The Advice Hour

Summary

The Big Picture: The Advice Hour – Episode Summary

Release Date: June 16, 2025

Hosts: Sean Fennessey & Amanda Dobbins
Featuring: Jack Sanders, Chris Ryan, Van Lathan, and Bill Simmons

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I. Introduction

In this special episode titled "The Advice Hour," The Big Picture hosts Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins pivot to address listeners' personal queries amidst a live YouTube stream. Straying from their usual movie reviews and discussions, the duo embraces a conversational format to offer solutions to various life dilemmas submitted by their audience.

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II. Transition to Live Advice

Amanda Dobbins [01:43]:
"I'm Sean and Amanda, and this is The Big Picture Live, a conversation show about your problems and our solutions."

Sean Fennessey [02:01]:
"Because we did not have an idea for an episode, so we came up with an advice episode."

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III. Listener Questions & Discussions

1. Parenting: Four-Month Sleep Regression

   Listener Query:
   "What do I do about the four-month sleep regression?" [03:51]

   Sean's Insight [03:55]:
   "You gotta trust yourself... make the choices for you. If you need to comfort them, do that. But support is key."

   Amanda's Experience [06:14]:
   "We did have tons of sleep regression. Alice napped on me for a year, as often as she could."

2. Skincare: Retinol Usage and Sun Exposure

   Listener Query:
   "Should I start using retinol given my increased sun exposure in Florida?" [08:43]

   Sean's Advice [09:30]:
   "Retinol is a class of products related to vitamin A. It encourages skin cell turnover, helping with fine lines. However, it's not a physical exfoliant but a chemical one."

   Amanda's Recommendation [12:19]:
   "I have to wear sunscreen every day because of a family history of melanoma."

3. Movie Recommendations for Breakups

   Listener Luke [16:27]:
   "How can we help our sad boy Luke who watched Blue Valentine, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Past Lives?"

   Sean's Recommendations [16:36]:
   "Classic romantic comedies like Bringing Up Baby, Lady Eve, or musicals from the 50s. Alternatively, watch feel-good movies like John Wick series."

   Amanda's Suggestion [19:21]:
   "Just fire up Tenet and let it wash over you like a warm bath."

4. Handling Friends with Different Movie Preferences

   Listener Caden [53:09]:
   "How do I handle a friend who doesn't like films centered around 'bad people'?"

   Sean's Response [53:20]:
   "Speak your own truth loudly and respectfully. If their viewpoint is a severe reason, it might be time to reassess the friendship."

   Amanda's Take [54:16]:
   "It's an indication of a lack of sophistication if you feel uncomfortable with art because it shows behavior you don't agree with."

5. Best Man Speech Incorporating Movies

   Listener Julian [29:36]:
   "Should I incorporate a movie into my best man speech?"

   Sean's Advice [30:57]:
   "Avoid being too niche. Use a well-known movie reference or a single quote to build from, ensuring it resonates with the entire audience."

   Amanda's Example [31:57]:
   "My brother sang Leather and Lace as an homage to Will Ferrell's performance, blending inside jokes with universal appeal."

6. Dating App Opening Lines

   Listener Reese Roberts [69:21]:
   "What's one quality you admire in each other and a burden if you could make life the other person's?"

   Sean's Insight [76:45]:
   "A good foundation is mutual interests, but if the spark isn't there, it's important to be upfront and move on."

   Amanda's Perspective [77:30]:
   "If you're not attracted to the person, don't pursue a relationship just based on shared interests."

7. Hosting Home Screenings

   Listener Inquiry [61:26]:
   "Tips for hosting home movie screenings?"

   Sean's Guidance [61:38]:
   "Set up seating and snacks in advance to reduce anxiety. Control lighting and guide guests to designated areas to maintain comfort."

   Amanda's Suggestion [61:56]:
   "Use technology like split-screen monitors for better control and presentation."

8. Baby Products Must-Haves

   Listener Query [47:19]:
   "What are your must-have baby products and which ones didn't make the cut?"

   Sean's Essentials [47:33]:
   "Noise machines, the Yo-Yo Baby Zen stroller for its portability and convenience."

   Amanda's Favorites [47:49]:
   "The Nanit monitor and Ergobaby carriers. While they work well, some products like sleep sacks have varied usage times."

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IV. Personal Anecdotes & Interactions

Throughout the episode, Sean and Amanda share personal stories that resonate with the advice they offer:

• Sean's Panic Moment [02:07]: Sean recounts a last-minute panic over a supposed doubleheader, highlighting the importance of organization with a lighthearted touch.

• Amanda's Emotional Moment [14:31]: Amanda shares a heartfelt interaction with her daughter, emphasizing the deep connections that parenting fosters.

• Friendship Dynamics [57:26]: Both hosts discuss the challenges of forming friendships in their 20s and the importance of shared interests without losing individuality.

Notable Quotes:

• Sean Fennessey [03:55]:
  "You gotta trust yourself... make the choices for you."

• Amanda Dobbins [06:14]:
  "Alice napped on me for a year, as often as she could."

• Sean Fennessey [16:36]:
  "Classic romantic comedies like Bringing Up Baby, Lady Eve, or musicals from the 50s."

• Amanda Dobbins [54:16]:
  "It's an indication of a lack of sophistication if you feel uncomfortable with art because it shows behavior you don't agree with."

---

V. Live Chat & Audience Engagement

The live format allowed listeners to interact directly via chat, with questions ranging from practical advice on parenting and skincare to more humorous inquiries about snacks for golf bags and favorite soups. Amanda and Sean navigate these questions with a blend of empathy, humor, and personal insight, fostering a sense of community and relatability.

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VI. Conclusion & Future Plans

As the episode wraps up, Sean and Amanda reflect on the dynamics of the live advice format, expressing satisfaction with the engagement and the meaningful exchanges with their audience. They announce upcoming live shows in Chicago and potential future episodes focusing on topics like procrastination and maintaining focus.

Amanda Dobbins [88:05]:
"Thank you to everyone who bought tickets. They sold out very fast for both events."

Sean Fennessey [89:01]:
"I think that's how social media works, so."

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VII. Final Thoughts

"The Advice Hour" serves as a testament to Sean and Amanda's versatility as hosts, adeptly transitioning from movie-centric discussions to offering heartfelt and practical advice on a myriad of personal topics. Their authentic interactions and willingness to share personal experiences create an engaging and supportive environment for listeners seeking guidance.

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Notable Moments & Highlights:

• Sean Embraces Advising:
  Amanda [06:03]: "You went full Dr. Becky. That was incredible."

• Discussion on Retinol Overuse:
  Sean [09:30]: "As skincare has gotten more of an Internet thing... we're sort of over retinol as a society."

• Handling Friendships:
  Amanda [54:16]: "It's an indication of a lack of sophistication if you feel uncomfortable with art because it shows behavior you don't agree with."

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Key Takeaways:

1. Trust Yourself: Whether it's parenting decisions or personal relationships, listening to your instincts is paramount.

2. Balance Shared Interests with Individual Needs: Shared passions can strengthen relationships, but they shouldn't overshadow personal well-being.

3. Adaptability in Friendships: It's essential to recognize when differing viewpoints or interests might necessitate reevaluating friendships.

4. Practical Parenting Tips: Understanding sleep regressions and choosing the right baby products can significantly impact family harmony.

5. Skincare Awareness: Balancing skincare routines with environmental factors like sun exposure is crucial for maintaining healthy skin.

---

This comprehensive summary captures the essence of "The Advice Hour," showcasing Sean and Amanda's ability to blend personal anecdotes with actionable advice, all while maintaining an engaging and interactive live format.

Transcript

[Amanda Dobbins]

If you're a fan of the inner workings of Hollywood, then check out my podcast, the Town on the Ringer Podcast Network. My name is Matt Bellamy. I'm founding partner at Puck and the writer of the what I'm Hearing newsletter. And with my show the Town, I bring you the inside conversation about money and power in Hollywood. Every week we've got three short episodes featuring real Hollywood insiders to tell you what people in town are actually talking about. We'll cover everything from why your favorite show was canceled overnight, which streamer is on the brink of collapse, and which executive is on the hot seat. Disney, Netflix, who's up, down, and who will never e lunch in this town again? Follow the Town on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Sean Fennessey]

Now you can watch the best of Hulu on Disney, like season two of nine, Perfect Strangers with Hulu on Disney and Star Wars Andor Season 2 on Disney. All of these and more now streaming.

[Amanda Dobbins]

With Hulu on Disney with a bundle subscription available with bundle plans starting at $10.99 a month.

[Sean Fennessey]

Terms apply. Visit disneyplus.com hulu for details. This message is brought to you by Apple Card. For a limited time, get a new Apple card and get $150 bonus daily cash when you spend $150 or more at Nike in your first 30 days using your new Apple card with Apple Pay. Visit Apple Co nikepromo for important offer details subject to credit approval. Offer valid only for new Apple Card accounts open by June 15, 2025. To qualify, you must spend $150 or more on Nike purchases within the US online offer may not be available elsewhere. Additional terms and limitations apply.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'm Sean Fennesee. I'm Amanda Davins and this is the Big Picture Live, a conversation show about your problems and our solutions. We are coming to you live on YouTube and soon to your podcast listening spaces. Because we did not have an idea for an episode, so we came up with an advice episode.

[Sean Fennessey]

Sure. Also, it was Father's Day. Happy Father's Day.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Thank you so much.

[Sean Fennessey]

And you didn't want to have to prep.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That's right.

[Sean Fennessey]

I had a real panic moment last night at like 9:15 when I thought that we were doing a doubleheader today and there was a movie that I was supposed to watch and I spent all yesterday, you know, trying to parent so that my husband could have a Father's Day.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Oh, and you crammed for a pod.

[Sean Fennessey]

I didn't. Then I checked the schedule.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay. You know, well, that's a Relief.

[Sean Fennessey]

The spreadsheet is always there for me.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Fortunately, this design worked out perfectly. We have been receiving emails for days now. Jack Sanders has been compiling them. We're also. We've got a chat going here.

[Sean Fennessey]

Can we go to the chat right away? Because right before we started you read something and I want to go straight to our people.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You want to start with this first question in the chat.

[Sean Fennessey]

Listen, it's desperate people. And also if you're taking time out of your life to be posting that in the chat before we go live, you're in need.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So we can absolutely do that.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yes.

[Amanda Dobbins]

This already is throwing off Jack Sanders plan.

[Sean Fennessey]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

But that's okay. That's okay. Honestly, I think it's great.

[Sean Fennessey]

I thought this was live. I thought we were vibing.

[Amanda Dobbins]

We are and it is.

[Sean Fennessey]

Last time see Jack on the screen.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yes. Hi Jack.

[Sean Fennessey]

You look great.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Last time we were doing this we both had cocktails in front of us.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

This time it's 9:30 in the morning.

[Sean Fennessey]

I got my iced coffee with real dairy. I just taught Sean about hot girls do dairy.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Still don't know what that is. You said those words, but I don't know what that is.

[Sean Fennessey]

Or hot girls whole milk. I mean I don't like totally know what it is. And what I said to you was like I never left, you know, the real hot girls just stayed with dairy because I can digest it.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Who were the proponents, like who were the authors of this movement?

[Sean Fennessey]

TikTok, obviously, you know, and I think like, you know, younger women who post.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Got it. Well, there was a younger woman I think in our chat who posted something very important to you and the first question that you would like to answer is Amanda comma.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yes.

[Amanda Dobbins]

What do I do about the four month sleep sleep regression?

[Sean Fennessey]

This is tough stuff. Okay, so for all the people watching who don't know what the four month sleep regression is, including I guess everyone in our booth, you know, it's important to teach the next generation. 4 month sleep regression is when your child, your newborn hits four months and forgets how to sleep. And then the whole house forgets how to sleep. And it's really dire.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Did that happen to you on this go round?

[Sean Fennessey]

Well, so here's the thing, is that four month sleep regression is like a very famous one. And if you Google four month sleep regression, Reddit, you know, like lots of posts, it is sort of in the textbook. But the reality is, is like this sleep regression can happen at any time and if you google however many months something sleep regression Reddit, you find a Community of parents who can't sleep and who are freaking out. Bless them, you know.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So what did you learn from them?

