I Can See My House From Up Here!

by Stacey Fearheiley

This week we talked about Angela Lansbury…wishing her happy 92^nd birthday and basically being impressed with all she’s done artistically in over 70 years on the job.  I would love to say that the rest of this blog will be an in depth look at either Angela’s career or homelife or some other fun topic of popular culture and entertainment.

Eric and I also talked about, and continue to every once in a while, WHY we started this podcast.  Why we love pop culture and why we think it’s important.  We can even (YES, it’s true) get a little uppity on our high horses in our explanations and rationalizations.  We don’t mean to, but it happens.  Mostly because we believe it.

Yes, I would love for this blog to be all shallow pop culture, “access Hollywood” fun.   

Politically, as you know, every day brings another piece of ridiculousness.  We can’t get away from it.  But we try…through entertainment, through sports, through Pinterest.  But that’s not always an escape any more.  These last 2 weeks have brought that home.

As I watched my facebook feed stack up with “me too” after “me too”,   I felt more and more deflated.  I’m a “me too” as well.  And the sheer number of them was completely disheartening and I wondered…who the F cares about Angela Lansbury’s birthday?  Stuff is going down and we need to pay attention.

So I paid attention.  And I read stuff.  And I watched stuff.  The "real life" stuff.  And the more I pushed into my brain, the heavier the weight felt on my chest.  Sadder, harder, heavier...more painful.

And then the POPeration! podcast dropped.  And I listened. 

I also went on to YouTube and watched a little of my favorite Tubers (is that what they're called?)

And I smiled.  And I smirked.  I laughed. I breathed easier and some of the tenseness dropped from my shoulders.  I leaned back in my chair and just stopped.

Yeah, Eric and I can get pompous and pretentious about why we podcast about pop culture...but, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.   If this year hasn't been a huge THIS IS WHY WE TALK ABOUT SHALLOW STUFF advertisement, I don't know what would be.

Hopefully we can be your "escape" from reality sometimes.  And you know what?  I DO F'ING CARE THAT IT'S ANGELA LANSBURY'S BIRTHDAY!  She's awesome!

The Long Trailer...er...Podcast

by Stacey Fearheiley

I know there are some who do NOT like to sit through the previews of movies when they go out to watch films.  I get that.  I even understand the logic.  But it's not me.   I LOVE TRAILERS.  Movie trailers.  Good ones and bad ones.

Why?  Dunno!  And I don't even WATCH 1/3 of the movies of the trailers/previews I see.  One reason this podcast about holiday movie previews was so long was because both Eric and I appreciate a well done and entertaining trailer.  We like watching them, and talking about them.

We discussed a little about what makes good trailers and what makes bad ones.  Even in 2017, there are still producers who don't know how to get a good trailer made.  But this got me thinking...this comparing of good vs. badly made movie previews.  And I started remembering the ones from back in the day that really hit the mark. 

So, below are some examples of "old school" trailers...AND, a great way to waste time.  Enjoy!

They run the gamut. And these are just a few, but I could watch these all day...a rabbit hole I would never come back from.

So, what are you going to see this holiday season?  Do you base it on previews?  Or do you hate the waste of time these little 3 min vignettes are?  

Wherever you stand, you have to admit, the trailer is an art form unto itself.  

Happy Movie Going!

Laugh, fool, laugh...

by Stacey Fearheiley

So, why DOES Netflix have a whole category dedicated to stand up comedians?  Why do the ratings of comedy shows like Saturday Night Live, Late Night, Conan and the Daily Show  surge when tragedy hits?  Why are the biggest laughs in movies often in a scene at a funeral?

I remember several weeks after my father, to whom I was very close, died, I was reading an article in a magazine and there was a statement made that looked weird to me.  It didn't seem accurate.  I wasn't sure I believed it.  I sat there for a quick minute and realized that there was one person who would know about the accuracy and so I picked up the phone and started dialing my dad's phone number.

I believe I got about 3 numbers in when I realized what I was doing.  I stopped dialing.  I hung up the phone and I said aloud, " I don't have that area code."  There was a beat. Then I giggled.  And I knew my dad would have chuckled as well.  But my question is, why didn't I burst into tears?  What made me think that bizarre thought and then laugh at it?

Maybe it's because laughter and tears, happy and sad, comedy and tragedy are but 2 sides of 1 coin. Without one, the other isn't as understood.

As this world has seemed to be exploding and imploding, literally and figuratively for about a year, we have, as a society, been turning more and more to our comic entertainers.  Colbert has never been more popular. Samantha Bee has soared and SNL hasn't had a season like their last one in YEARS!

But this need to laugh through tears, to find humor in the abysmal isn't a new thing. Bob Hope was successful in his career before WWII, but his legacy that endures will be how he entertained the troops overseas through several wars.  How he made GIs laugh in the literal middle of war, with bombs sounding in the background, knowing that many of those young men would never make it back to the U.S.

