Anne Levine Show
Funny, weekly, sugar free: Starring "Michael-over-there."
Anne Levine Show
First, A Disclaimer:
Join us on The Anne Levine Show as we start by explaining what our show is all about (for the new folks), followed by sharing a hearty laugh over the notion of "Valentine's babies," celebrating birthdays of Michael, his brother Brian, and sister Monica (and a lot of other people). We fondly reminisce about the magic mirror from Romper Room and then throw in some colorful tales from the Garment Center era, bringing a sense of nostalgia and warmth to our conversation. Plus, we revisit our debate over the adorability of Oreo Coke Zero's mini cans—Anne's not a fan, but Michael stands by their charm. We've also handpicked the Handsome Podcast as our go-to recommendation for an extra dose of laughter.
Next, we tackle some more or less current events with our observations on The Voice, with recent "Mega Mentors" Sting and Jennifer Hudson (along with coaches Michael Buble, Gwen Stefani, Reba MacIntyre and Snoop Dogg). Also, Survivor season 46 and the new challenges of Survivor "experts" playing the game. We wrap it up (more of less) with a look at Disclaimer (Apple TV) starring Kevin Kline and Kate Blanchett, a real mind-bender where nothing is what it seems.
With humor in every story and a promise of lighthearted fun, this episode is a celebration of life’s little joys, perfect for those moments when you just want to escape through the tunes of pop culture, birthdays, and family memories. So, let’s keep the good times rolling together! We can try, anyway.
Find our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/447251562357065/
Hello To a heart. That's true, baby. I made you mad. Hello, welcome to the Ann Levine Show. I'm going to use my radio voice today. This is WOMR 92.1 FM in Provincetown, and that is Michael over there.
Speaker 3:Hello.
Speaker 1:That's it.
Speaker 3:Oh, you wanted more than that.
Speaker 1:Yes, I did.
Speaker 3:Oh, okay, and this is your WFMR. That's right, 91.3 FM Orleans. Oh okay.
Speaker 1:And this is your WFMR, that's right, 91.3 FM Orleans.
Speaker 3:There you go, and we are broadcasting worldwide at WOMRorg.
Speaker 1:That's correct. How about that? And yes, michael would like to open the show with a few words.
Speaker 3:I would yes. What are they? Do you know what they are?
Speaker 1:You told me what they were before we started the show.
Speaker 3:Oh Well, I didn't think I was opening the show with a product review.
Speaker 1:No not a product review, but perhaps a little explanation. Oh yeah, okay, yeah.
Speaker 3:Hey, how did I forget? Well, you know, it has come to my attention, my personal attention, that some people don't really know what the Ann Levine Show is all about. So I thought it might be important, or at least relevant, to explain what the show is all about, or at least relevant to explain what the show is all about For those who don't know, for those who are listening for the very first time. The Ann Levine Show is about what's going on every day, except politics. Right, it's movies, books, music, podcasts, conversations, food podcasts conversations food.
Speaker 3:It's all kinds of, it's a conversation between this lovely lady and myself.
Speaker 1:Who's the lovely lady? I'm Ann Levine.
Speaker 3:I'm part of this too Right, that would be you.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And we just talk about stuff that is happening, that's true In pop culture. Yes, and today you'll hear about television shows and movies and books and maybe podcasts and you know Product reviews Product reviews, see, because I do have one of those I did mention that we do yeah.
Speaker 1:Last week we did Oreo Coke Zero, yeah, which I still maintain is one of the most unpleasant things I've ever had to drink.
Speaker 3:It's really good, though it tastes like Oreo.
Speaker 1:Yeah yeah, michael has a little every day because they come in adorability mini containers.
Speaker 3:They do the little tiny, weird mini containers. I don't know what those.
Speaker 1:Yes, yeah little tiny cans that are too cute. They're also that size because you can't drink well, it's, you can try really I don't know. Go ahead, give it a whirl if you like, but I do not endorse Oreo Diet Coke.
Speaker 3:Okay, coke zero. But I do so one thumbs up and thumbs down.
Speaker 1:Right. So there you go. So you be the judge, that's right.
Speaker 3:Make up your own mind, people.
Speaker 1:Well, first of all, I have to say, and it's a little belated, but nonetheless, happy birthday to Michael over there.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, Hello.