[Sean Fennessey]

What did I learn from them? I mean, it's a little bit. You gotta trust yourself, right? And you gotta do what's best for you. Because at some point, teaching your kid to sleep, it's good for them, but it's also about you. So if you can handle letting them cry it out, which, listen, like, even yesterday we put Saya down to sleep. He's eight months now. He's like a pretty good sleeper. But when he doesn't wanna sleep, he is so mad, he screams so loud. Like, imagine me as loud and angry as I get and then times five, and that's psy. Imagine that and imagine it. Okay? And like, I can't bear it, you know, like, you just can't listen to the screaming. There's something biological. So I went in and I held him. Right. You know, and if that's what you need to do, do that. But I would say. I would say make the choices for you. So if you want to let him cry it out or her cry it out. Cause you need some sleep also. This is when noise machines really help for. For your own life, do that. If you need to go comfort them, you can. You can do that as well. I think we're all just trying to get through and get as much sleep as we can. So I really just wanted to say I support you. You know, you're.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You went full Dr. Becky. That was incredible. I didn't know you were. You had that in you. I've not seen you do that before.

[Sean Fennessey]

I guess you have, like, blacked this out. At this point, I'm closer to it. I just. I just did it again.

[Amanda Dobbins]

But like, the hardest one for us was actually that era was very difficult. We did have tons of sleep regression. Alice napped on me for a year, as often as she could, however, just like Ben Affleck.

[Sean Fennessey]

Did you see Jennifer Garner posted Happy Father's Day. And it was like a photo of Ben Affleck with one of the tiny babies sleeping on his chest. And she was like, happy Father's Day to three people's favorite landing place or something. Really sweet.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That's nice. But she was not one of those three people.

[Sean Fennessey]

No, I don't think so. Ultimately, it was their children.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Their children got it. So sad. It's a. It's an American tragedy.

[Sean Fennessey]

No, it's maybe. Maybe it's hopeful. Maybe they have parents in their lives.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You know, I will tell you the Thing that flummoxed me the most was the transition from crib to bed.

[Sean Fennessey]

Oh, yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Because then they can just get up.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Whenever they want. And sometimes that's three o' clock in the morning and they just start banging on the door.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah. Because obviously.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Well, if there's not a lock on the door.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yes, there is. I'm going to be honest. Like, we're just, we're telling truths here. For safety reasons, my son is locked in that door.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You know, the same is true in our house.

[Sean Fennessey]

What are you going to do? Because we went out, you know, they'll go out the front door at like 5am Zach went downstairs and I was just like, hey, dad, what's up? Just. And we have a lot of stairs in our house. Yeah. You know, he's figured out all the childproofing. He could open cabinets.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'm sure there will be more parenting questions as you go, but Jack has prepared some anyway questions for you saying.

[Sean Fennessey]

Like, I think I remember what it's like and it's a very vulnerable time those first six months. It's really, really, really intense. And I was just there. So I see you. You know.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Thank you very much, Anonymous person in the chat. Keep asking deeply personal questions in the chat. Amanda will address them when she can. Okay, Jack, where did you want to start this conversation? Well, here's the thing, Sean. Due to some technical difficulties, our viewers at home can currently not listen to to me. So I think we are currently on the fly figuring this out in real time. And due to the manic episode that is today, I'm going to let you guys drive. I prepped a doc. Lots of people submitted.

[Sean Fennessey]

Great.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'll stitch this into the episode. But you guys can cook. I will. Just to communicate for the world out there, Jack Sanders cannot be heard on the live stream.

[Sean Fennessey]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So we're going to drive this conversation.

[Sean Fennessey]

All right.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Thankfully, he has poured lots of questions into the document already. And then we're just going to jump in the chat, going to hang out with.

[Sean Fennessey]

That's going to be great.

[Amanda Dobbins]

But let's, let's. Jack wanted to start with a very specific kind of question for you, this being an Amanda Forward discussion.

[Sean Fennessey]

Right.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Kristen asks. I just turned 38.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yes.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And have been trying to revamp my skincare routine. I don't use retinol, but should I start? I moved to Florida a few years ago from the Northeast and I'm in the sun a lot more, so I'm worried the risks will outweigh the benefits, even with sunscreen. Also do red light masks work?

[Sean Fennessey]

Here we go. The conversation I've been waiting for my whole life. So I'm gonna answer the specific ones first. Kristen, thank you so much. Happy birthday. I hope Florida is treating you well. It seems a little dicey down there. Okay, well, I don't know. Listen, I'm just trying to speak to the people, you know, I'm making connections.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Kristen's name is spelled like. Kristen Press, formerly of the US Women's National Team.

[Sean Fennessey]

Do you think it's her?

[Amanda Dobbins]

It could be her.

[Sean Fennessey]

Do you know what retinol is, Sean? Fantasy?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Don't know.

[Sean Fennessey]

Okay, so retinol is, like, basically a class of products related to vitamin A. And so it does. It's supposed to encourage skin cell, like, turnover very quickly. So it's supposed to help with fine lines, just refreshing. But it's, it's. It's like kind of the premier anti aging ingredient.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You're like, kind of usually a normal person, but then something like this comes up and you immediately start talking like a character in Total Recall.

[Sean Fennessey]

Do you understand? There is like, again, it's like the hot girls do dairy situation. There is a whole segment of the population out there who's vibing with me right now. And maybe they don't listen to this podcast, but maybe this is how I reach them. And I'm also trying to educate you because you exfoliate too much. Anyway, retinol's like, it's not a physical exfoliant. It's more of like a chemical exfoliant, but it's doing the same thing where it's trying to get you new skin because your old skin is, like, wisened and wrinkled and, like, miserable. Okay, right, okay, okay. So retinol, like, everyone thinks they hit 30, 35, whatever, and they're like, okay, now it's time for the retinol to give me a baby face. And, like, as skincare has gotten, you know, become more of an Internet thing, you know, as, like, we all. It's a hobby of everyone. I feel like everyone jumps on it more quickly. I'm going to be honest, Kristen. I was using retinol for a while, then I had to stop because you're not supposed to use it while you're pregnant. And I think my skin's a lot better and is breaking out less. And so I no longer use retinol. And I do think we're sort of like, over retinol as a society. I'm just putting it out there now. I think there are a lot of people for whom it Works. But if you don't feel like it's working for you, that's okay. There are other things that, you know you can do. I, like, I tried Bakuchol. I don't know what that is. I'm not doing it. Also, it was like, that's a natural retinol alternative, but it was marketed for, like, pregnant women, so it was like, you know, mama, Retinol or whatever. And I'm not on retinol.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That's not something you enjoy.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah, yeah. If you're selling me something, don't call me mama. So that's where I am on retinol. Obviously, if you're using retinol, you gotta be doing the sunscreen, which you're in Florida, so you have to be doing it anyway. I recently got in some trouble with a jam session listener because she didn't think that I was using sunscreen enough. And I just want to say, I am using it.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You got in trouble every day.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah, she DMed me, and she was like, it's really important that you wear sunscreen every day. Do you wear sunscreen?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Was it Hillary Clinton? Who was it who DM'd you?

[Sean Fennessey]

No, it's a very nice woman.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I do. We talked about this. Yeah, yeah.

[Sean Fennessey]

It's in your moisturizer.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That's right.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I have to, because there's a long history of melanoma in my family. So if people are wondering why I'm so pale, there's a very good reason for why I'm so.

[Sean Fennessey]

No, it's hugely important. I do wear sunscreen every day. Well, I'm not wearing it right now because we're inside. But once I'm done here, I'm gonna, you know, go out and what I will be wearing. The new Merit tinted sunscreen is really good. I just want to let you guys know also, can we go back a step?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah, yeah.

[Sean Fennessey]

LED masks. What?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Well, you can answer that if you want to, but this is related to the masks and all the sunscreen.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You're an accomplished woman.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You know, you're a mother, you're a star, you're a professional, and you're serious.

[Sean Fennessey]

I have to drink a lot of water because I'm doing infrared workout class later.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay. Thank you for sharing. You're obviously, like, leaning hard into a future as an influencer, which I quite honestly respect.

[Sean Fennessey]

What else are we gonna do with our lives? Look around.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'm doing my version of it. Of course.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

But why is the retention of the way you look now ultimately meaningful? I Think of you as a confident person.

[Sean Fennessey]

Thank you.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I think of you as a person who doesn't really worry too much about what other people think.

[Sean Fennessey]

I think that's true.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And I understand that there's, like pride in personal beauty.

[Sean Fennessey]

As we said, we were talking about the flyaways earlier, which is just like, I'm really in it because I don't know if you guys know this. When you have a kid afterwards, a lot of your hair falls out and then it grows back like this. So I'm going through that and the only way out is through. But I am self conscious about it. But it's because of me, not because of other people.

[Amanda Dobbins]

What, like, what happened? Like, because you live in a society. Like, what is it that's.

[Sean Fennessey]

I live in a society. I do also think, because we have to see our faces all the damn time now because of this and because of this, you know, And I'm like, I'm on. We're on YouTube. So it's your fault, really, that I.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Did not make this decision. So this keeps being blamed on me. I accept zero responsibility.

[Sean Fennessey]

But I do think generally it's because we're all just looking at our faces all the time because we have cameras with us constantly. And I don't think it's good.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay.

[Sean Fennessey]

So I'm doing the best I can to stay me while also, I don't know, acknowledge the reality of my situation. Sunscreen is just for health, as you said.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Had a chilling moment with my daughter yesterday. We were hanging out, Father's Day and everything. She's being incredibly kind to me all day. It was very, very emotionally touching. I think she got a real pep talk from her mom.

[Sean Fennessey]

Oh, that's cute.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And then after, like a really sweet stretch of time where we're just having a long conversation, she said, dad, that man has blonde hair. Like, I have blonde hair. And I said, alice, what hair color do I have? And she said, you have gray hair. I said, I have gray hair, but do I have another color hair? And she said, yes, black. Which, like, I don't, but I do now.

[Sean Fennessey]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

My. My brown has gone black a little.

[Sean Fennessey]

Bit, like at the roots.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I don't. I think I don't want to mess with the collision of the. The gray and the.

[Sean Fennessey]

So it's like a contrast thing.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah. And so, like, there is something I'm usually. I usually don't care about getting older. I usually am kind of comfortable. I was very comfortable getting to 40.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

But now as I creep towards 50 and I get into, like, Old dad territory. Like, I'm often like an older dad on the playground, not the oldest. Here in Los Angeles, we've got plenty of 50.

[Sean Fennessey]

I'm one of the older parents at preschool, which is a little sobering.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Every time I realize I have like literal generation gap with some of the parents or they like don't know my reference points. It's kind of like the listeners of the show. Honestly, I'm like, I'm Talking to a 32 year old on the playground, like at school, and I'm like, what do we. We don't have as much in common.

[Sean Fennessey]

As I would have hoped.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Anyway. Comes at you fast. So I'm sensitive to your, your desire to retain. Thank you. Let's ask a question from Luke.

[Sean Fennessey]

Okay. Although Jack did let us know that he's back. You're back, Jack. False news. Do you want to.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I am back.

[Sean Fennessey]

Okay. Do you want to read?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah, I'll read.

[Sean Fennessey]

Okay, go.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Luke asks, I recently got dumped by a girl named Amanda. I need Amanda to recommend some movies to help me get over Amanda. In the past few days, I've watched Blue Valentine, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Past Lives. How can we help out our sad boy Luke?

[Sean Fennessey]

Okay, well, I mean, this sucks. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Luke.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You know, what is Luke doing? Why are we watching Past Lives in Blue Valentine?

[Sean Fennessey]

You know what? Okay. You went straight there. I'm leading with empathy. I did have a similar thought. So we received this question on a Friday. You know, it's now Monday. I would say that that's enough walling. Right? You know, and there is, there is some acceptance. She needs some time to just like feel bad about it and let the world. But I would gently suggest to Luke, as you not so gently did, that it is time to move past the wallowing, to take back. And you listen, we don't know the circumstances. Like, I don't know whether this was, you know, like a two week thing. I don't know whether this is like, if it's. If it was like five years. If, you know, then I recently got.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Oh, how long they'd been together.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay. Because it was his wife of 40 years.