In my lifetime, I'll never forget Jon Stewart talking to the camera for the first time after the attacks on September 11, 2001.  The Daily Show after 9/11 

What he said was exactly the answer to my questions.  The need to feel after we think we couldn't feel anymore.  To feel something better.  To feel like there is hope.

Why do we have so many comedians?  Because we need them.  Especially when it feels like there isn't one reason to smile.

When comedians talk about going back to work after tragedy, they talk about timing.  It is a thin line between the "right time" and "too soon."  In politics there doesn't seem to be "too soon", but for natural disasters and man-made terror the line is more blurred.  For the victims of the hurricanes and earthquakes, it may still be too soon to joke about the storms themselves as they are dealing with the nitty gritty of the aftermath.

But, Conan will still do his "Clueless Gamer" routine, Colbert will drop some "Midnight Confessions", John Oliver will talk about "How is this still a thing?" stuff and Netflix will keep adding to its comedian show catalog.  Because we need it.  Even if it is temporary.  Now more than ever.

I had a chance to see a bit of Comic Relief's Hand in Hand fundraising telethon last night, as it raised money for the victims of the hurricanes, etc.  Not a lot of funny, but a lot of good spirit.  And we need that too. Music was in abundance.  And while we need the comedy, we also just need the arts in general...it keeps us human.

Reclaiming my Time

by Eric Peterson

In the past few weeks in America, oh now let's see ...

1. Actual neo-Nazis marched through the streets of Charlottesville and killed someone.
2. Transgender servicemembers are being banned from the military for seemingly no reason.
3. Hurricane Harvey became the single largest rain event in our country's history, burying our fourth largest city in a trillion gallons of water.
4. Recipients of the DACA program have learned that the program is being ended, and if Congress takes no action, they'll likely face deportation.
5. Hurricane Irma has strengthened to a Category 5 storm and is headed straight for Florida.

It's times like this when I sometimes pause and wonder why Stacey and I spend so much time watching movies and TV shows so that we can meet on the weekends and have long extended conversations about them. I mean, the nominal "leader of the free world" is a spray-tanned toddler and the planet is apparently trying to eat us alive, and this is what's important to us?

And you know what? Yes. Yes, it is.

For starters, I love movies. I love good television. Additionally, I love books and theatre and music. I have a love/hate relationship with awards shows, but I still end up watching them and caring who wins. I grieve (in my own way) when young artists die too soon and older artists leave behind a stunning legacy of work to inspire the next generation. I believe that pop culture is art. And I believe that when art ceases to be important, we're in real trouble.

Your hosts. And wine.

Also, if you haven't already noticed, most of the POPeration! episodes we record are basically me laughing hysterically. Stacey has always been able to make me laugh, no matter the topic, and so no, I won't give up the hours we spend together planning the next episode, fighting over which movies and TV shows we need to watch the following week, and recording our conversations; it's just too much fun.

And I need a little fun right now. I need some joy in my life. I suspect I'm not alone.

It can be very easy during troubling times to resist those things that bring you joy, but I believe it's a huge mistake. Yes, you should watch the news, if you can stand it; I do. Yes, if you feel so moved, you should protest; I did, and I probably will again before too long. But no, you should not stop doing things that make you happy. Walk your dog. Watch the game. Knit. Play a round of golf. Lose yourself in a good book. Travel. And if you're like me, see a movie you loved as a child or binge the latest must-see show on the streaming service of your choice.

Above all, laugh. If you don't have a Stacey in your life, you should get one. Vent about the state of the world if you need to, but at least tell a joke while you're doing so, and then change the topic eventually and do something that makes you happy.

Also, podcasts. Podcasts are good. I know of a really excellent one you should try; we're on Apple and Stitcher and Google Play and iHeartRadio and YouTube and ... okay, you get my point.

My Heart Can't Handle a Third

by Stacey Fearheiley

Frank asked me the other day who would be the third?  Third?  Third what?
"Jerry Lewis, Dick Gregory....and who?"  Ahhhh, I thought.  The rule of 3s, that when there is a celebrity death, there will not just be 1 or 2...but 3.  And so we waited.

And while we waited, we thought about the two that just left us.  Two very different comedians and yet both history making and cliche' smashing talents.

Dick Gregory made you think....whether you wanted to or not.  He was that smart, that good, that talented and that funny.  So sharp, his wit left scars.  He fought on the front lines of the civil rights movement with a keen eye for observation and the ability to communicate in a distinct and new way.

Jerry Lewis became an industry and icon, charming not just the post WWII society trying to normalize their lives...but actually the whole country of France.  His slapstick and mime abilities have rarely been rivaled in the past 70 years. His years of charity work with the Muscular Dystrophy Association raised awareness and billions of dollars for disease research.

