couples I love and couples I didn't... and my thoughts on some deeper divides within the cast, ranging from generational to cultural. Find me everywhere: linktr.ee/literallylaurad Time stamps: 00:00 Intro, Overview 01:22 Were islanders too Young? 02:17 Physical Intimacy, Being "Lustful" 04:27 Experimental Conditions in the Villa 05:30 Beatriz 07:31 Character arc: Kenzie 10:12 Character arc: Titi 12:16 Trinity and Bryce 13:34 Culturally influenced approaches to Love Island: Melanie + Kenzie 15:12 Reunion predictions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Hilary Duff Renaissance
2w ago00:09:28Tap to summarizeWe're discussing what it means for a beloved icon from many of our youths to show up as her full, adult self. I'm sharing my experience seeing Hilary Duff on her Luck or Something tour - her outfits, the stage, and the audience! We'll discuss the very mature themes of her most recent studio album and the honest journey she's shared in rebuilding her confidence performing at arenas. Plus, how public figures like Hilary Duff and Miley Cyrus have in recent years very publicly embraced the characters that brought them to the masses. Find me everywhere: linktr.ee/literallylaurad Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Financial Storylines Across Real Housewives: Value + Impact
4w ago00:13:41Tap to summarizeFinancial conversations have always been part of shows like Real Housewives, documenting the aspirational lives of real women. And over twenty years, the lesson of Housewives seems to be: life goes on! Financial security storylines have varied significantly over the years and franchises, allowing audiences to learn from and see themselves in unique situations. We'll go through some recent financial stories we've heard: Atlanta's Pinky Cole declaring bankruptcy; RHOBH's Dorit Kemsley's divorce; and RHORI's Alicia's demands for stake in her fiance's businesses. We'll dive deeper into prompts around what a Housewife may feel she deserves (or doesn't) from her romantic partner, and how participating in a show in itself can be the prompt that both casts and audiences are seeking. Find me everywhere: linktr.ee/literallylaurad Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →How "Real" Must Reality TV Be?
Jun 2300:11:01Tap to summarizeWe're examining the spectrum of how reality television shows today handle the "performance of reality." From casts opening acknowledging that they're filming a show, like Real Housewives of Atlanta and Potomac ... to shows that grow alongside their casts' rising fame, like Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. We'll touch on Hulu's new show, Million Dollar Nannies, as a case study in performative reality: are these nannies truly paying rent, competing for jobs, etc? We'll also touch on the shift from aspirational, Kardashian-style wealth to these more relatable, conflict-drive casts, like Real Housewives of Rhode Island and Love Island USA. How much longer are we going to pretend that being on reality tv is not a career in itself? Find me everywhere: linktr.ee/literallylaurad Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Love Island USA Week 2 with Jaz Henley-Brown
Jun 1900:33:01Tap to summarizeSol's elimination, the couples we think are totally mismatched, and what we need to see from Casa Amor ..... we are recaping Week 2 of Love Island USA S8, through episode 14, with Jaz Henley-Brown (@jhenleybrown)! Find me everywhere: linktr.ee/literallylaurad Time stamps: 00:00 Intro 01:07 Jaz Henley-Brown 02:43 Season 7 vs Season 8 04:28 Sol's Dumping 09:00 Couples that should explore 10:03 Aniya and KC 13:18 Trinity and Bryce 16:12 Kayda and Zach 17:43 Female Friendships 22:56 Winning 24:24 Predictions for Week 3, Casa Amor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Rulla's Redemption - RHORI Finale
Jun 1600:14:08Tap to summarizeDiscussing the finale episode of the Real Housewives of Rhode Island's first season! The major storyline was Rulla's husband's alleged affair, which it seems like we finally see her acknowledging with the group on the closeout trip to Block Island. Plus, Rulla and Jo-Ellen's resolution. We see Alicia being re-proposed to - I'm sharing my thoughts on how we've seen her relationship grow over the course of the first season. Plus, the resolution of Kelsey and Rosie. Such a great first season - and I can't wait to see them pick right back up after that final scene of Rulla separated from her husband after he was found guilty of tracking her. Find me everywhere: linktr.ee/literallylaurad Time stamps: 00:00 Intro 00:43 Rulla, Brian, + the video 02:37 Rulla and Jo-Ellen 04:47 Rulla's husband's DV charge 06:52 Alicia and Billy 09:43 Rosie and Kelsey 10:10 Block Island Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Love Island USA Week 2 with Jackson Strike
Jun 1100:22:46Tap to summarizeWe'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. Find me everywhere: linktr.ee/literallylaurad Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Marilyn and Ella Fitzgerald
Jun 900:10:00Tap to summarizeThe 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." Find me everywhere: linktr.ee/literallylaurad Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Love Island USA Premiere Recap!
Jun 500:11:03Tap to summarizeLet'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? Find me everywhere: Linktr.ee/literallylaurad Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Marilyn Monroe and Playboy: the magazine she did not consent to launching
Jun 200:25:00Tap to summarizeOn 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. Find me everywhere!! Linktr.ee/LiterallyLauraD Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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