Speaker 1:I'd also like to point something out, I did have a birthday.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it just happened, yeah.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, did I not just say that, that's right?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I did Great, I also had a birthday, you know.
Speaker 1:Nell had a birthday. Everybody.
Speaker 3:I know had a birthday. You know, Nell had a birthday.
Speaker 1:Everybody I know had a birthday. Well, not quite everybody, you know. I seem not to be on the show today, and that's fine. I will play the role of a disembodied lovely lady host, as the cast of Handsome would say, a pretty little lady. Yeah ghost, yeah, ghost, oh man, you know, I've said it many, many times, many ways, watching on YouTube and or listening to the podcast Handsome. You're missing it.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:The Handsome Pod, and you can just watch it which is pretty fascinating in and of itself on their YouTube channel.
Speaker 3:Okay, yeah, and you can go back and listen to previous Anne Levine shows if you want to find out more about the Handsome Podcast without actually going there, because we talk about it a lot.
Speaker 1:We do yeah, yeah Because it's funny.
Speaker 3:There's some hilarious people there.
Speaker 1:There are some hilarious people there.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:They have pretty little episodes on Friday. They do a mean full hour episode every Tuesday, which seems to be when all podcasts drop. All the good ones, although this week we are straying from tradition in that regard Well, podcast-wise, yeah, yeah, from tradition, in that regard Well podcast-wise, yeah yeah. However, on Friday they do a little mini episode that's like 20, 25 minutes long called. Pretty Little Episodes, and it's where they take questions from listeners.
Speaker 3:Oh, we should do that too.
Speaker 1:You know we have to do a speakpipe account.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 1:Please write that down.
Speaker 3:Speakpipe yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Or pull up that page because I may forget. Believe it or not, You're not the only one around here who forgets on occasion, forgets what. Forgets, forgets the things. Yeah, I got it. Yeah, you know that we have a listener in LA known as Silverlight.
Speaker 3:Right, yeah.
Speaker 1:Who is still obsessed with. It's like tour show, but it's plastic. But you'd never know, but it doesn't break.
Speaker 3:Right yeah.
Speaker 1:Like. I just got a text from him that says like tortoiseshell, but it's plastic.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:And you know what I can never top that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, well.
Speaker 1:I believe that was the story of Jack Beanstalk, of Beanstalk Button.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I believe Now I have tried to mine my Garment Center memories for more stories like that, but I feel, like some of the most, like Abe with the curved ruler, you know, like the lunchroom Joe Stein, you know the dreaming of Larry Levine, the people that would come every darn day. And with fabric sales, button sales, thread sales, lining sales.
Speaker 3:The guys who would just come and sit and wait. Well, they were the ones and they're not going to get talked to. And they were the ones, some of them, yeah.
Speaker 1:Right, he's behind closed doors. Yeah, so those are the ones that would come every day and be told he's behind closed doors Joe Stein, who we saw yesterday and we'll see tomorrow, or Marvin Schmertzler of Schmertzler-Wollens who we saw yesterday and we'll see tomorrow, and then they would go to the lunchroom, eat lunch and say, well, I'll be back tomorrow. So that is the group.
Speaker 3:They had a day. That's the group they had a day.
Speaker 1:That's the group.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Why this is not a sitcom is beyond me.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I actually. Has there ever been a garment center sitcom? No, yeah.
Speaker 1:And I know someone who writes sitcoms in LA. Yeah, he writes sitcoms in LA and every time I speak to him and we have a conversation, he'll ask me something about the Garment Center. Ah and I say you know, this really should be a sitcom or a book or a something. Yeah, and he 100% agrees with me. And then he flies back to LA and doesn't do anything about it. Yeah, and he 100% agrees with me. And then he flies back to LA and doesn't do anything about it.
Speaker 3:Right, well, maybe it's just stewing in there. You know, sometimes these things take a long time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't, I'm running out of time here I'm a little Okay, I understand yeah. I could use a little fame and fortune. Why are you laughing? Because of Fortune, feimster.
Speaker 3:Fortune Feimster yeah. All right yeah, ghost.
Speaker 1:So happy birthday Michael.
Speaker 3:Thank you, yeah. And happy birthday to my brother Brian and to my sister Monica.