Two legends who helped define the second half of the last century in comedy, gone.  Social media and news shows all created their own tributes--some better than others.
Comedians, actors, politicians and other celebrities weighed in on the influence both had on careers and the industry itself.

This is not to be just another tribute piece. This is a bit of what we'll miss...a bit of history...of what influenced the present to be the way it is.  Maybe the fact that we have SO MUCH "entertainment" to choose from, has kept us from looking back at some pieces that changed how comedy is done, reacted to, and remembered -- until the artists are gone.

Pop culture is an evolving thing...it is changed daily by what is happening now...and builds on what has occurred in the past.  Here is a bit of the past that got us to where we are today.

Dick Gregory.  Jerry Lewis.  Thank you.  True legends don't leave us with just "bits of funny", they leave legacies.

Not all Blogs are Funny

by Stacey Fearheiley

I’m not Jon Stewart, Trevor Noah, Samantha Bee, Stephen Colbert or John Oliver….obviously.  I bring this up for a reason.

POPeration! came about because of a desire to entertain people…especially Eric and myself.  To talk about stupid stuff that is popular and makes us laugh.  For me, entertainment should be first and foremost ENTERTAINING.  If I learn something, great…but I better be entertained.  So, when POPeration! calls itself entertainment…it better be just that.  But sometimes…with certain subject matters…that’s hard.

This is the part where who I am NOT comes in.  The grace, class  and dignity that the aforementioned entertainers continue during their shows (for Stewart, when he had one) cannot be matched by me.  They are able to go beyond the immediate headlines, no matter how disgusting, depressing or grave, and find hope and most times at least a kernel of amusement.

This week’s POPeration! episode about “hot button topics” included the topic of race.  It was taped a couple of weeks ago.  Before Charlottesville.  Before the U.S. President sat quiet, then read a statement he didn’t write, then went back and basically condoned not only those actions taken by, but the organizations themselves, representing white nationalists…Nazis.  I’m not sure we could’ve talked about the subject with as much levity if we were taping now.

Race in America is a thing.  It is a HUGE thing.  The movies and television shows we discussed (Get Out, Dear White People) tell us that, while it MIGHT be getting better, we still have a VERY long way to go.  And, frankly, it’s on the white folks to push the effort a long.  Because it is we and our legacy that are the heavy anchor dragging on its speed.

I will not go into a long lecture here.  There are plenty of people more eloquent than I who are out there doing it.  But I will say this:  popular culture aspects aside, this needs to be fixed.  The fact that in the last several years there have been movies and tv shows depicting race as being the central theme to their stories should tell us what we need to know, as white people.   1.  Racism is still here. 2. Ignoring it doesn’t make it go away and 3. It’s past time to fix it.  We should be  mortified that we haven’t fixed it yet.

Not convinced?  I dare you to watch these:  Moonlight, Get Out, Dear White People (Netflix), 12 Years a Slave, Birth of  a Nation (2016), Do the Right Thing, In the Heat of the Night, Hidden Figures, Mississippi Burning, The Butler, Selma, Glory, The Color Purple, Amistad, The Help, blackish, Key & Peele, and even Blazing Saddles. 

These are only a small portion of what is out there. If you’ve seen them before, watch them agaim.  Challenge: if you are white, watch them as the black people depicted in them.  What do you come away with then?  These pieces of art and pop culture are also a mirror to our society…where we come from and where we still are.  These are the artifacts that future generations will judge us by.  That in the 21^st century the same problems are being “debated” that began centuries before is shameful.

Eric and I are not shy about letting people know where we stand on certain topics.  So we understand if some listeners stop listening because of our opinions. We love pop culture.  Love pontificating about it.  But we also love our country and to ignore what is happening with silence is part of the problem.  My hope is that POPeration! continues to be entertaining…but I want us to be valid as well.

My last word on racism in the country is this…it is NOT an opinion.  It is a fact.  And it is a fact that needs to be changed.  And it is a fact that until all citizens, no matter what race, are safe and treated equally, within the law and practically, we will not be able to make American great again.

Movies I Forgot I Liked: Sports Edition

by Stacey Fearheiley

I never go to "sports" movies...on purpose.  Watching something go round and round on a track, either biologic (horses or people) or automotive (cars) makes me dizzy.  I have LITERALLY gone into comas in front of a screen showing a golf movie.  Football movies tire me.  Boxing/karate films lose me around the climactic slow motion final punch moment. (That goes for hockey, too.) Soccer and basketball and tennis have too much back and forth...it hurts my neck.  I am going to ignore the surfing genre.  But the most avoided sport subject matter in film for me is....dunh dunh dunh.....baseball!

Don't get me wrong...I like watching the sports of swimming, racing, football and hockey....in person. The problem is the movies tend to follow the same trope.  Each sport has its own cliche's...but cliche's they are.

Thus it was a surprise to me that I LOVED A League of Their Own.  As the lights came up during the credits in the theatre, I was still crying happy tears.  It was a movie that did what it was supposed to do...make me feel better after having seen it.