[Sean Fennessey]

Well, there's like, I think it's from Sex and the City, that thing where it's like you have to grieve the relationship for exactly half. For half. As long as it was. So one weekend.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That's a terrible rule.

[Sean Fennessey]

I mean, it is, I don't think.

[Amanda Dobbins]

What if you're a middle aged person who's getting divorced.

[Sean Fennessey]

If it's Sex in the City, then I think that that was, like, some Charlotte advice, which is how you know things are not really. Shouldn't be following the rules.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Always loved Kristen Davis, though.

[Sean Fennessey]

You watch an end just like that?

[Amanda Dobbins]

No, no, I would never. I would never.

[Sean Fennessey]

Okay, we'll do that later. So I want to give him space, but, yeah, I think it's time to move on. I think it's time for you, Luke, to start doing things that make you feel good, you know? So what movies make you happy and feel good is, like, sort of, you know, it's a little tailored to you. I think we have a little bit of letterbox boy here. In us, it was the Blue Valentine and the Italian Eternal Sunshine that gave it away. That really gave it away. So your mileage may vary. I mean, heat was the first thing that came to mind. Movies that make me feel good, I mean, they're like buckets, right? So classic romantic comedies. Bringing Up Baby, Lady Eve. I really like Pat and Mike, but all of the Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn ones, obviously. All the musicals from the 50s. If Gene Kelly's in it, you're gonna. You're gonna feel good. Let's see. I really like Agatha Christie movies from the 70s. I'm guessing that that's not gonna be your vibe, but, you know, like, know your tastes. Legal thrillers from the 90s. Another one, you know, you're. If it's John Grisham related, I think it'll make you feel bad. But then justice is usually served, so maybe that'll make you feel good. I don't know. Watch John Wick if you want. Like, whatever. The whole series, you know, have a marathon.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Can I tell you what my recent emotional buoy has been when I'm having a tough time?

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Tenet.

[Sean Fennessey]

Okay?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Just fire up tenet and let it pour over you. Let it wash over you like a warm bath. There's no characters named Amanda in that movie, which is where you want to start. You know, you don't want to watch Can't Hardly Wait. You don't want to be reminded of your gal.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's the only one.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Well, there was the film Amanda from 2023, the Italian film.

[Sean Fennessey]

Oh, that is a good one.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah, but go and watch that either. If you were dating an Amanda and.

[Sean Fennessey]

There'S a classic, like, classic film Amanda, but I can't remember.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I can't either.

[Sean Fennessey]

It's okay. Generally, we haven't covered ourselves with glory.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Luke. I'm very sorry.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Him mentioning Past Lives is funny. I did want to just.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah. Does anyone want to, like, write in with their, you know, emotional trauma about having seen past lives? You know, how many, like, bewildered to angry text messages?

[Amanda Dobbins]

You mean materialist?

[Sean Fennessey]

I mean materialist. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Just. Just for our purposes, kind of an amazing weekend where, like, everyone in our lives caught up with Materialist.

[Sean Fennessey]

And that was like, what the. What.

[Amanda Dobbins]

What the fuck is this? Which has been amusing, I think. I like how we approached our discussion on the episode. There have been. I have seen two wildly different reactions. I have seen the, like, pretty typical obvious because there's famous people in it that people like, the standing stuff where people are just like, no matter what, how good or not good the movie is, I love it. There's been less of that relative to the. In my Marxist view of society, this movie should be destroyed and sent to Mars.

[Sean Fennessey]

Right.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And I find that funny.

[Sean Fennessey]

That is a funny reaction.

[Amanda Dobbins]

A lot of criticism that seems very agitated by not just the, you know, wooden performances and some of the overwritten dialogue that you talked about, but the, like, point of view of the film.

[Sean Fennessey]

Right.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Which I think is a little bit of a reach. Personally. I think people heard that there was a character who worked in Private Equity, and they were like, not in my movie. That he does not. Pedro Pascal will never work in Private Equity in my dreams.

[Sean Fennessey]

Well, it does Also, you know, Ms. Like the entire history of Western literature pretty much. But that's. Which, again, you're welcome to have an issue with all of that. You know what I'm reading right now?

[Amanda Dobbins]

What are you reading?

[Sean Fennessey]

I'm reading libra by Don DeLillo, which is just.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'm stunned.

[Sean Fennessey]

I don't know. I was looking for a new book and I guess, you know, it was there on the shelf because of who I'm married to. I guess that is maybe Libra is the book I would recommend to you if you were disappointed with the Marxist underpinnings of.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Didn't like materialists.

[Sean Fennessey]

Libra by Don delilou.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Read about the ultimate conspiracy in the American consciousness. Okay, I'm glad we got that.

[Sean Fennessey]

But otherwise, literature, you know, that's kind of how it's been going.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Materialists, they bait and switched a lot of people. I think that movie actually made a pretty good amount of money over the weekend. One of the biggest A24 opening weekends ever. But then pretty much everybody I talked to was like, what the fuck was that? Okay, let's go to our next question.

[Sean Fennessey]

Okay. Apparently they can't hear us. They can't hear Jack again.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay, they can't hear Jack, so I'll read Joshua's question.

[Sean Fennessey]

Do you think we need Jack? Should we reread Luke's question, or do you think they got the gist of it?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay, good.

[Sean Fennessey]

All right.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Joshua says, going to hydrate here. Two years ago, my wife and I moved to a new part of the country with our newborn and quickly fell into a wonderful friend group. We're all peers. We all have kids around the same age, and we all get along really well. Here's the issue. One couple in the group who we really love are just smelly people. They stink.

[Sean Fennessey]

This is incredible.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And as summer has heated up, they've taken to cycling over to our house to hang out. It goes without saying, but this is completely intolerable. These stinky people are sitting on my furniture, getting their funk into my walls and floors. They have no clue. And no other friend has brought it up to. Privately to me. I'm desperate to not offend them and throw off the group dynamic. And they're amazing people, truly great friends, but this just can't go on. How do I, A, address this issue and get them to change without hating me or B, neutralize the stink strategically? Help me, Sean and Amanda, you're my only hope.

[Sean Fennessey]

So sometimes for, like, advice columns, you wonder, is this made up? You know, this, this is so specific and elegant. Josh. This is very real. And Joshua, I'm, I'm with you. I'm sorry, Joshua, I, I, this is your worst nightmare. So I really want to hear what you would do.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I, I try to have an invisible scent. I'm not saying that. I always do. I'm a big coffee drinker, so naturally I have coffee breath sometimes. But my, my intention.

[Sean Fennessey]

Right.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Is I wear deodorant, but I don't wear cologne.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And I want to, I want to move through the world and not like a shadow.

[Sean Fennessey]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I don't want to smell. I don't want to make a lot of noise. I want to just quickly exit and enter wherever I need to be.

[Sean Fennessey]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And anybody who does the opposite, I find kind of annoying. Incredibly loud people, and especially people that smell bad.

[Sean Fennessey]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Now if you smell, if you, if you're wearing cologne or perfume.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I have no problem with that. Obviously.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah. Though I, we are getting. It's aggressive, the, the scent thing. Especially at, like, movies, theater performances, anything in close environs. I, People gotta doubt that.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It can be a little overwhelming. Yeah. In this scenario.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I would be very unhappy, particularly this. Like, you're sitting on My couch thing, you know, like, your stink is getting into my.

[Sean Fennessey]

My number one thing is, like, is outside an option.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That's a good immediate.

[Sean Fennessey]

You know, that's kind of. That's where I am. Can we set things.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Get some porch life outside?

[Sean Fennessey]

And also, you got to, like, prep in advance. You know, you got to think. And this, like, I guess that goes into party planning of set things up so you can drive the traffic to, like, mostly keep people outside. Because I. You know, I think maybe you could speak to another friend in the group.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay.

[Sean Fennessey]

And see if anyone else is noticing it. But I don't think you can ever directly speak to them about it.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay. I have a couple of additions. Yeah. One swimming.

[Sean Fennessey]

Well, sure. But that's access to a body of water, which is, like, pretty difficult.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You know, we don't know Joshua's circumstances. Sure. If there is some sort of pool environment and you have children.

[Sean Fennessey]

Sure.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I would soothe that socially. Or I guess sprinkler water, too. You want to have a sprinkler. Sprinkler party. That's actually pretty funny. I mean, that's one way to eliminate.

[Sean Fennessey]

Children all of the time.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Do you think this is a situation where the stinky people just have intense pheromones that are brutal, or are they just non deodorizers?

[Sean Fennessey]

Well, sue, the natural deodorant fad is part of the discussion. Are you. Yeah. Are you on it? I. So I am, but I'm on, like, the powerful natural deodorant, and I think it's. No, I think it's pretty good.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Big Maha energy over here.

[Sean Fennessey]

No, I'm really, really not it. I'm not ma. Like, fuck that. Honestly, Cy hasn't even gotten his measles vaccine yet. Like, truly, like, fuck those people. It's dangerous, but many people do do natural deodorant, and it has varying degrees of efficacy.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay, here's. Here's the key idea. Can you casually work into discussion with these people? Hey, I got a new deodorant, and I'm loving it. And make an active recommendation to someone without insinuating anything. Maybe you have a whole line of things that you want to talk about, right? Like, I use melon and gets deodorant, Right?

[Sean Fennessey]

Oh, you do?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I love melon and gets. In general, and it's one of my few fancy things.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And I've been loyal to it for a very long time, and I'm loyal to many of the products that they.

[Sean Fennessey]

Make that I do know about you.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And I could just Say in the course of conversation, if I were over at your house, you know, like, I'm loving this new. The Bergamot deodorant.

[Sean Fennessey]

Bergamet, yeah, yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That's one of the deodorants that they sell.

[Sean Fennessey]

And what bergamot is like citrus related?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I don't know.

[Sean Fennessey]

Or death.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I know it can be used in kuski.

[Sean Fennessey]

Okay, let's Google it.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I think eucalyptus is the other option.

[Sean Fennessey]

Orange. Bergamot. Orange. Okay. Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Citrus.

[Sean Fennessey]

Okay, there we go.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I don't use bergamot, I use eucalyptus.

[Sean Fennessey]

Nevertheless, I use Megababe. Santal.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Megabeb Santal.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah. Megababe is great. I really like all of their.

[Amanda Dobbins]

What's Megabe?

[Sean Fennessey]

Megababe is like a company started by my favorite influencer, Katie Storino. And that person up, she's great. And they have deodorant. They have like anti chafing stuff. They've got very good hand sanitizer.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I would one day like to be described the way that Katie is.

[Sean Fennessey]

Okay, explain.

[Amanda Dobbins]

She's described as a New York based entrepreneur, author and body acceptance advocate.

[Sean Fennessey]

She is a body acceptance advocate. She just designed some swimwear and she has a. Now. Anyway, I'm a huge fan of Katie and I think her deodorant's actually really good. They have a whole line anyway and it works. But I hear what you're saying. Can you set up a gifting suite? You know, like.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Good idea.

[Sean Fennessey]

Were it me or Sean, we could say, hey, guess what? Old Spice is sponsoring us this month and they sent us this whole huge box of stuff and Chris Ryan didn't want any of it. Would anyone like some free deodorant?

[Amanda Dobbins]

You know, that would be a good move.

[Sean Fennessey]

I don't know. I think outside is your only move.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay. It's really man. Joshua, I'm sorry.

[Sean Fennessey]

Or I guess you could say down south, especially if they're cycling and as it gets hotter in the summer, you can be like, like, hey, are you guys hot? Like, do you want to shower? You know, you could do it and offer in like a friendly way. I'd be like, you must be very uncomfortable. Like, let me know if you want to, you know, use the facilities.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I think having self knowledge of one's odor.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Is a bit crucial to life and it's something people should care about in an organized society. If you live in a commune where no one takes care of their own odor, that's understandable. I get it.

[Sean Fennessey]

All right.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Let'S go to Julian. Julian asks, I'm the best man at A wedding next month. And I've been trying to figure out my speech. The groom, bride, and I are all huge movie fans. So my question is, should I incorporate a movie into the speech or not at all? Do I pick one and even build the speech around its central theme? Also, any general advice you have for giving a speech like this, let me know.