Speaker 1:Oh, wait a second. What was her name on? Was it Romper Room With the magic mirror?
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah, and she would say I see Michael Yep.
Speaker 1:And I see Brian and I see Monica.
Speaker 2:And I see.
Speaker 1:Monica and I see Nell and all the November birthday people Well.
Speaker 3:All those people who were all conceived roughly around.
Speaker 1:Valentine's Day. All Valentine babies, speaking of which, we had some people over for Michael's birthday.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And I'm going to tell you one of the keys.
Speaker 3:Well, mine and Nell's birthday. That's right, because it was the two of us together. Yeah.
Speaker 1:That's right. It was on Nell's birthday Right the 10th, but celebrating both Nell's and Michael's birthday, which was on the 12th, yeah, so where was I? Oh, the key to a fantastic party.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:A winter party, okay. Okay, the key to a fantastic winter party is you get a nice group of people, at least 10. It doesn't have to be that many, but 10 to 15 is a really good number and you make, say, two pots of chili. We had a red bean with meat. We had a vegan with vegan chicken with white beans.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:We had. You know, you have a salad, you have some cornbread, you have some vegetables.
Speaker 3:Got a little Cuervo on ice, yep.
Speaker 1:Cuervo, it was Corona.
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah, okay.
Speaker 1:Weervo, it was Corona. Oh yeah, okay, we did not. It was not a tequila party. Cuervo Gold, isn't that tequila?
Speaker 3:Yeah, jose Cuervo.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, no, we did have beer. No one had any of it, and I even bought limes.
Speaker 3:True.
Speaker 1:So if anyone has, I bought, true. So if anyone has a bottle, I bought a lot of limes, actually, if anyone out there. Yeah, when I say limes, you know I don't mean half a dozen, unless they come in that right which I.
Speaker 3:I got more than that too, so, uh, really I got bought nine limes oh my god, yeah so, hey, people send us an email, We'll send you a lime. Well, you know, until we run out obviously.
Speaker 1:That's right, yeah, so what I was going to ask our listeners to do is, if you have a recipe for something that calls for beer and limes.
Speaker 3:That is more clever than I came up with. Okay, yeah.
Speaker 1:Please let us know.
Speaker 3:It's a good combination.
Speaker 1:Yeah, preferably something that's meat-free, so I don't need like a recipe for chicken, I mean beer, batter, fish and chips with lime tartar sauce. Don't send me that recipe.
Speaker 3:Oh, that sounds good.
Speaker 1:But it's complicated. Are you really it's?
Speaker 3:not that hard.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 3:The batter the trick, and that's not that hard.
Speaker 1:Okay, I think we're set All right. I know Key lime pie.
Speaker 3:That was my yeah, that would be a good one too. Key lime pie that was my yeah, that would be a good one too. A key?
Speaker 1:lime pie, yeah, and beer in the fridge for the next time. There you go, a certain group. Anyway, it was a lot of fun, it was great, it was a great group of people.
Speaker 3:But I didn't tell you From P-Town to what? To the I don't know the farthest away other than P-Town.
Speaker 1:Well, we did have people from all over the Cape. Yeah, let's put it that way yeah. Our local friends and it was fantastic. We have the best friends.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it was good they are fabulous.
Speaker 1:And they're funny, michael and Nell were both vetted, in my opinion, in a fabulous way. Oh yeah, and now we're both fetid, in my opinion, in a fabulous way.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:Now let me get to, though. What I was starting to say is the trick.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, the trick to the good party, the perfect party is that you feed everyone.
Speaker 1:Everyone gets to eat, drink and be merry and do their little hi, have you been?
Speaker 3:Right all their chit-chat.
Speaker 1:Do their small talk over suppertime. We made a rule we let it be known that there would be no political conversation.
Speaker 3:Right, we didn't want any kind of uprising. Well, you never know, though right, no, so stay away.
Speaker 1:We do know we didn't think anyone would feel. We know none of them would have been contrary to our feelings.
Speaker 3:No, but they might have been a little, but we didn't want a huge bitch session?
Speaker 1:Yeah, right, like that. So anyhow, just pleasantries. Oh, this is so good. Oh, what's the recipe for this? Yummy, yummy, yummy cornbread?
Speaker 3:Who's your caterer? Yeah Right, who made this amazing street corn? And?