But if I'm honest, I will admit that there have been some other movies that were the exceptions to my  "never do sports movies" rule.  When I generalize, I tend to forget the times I actually enjoyed myself watching fictional jocks athlete (making it a verb) throughout a scripted storyline.  Sometimes it makes the sport better...or at least more watchable.

While we're on the subject of (ugh) baseball movies, we all have to agree that America has an obsession with the sport in film.  THERE ARE SO MANY!  Throughout the ages, baseball movies have ruled the sport film universe.  Horse racing and football follow pretty close, but baseball is king.  I think it is because there are so many, the quality of those movies tends to be better.  Remember, I don't like baseball movies....except the ones I like.

#1 Baseball is A League of Their Own.  Hands down.
But a close #2 is Bull Durham.  This movie came to closest to turning me into a baseball fan.  There is  nothing sexier than Susan Sarandon talking about why her character likes the game.  Kevin Costner talking about what he believes in made many a woman sigh.  And I still think of this scene when I see ANY postgame interview with a jock.

Honorable mentions in baseball: Field of Dreams and Eight Men Out.

In football movies any guy will tell you that Rudy is no. 1.  Possibly Bryan's Song.   For me, Remember the Titans (dude, Denzel!) and the Blind Side.  I also liked Burt Reynolds' The Longest Yard and Jim Thorpe: All American.   Honorable mention in football: Jerry Maguire and Radio.

What about racing movies?  Chariots of Fire is surprisingly moving in the human category,  and Seabiscuit and Secretariat do well with the equestrian side.

As for soccer movies...I'll be honest, I've only seen 2.  I really liked Bend It Like Beckham.  

I saw Shaolin Soccer.

 

The only car racing movie I've liked is from Pixar.  Cars hit it on all cylinders for me. (Get it?  I'm talking sporty.)  Honestly, Steve McQueen, Paul Newman and Tom Cruise all tried to get their favorite sport on film but car racing just doesn't seem to translate to celluloid for real live people.

Hockey actually has a pretty good showing.  Both The Mighty Ducks and Mystery, Alaska were really enjoyable.  I would watch either again, as long as I had a sweater.  Props to Miracle as well.

Boxing has a lot of good ones.  From Rocky to Raging Bull, from Million Dollar Baby and Creed to The Champ and The Great White Hope.  Boy we sure do love an underdog with a mean uppercut.

Even almost 50 years later....same story!!!!!  (#Sadblondewhiteboys)

Ok...so I lied....sometimes I DO go to sports movies....on purpose.  And sometimes I like them.
I guess, if the story is interesting, the writing is on point, the directing is compelling and the acting is good-- a good sports movie is really just a good movie.

Sometimes I "profile" movies and that's not fair.  It's generalizing to categorize all sports themed films as nothing I want to see.
But...on the other hand...I've never seen a tennis or golf movie I was particularly fond of.  I'm ok generalizing about those.

Just one look....is all it took....

by Stacey Fearheiley

How long does it take to fall in love?  Some would say there's no such thing.  Others would say long enough to know each other's faults and not care.  And still others would suggest that it can happen in an instant.

One thing I noticed about the movies Eric and I talked about this week...movies from 1967.  50 year olds.  All the couples seemed to jump into relationships very quickly.  Whether it was the rebellious fling of Bonnie and Clyde, the mad lust filled affair of Ben and Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate, or even the sweet but complicated adoration between John and Joey in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, it happened FAST!  Too fast?

In this day and age of television series that arc across time continuously, we are used to stories and relationships created like old school soap operas...some relationships take YEARS to materialize. And that's ok.  We have the time.  We have 6 to 23 episodes to get there.

Sure, a la GOT, there are "relationships" that happen in an instant, but even there...any emotional bond is a gradual evolution.  Again, we've got time.

But in the movies, before there were sequel upon sequels that were planned from the first line of the first film, you have 90 - 120 minutes to get your story told.

If you were a good film maker, you did so through showing not telling.

For John and Joey, I was convinced, as most of the relationship had happened before the movie started and off screen.  The skill of the actors showing what the emotions were and proving their affection.

For Ben and Mrs. Robinson?  Well, we're bending the definition of "relationship" to call what they had that.  But his "true affection" for Elaine?  Did I believe that?

Bonnie and Clyde had barely any real lines between them before she was hopping into his car and they were off.  In my 21st century vision, it was jarring.

In the end, I suppose, when we look back at movies "of a certain age" we have to view them in the time they were created.  It's not fair to expect films made in the past to take into account the skepticism and snarkiness of future audiences.

How long does it take to fall in love?  You can ask Bonnie and Clyde, you can ask Edward and Vivian from Pretty Woman, you can ask Vianne and Roux from Chocolat, and you can ask Bridget Jones and Mark, and they will all give different answers.    How long does it take to fall in love? Probably the best answer to the question is...as long as it takes.