[Sean Fennessey]

Okay. So to start with the movie thing, the thing is, is that you're giving the speech to the entire wedding and not just to these people. So you don't want to do anything too niche because. And you don't want to do anything too involved because you want to bring everybody on the ride, you know, and the speeches of this nature that always fall flat for me are like a list of, you know, 14, like, inside jokes just remembering a really good speech. Like, sisters of the groom gave a speech last year, cousins of mine, and they read the instructions that their overbearing brother, who I love so much. Hi, Daniel, sent them for the speech, which were really funny. And it was like, avoid inside jokes. Keep it relatively. And they did a great job. But I do think that's true. You don't want to be, like, too text based. I think if it's like a pretty well known movie or if you want to do, like, one quote or, like one reference and like, build from there, I think that's nice. It's a shared thing that you all guys. That you guys all have. But, like, you know, don't be, like, reenacting my best friend's wedding or whatever, you know, on a number of levels, don't be reenacting my best friend's wedding.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Agreed. Agreed.

[Sean Fennessey]

Though ultimately she gives a really good speech which is like, you guys don't have a song, so this one's on loan, and it's short and to the point. And then they do the. They do the dance.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah. My brother at my wedding in part sang Leather and Lace.

[Sean Fennessey]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I think as an homage to Will Ferrell's performance of Leather and Lace.

[Sean Fennessey]

Great.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And it was beautiful. Him and his best friend Steve, who played acoustic guitar.

[Sean Fennessey]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It was not beautiful, but it was very fun.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And that was kind of sort of an acknowledgment of an inside joke. Slash. Our shared love of Will Ferrell. Slash. Something everyone could enjoy.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yes.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So I think you need to have a universality to what you're doing.

[Sean Fennessey]

Agree.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I think if you, like, want to do Ezekiel 25:17 from Pulp Fiction, I don't think that's going to go well. I wouldn't Recommend it if it's really important to the bride and groom. Like if Pulp Fiction is their favorite movie of all time, maybe just sprinkle in some, you know, they speak English and what, you know, like, stuff like that. Maybe people would appreciate that.

[Sean Fennessey]

Right?

[Amanda Dobbins]

In general, I think movie quotes are for dorm rooms, you know, like they're not in podcasts, obviously.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah. And. Or the ceremony. We had readings for movies at my wedding. That's fine. But yeah, I think for these speeches, like funny anecdotes about the people and you gotta pick the right one. Nothing too embarrassing, but speeches are tough.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I haven't given a speech in a while.

[Sean Fennessey]

You gave a very nice one at ours.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Thanks. I had a run there.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

When I was in my 30s, so I was given a lot of speeches and I've been de. Speechified. Okay. How about one for Amanda?

[Sean Fennessey]

Good luck. Pretty. You know, I'm jealous. Love a wedding. Love a wedding. Dance floor.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'm way out of rotation on weddings now. Way out of rotation.

[Sean Fennessey]

I mean, I like, I had my one over Memorial Day and when the Pink Pony club hit, like I just absolutely lost my mind. I was so happy. And then, and then I had to take the early bus home to fly home to my children. But like for three months.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Moms love Chapel Roanoke. They just love Chapel Road.

[Sean Fennessey]

It was like, it was, it spanned generations.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Like all the, you know, all the coolest people.

[Sean Fennessey]

The 25 year old cousins were there, the 30 year old cousins were there, old mom was there. And then I sprinted to the early bus.

[Amanda Dobbins]

When we were, when I was in my early 30s, I was working at Granlin and it was like a very hard, very intense time of work. And I skipped like probably 10 weddings in that time because I was like, I can't travel, I'm too busy. Huge, huge mistake. My other piece of advice. Go. Go to all the weddings. Like, you'll figure it out. You'll figure it out with work. You'll figure it out financially. Those are times that cannot be taken from you.

[Sean Fennessey]

If you pursue, there's nothing like it. You can't recreate it in any other phase of life.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay.

[Sean Fennessey]

Love a wedding.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Brian writes. Dear Amanda, can I base a romantic relationship off a mutual passion for cinema? I, 24 year old male John, recently reconnected with an old high school classmate, 23 year old female Sarah. She knew I was interested in film and wanted to catch up. We started to see each other casually, watching foreign films at the cinema and hanging out a few times a month. After going to the new Wes Anderson. We went on a walk. I was very prepared to discuss how the Phoenician scheme fits into Wes Anderson's film canon. What I was not prepared to talk about, however, was the future of our relationship. After a brief unpacking of the movie, Sarah told me how she thought what we had was special and that she loves spending time with me. I really didn't think that was where the conversation would go, and I kind of panicked. I said cool and avoided eye contact for about 30 seconds. I said I thought she was great and that I appreciated how open and vulnerable she was. But regarding our future, I was in, quote, kind of a weird place. I don't know how much we have, besides our passion for movies. I don't know if we'd hang out without it. Am I leading her on? Should I keep seeing her and see if my feelings change? Is this enough to base a relationship on? I don't want to be an emotionally unavailable film. Broken. Am I?

[Sean Fennessey]

Yes. Okay, listen, Listen, listen. Early 20s are hard. And when someone is being vulnerable, emotionally vulnerable. I understand the panic. Okay. I understand. In the moment, you don't know what to say. You don't know what to do, and you don't know how to respond. Many great dramatic moments in film are based on this, on not saying the right thing in the right moment. So. So that's okay. Listen. We live, we learn, we make mistakes. I would have liked you to be a little more prepared, but it's okay. Like, I. You know, I. I do think that a mutual interest in something and liking spending time with someone is, like, a pretty good foundation for any sort of relationship. If the spark isn't there, the spark is not there. I. You know. But are you sure the spark isn't there? Is kind of what I'm saying. That's. I, like, it seems like you were taken a little aback. I don't. I don't. I think that cutting her off and ghosting is, like, a really stupid way to live life. Is. Is what I would think. Is. Is what I would say. If you. If you have someone who you like spending time with and you have a shared interest, I.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Let me just give you, like, a very caveman response.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah. The spark's not there. So you're not gonna do it.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Is Brian into this girl?

[Sean Fennessey]

Right.

[Amanda Dobbins]

He's 24.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

He doesn't have to pursue a relationship with somebody he doesn't feel it for.

[Sean Fennessey]

I think that's true, but he's like, should I just.

[Amanda Dobbins]

There's people out there who like movies.

[Sean Fennessey]

He's like, should I run for the hills? And I think that kind of sucks.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Do you think that Sarah reconnected with John?

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And used movies as a way to get closer to him because she wanted to be with him, or is she a real head? Is she, like. I also will explore the themes of the Phoenician scheme.

[Sean Fennessey]

Excuse me. Why does it have to be one or the other? I'm just asking a question. Why can't she be interested in movies?

[Amanda Dobbins]

You know, she can be.

[Sean Fennessey]

I mean, here's the thing, and I. Is this another Sex and the City thing, or is this just something that someone said in life? It's like. And this will have to take us back to a time when there were cavs, which I don't think Brian or John or Sarah or anyone remembers, but. So the way that Calves worked before Uber is that they would drive around, and if it was available, the light would be on. And if it was taken or off duty, the light would be off. And, you know, I do think this applies especially to men, you know, either, like, the lights on or the lights off. And it seems like John here, the lights off, you know, and so. And that's on him. And if his light is not on, then I guess he just needs to be upfront about it and move on. But as the woman in this situation, you just kind of have to cast around and be like, well, is the light on today or not with this person? So much of it is timing.

[Amanda Dobbins]

This is so interesting to me, though, because I just. I was never in this life.

[Sean Fennessey]

I know.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You know, I never really had any experiences like this. I never. The light is on. What the fuck does that. I was never looking, you know, very famously.

[Sean Fennessey]

Like, I don't think that Zach and I would be married if you and Chris hadn't moved. Because there was this thing where, like, Zach and I met when Sean and Chris still lived in New York, and then you guys moved to la, like, pretty soon thereafter to start Grantlin or to be a part of Grantland. And so then Zach was like, I don't have any friends, so I guess I could date you now. Which is like. He says.

[Amanda Dobbins]

He didn't say that.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah, but.

[Amanda Dobbins]

But some time freed up. That's okay.

[Sean Fennessey]

He was like, you know, it was just kind of like. Right. It was like, now a different phase in my life starts. You know, a different light is on.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Zach and I were together, like, three to four days a week.

[Sean Fennessey]

No, I.

[Amanda Dobbins]

We were together a lot.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Sean Fennessey]

So it's. Which is kind of the same thing. It's like he was, like, not really in. The light went up until he's not. And so his light went on. Maybe it's not that.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And you were the fair.

[Sean Fennessey]

I guess so. Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You've been on a ride ever since.

[Sean Fennessey]

Here we go.

[Amanda Dobbins]

What's. What's. What's the. How much. What's the fee at this point? How long you've been driving around for? 15 years.

[Sean Fennessey]

Forever. Yeah. It's maybe not that you're emotionally unavailable. Maybe it's just that your light is not on. But I guess in that case. Are you leading her on? I don't know. I, like, maybe a little. But if you can be upfront about it. I also don't think that you should totally close yourself off. But if you're not into it, you're not into it. And I guess you should be upfront about that, you know, because people can be friends and, like, movies too.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I think if you're a real cinephile.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And you're attracted to this person. This person also is like, I like to spend my free time doing this.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Got to give it a shot.

[Sean Fennessey]

I agree.

[Amanda Dobbins]

If you're not attracted to the person, don't, don't.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That makes no sense.

[Sean Fennessey]

But I. In general, I also do think that more young cinephiles should be using rep culture and letterbox culture to get together. I think, like, I think they are number one missed opportunity at all the rep theaters is singles night. Like, let's go. I like. I want to hear the stories. I think it's a perfect place to meet someone. I don't know why we don't like.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Well, there's not a lot of talking in bars.

[Sean Fennessey]

Well, let's facilitate that. You know, they all have bars.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So you want to do, like, mixer night at Idiots.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yes.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay. And you want to.

[Sean Fennessey]

I like. I think that this is.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You want to be the Lucy, the Dakota Johnson of this space?

[Sean Fennessey]

No.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Materialist two rep screenings.

[Sean Fennessey]

Will my hair look like that? Will the rest of me look like that? That I would accept otherwise? No. But I do think. I think that, like, a shared interest is a great foundation for something. But you're right. Like, if you're not into it, you're not into it.

[Amanda Dobbins]

There's so much good chat on the YouTube stream.

[Sean Fennessey]

People agree with us or not.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I think a lot of people were deeply wounded by that message that Brian shared. They were just like, what is this guy's problem?

[Sean Fennessey]

Well, sure. Yeah. I mean, because a lot of people have been like, 23 and up.

[Amanda Dobbins]

A lot of this is cool.

[Sean Fennessey]

Oof. Yeah, that's. It's really. It's really, really tough to be dating and to be single in your 20s.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Oh, I'm getting a question.

[Sean Fennessey]

Or in your 30s.

[Amanda Dobbins]

What hair products do you use?

[Sean Fennessey]

You. Yeah, yeah. What is the.

[Amanda Dobbins]

The Japanese teak. We've talked about this. Yeah. Lavender teak.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But he's got good hair. You know, it's like. That is. It is one of his gifts.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Beloved New York Mets SNY director John DeMarcico is in the chat.

[Sean Fennessey]

Hi, John.

[Amanda Dobbins]

John.

[Sean Fennessey]

John. I'm familiar with. I don't. I. It's mostly on Twitter that I'm following him.

[Amanda Dobbins]

John, obviously, has emerged as genuinely a.

[Sean Fennessey]

Legend in the last few months.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Sean Fennessey]

Absolute legend. It's very cute that everyone else has been on the broadcast. I'd love to go see a Mets game at some point.

[Amanda Dobbins]

This is his question. Hi. How do we get Amanda to a Mets game? I mean, I hear all the cool kids are doing it. Jack was just in Colorado. We saw Wags on television in New York. I was on television in Los Angeles when the dod, when the Mets were in town for the Dodgers. I get on the big screen.