Speaker 1:then we had amazing cupcakes tiramisu and pistachio, Michael's two favorite flavors. Nell also loves a pistachio. Well, yeah, and we then did the thing that makes it rock we played Pictionary.
Speaker 3:That's correct, yeah.
Speaker 1:Now what you do when there's a big group is you get a pad of newsprint, a giant pad. You set it up on an easel, you get a huge marker marker and you split the group up into two teams and you've got your cards that tell you what you're gonna. And you have one person. You have two people that are picking clues for the opposite team, Right, and that's it.
Speaker 3:It was a blast.
Speaker 1:And away they go. It is so much fun.
Speaker 3:It can be absolutely hilarious, the laughter is beyond belief, yeah.
Speaker 1:And crazy things happen. Like our friend Joe. Was it Joe who got the clue of the night? Yeah our friend joe got this clue and he drew the barest outline of a house and then an arrow pointing at the side arrow to the side and Michael shouts out aluminum siding. Yeah, and that was it.
Speaker 1:Which is what it was, yeah, so people get their cards, they look at them and each one says, oh I can't possibly do this Right. With a few exceptions, a few intrepid souls. With a few exceptions, a few intrepid souls, but it's absolutely hilarious.
Speaker 3:Then we had just the opposite. We had someone who did not overthink at all and phonetically they got the clue aunt or aunt A-U-N-T.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 3:Which, if I'm looking at it, that causes a whole lot of stuff.
Speaker 1:How do you explain this family relationship? You have to draw an entire family.
Speaker 3:Yep Right or two families even Right and somehow connect a child to this woman in the other family. But she didn't go that way. She just drew little ants, yep. And someone said ants, bingo. And they had it right.
Speaker 1:And she was one of the people who said I can't possibly do this. No, someone else go. No, I'm going to skip my turn.
Speaker 1:Absolutely brilliant, I thought so everyone said it was one of the most fun few hours that they've had in a long time, and I'm telling you that's the key. Another friend of ours approached me and said what a lot of people are secretly thinking. I don't think they're thinking this, but they're enacting it, which is what makes it so fun. She said, ann, I got to tell you something the Pictionary is the bomb, because sitting and trying to make small talk with people, Right.
Speaker 1:Because this is the one friend of ours that was here. That is like a new friend. She's a partner of a very close friend of ours but she doesn't know sort of the group yet right, it's only her, like second or third time she's been here, right so her, she's got to go through.
Speaker 1:Where are you from? What do you do? Right, you know, and it's a whole, it's that whole thing where two people sit they ask each other these questions. They don't really care. It's not like they're on a date, right, they're literally making small talk at a party and she said it was so great not to have to do that. Everyone was focused on, you know, drawing and guessing and laughing. And I'm telling you people, this is the second time we've done a Pictionary Supper. It's a good winter sport because it gets dark early now. Yeah, you can't go outside, so it's perfect Warm, cozy, fun.
Speaker 3:And it's always memorable. I mean, at least half the people who were here had been here for the previous Pictionary round and we still, and they still talk about it.
Speaker 1:So and we still remember clues. I will never forget aluminum siding, that is. Just you look at that clue and you've got to go up and draw and your brain starts spinning and you're thinking I can't do this, I can't do this. And then you get up there and boom. So party advice there should always be an activity.
Speaker 3:Yeah, do something, have some kind of thing going on and a group game of some kind.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's like when we do ham toss in the summer. It's that thing of there's a game, there's an activity, right, it makes all the difference.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and it makes it a lot more fun.
Speaker 1:Well, yeah, that's what I mean by. It makes all the difference. It's like the difference between a drag and an obligation. It's like the difference between a drag and an obligation. Yeah, you know, if I get invited over to drinks, let's say, or for a supper to someone's home, where there are people that I don't know too well, yeah. In fact, there's something we're invited to.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I know, I was just panicking about that.
Speaker 1:I'm panicking about it too, and just because it's a small talk fest. Yeah, anyway, we should bring over some games.
Speaker 3:There we go yeah.
Speaker 1:Get that rocking, let's get the pad and the Pictionary cards. I'll bring over some games there we go. Yeah, get that rocking, let's get the pad and the Pictionary cards.
Speaker 3:I'll bring it right along. How funny would that be. That would be funny.