Bonus:

Girrrrrl, You Got it Goin' On...

by Stacey Fearheiley

So,  never to leave a dead horse unkicked*, Eric and I had a little discussion "offline" about the Wonder Woman film after I had a chance to see it and I thought I'd share a few of our takeaways.

So much controversy, so little reason?  


Eric: I say "Get over it."  All the complaining about this film not being “feminist enough” is just evidence, to me, that we only have one female-led superhero movie that was a hit IN THE HISTORY OF FILM. Let’s just enjoy the fact that this was a hit, and hope that this means more superheroine women will follow, and maybe those movies to come will be everything you want them to be. I could say a lot more, but our friend Stefani actually wrote a great essay about the whole thing, so I’ll just point people there.


Stacey:  I agree to a certain extent.  I think that it is a really good movie.  I think it is the best DC Comics movie so far.  I loved Gal Gadot.  Thought the casting was great. BUT.  I think putting this movie forward as the End-All/Be -All for women directed/led films isn't fair to it.  It is an action flick, plain and simple, where the lead happens to be female.  I want more of them, but to throw this up as the best and greatest isn't fair.  No movie can be all things to all people.  I think the expectations were unfair, whether you believe WW met them or not.

What about Chris Pine as the "heroine"?

Stacey:  I could watch Chris Pine dial a phone.  He can do anything he wants and I will watch.  Here's where I am....he's the love interest of the lead.  Since the lead is a straight female, the love interest should be a male.  He is...and he's lovely.  Not only that, he is a good actor and his comic timing is perfect.  Everything you want  in the hero's romantic lead.

Eric: YES!!  Chris Pine is so good in this movie. He probably gets to see more action than most of the Lois Lanes and Pepper Potts – the girls who hang out alongside male superheroes. But to my mind, that’s the fault of those other movies. He looks great, he’s really funny, and is a terrific foil for the very earnest Diana.

Some favorite moments?

Eric:  I loved how subversive this movie is. There’s a whole “shopping sequence” that – on its face – was taken right out of any rom-com where the heroine needs a perfect dress to make all her dreams come true. In this one, she tries on outfit after outfit and is dismayed by them all. Not because they’re not pretty enough, but because she can’t fight in them. Because it’s a funny moment, the social commentary is subtle, but if you’re looking for it, boy it’s there – all about the way that women are literally restrained by societal convention in a container to make them docile, subservient, and unable to bend over, much less go into battle.

I also loved the moment – a tiny, tiny moment – when Diana sees her first baby, and is immediately drawn to this infant, only to be deterred by Steve Trevor. It’s a telling moment, and awfully girly, but it doesn’t diminish her bad-ass self one bit. She can be girly, and she can kick ass, and both of those things can co-exist.

Stacey:  I totally loved the "baby" scene.  I felt it rounded her out a bit.  She'd never seen one, only read about them...and there was a live one right in front of her.  It was female, but also just human. 

One of my truly favorite parts was pure action.  When she steps out of the foxhole into No Man's Land, with her shield up and bullets bouncing all around and still she pushes on.  We've seen boys do this in TONS of movies since the beginning of time.  To see her do it with the guys behind her, kind of shrugging and then following....really fun.  Had a smile on my face the whole time.

Thoughts on the supporting characters?

Stacey: One thing I absolutely loved was the fact that when she finally gets her gang of misfit fighters together, there isn't this long drawn out conflict of "should we really be following a woman? Is she really suited for leading us?"  etc. etc.  Once they see her do her stuff...literally, ONCE, they're on board with it.  Done.  She the boss.  Let's go.  It was so refreshing.

Of course the show stealer/stopper and character there wasn't nearly enough of was...

Eric:   Etta Candy!!  She’s barely in the film, but I just adored Lucy Davis in this role. Because of the World War I setting of this film, she likely won’t be back for the sequel, which will probably step forward in time by at least a few decades – but she’ll be missed. Aside from the horrible “Dr. Poison,” there weren’t many other female characters of note once we left Paradise Island – and even though Etta is not an Amazon, she’s witty and a bit brazen, completely committed to her cause of helping the Allies defeat the bad guys, and – if you blinked, you probably missed it – a suffragette.

Stacey:   Here's my dream:  That in subsequent films with WW as lead, they go back in time and connect the modern story with history some how and we see Etta as Diana's secretary and are able to have fun with that relationship as Etta teaches Diana how the world works, etc.  That's my dream.

Downsides/ Disappointments of the movie?

Eric: Could we not have found a way to include Lynda Carter in a tiny guest spot? As Diana first gets to London, perhaps a gaggle of suffragettes in white being led by Lynda? It would have made the audience cheer, and I bet she would have done it. Oh well, you can still catch her on the CW’s Supergirl as yes, the President of the United States. 