[Sean Fennessey]

I would love to come to a Mets game. I will be in New York in August. And again, like, the thing is October, that's playoff season, you know, so. I know, and I believe in you guys, but it's like. It's like a hot ticket. I can't be like, please, it is a hot ticket. You know, get me in for the.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I mean, I'll be going. You know, actually, I did not go. I told you this. Like.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

When I was in town for the New York Film Festival last year, the Mets were playing the brewers, right? And I was just incredibly nervous for every single game. And so I didn't go to any games. I just sat quietly in a hotel room, like, near tears, hoping that they would win.

[Sean Fennessey]

And they did, and they did. But I love. I love going to baseball games. I recently went to Fenway for the first time, saw a Dobbins start, which was incredible. I really hope that we get to go to a Cubs game when we're in Chicago.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That's our plan.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah. You guys did not respond for, like, 24 hours.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I was. I was detained on Saturday.

[Sean Fennessey]

I basically have to, like. I guess I just have to schedule a meeting with the two of you to get you to sit down and actually make plans. I know, but it's also. You just. You won't plan unless I like Chris.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Ryan and I are saying yes unless.

[Sean Fennessey]

I just like hold eye contact.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You and Chris Ryan make plans and I'll roll with it. That's my whole thing.

[Sean Fennessey]

Okay, but will you be gracious about it?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Always. I'm a gem of a human. Let's go back into the chat. What do we see here? Guys, no offense, but I'm not answering any questions about Blu Ray players today.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Hey, Sean, fellow Telluride goer here. This year will be my sixth trip to the mountain. My question's for you. What's your favorite Telluride memory? What's your favorite screening experience? Very easy. Very early. In my first trip to Telluride in 2019, I saw Uncut Gems and roughly half the audience was either mad or walked out because they were 68 year old men and women and they hated the movie. But those of us who stayed were treated to a joy. And that was like an interesting indicator of what my time there would be. That's a very quick one for that. You have to go to Telluride at some point before we're done doing this show.

[Sean Fennessey]

Hold on. We got one from Michael on the doc. I just discovered I'm going to be in Venice during the Venice Film Festival. Can you share any favorite spots you found during your trip? Hey, Michael, me too. A credit agent came through this morning.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Oh, great.

[Sean Fennessey]

I know. Which, you know, I, I was going to be pretty mad if it didn't, but anyway, my favorite spots. So I don't, I mean, I don't really have any. I like to stay in Dorsoduro, which is like very close to. So not on the Lido because I can't afford the Lido. And this is the thing, people who go to Venice for the Biennale, that anything but cinema will tell you to stay on the Lido, which is like a separate island, and then, and then commute, like back and forth to events. But when the festival is on the Lido, it's kind of all booked up and so you gotta take the shuttle, but the shuttle's pretty easy from San Marco. And I don't know, like everywhere has negronis. It's all pretty great. I went to, I think Da Evo is the name of the George Clooney restaurant. Yeah, that's right.

[Amanda Dobbins]

George Clooney owns a restaurant in New York.

[Sean Fennessey]

No, no, he likes it. And he's like regularly like photographed there.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Can we do a brief rundown of what movies people think are going to Venice?

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Because there's an unusual number of us Titles that are slotted for Venice, potentially this year. Those movies include after the Hunt, Luca's next film, maybe One Battle after Another. I don't think it's going to happen.

[Sean Fennessey]

I know you don't think it's going to happen. I mean, we're arguing about it. I think there is a case, because I know the general thing is, like, you don't want to premiere at a festival, have bad reviews, and then have it just, like, sit there. But it's really only two weeks between Venice and the scheduled release date of One Battle After Another. So in that sense, don't you want them?

[Amanda Dobbins]

It's like a month. It's like a month. It's September 26th.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah. And that's right. I guess you would want them to be opening night, which would be, like, August 27th. I know, but Leo on the red carpet, like, don't you think? You know, full glitz and glamour.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Something crazy is going on where. I told you this. Like, they did more test screenings of the movie.

[Sean Fennessey]

I've got.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So I've got, like, legitimately five or six people in my DMs. Like, it's sending me plot details and, like, stuff. Do not send me any information about that, please. Okay. One Battle with another. Katherine Bigelow's White House thriller for Netflix, possibly.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

J. Kelly.

[Sean Fennessey]

I'm hoping. I mean, Netflix often goes to Venice.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Because I would guess that that would be Venice and Telluride.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Because Noah will play movies there, too. Caught stealing the Aronofsky movie, which I don't. I don't think looks very good, personally, but. Begonia, the new Yorgos movie. He usually premieres his movies at Venice. Smashing Machine, Benny Safdie's next movie with the Rock. Father, Mother, Brother, Sister. Jim Jarmish's movie. Invite me to your party, Benny. I know you're out there. Thank you. Ballad of a Small Player. Colin Farrell playing poker in Macau.

[Sean Fennessey]

Great.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Edward Burger's new movie, Hamnet. Chloe Zhao's.

[Sean Fennessey]

I know I'm stressed out about that, but that also makes sense.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Frankenstein from Guillermo del Toro. Will you watch it?

[Sean Fennessey]

Of course.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay. Roofman.

[Sean Fennessey]

Pinocchio. Ciao, Papa. Yo, Papa. Here's my other thing about Venice, and I did just say I like.

[Amanda Dobbins]

There's a bunch more.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah. Benny Safdie, I'd love to come to your party, but one tip is, like, you know, Venice is a series of tiny islands. You don't want to go to a party where you just, like, are stuck on a random island at 11 o' clock at night in Venice. So for the most part, I would say skip the parties unless you have, like, a certified ride home. Because then you're just, like, walking around being like, do I have to swim home? That's my note.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay.

[Sean Fennessey]

Must have baby products. Let's go.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Must have baby products.

[Sean Fennessey]

Right. My wife and I are expecting our first baby. This question is for you both. What are your must have baby products, and which ones did you buy only to not end up using? What do you got? I mean, noise machine, Obviously.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I use a hatch.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah. Oh, you do?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah, we use my voice.

[Sean Fennessey]

We use the therapist one.

[Amanda Dobbins]

What's the therapist one?

[Sean Fennessey]

You know, like the. The white. Like, standard issue. That's right. You're afraid of therapy. But so those of you. Those of you who have found healing will recognize the white voice.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I don't know what that is. I literally don't know what it is.

[Sean Fennessey]

It's just like the white machine that's sort of octa, you know?

[Amanda Dobbins]

But what does it have to do with therapy?

[Sean Fennessey]

All therapists use it.

[Amanda Dobbins]

To do what?

[Sean Fennessey]

To block out the noise in the lobby so you don't have to worry about being overheard. Yeah. So to create, like, a safe.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Oh, like they'll play a noise machine.

[Sean Fennessey]

During your session outside in the lobby where other people are waiting.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Interesting. Okay. Gosh, I don't know. Definitely a noise machine.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I really like the nanit. The monitor is really effective. I still use it to this day, which is very helpful.

[Sean Fennessey]

We are addicted to our phones, so we opted to not have the monitor on the phone. We just have, like, the. The end. You know, the old school.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You could hold the camera. Yeah, yeah, you can hold the camera.

[Sean Fennessey]

And with Sy, we did upgrade to a split screen so we can have them both on one.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Very fancy.

[Sean Fennessey]

It's really loud, though. So then I. And the technology is not great, but I. You know, whatever. A monitor, I guess, according to your needs. One of the carriers.

[Amanda Dobbins]

We never really use them.

[Sean Fennessey]

You did it. No, we used it a ton. I think that we use Ergobaby.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay.

[Sean Fennessey]

Thank you to Sarah and Dan, who are probably listening and gave it to us. Let's see. Stroller.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Gotta have two.

[Sean Fennessey]

Well, okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Travel stroller and regular access.

[Sean Fennessey]

You do have to have this travel stroller. And this is a little. This is like driving culture specific. If you live in New York, your stroller needs are going to be different. The first thing I'll say is that strollers are insanely expensive. So Facebook marketplace, like, ask around for friends, see what you can do. You know, reuse or whatever. I swear by yo yo baby Zen. This is like my number one thing that I'm the most passionate about. It folds up and so you can fit it in a travel like an overhead compartment on an airplane. But also it's like very easy to just store in your car and you know, unfold when you need it moves well. And then for a newborn you get the car seat adapter and so you can just go like bloop and take the car seat out and put it in the stroller. So it'll last you from, you know, newborn all the way to. I mean we still use it and for both kids now at this point, they kind of fight over it.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You know what the biggest game changer was for us was sleep sack.

[Sean Fennessey]

Sleep sack or Merlin sleep suit.

[Amanda Dobbins]

We did use a Merlin.

[Sean Fennessey]

I liked the Merlin and it was.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Good, but it was short lived. It worked for a minute and it got her to sleep. But the kite sleep sack was legit. That was in our life for a long ass time.

[Sean Fennessey]

Oh, ours are Knox still.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Your child is still napping.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But he also sleeps in it at night.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Way past that.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah. And then he walks around at it and then I'm like, oh God, you're gonna die.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Sean Fennessey]

Two kids in kite sleep suits.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay, here's a very normal one from a normal guy. Hey guys, my stats 59195 bench 205 pickup game comp is a short and unskilled Kurt Thomas shout out to TCU. First I just want to say that I 1 million percent CO sign the recurring Dobbins hot takes around preventative dentistry. That field is largely a sham and just a sales funnel for unnecessary wallet biopsies. For what it's worth, I am a physician with some expertise in evidence based medicine and scientific literature interpretation.

[Sean Fennessey]

This is my guy.

[Amanda Dobbins]

This is very, very, very sus so far. Here is my question. The Rosillo life advice emails always begin with a semi scripted set of personal details from the authors. What would the big pics version of those be for your listener submitted mailbags? Number of movies logged on, letterboxd. Top four movies all time. Duration of time. You can hold up five pound weights.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

What do you think?

[Sean Fennessey]

Was it five? I thought it was three.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah, I honestly don't remember.

[Sean Fennessey]

Zach recently did one of my like workouts at home and like got cooked by it and then was like. I was thinking of like Sean's like insane. You know, you just like, you don't know how hard it is until you know and you're durationally holding out the weights. I've been doing more heavyweights though.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Congrats.

[Sean Fennessey]

Thanks so much. I mean, I'm cycling it in.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Oh, awesome.

[Sean Fennessey]

Sure. So that. That seems good. Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

How the minute count for how long you can hold out.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah. Or just, you know, maybe kind of where you are in your macro journey would be a helpful thing to learn.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay.

[Sean Fennessey]

Okay. Letterbox top four seems good. That. That seems like a nice one. I think we probably should need to know age just for generational purposes. Not to be ageist, but, you know, age is important. We want to meet you where you are. See anything else you need to know?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I think like a very weird personal anecdote at the top of these is always meaningful. That's the best way to get our attention is to just be like, you know, I woke up in a cold sweat one morning and I realized I haven't seen Materialists yet and I need to see it so that I can be part of the Marxist revolution. Okay, let me see what else we can do. Let's look in the chat and see what people are saying if they're being normal. How do I handle a friend who doesn't like films centered around, quote, bad people. She doesn't like Dazed and Confused because the characters were degenerates. Do I even stay friends with this person? This is what Caden asks us. Interesting question. Because this comes up a lot now in movies.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah. And it is sort of like a generational way of reading things. I mean, so there are two parts of this. There's how do you handle the friend? And do you stay friends with the friend? How do you handle the friend? I think speak your own truth, loudly and as respectfully as you can. But as we've proven, you don't always have to be that respectful. I don't know. I guess people can watch movies however they want to watch them, but they don't have to be right. And you can watch movies how you want and do your thing. And there is something to be said for being able to talk about movies with someone else, even though I would also find that point of view, like, slightly infuriating. But, you know, live and let live. Should you stay friends with the person? I think that this would be a pretty severe reason for breaking up a friendship. That's just where I am.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I think it's an indication of a lack of sophistication if you feel uncomfortable with art because it shows behavior that you don't agree with. Yeah, you're simple minded.

[Sean Fennessey]

I mean, I Think that's true. But it's like every question here, and we've gotten a lot of questions about how to negotiate various relationships relating to or not relating to movies. And if you start cutting everyone out for like, every minor or, you know, or every transgression, you're not going to have any friends. You know, it's like, nobody's gonna last.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It's not about minor transgressions. It's about if you're a movie fan, it's a little hard to understand movies if you reject them because of the behaviors exhibited in the movies as you get older.