Speaker 1:To like take over this party, which is probably going to be 30 people.
Speaker 3:Oh Lord.
Speaker 1:Yeah, anyway, I want to talk a little bit about the Voice, okay.
Speaker 3:Hey, before you do that, in case anybody's listening, you're listening to the Ann Levine Show, by the way.
Speaker 1:On WOMR.
Speaker 3:That's right and WFMR. That's right this is the radio, Just so you know. Yeah.
Speaker 1:And it's a podcast.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 3:For those of you who don't want to listen to it at this hour that is true, right, if you miss it while it's happening, like right now, if you've missed it just now, you can get it later.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you can go to annatnightcom.
Speaker 3:See, like that, it's right there.
Speaker 1:They're all there.
Speaker 3:And a beautiful description of everything we talked about. Like that Stuff, like that, all right, do we sound a? Description of everything we talked about and you know, like that stuff like that.
Speaker 1:All right, do we sound a little snarky? I think we do. I'm trying to.
Speaker 3:I'm trying to keep my voice at a, at a certain level all right.
Speaker 1:Well, I want to talk about.
Speaker 3:I want to be as monotone as possible not monotone no, no, you want to have dynamism. Oh, okay, what about modulation?
Speaker 1:Not too much. Okay, we're easy listening yeah.
Speaker 3:I guess so.
Speaker 1:Okay, look, speaking of the Voice, I want to talk about the Voice, okay.
Speaker 3:Now, Michael and I, the television show the Voice.
Speaker 1:That's right, michael, and.
Speaker 3:I—. Starring Snoop Dogg and Reba McEntire right.
Speaker 1:Carry on.
Speaker 3:No, that's—right, that's the one.
Speaker 1:Okay. So for those of you that don't know, what you're hearing right now is my life. This is my life. Yeah, I say three words, and then what happens? Michael, I start to try to clarify. No, it's called interrupting.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, that's what it is.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it happens all day, every day, all day, every day.
Speaker 3:It's a symptom Of what? Adhd?
Speaker 1:actually.
Speaker 3:Yeah, okay. Well, I'm not actually kidding, I wouldn't kid about that.
Speaker 1:No, no, you wouldn't Okay the voice. Okay now, michael and I are not TV watchers, but we do keep up with certain things, one of the impetus being that we like to talk about stuff in the zeitgeist on this show. So many things are watched and, oh my God, did I tell?
Speaker 3:you For your edification.
Speaker 1:Did I tell you about Dahmer? Have I talked about that yet?
Speaker 3:You haven't talked about Dahmer yet, could?
Speaker 1:you please, while I'm talking about the voice. I know this is hard for you, but could you look up Dahmer and get me the names of the stars, in particular the guy who plays Jeffrey Dahmer?
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 1:Dahmer on Netflix. Okay, the Voice. So, as I was saying, we don't really watch television very much and I have a way of quote watching the voice. That makes it a lot easier. Now, this is the 26th season of the Voice. I don't know if they do a season a year, so I don't know if it's the 26th year, but I'm guessing it is. I don't think they do more than one one. For those of you who don't know the Voice, you have four famous pop music luminaries that are judges, and so this year you've got Snoop Dogg, reba McEntire, gwen Stefani and Michael Buble.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And so the way you audition for the Voice is you know, once you've passed the producers and all that, you come on stage and you start singing. Right, but they cannot see you they can't see you and their chairs are all turned.
Speaker 3:Yeah, the audience can see you, just the judges cannot.
Speaker 1:So you are listened to for however long it takes for one of these four judges to decide whether or not they want you to be on their team team, and the way it works is the judges each assemble a team and then they slowly narrow down by doing knockout rounds where they put one up against another.
Speaker 3:Both of them perform, one stays and then right, a judge has to cut somebody off of his team, and then they go through all that and they get to the live stuff and then America votes by phone on who they want to keep.
Speaker 1:Or phone. Yeah, I guess so.
Speaker 3:Usually by their phone, by yeah On an app or something Right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so those are the four judges. Snoop Dogg, who is my favorite judge of all time. He's freaking hilarious.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he's everywhere now too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean the guy between T-Mobile and NBC. He's like on ESPN, he did the Olympics, snoop Dogg is, and then he's Martha Mashup and their show and all kinds of stuff. Yeah, it's crazy.