Stacey:  Leave it to you, fanboy, to find a way to get Supergirl into a conversation about Wonder Woman!

For me, I could do without the higher heel on her boots when fighting for right, truth  and the democratic way against Nazis.  I also, sorry actor who played the main villain (trying not to spoil it for those who haven't seen the movie yet), would have liked a stronger foe. Disappointed in who Ares turned out to be and the actor who portrayed that god.

Final thoughts on Wonder Woman, the movie...

Eric: I think it is definitely a feminist movie.  No argument.  I love the fact that throughout the entire film, men keep telling her to either stay put or stay quiet, and she never obeys. 

Stacey: I concur.  Feminist in the truest way.  She was equal (sometimes MORE than equal) to any man she met.   Should this be the big FEMINIST BEACON of HOLLYWOOD?  No. I don't think so.  But, I reiterate that I loved that after initial skepticism, once she proved that she could play the game like the boys, the boys accepted it and moved on.  (Sometimes this was not historically accurate...but I don't care.)

Yes, loved too that she never "did as she was told."  She considered other ideas,  evaluated the situation, made her own decision and did what she wanted.  She kept on going.

Eric: Nevertheless, she persisted.

*No actual horses were harmed in the writing of this blog.

What's a Little Trans Among Friends?

by Stacey Fearheiley

LGBTQ.  It's a mouthful.  It's the worst stack of letters you could have in a Scrabble game.  And it's everywhere!  What's it stand for?  Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trangender and Queer.

I bring this up because 1.  it's the end of Pride Month. and B.  POPeration!  this week was about the representation of the "T" portion in movies and television.  Our guest, Allyson Robinson, herself a transwoman, discussed how it felt to see some of the portrayals of trans people in media.  It wasn't all good.  But it was informative.

As a white, straight, cisgender woman, I can get all uppity about how women are portrayed in movies and tv.  I'll get up in your grill about how "paternalistic" everything is and how there needs to be more women EVERYWHERE in film and tv.  

I'll whine about how sometimes male writers who write women's roles don't write them believably.  "A woman would NOT say that in that situation.  No girl wants that."  Stuff like that.  That is because I am as I described.  That is my experience.  

Unless it's brought to my attention, I don't see the other inequalities out there. Is it just me, or my generation, or being human?   Dunno.  Not gonna answer that question here. But, NOW, the trans person issues have been brought to my attention with this week's podcast.  And as they say..."once you wake that bear...."

We all have lists of good and bad representations of people like ourselves...and Allyson is no different.  She has some opinions!  We asked her to name some good and bad concepts of the trans community.  So she did.  And I was surprised by some.

Let's go over a few, shall we?

Liked:

Transparent.

Duh.  It's brilliant.  At least I thought so....now I don't feel guilty watching it.

OITNB

If you haven't found this one, you're not paying attention.

The OA.

Sense8.

So many people upset about the cancellation of this one.  UPDATE: Netflix will air a 2-hour finale. http://bit.ly/2sWdFhd

Boys Don't Cry.

Groundbreaking in that it was so highly visible.

TransAmerica

Honorable mention per Allyson:  All About My Mother and Penny Dreadful.

But it wouldn't be as much fun if we didn't have the DISLIKED list.  Here goes:

Crying Game

Was the audience supposed to feel sorry for the guy in love?

Dressed to Kill

Fun fact about this trailer...if you watch it, you've seen the whole plot. (the 80's were great.)

Dallas Buyers Club

Allyson purposely didn't watch this one.  It goes here on principle.

Hit and Miss

Post podcast research:  This was a 6 part British mini series.  They did try to air it in the U.S. but didn't get the traction, so only 1 episode appeared.  Probably for the best.

Honorable mention for those that don't make the "Pro Trans" cut: Danish Girl (Allyson didn't see this, but avoided it on purpose. yes, I was surprised too.) and Basic Instinct (not really surprised at all).

So, what's my point?  My point is actually pretty simple.  1.  Don't be afraid of the acronyms. LGBTQ is  just about inclusion (even though the vowels are probably feeling a bit dissed.) and B. Don't assume that because a show or movie or book or article or blog is ABOUT something that it is also TRUE to that something.  Want to know more?  Meet some people...talk to them...ask them questions.  Find the real answers.  Now I've brought it to YOUR attention.

Our society is ever changing and hopefully ever learning about differences, and about accepting and loving those differences.

To quote this guy I once saw in something, " Love is love is love is love...."*

Happy Pride!

*(Oh Hush...I know it's Lin-Manuel Miranda!)

Paternal Instinct

by Stacey Fearheiley

Parenting isn't easy.  Being a mom is hard. Being a dad....is just confusing.  In many ways, Dads get the fuzzy end of the lollipop.  

Mother's Day came first.  "Mommy" or "Mama" is often the first word from baby.  And when there's a boo boo, it's Mommy one runs to for assistance. 