[Sean Fennessey]

And like, we had another, like, I thought, a very lovely question about making friends in your. In your 20s and how hard it is. And it's like, really hard. Your 20s are hard in general. You're just expected to like, start a new life all by yourself and know exactly what you know. I like. I'm very sympathetic to all of you.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You're going full YouTuber now. Wow. You just turned into Emma Chamberlain. Oh, my goodness.

[Sean Fennessey]

I actually have never seen Emma Chamberlain. I mean, like, I've seen stills, but I don't know what she's like anyway. Being in her 20s is hard, so I get it. Then the friendship thing is hard, even.

[Amanda Dobbins]

As you're not that hard. I mean, it's being.

[Sean Fennessey]

Stop being a man. Okay. Like, just no one. Yeah, it was.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It was. It was hard being broke. That was really hard.

[Sean Fennessey]

It was hard.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I have empathy for that. You also twenties, you're like, you're fit. You know, you can stay up all night. You can go explore the world. Like, you know, it's like, it's not.

[Sean Fennessey]

That you married your high school sweetheart. You just like, were not going through any of it.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Was it just because of not having a relationship?

[Sean Fennessey]

Of course. Because then you don't. Well, it's not just society is broken. It's not just that, but it's like you had a fixed point around which you were like, building your life, you know, and everybody else is just out there being like, I don't know, like, I guess, where should I live? What should I do? Who should I be friends with? How should I think about the world? Like, what are all. Like, I have all these things, what time should I wake up in the morning? You know, it's all like, what should I. I don't know. Something. You go from a world like, with lots of rules, no rules at all. So I think I have I weirdly.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Empathetic point of view from you. Uncommonly empathetic for people in their 20s.

[Sean Fennessey]

I still think people in their 20s are, like, pretty stupid, but, like, you know, that's because I lived.

[Amanda Dobbins]

The truth is, anyway, I just think everybody catastrophizes the generation that they're in the era that they're matter what. So no matter how old you are, when you're 12, you're like, why can't I be older and get what I want? When you're in your 20s, you're like, why can't I have the things the way that I want to have them? When you're in your 30s, you're like, oh, I can feel things slipping away from me. Is my life really what I want it to be? When you're in your 40s, you're like, well, I made my choices and I'm stuck. When you're in your 50s, you're like, God, I wish I had done things differently when I was in my 20s. When you're in your 60s, you're like, Wow, I have cancer. When you're in your 70s, you're like, I beat cancer, but shit, I'm in my 70s. When you're in your 80s, you're like, I can't even remember anything. When you're 90s, you're. You die.

[Sean Fennessey]

I mean, it's.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It's that nobody is ever happy.

[Sean Fennessey]

I, like, I'm honestly kind of thriving. I mean, the world's going to shit, and I'm, like, really upset about that all the time. But, like, aside from, you know, the flyaways and everything, like, I'm doing pretty good. So what I would say to you is that there is light at the end of the tunnel and that your 20s, like, are a little weird in terms of the friends thing. Something like, you're not gonna find that many people who can, like, be your friends for everything, you know, who, like, check all of the boxes.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Agreed.

[Sean Fennessey]

So maybe this person isn't your, like, letterboxd friend. Maybe this person is really fun to, like, you know, watch a baseball game with or, like, go out with or, like, I don't know, what do you like to do? What? It's, you know, you're just trying to.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Come up with hobbies.

[Sean Fennessey]

I don't know, like, other friend stuff besides, like, agreeing on macrame.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You like cycling?

[Sean Fennessey]

Do you know about macrame? I didn't know that. Come on. Well, it's always interesting what you know and don't know.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It is interest. Well, my knowledge is so vast, so thank you for saying that.

[Sean Fennessey]

Anyway, so this person is maybe not your. You guys Aren't gonna like vibe on movies. But there are other things in life.

[Amanda Dobbins]

What people in the chat are great. They're just like, I'm about to be 50 and my life is shit. I'm sorry, Nick, I'm sorry. That's true. If it is true. I'm glad that you're thriving. I'm sorry that people can't make friends. I don't know what to say about that. Like, I don't know. That isn't the purpose of this show. Like, how do I make friends?

[Sean Fennessey]

You said life would be. It's really hard. And you liked friendship for the exact. This is, you know, it's under examined. It is actually hard for all of you to connect.

[Amanda Dobbins]

The under examined part of it is that there are men out there who are looking for friends who might murder you. Like, you have to be careful of those guys because they exist. But my thing, like I did a very modern version of friendship when I moved to New York, which is that I sought people out with like minded interests and I literally just cold emailed them. I've told this before, but I cold emailed Chris Ryan and I was like, hey man, I think. I don't even know. Zach and I met through mutual, mutual friends and we sort of like formed a group of people who are all through the same stuff. But honestly, I think cold emailing somebody every once in a while, I thought it's not as safe and normal as it used to be.

[Sean Fennessey]

I think that's kind of psychotic. Really? Yeah. I've never done that in my life.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And when I have never cold emailed anybody that you like, when you like something that they wrote or that they. They did or.

[Sean Fennessey]

Absolutely not. Really, you know me, but like, you know me. Like, I'm absolutely not well, because.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Are you afraid of being rejected? Like, what was your concern?

[Sean Fennessey]

No, there's a level of vulnerability there that is just. You're so weird not willing to put out.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You're talking all about like babies sleeping and whatnot on a podcast in front of like hundreds of thousands of people.

[Sean Fennessey]

I think that you're overestimating what's possible at 9:30 in the morning on YouTube. But no, I don't.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I mean in general, on the pod, but. But still, like, you wouldn't email someone who you admired and say like, I really like what you did here.

[Sean Fennessey]

Well, as you know, I don't like to actually meet heroes. So no, I definitely wouldn't do that. No, I. But I prefer.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Why are we even in it? Like, what is it even for Like, I'm the exact opposite.

[Sean Fennessey]

Matt Bellamy and Craig were talking about this on a recent episode of the Town where Craig did not introduce himself to Ana de Armas at the premiere of Ballerina. And Matt Bellamy was like, why not? Don't you want to make contacts? Contacts? And Craig was like, not with Ana de Armas at the premiere of Ballerina, which I love Matt Bellamy, but like team Craig on that.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You know what I'm saying? That's a little different for me. It's not quite the same as, you know, I met Quentin Tarantino. Like, Ana de Armas doesn't really.

[Sean Fennessey]

I love meeting Quentin Tarantino. I didn't email him. You know, you got to, you know, you guys are buds. And then he came in.

[Amanda Dobbins]

But like Ana de Armas, that's not Craig's hero. That's a woman that at least jokingly, Craig is very attracted to. So I don't quite see the connection there. But I think, I mean, that speaks to how Matt operates. Matt. It's just like, hello, I'm Matt.

[Sean Fennessey]

Right. And that's.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'll say it's anyone.

[Sean Fennessey]

That is how you become like an incredibly well sourced reporter.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It's true.

[Sean Fennessey]

Colt, email. That's weird.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'd like to thank jyk000 for noting Sean constantly deriding Amanda for being confused by his indeed sane takes is what will fix this country. Thank you for understanding this pod very deeply. Let's see what other questions we can get in here. I've been considering having regular rep screenings of movies at my house for close friends. Any tips for home screenings or hosting in general? I mean, you notice parties, you're home.

[Sean Fennessey]

Screening, you know, what's your setup?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah, it's kind of. It's boring. You know, it's a large television. It's not a projector. You know, there's not surround sound audio in there. That's a future project. I'll get there.

[Sean Fennessey]

You do have like, lighting control.

[Amanda Dobbins]

They do have lighting control.

[Sean Fennessey]

So that's important.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yes.

[Sean Fennessey]

We could really work on that at my house. But window treatments are hard, you know.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah. California in particular, the sunniest.

[Sean Fennessey]

And I like the sunlight, you know, so I want to let it in most of the time, except for when I'm watching films. Yeah, that is a big challenge, hosting tips. I mean, it goes back to the deodorant, the smelly people question, you know, which is like you want to.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That's where we've come.

[Sean Fennessey]

You want to set things up in advance. You know, you can kind of guide people to the most natural place. You know, you can kind of set up the seating ahead of time, have the snacks ready so that people kind of know where they're supposed to go and take some of the anxiety out.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay.

[Sean Fennessey]

I mean, you know, I have another.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Pertinent question for you that's sort of related to decor. This question comes from Tyler Parker. Oh, hi, Tyler from the Ringer, our buddy.

[Sean Fennessey]

Is Tyler watching right now?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I hope so. I just saw Tyler last week. One of the best out.

[Sean Fennessey]

I think it's been a long time. Even though we live incredibly close to each other.

[Amanda Dobbins]

We do, yeah. Tyler asks Amanda, why aren't books smaller? I don't mean shorter.

[Sean Fennessey]

Right.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I mean smaller. Most books should fit in a back pocket.

[Sean Fennessey]

Oh, Jacob Elordi style. This is a big thing, you know, about this, where Jacob Elordi is, like. He's doing the, like, the boy version of being paparazzi'd with a book, but he's always. He's either carrying a Bottega Veneta bag or he's got, like a, you know, on the road in his back pocket or whatever. I'm sorry. It works for me. It's just, you know, sometimes we have to.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It's such an easy mark.

[Sean Fennessey]

We have to be honest. You know, sometimes the most obvious thing works. I think it probably has to do with, you know, font size. Tyler, you know, it's like, if it's that small and is of length and is not a collection of short stories and. Tyler, you know where I stand on short stories. And it's, write a novel, you coward.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Tyler did write a novel.

[Sean Fennessey]

Tyler did write a wonderful novel.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah. Little Blood and Dancing. Great book.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah. Available wherever books are sold. So, I mean, I think that's mainly the issue. You know, it's just also the other day, we were trying to fix our printer at home, and I had, like, real respect for the invention of the printing press. You know, like, they always talk about, you know, like, in. When you're learning history, they're like, this changed the world. Because suddenly, like, literature is available to the masses. And I do get that on, like, a sociolog and intellectual level. But also, like, it is 700 years later and, like, we still can't really print that easily. You know, it's just like something's always wrong with the printer. So from a technological perspective, I like, I really salute them for figuring that out.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I don't think your HP inkjet at home is quite the same as what Gutenberg was up to.

[Sean Fennessey]

It's a brother or something.

[Amanda Dobbins]

But like, there's your first problem.

[Sean Fennessey]

The general problem that we're solving and that Tyler's asking about is remains the same, which is like, why is it so hard to turn ideas of the mind into something, you know, tangible that we can hold?

[Amanda Dobbins]

And I'm getting more into audiobooks. Gotta be honest. Started listening.

[Sean Fennessey]

Can you. Can you. I cannot do it. It's like I cannot focus on them.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Like in the car, like any.

[Sean Fennessey]

Like, my mind starts watering, wandering immediately.

[Amanda Dobbins]

No, it's pretty easy for me. I just started re listening to a Robert Altman biography that I love.

[Sean Fennessey]

Oh, that's nice.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah. Okay, let's see what. Omg. Just started this. I'm Kristen. Amanda just wished me a happy birthday. You made my whole year.

[Sean Fennessey]

Hi, Kristin.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Hi, Amanda. You've convinced me not to do retinol. This is the advice I was looking for.

[Sean Fennessey]

There we go.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It works.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

This program works.

[Sean Fennessey]

Whatever works for you.

[Amanda Dobbins]

What else. What else can we get from the chat? Everyone is just very spirited here.

[Sean Fennessey]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

There's more people watching now than there was an hour ago, so that's pretty good. Let's do, like, maybe 15 or 20 minutes more. How do you feel?

[Sean Fennessey]

That seems great. I don't have a chat open. Should I, like, be in the comments or.

[Amanda Dobbins]

No. But now it's going fucking crazy. A lot of people asking about, what snack should I put in my golf bag for banded dunes where I played golf.