Speaker 3:Very cool though.
Speaker 1:And then Reba, the queen of country and the new star of Papa's Place.
Speaker 3:Happy's Place.
Speaker 1:Well, or Happy's, however you want to say it, yeah.
Speaker 3:I haven't seen it yet. I've just seen previews.
Speaker 1:I'm going to say if you have two P's, an A and an H, you can make Papa.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you could, if you wanted to yeah.
Speaker 1:So there's Gwen Stefani and Michael Buble. Michael Buble is actually hilarious.
Speaker 3:He is very funny.
Speaker 1:Which I never knew. Anyhow, they have these two what they're calling super mentors.
Speaker 3:Right? Well, usually they have a mentor who is like a star of some kind, who come in and help coach along with the coach, help coach these people along.
Speaker 1:Which is a load of BS generally. You know the whole coaching thing.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm not sure how much, but regardless. This year it's Sting and Jennifer Hudson.
Speaker 3:Yeah, this last one we saw, yeah, very cool Sting.
Speaker 1:being a mentor on the Voice is killing me.
Speaker 3:It's really kind of surprising, isn't it?
Speaker 1:It really is.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:He's a big star.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he's St big star. Yeah, yeah, he's Sting. I mean, come on.
Speaker 1:He is Sting. Yeah, you come on.
Speaker 3:Gordon Sumner.
Speaker 1:Now how I watch the show. The way it goes is an episode, and when they're in the midst of it, like there are now, there are like two or three episodes a week. It's a lot to watch. Yeah yeah, which is not what I do. They do a segment of sort of introducing you to that week's singers, and then you've used some mentor sessions right you know well, coaching sessions, yeah, where they pick their songs and each one the practice their harmonies and you know, right, try to figure out the song, yeah and then they only show us a small part of the whole coaching thing.
Speaker 1:Right, but that's a whole segment. Yeah, Then the next segment is if you look at this on something where you've got a smart remote, you will see this long, long line with a ton of breaks. It's because it's split up into these small segments.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And that first segment is judging and coaching. I mean, you know, coaching and mentoring. The next segment is the singer's singing and that's the part I want to hear Right, and I want to see them perform.
Speaker 3:So you kind of fast forward through most of the rest Fast forward through all of that.
Speaker 1:Then I get to the singing and so on, and that's how I get through one of these shows, which is I don't even know how long the shows are, but I managed to get it down to about 35 minutes.
Speaker 3:Oh, good for you. Yeah, you probably cut an hour out of it.
Speaker 1:At least. Anyway, I know that it's not everyone's cup of tea, certainly this show.
Speaker 3:Yeah, show.
Speaker 1:I'm going to say the same thing about something like Dancing with the Stars or America's Got Talent Not shows that I enjoy, but this show. I like hearing these people sing, and I also hear some songs that I didn't know previously, or I hear a version of a song. Most of the people are extremely talented.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:There are a few duds here and there, but for the most part these are really good pop singers.
Speaker 3:Yeah, well, I mean, if you're going get started watching the right you know right now, yeah, you're gonna be seeing. You know they've already done many eliminations, so you're listening to the yeah, better singers at this point so um and just fast forward, you know that's my advice, unless you're into the rest of it, whatever, okay, all right.
Speaker 1:The next show that I would like to mention is Survivor. Now, survivor is something that I'm bizarrely attached to.
Speaker 3:Yeah me too actually attached to. Yeah, me too actually.
Speaker 1:I didn't used to be, and there are several seasons of it that I never watched. But now for me, yes, it's a weekly thing, and I'm sure you've seen at least one episode of Surviv in your life.
Speaker 3:maybe not, but I mean, you've probably heard about it, yeah, yeah most people.
Speaker 1:I mean it's about 46 or 47 seasons, now it's season 46, I believe yeah, so 20 I mean but they do more than one season a year now Right, it's like 23 years though. Yeah, it's a long time.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And I watched, I think, the first season and then there were many years that I didn't watch it at all. I am not the consummate Survivor fan. Yeah, you know, there are people that watch these things over and over again and memorize them Well, and they often end up being contestants on the show itself.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Contestants and there are certain games and puzzles that they always do Right, and they practice them before they go. They practice making fire, which they're going to have to do anyway. Everyone out there knows what Survivor is to some extent, but what I wanted to mention, it's gotten very, very complex. So generally it's two teams and the two teams battle it out amongst themselves. They're always going against themselves to whittle down their side and everyone, yeah, to whittle down their side, and then ultimately, they merge. Once it's down to 12 people and then it's individual Right.