Even in the movies, as in Steven Spielberg's Hook, Peter Pan's daughter tells Captain Hook that he needs " a mother very very badly."  

In this week's podcast Eric and I talk about our favorite movie and tv dads.  Peter Pan didn't make the list.  Peter Pan, in that movie, was not a very good dad.  Even in some of the films or tv shows where the dads made the cut, Father of the Bride  and the Dick Van Dyke Show for example, the dads provide for the family monetarily, but for the heavy emotional lifting of the family or the "getting stuff done with the kids" portion....that was Mom.  And while I will admit again that I equated Dick Van Dyke with my own Dad often, the emotionally distant, workaholic, remote father figure was NOT my experience.

Fun story:  Steve Martin's Father of the Bride and Hook came out the same year, 1991.  My dad, Don, and I went to see both of them that summer together.  At the end of both movies our cheeks were moist from tears.  During FotB, I was sobbing.  After seeing the second of the two, Don and I were talking and analyzing the films, as we were wont to do.  I asked him which movie made him cry more.

I'll be honest.  I knew the answer to the question.  FotB was all about the oldest daughter and her dad coping with her growing up, moving away and making her own life.  I knew this was a trigger for Don, and waited smugly for him to answer.  Interestingly, he needed to think about it.  For a few minutes.  "Hook."  he said.  I was gobsmacked! WTF?  Did he not picture me haring off to marry someone who might take his place in my life?  Where was the love?  (I've always been a tad dramatic.)

He smiled sadly and explained why he cried more for the Pan.

"I see me in Peter." he said. "When he shows up to the baseball field after the game is over because he's been stuck in a meeting, I saw me.  I felt like I had missed so much of your childhood experiences.  It made me regret."

My indignation melted away.  And then rushed right back...more righteous than ever.  I remember looking at him incredulously, shaking my head and admonishing him for ever thinking he missed anything of any importance.  In my memory, every play I was in, every recital I performed in, every volleyball game I played in, my dad was there.  Any time I looked out into the audience I saw Don. I couldn't think of a thing he wasn't there for.  But my perception and his were very different.  I like to think I convinced him to agree with mine.

And therein lies the rub.  The movies and tv shows put these concepts of the perfect dad out there. From Father knows Best to black-ish to Despicable Me's Felonius Gru to Mrs Doubtfire and even Logan.  In the end we see what we want to see, what makes sense to us, individually, based on our own experiences.

So, on this Father's Day, I know that I was very lucky to have Don as a dad.  He wasn't perfect, but being a father isn't easy.  You have a lot of pressure to live up to ideals created in history, in media and our expectations.  Upside....you're not alone, fathers of the world.  You should commiserate with each other. Grab a beer, pull up a chair and watch FoodTV (you know you want to).  And while you may not get the kudos that moms do...or the respect that moms do, in the present, we kids....in the end...remember the role you played, and love you for it.

Happy Father's Day!

For Some Tests, There's No Easy A

by Stacey Fearheiley

If you listened to this week's POPeration! podcast you know that Eric and I talked about women in pop culture and in media in particular.  The unfairness monetarily and in role availability specifically.  We talked about how there were so many fewer female roles than male and that the quality of those roles was often insulting.  Eric brought up the Bechdel test.

The Bechdel test asks whether a work of fiction features at least two women or girls who talk to each other about something other than a man or boy.  (Thank you, Wikipedia.)  

What we didn't talk about were variations to that "test". In one variation, a comic book writer stated that her "sexy lamp test" was if a sexy lamp could take the place of your female character and the plots still worked, you should probably do another draft. Thus create a better female character. This intrigued me. Can these tests be used in real life; everyday living; in every day situations?

Do I leave a conversation with a girl friend if we're just talking about her husband or boyfriend?   Can I have a discussion with my female HR rep about my male boss and thus fail?  Do I give that colleague who contributes to my brainstorming meeting as much as a chair to the Salvation Army?

As a feminist, I want to be all gung ho about keeping the world as fair and safe for women as it is for men.  I want equality.  The Bechdel "tests" and its derivations, while evolving from the idea helping to that end,  are not perfect.  Indeed they weren't really meant to be.  They were and are created to just hold a mirror up and say, "look where and who we are.  Do we want to change?  Is this ok?  How can we improve?"

But they are being used in a more weighted way.  Critics are right in that "passing" any of these "tests" does not prove quality, or art.  It doesn't quantify a good story or characters.
As a writer and artist, the idea that I must create characters who are equal to each other, in any way, feels stifling.  I resent it.  I should be able to create characters who have the traits and values I want them to have...they may be male, female, gay, straight, black, white, good or bad.  And therein lies the battle.

Now, clearly no one is making film makers or writers put female characters in their pieces...there are too many male/male buddy movies for that to be a thing.  But maybe we do need to let those who DO write female characters have more opportunities.  Thereby more choices for characters to talk about more than men and more plot lines than those driven by men.