[Sean Fennessey]

Oh, this is so, like, it's really.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I've seen at least five banded questions. One thing. Can I share one Bandon tip? I'm sure your husband made you aware.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

They sell something at the courses.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Called protein golf balls. They come in a sleeve. Like, three golf balls would come, and they are these odd protein balls that are like peanut butter, oats, hemp hearts, and a number of other ingredients that I can't recall. And you eat them and they give you. They power up. You. Dragon Ball Z bang. And then you can hit the ball 300 yards. And I ate roughly 15 of those over three days.

[Sean Fennessey]

But you're not doing that in your home life.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I do eat protein bars sometimes. Yeah.

[Sean Fennessey]

Eat protein bars. But do you like the protein ball? Like, the homemade protein ball is like a very. Again, we'll get you on this Internet.

[Amanda Dobbins]

But that's.

[Sean Fennessey]

I think Crisp Chris eats them a lot, you know, And I think you buy them for like, $45 a pop at Arizona.

[Amanda Dobbins]

He seemed very confused by that particular thing. We were there. We were all. It was quite novel to us.

[Sean Fennessey]

Oh, okay. Again. But I would Think that his Instagram reels are showing a lot of, like, the protein balls are a big, like, here's what I make as a something, you know, Instagram reel topic. There are a lot of recipes out there.

[Amanda Dobbins]

A flood of golf questions have just hit the chat that I. I regret to inform one day after the US Open.

[Sean Fennessey]

Granola bars that Zach packs for a golf trip is, like, pretty sad to me.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Pretty sad.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah. I don't believe in granola bars or protein bars.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I honestly, you're like. You're so up, like. You are.

[Sean Fennessey]

I know.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It's so.

[Sean Fennessey]

This is.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I know. I'm the weird, crazy one. You are. No, no, no, no. That's insane.

[Sean Fennessey]

I just. I prefer not to eat that. I like to eat, you know, real food. I like to have a meal. I don't want to, like, waste my calories and my, you know, my sugars that way. But I.

[Amanda Dobbins]

The chat is so good. Rango goes hard. Thank you, Calvin Coffee, for identifying that protein is very important. Yeah, granola bars are very important. I Like a Cliff bar on the golf course.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah, that's kind of my go to as well. The other day at the swim club, a man. I was getting lunch for my family and a man came in before he went out to the golf course and said, I would like six beers and a soup, please. And a soup. And I was like, that guy's kind of a legend.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Hot or cold?

[Sean Fennessey]

I mean, I don't. I don't really think that they're serving.

[Amanda Dobbins]

What are we talking about?

[Sean Fennessey]

Gaspachi chicken, barley rice. They didn't specify the soup, but New England clam chowder. It was 11:15 in the morning.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay, so pretty gross.

[Sean Fennessey]

Six beers and a soup.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Damn. Dudes are asking me, what did you pick up at Waterloo in Austin? Did somebody spot, like, clock me at Waterloo in Austin?

[Sean Fennessey]

Maybe.

[Amanda Dobbins]

This is actually quite scary. It's a record store. And an incredible, incredible Blu Ray selection there. Lots of international stuff. I. One thing I did get was Bloody Sunday, the Paul Greengrass film, I think, from Imprint, which was really, really good. A lot of interesting questions here. How tall is cr. He's 7 foot 6.

[Sean Fennessey]

Didn't mute it. I tried to open the chat. That's me.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Top three soups. They want to know top three soups. Go.

[Sean Fennessey]

Top three soups. Oh, gosh. I mean, a chili of some sort. Are we counting that? Is that a stew?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'll allow it.

[Sean Fennessey]

I like a lentil soup. Red lentil, but I'll go with any of them. Tortilla soup. I don't know.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'm just naming tortilla soup. Number one for me. Chicken noodle.

[Sean Fennessey]

No, it's just I didn't grow up with it, so.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I see.

[Sean Fennessey]

We didn't really do soup.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You know, what is elite is just a matzo ball. Soup from a New York diner is like, my favorite thing in the universe.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah, I think that's another thing that we just didn't.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I see.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Classic Atlanta. Favorite movie theater in Sweden. Don't know.

[Sean Fennessey]

Never been to one for Pride Month. Please name some more actresses you would wife up as a straight woman. Thanks so much. I mean, Rachel Weisz, number one for me. Hayley Atwell, Adele Hanel. Right off the top.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yep.

[Sean Fennessey]

Who else?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I mean, you know, you're naming women that kind of look like you. It's a little weird.

[Sean Fennessey]

That's okay. I mean, that's fine. That's nice. I accept. That's great. I mean, those are like the kind of like, three operating as my, like, wives in my mind at all times, but, you know, there are a lot of beautiful women out there.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Celebrate Pride Month all month. Great Queer Sighted program on the Criterion Channel right now. Highly recommend that all the movies in that package are super good. Okay.

[Sean Fennessey]

Duchenne for male actors now.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Idris Elba.

[Sean Fennessey]

Oh, good one. Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I just saw him in 28 weeks later, the second film in that series, doing the rewatch next week, and he has, like, no. No role whatsoever in the film, but he looks very handsome. Young Edward Norton.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah. Again, that's a little bit like Keeping the Faith era. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We didn't talk about.

[Amanda Dobbins]

He was very aspirational.

[Sean Fennessey]

We didn't talk about Keeping the faith on the 2000 draft. That was.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Was that 2000?

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah, it was a lot of fun.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I really don't like that.

[Sean Fennessey]

Movies I've ever seen. Yeah, I'm not a big fan of that. I saw in theaters.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Gosh. I mean, Sam Rockwell, big fan of his.

[Sean Fennessey]

Oh, nice.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I just wouldn't want to be around him, you know? I feel like he's just a good time. Every time I see Leslie Bibbs, she's so happy. She's like, I can't believe I'm with Sam Rockwell. That's always a good sign.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I don't know. There's probably some others.

[Sean Fennessey]

Any hints on the Chicago surprise movie?

[Amanda Dobbins]

No.

[Sean Fennessey]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

No hints. We are exploring special guests for both live shows in Chicago. Hey, thank you to everyone who bought tickets. They sold out very fast for both events.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah. Very excited.

[Amanda Dobbins]

We hope to give you a Good show. Jack Sanders will be there, of course. CR will be at our live show at Steppenwolf.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yes.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And we're trying to go to a Cubs game, as you said. I'm really excited.

[Sean Fennessey]

Do we know anyone at the Cubs?

[Amanda Dobbins]

You want to still the general manager of the Cubs, Jack, yes or no? I honestly don't know. Cubs are looking pretty good this year.

[Sean Fennessey]

Are they?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Sean Fennessey]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

They traded for Kyle Tucker in the off season. That's going very well. They, of course, have Pete Crowe Armstrong, who was a Mets prospect that the Mets traded for two months of Javi Baez, which makes me want to drown myself in a lake. And every day because he would be the center fielder that is missing from this Mets lineup. Anyway, that's the entire Mets discussion. Live show, tour, when. I don't know. We have children. We're probably not going to do a real tour. We're going to do more live stuff over the course. Hopefully we'll do something in New York in the fall.

[Sean Fennessey]

I'm hoping for that.

[Amanda Dobbins]

We're discussing and I do also want.

[Sean Fennessey]

To do some 25 for 25 stuff here.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yes. In LA in the winter. Maybe. Maybe we can do a bigger one near the end of the list. Maybe at Vidiot's or somewhere else. Tips on how to avoid procrastinating, writing and getting in the zone. It's funny, this comes up. I don't really write anymore. You don't really write anymore?

[Sean Fennessey]

I hated it.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I remember you hating it when I met you.

[Sean Fennessey]

Whenever that was 15 years ago, I absolutely loathed it. And then I moved in with Zach and I was like, oh, this is what, like an actual someone who likes writing?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yes.

[Sean Fennessey]

And who can. I mean, he's.

[Amanda Dobbins]

He's very disciplined.

[Sean Fennessey]

He's my favorite writer and he is very disciplined. But there was also just like. Like he doesn't live in fear of it.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I, when I was writing a lot, was just drinking a lot. That's just the truth. The truth is that. And I'm not saying one should do this, but for me, if I poured one whiskey, I could go. And it was not hard.

[Sean Fennessey]

I couldn't.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And I could stay up all night and do it, and I was fine. And if I tried to sit down at 2pm and bang out a column, you know, write a review.

[Sean Fennessey]

No, I couldn't do it.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I couldn't. It was just like writing term papers, you know, it was just. It was the same energy. Maybe that's immature, but it just really was how I was. Thoughts on Club Chalamet that comes from Priyanka view.

[Sean Fennessey]

You gotta respect the commitment, you know, and maybe that's all that you need to respect. I mean, I feel like the Kylie stuff's been very tough for her, you know, because she won't even say Kylie Jenner's name.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Why is she so against her?

[Sean Fennessey]

Well, I think that they're, you know, the Kardashians are polarizing and I think that there is just a group of the Internet and that does not want. I don't know, I think, like, I think it seems like wasted energy at this point. But, you know, I think Kylie looks really pretty, you know. What do you think about her boob job recipe? Did you see that she has a boob job recipe again, like, it's amazing. You are just not on the same Internet. So someone. So Kris Jenner recently confirmed the doctor who did her facelift and her most recent facelift, she's had a couple. And then someone on TikTok was like, Kylie, like, what's your. You know, what kind of boob job did you get? Or something like that. And Kylie in The comments on TikTok wrote like the recipe as. As the Internet coined it, which is like, I don't even know where it placement is on the body, the type, size, like, profile, all sorts of things.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So she confirmed it?

[Sean Fennessey]

Kylie herself did. Yes.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Cool.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I remember in the aftermath of a recent conversation we had about their relationship, their reaction was like, like, what is wrong with you guys? And like, I just want to say I do get it. Like, I get if you are an incredibly famous actor, that you're like, I want to date a hot, extremely hot girl.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And she's. She's beautiful. So I, like, I understand, but I think we're at the stage of the Kardashian Jenner thing where it's strictly dystopian now. Like.

[Sean Fennessey]

Like the way that they look or.

[Amanda Dobbins]

The way they look, just the. Their place in society.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah. I mean, even the fact that they're just all now out being like, yes. So here is this specific plastic surgery that I had, which, like, in some ways, if.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Maybe that's better.

[Sean Fennessey]

I think it's better than pretending that it's natural. I do. But it is. We're in a new era.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You know, Sean on jam Session when we need his thoughts on the new. And just like, I actually.

[Sean Fennessey]

Oh, but you weren't watching it. Someone asked whether you should just whether you should keep watching. Yes, because I am Jill, and I need someone to talk to about it. You. I do actually. Need you to come on before because Juliet's still on leave, so. We'll figure that out.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'd be happy to help.

[Sean Fennessey]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Movie master Macro says Sean could have bagged Kylie.

[Sean Fennessey]

I don't know if that's true. I'm going to be very honest with you. I think that, respectfully, Timmy has, you know, some swag that you. You do not.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Fair enough. I won't argue with that. Reese Roberts asks Amanda and Sean, what's one quality you admire in each other and a burden if you could make life the other of a.

[Sean Fennessey]

What?

[Amanda Dobbins]

A burden if you could life the other. I don't know that. What's one quality you admire? Let's hear it right now. Live.

[Sean Fennessey]

Well, I'm. This is. I'm trying to think of a way to put this. That this is, like, not like a backhanded compliment. What is it? You are very. None of. None of these sound right.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Like, it pains her.

[Sean Fennessey]

No, no, no. It's like. I mean, they're like, reliable, dependable. Like, all of that doesn't sound, like, complimentary enough to what I mean, which is like, I have no. Like, Sean's gonna show up. Shawn will be there. What Sean says, Sean does. You don't have to question it. I, like, I don't spend any time worrying about it. And that is, like, in a professional way, in a friendship way. It's just. Shawn is there, and that's a very valuable.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I would say the same is true for you.

[Sean Fennessey]

Oh, that's nice.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You always live up to that. You always do your homework, as you like to say. Yeah, I. I am consistently impressed with your tunnel vision, self confidence. Like, I.

[Sean Fennessey]

It's another one where it's like, how do we put this in a way that isn't insulting?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I could never channel it. I am constantly. I'm questing is what I would say.

[Sean Fennessey]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And you are not. You are like. I am a philosopher.

[Sean Fennessey]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Which is why we're doing this here. You have a point of view, and I am, like, seeking, and you have landed. And I gotta say, it's very admirable.