Speaker 3:Then they start voting them off one at a time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you're not fighting for your team at that point and you're fighting for yourself, and the prize is a million dollars. So it's, you know, definitely worth it. Yeah, unlike Family Feud, but that's another story.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but that's a guilty.
Speaker 1:Well, this year they started out with I don't know how many people, but they had three teams and they keep kind of changing things up because people have started to figure out. There were a few seasons when people were making fake immunity idols, which is something that keeps you safe from a vote where people were starting to figure out ways to get around some of the tricks that Survivor presents you with.
Speaker 3:Yeah, because the producers want you, you know, to have a hard time ended.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, so um, it's become more complex, um more difficult. It's more difficult game and it's pretty unpredictable. Lots of things happen that are pretty surprising.
Speaker 3:And the people are a lot hungrier. They don't give them as much food either.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's kind of awful.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Actually.
Speaker 3:Past two seasons they've cut back, way back on the amount of food.
Speaker 1:Well, they've cut back entirely. You don't start out with like a sack of rice and a sack of beans.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 1:Which used to be the case you start out with nothing.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you got to get on it. Yep, find a coconut, dude.
Speaker 1:Exactly so it's. You know they get some sort of tutorial before the show.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Before they start filming on what you can find and where. But it's very little, it's very sparse and a lot of it's pretty gross. So that's the story. With that, they've made it harder. Also, you don't get a flint.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, you have to earn a flint.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah you have to earn your flint. So, making a fire right up or a machete, yep, you start out with nothing these days and you've got to earn it fast, otherwise you're going to starve, you're not going to have shelter, you're not going to have fire, you're not going to have anything that you need you're not going to have anything that you need.
Speaker 3:Like this season started with one tribe who basically got whittled down to nothing and they never got any food.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because they were all starving to death. I mean, it's a serious show, it's not a joke. It's not like the cameras go off and then everyone sits down to a big family meal.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 1:No such animal.
Speaker 3:No, it's a very bizarre social experiment. It's a lot of fun actually.
Speaker 1:And they're on Fiji. Survivor has finally given itself a permanent home on Fiji. Permanent home on Fiji. So there's all of the set building, the equipment, the game design, all of that and the campsites. It all takes place in Fiji.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Which is, I had the extraordinary luck of going to Fiji.
Speaker 3:Oh boy, yeah, I would love that.
Speaker 1:Many, many, many, many moons ago, and it truly was arguably the most stunning place I've ever been, so just seeing, you know, the coral reefs and the color of that ocean and the beaches.
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:It's truly a feast for the eyes. Anyway, this year it's super complicated and I am confused. Ah, for the first time I've even been having again. This isn't something I watch with intensity. Uh-huh yeah, so I'm not sort of glued to it. I'm usually multitasking while it's on, but I would have to go back and start the whole thing over to really have a full grasp on what's happening. This year so to me that's a more interesting show. Oh yeah, me too.
Speaker 3:I recommend everybody guessing, keep the contestants guessing, keep the audience guessing yes yeah, don't present with the same thing all the time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah no, they've really gone in some different directions and it's a more, even more interesting show. It's always been an interesting show and it's one of the few things that we watch on television and we don't fast forward through any of it.
Speaker 3:You know, on my very first internet radio show, which was way, way, way long ago, I used to talk about Survivor and I would have people on friends of mine and we would talk about it. That was 20 years ago at least. We had a Survivor contestant. On our show we had Bill.
Speaker 2:Posley.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's correct, posley, yeah.
Speaker 1:That's correct. So yeah, we've had. We should maybe do that again. Maybe get a survivor contestant.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, that's a good idea.
Speaker 1:On the show again, At any rate the thing that I totally binged this week, because usually there's something I binge every week.
Speaker 3:Right, okay.
Speaker 1:If I can find something.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:I kind of have over-binged a lot Disclaimer.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:It is on Apple TV. It is a streaming series and I just finished season one.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 1:It stars. The following unbelievable list of people Cate Blanchett Yep, kevin Kline, kevin Kline. Oh my God, who is so amazing Of people, cate Blanchett?