Eric and I mentioned Thelma and Louise, from 1991.  But there have been more recent examples. They include the Ghostbusters (2016), Wonder Woman (2017), Table 19 (2017), Bad Moms (2016) and The Girl on the Train (2016).  

This is by no means an extensive list...there are MANY more, but these were hits and/or bigger budget gigs.  These had marketing money spent on them.  And all were clearly female in brand.

These are facts that make me feel better. The wins, if you will...not the losses.

If the Bechdel test, and those like it, do anything, it is to keep us thinking and aware of the inequalities still out there.  Awareness is key.  Admitting there is a problem is the first step.

We're popping up all over!

They like us, they like us, they really, really like us. We're practically Sally Field.

We've applied to several different carriers of podcasts, and are happy to announce that we're now searchable on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play.

Just open up any of those carriers, and search for "POPeration," and we should pop right up.

If for some reason you don't see us, please leave a comment here, or send us a tweet, or post something on our Facebook page to let us know, so we can have a stern friendly word with the bastards nice people who work at those places, and get things all sorted out.

Meet the "Pop Surgeons"

We're so excited that episodes are finally starting to appear, and we sincerely hope you're enjoying the show.

There's one episode we recorded that will not be published on our RSS feed, but we went ahead and put in on the YouTube channel and wanted to share it with you here. In this "extended teaser," we're taking the opportunity to introduce ourselves to our listeners, in case you wanted to get to know us a little better.

The official biographies are as follows:

Stacey Fearheiley was born and raised in Nashville, TN.   She grew up watching and critiquing old movies with her dad so much that it became second nature.  She then surrounded herself in high school, college and life with other "like minded" judgementals and has continued analyzing entertainment and pop culture since.  She is an actor, director, writer and former on-air radio personality and still hasn't figured out what she'll be when she grows up.

This is an old photo. It's old. Like us.

Eric Peterson grew up all over the world in a US Navy family, and initially dreamed of a career in the theatre as an actor, director, and writer. However, a job that required him to constantly look for the next job ultimately didn't appeal to him, so after getting his B.A. in Theatre, he started a new career as an educator and consultant in the field of Diversity & Inclusion. But he never stopped loving the stage, or the big screen. Or the small screen, for that matter.

We met when we were cast as twin sister & brother in a play in 1992. We got along so well and so immediately that our cast-mates began to refer to us as the "womb-mates," an homage to the relationship of our characters. Last fall, Stacey informed Eric that she was formulating a New Years' resolution, and that Eric was going to play a big part in it -- and the idea for POPeration! was born.

We get together on random Saturdays and record multiple episodes, and we'll be honest -- we're having a blast. And cracking ourselves up. And learning a lot. And hitting pause whenever Eric's crazy dog decides that she needs to be heard.

Please follow us on Facebook or Twitter, and we'll let you know when we start showing up on Stitcher, iTunes, Google Play, or wherever you search for podcasts.

We're going live!

Okay, folks -- it's actually happening. Here's the teaser:

The POPeration! podcast is showing up on YouTube, and our RSS feed. We're applying like mad to places like Stitcher, iTunes, and Google Play, so we should be searchable there soon, too.

Our first episode is all about awards shows. We watch them, so we clearly don't hate them completely, and yet we titled our first show, "And the Loser is ... The Audience," which perhaps telegraphs some of our less generous feelings about the medium.

Our next episode is about what strikes us as funny and why comedy gets no respect, and the next is about our guilty pleasures - we bravely admit to the world the things we secretly love so that you can mock us. Because we give.

We'll let you know when it's easy to find us where you search for podcasts. Let us know here, or on Facebook or Twitter or anywhere else you can find us, if you look for podcasts somewhere else, and we'll see if we can't wedge our way in there, too.

We continue to record episodes, and are having a marvelous time. We invite you to listen in, give us feedback, and heck - grab a scalpel; this is going to be fun!

Welcome to POPeration!

We're Stacey & Eric, the hosts of a new podcast -- POPeration! -- where we (how clever is this?) dissect pop culture for about 20-30 minutes every week.

It's our opinion that while popular culture is often not taken very seriously -- it's actually really important. Even when entertainment -- movies, music, teevee, etc. -- is created to be pure escapism, it sends a message. Art can either be a mirror for its audience or something that inspires us to change, sometimes for the worse, sometimes for the better. And we're going to talk about it. With curse words and everything, because it's our fucking show.

We haven't set a launch date yet, but once we do - this blog will be where you can find new and archived episodes, and most importantly -- where you can interact with us via comment threads. Tell us what you think of the show, why you think we're brilliant or why you think we're full of shit, and what pop culture trend or artifact you'd like us to discuss next. Or, if you'd rather connect with us via Facebook or Twitter, you can do that, too.

We're very excited to begin this journey. Watch this space for updates as we prepare to launch.

-- E&S