[Sean Fennessey]

Thank you.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And part of the stew of this show, I guess. So let's do one more question.

[Sean Fennessey]

When do we get you playing poker on Twitch? That's not the last question, but that.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Would be really funny when I. I will get there at some point in my.

[Sean Fennessey]

You guys. So the follow up to the Vegas blackjack thing, which is after, like, Sean tried to get me to play Blackjack at a 25 minimum table, my first time ever at A casino. And it was like I had a full body panic attack. And so I didn't. But then I just sat like Sean played and I like. I had heard tell of Sean gambling and Sean in the casinos, and I have had to be his heart's partner, which was terrifying. But like gambling, Sean taking cards, Sean taking over was, you know, it gave me a new understanding of you.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I don't. What do you mean?

[Sean Fennessey]

Well, it was like, it was just sort of like a lethal antisocial mode that I, like, knew was there, but was just sort of, you know, but there was like something. You were very, very relaxed and confident about it, which I like, you know, I admire. I don't feel that way at a. At a casino table. But you were just kind of like, okay, now I'm at like my optimal state. Here I go.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It is probably the happiest I can be in a non family environment, I would say.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I find it to be not stressful at all, which it doesn't mean I'm good. I'm not a good gambler. I just like to gamble, but I also don't get a chance to do it enough.

[Sean Fennessey]

That is pretty. I mean, that you find it like, relaxing is very, very intense.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It's only money, you know, I mean, that's true. It's only money. And if you. If you decide the amount of money that you're willing to lose and land there and stay there and have the discipline to stay there. Yeah, it can be very fun.

[Sean Fennessey]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

If you can't do that, and some people can, and I completely understand that. It's not fun. Yeah, it's stressful. It's anxiety producing.

[Sean Fennessey]

I was raised, you know, that if you lose your failure. So even losing money is, you know, interesting. I mean, it wasn't my choice.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That's not very nice. Okay, well, I think we're. I think we're good.

[Sean Fennessey]

That did end up being the last question was when I'm waiting for someone.

[Amanda Dobbins]

To do something here.

[Sean Fennessey]

Okay, let's see.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Come on, somebody come through with something really, really, really special before we close out. How do we have more people watching now than we did?

[Sean Fennessey]

Because, like, people join over time, I guess. So how can you see? I feel like really old mom right now. Oh, okay. Started streaming 82 minutes ago. Do you feel like this will be a good podcast?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Listen, I think we flowed pretty well. Jack says yes. He's giving us a nod.

[Sean Fennessey]

Jack, you know, thank you for your support. Let's see. Wow. Lots of. Oh, someone's asking what should be My new opening line on the dating app Apps.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Oh, God.

[Sean Fennessey]

I mean, so here's the thing. We are the wrong people to ask for this because we were not a part of the. I was talking to a friend recently who's on the dating apps, and. And she was saying that Bumble is the new hinges out. Bumbles in. I don't know whether we can confirm or deny that.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay.

[Sean Fennessey]

That's just like, what I'm hearing on the streets.

[Amanda Dobbins]

All right.

[Sean Fennessey]

From one friend. And. But she was talking about how she matched with someone and they started talking and then they immediately had a two and a half hour phone conversation. And I was like, what are. Like, it. What are we doing? I mean, that. That to me, is terrifying. That also reminds me when Zach used to try to call me early on. I would, like, hide from the phone, you know, like, please don't talk to me on the phone.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Because you don't want to speak on the phone?

[Sean Fennessey]

No, absolutely not.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Well, you know that we share this, right?

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You know that I really don't like to talk on the phone.

[Sean Fennessey]

No, I also. I, like, absolutely hate it. But I think Zach was like, John, So, you know.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yes. Our close friend.

[Sean Fennessey]

Honestly. Honestly, for the first six months, anytime Zach was calling, he was like, hey, so I can't, you know, I'm like, stuck at, like, summer Jam or whatever, and so I can't come, like, hang out. And I was like, okay, well, fuck you. I don't want to take this phone call.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Oh, so you had PTSD from it being just an excuse to not spend time with you.

[Sean Fennessey]

It's like, I mean, now, you know, when the phone rings from a friend, you're like, well, this isn't good. And so, so true. So for the first six months, anytime he was calling, it was because he had to, like. Like, he didn't want to, like, send a text being like, I'm so sorry, like, Azealia Banks won't let me off the bus or whatever. I think that did happen once. I don't know.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I remember he was in Los Angeles when he was interviewing her. I spent time with him during that trip. I don't like to talk on the phone for a very simple reason. My parents got divorced when I was, like, 10. And my dad, which. This is a very generous act as a father and not one that other father. Divorced fathers do. My dad called me every day.

[Sean Fennessey]

Day.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Called me every day to talk, which was very nice. But, you know, we don't. We didn't have that much to say to each Other. And also, I was a little raw about them getting.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah, sure.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And he was. He would just call every day, and he'd be like, put Sean on the phone. He's calling the house phone. Of course, not a cell phone, because I was 10, and we talked every day or almost every day. And I only saw him once every two weeks, but we were in contact all the time. It was nice.

[Sean Fennessey]

But I understand that. That you have an association now.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You know, now I'm like. So I. I was on the phone, and then I went to college, and Eileen and I stayed dating, but she went to Johns Hopkins and I went to Ithaca.

[Sean Fennessey]

Right.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And we talked on the phone every day.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

For a long time. To stay in each other's lives. So from 10 to 21, I was on the phone at length every day. So I don't ever want to be on the phone again. And I hope all my friends out there understand. And actually, the greatest thing that ever happened to me, the greatest thing that ever happened to me in this very specific respect is we started doing this show, and friends listen to it and they don't call me anymore because they know what's going on.

[Sean Fennessey]

I know, but you have complained about that. But I'm old right now because I think it's good. It is a nice way to sort of stay in touch with people. That's also. Instagram is very useful for that. For me, it is.

[Amanda Dobbins]

There's a little bit of a, like. Like, gilding the lily thing to Instagram of, like, is it really this good?

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That I'm suspicious of.

[Sean Fennessey]

Sure, sure, sure, sure.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You know what I mean?

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Whereas on pods, I'm, like, just honestly having a meltdown. Enjoy. All right. Sean's not good today. Don't need to call him.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah, no, it is nice. But anyway, back to the dating apps opening line. I mean, I just, like, I have no idea. I assume that you would be responding to something in someone's profile, so I don't. I don't know.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I've literally never seen one of these profiles.

[Sean Fennessey]

You haven't. You haven't even, like, gone on.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I've never downloaded the apps. I never seen what they look like.

[Sean Fennessey]

Let's be clear. I haven't downloaded the apps either, but I. You haven't had a friend give you the phone?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Maybe. Maybe in the 2010s, maybe. I've done it.

[Sean Fennessey]

I've done it a few times, but I feel like this. The prompts are built in, Right. At least on Hinge, they were.

[Amanda Dobbins]

But as we said, Skincare routine? Favorite baby products?

[Sean Fennessey]

No. And I think that those.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Are you smelly.

[Sean Fennessey]

I'm not sure I would respond to those as a. You know, that's not.

[Amanda Dobbins]

But, like, sense. But is it, like favorite song?

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Or like, favorite vacation?

[Sean Fennessey]

Maybe it's like a movie thing or something.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Do you play pickleball?

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Why don't you just tell me the person you want to date?

[Sean Fennessey]

Right. I wish we could be more help. I'm sorry. You know, ask them, do a movie thing. If the person doesn't like movies, then, you know, you probably don't want to be. Listen, not like, don't like, quote a movie, but you could ask a movie question.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Do you think there are people who are avid listeners of this show?

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Who listen to every episode, true psychos whose partner is not into movies and that we fill a gap in their life?

[Sean Fennessey]

I think so, yes. Because.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Do you think that's healthy?

[Sean Fennessey]

Well, some. We have met the. And I, you know, I don't want to gender essentialize here, but we've met many of the girlfriends at the screenings who show up and they're like, oh, it's so nice that he gets to meet his friends. You know, like, we're basically imaginary friends for a lot of people. And that's okay. That's good. I get it. I have other imaginary podcast friends or, you know, or influencer friends.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You do?

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah. Like Katie Storino, you know, who I told you about, who sells me, by the way.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You do not want to meet her.

[Sean Fennessey]

I. Well, Katie has social anxiety, I think, so she's talked about that, so I don't want to make her uncomfortable, but I think it would be fun. Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Do you feel that this was a worthwhile experiment?

[Sean Fennessey]

Yes, I do. I don't know how many problems we solved for people.

[Amanda Dobbins]

This is about our problems. This is not about their problems.

[Sean Fennessey]

I was kind of like, if. If we could figure out, like, a call in element, you know, like, we could really work.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You want to do a call in show?

[Sean Fennessey]

I think that I could really like if the guy who didn't know whether he was into the girl were calling in. I think that could have been radio gold, you know?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Is that Brian?

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah, but then he was using an Elias, so I don't know if we accidentally just added him. But also, you know, that's. That's how social media works, so.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'm not sure I understand.

[Sean Fennessey]

Alias Elias. I always say it wrong.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I think it's Alias.

[Sean Fennessey]

I know, but it's one of my Chris Ryan things.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I. That Guy. I don't really know what he's talking about.

[Sean Fennessey]

Chris.

[Amanda Dobbins]

No, no, no, Chris. I do know what Chris is talking about. He's talking a lot of sense, Brian. I don't. You know, you're either feeling it or you're not, bro. Is it really that complicated?

[Sean Fennessey]

Yes, it is. When you didn't meet the love of your life at 16, it is. Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It's a tough beat.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Thank you to everybody who sent incredible questions. Were demons in the chat, participated willingly. Thank you to Amanda for Dear Abby ing her way to her next career. This is very exciting for her. This is all she ever wanted. Thanks to John Richter for helping us with this live stream. Really appreciate it. Thanks to Jack Sanders, the silent man of this episode.

[Sean Fennessey]

But very reassuring on the big screen.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Very calming. Let's talk about the schedule very briefly.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

We had to move number 18 of 25 for 25.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah, I saw people were getting a little testy.

[Amanda Dobbins]

A little testy about it. Listen, I'm sorry. There was quite a few things happening in Los Angeles last week. We had to make some accommodations.

[Sean Fennessey]

We have. Yeah. So we need you to work with us. The schedule is. Knowing the schedule is a privilege, you know, not an entitlement.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Thank you for saying that. I completely agree with you. On Wednesday, number 18 will premiere. We already recorded the episode. It was an emotional one. I'm very happy that we chose this movie on Friday. Well, first of all, just behind the curtain, I'm going to Atlanta to go watch the Mets. Speaking of the Mets, I'll be in Atlanta for three days for this three game series. I get back Friday morning, I'm getting off a plane.

[Sean Fennessey]

Will you get to be on the broadcast again?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I haven't told Jon, so I don't know. But if he's still watching. John, if you're still watching, I'll be in Atlanta with my father, who I just told you know his story of his divorce on this podcast.

[Sean Fennessey]

Does Kyle watch or listen to this show?

[Amanda Dobbins]

He does. My brother Kyle.

[Sean Fennessey]

Hi, Kyle.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Kyle, Yes. I wouldn't say. I'm not sure he's gonna like crush the Materialist episode per se, but he definitely is a. He's a. He's a. He's a Dob mob member.

[Sean Fennessey]

Oh, thank you, Kyle.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Kyle. And. And my dad and I are really like our first trip ever together.

[Sean Fennessey]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Going to see baseball, of course. And I'm going to come back Friday morning and I'm going to drive to a movie theater in Ontario, California. I'm going to go see 28 years later. And then I'm going to drive to Los Angeles and.

[Sean Fennessey]

Are you doing the Ontario trick that I taught you about?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yes, I am.

[Sean Fennessey]

Oh, I'm so pleased for you. It's really much smoother way to travel.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I will let you know how it goes tomorrow.

[Sean Fennessey]

I'm seeing it Thursday.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay.

[Sean Fennessey]

And then we're podcasting rather than parenting our children on Friday afternoon.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Correct? After I have been not parenting my child for three straight days, anyhow. Should be fun 28 years later. Looking forward to it. And then after that, we have a whole summer of potting to do. Thank you, everyone again. See you soon.