Speaker 3:Yep, kevin Kline, kevin Kline. Oh my God, who is? So amazing in this role and he looks I don't know. I just I want to hug him. Is what I want to do? Actually, looking at him with this wife's old cardigan on, you know, with the buttons just about to pop, but by the end of season one you might not want to hug him. I know. No, you don't know. It's really interesting. I didn't watch the whole thing, that's what I'm saying. Yeah, I only watched the first episode or two.
Speaker 1:Well, I felt similarly. Sasha Baron Cohen. Oh my God, yeah Fantastic.
Speaker 3:Almost unrecognizable at first, mostly because his voice was so soft and he was such a it's a soft character, at least the first exposure, right.
Speaker 1:Well, when it comes to SBC, people, kind of people still think Borat.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And or Ollie.
Speaker 3:G or something. Youat yeah or Oli G. They're looking for something big and out there in your face, and this guy is not.
Speaker 1:Sacha Baron Cohen is incredibly handsome and he's a very talented actor yeah, very, yeah, I've been impressed with this one. It's wow. I mean, I've always thought he was a great actor. Yeah, very yeah he's.
Speaker 3:Uh, I've been impressed with this one, it's wow. I mean, I've always thought he was a great actor. He can't do what he's done without cracking up and not be a great actor. Yeah, you know, yeah.
Speaker 1:No, no, and he's fearless. But in something like Something like this, which is a drama with a lot of mystery at the heart of it, yeah, and you definitely start to find out at the end of season one that things aren't quite what you've been led to believe the whole way through.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So of course, now I've got to see season two. Well, yeah, and it's got to happen pronto.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's got to be at least another year, right? I hate it.
Speaker 1:I hate that. So it's like binge, but not.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Binge, but no finale. Okay, I'm going to tell you that, in addition to Cate Blanchett, kevin Klein, sacha Baron Cohen, you've got Leslie Manville, louis Partridge, who's amazing and. Cody Smith-McPhee, who is an actor that I have been waiting to see in something else, since he was in the Power of the Dog Uh-huh, and he was phenomenal in that film.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Which starred Jesse.
Speaker 3:Jesse P Lemons.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Jesse P Lemons, jesse Plemons, I'm forgetting.
Speaker 3:And his wife.
Speaker 1:Kirsten Dunst, but there was another male lead that was the bad guy.
Speaker 3:Oh, okay, I'm not coming to mind what?
Speaker 1:Can you look it up? Power of the Dog cast.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Because I feel bad to leave out the main, the star.
Speaker 3:Oh, benedict Cumberbatch, yes, who was a terrible, terrible man.
Speaker 1:Holly Hunter was in it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean yeah.
Speaker 1:If you haven't seen the Power of the Dog, kevin Bacon, it's a great film, yeah that. I really recommend it. It is not Harvey Keitel, that's right. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 3:It's so good. So many huge stars in that too. Yeah, it's great. It's so good, so many huge stars in that too. Yeah, it's great. You should see it.
Speaker 1:Well, cody Smith McPhee, and it was directed by Jane Campion, who is the Australian director. It was filmed in Australia, even though it takes place like in the old west, even though it takes place like in the old west, right? Um, but jane campion, who did the piano, did I don't think she won best director, which she should have? Did that film win best picture? I don't know. I'm confused, but see the Power of the Dog. If you haven't.
Speaker 3:She was nominated twice and won once.
Speaker 1:Oh for what Must have been the Power of the Dog An.
Speaker 3:Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Right Power of the Dog.
Speaker 1:So Shane Campion, no the Piano. Oh, she did win for the Piano.
Speaker 3:Yeah, won Best Original Screenplay, oh, but not Best and it also won the Palme d'Or Right. Yeah, Well, that was. She's a Kiwi though, by the way.
Speaker 1:Oh, I thought she was a.
Speaker 3:Nazi? No, she's from Wellington.
Speaker 1:Okay, new Zealand, I stand corrected. Oh, speaking of that part of the world, one of the things I was going to mention up top and I'm not sure what we were talking about is our friends from Down Under.
Speaker 3:Right, okay, yeah.
Speaker 1:Nicholas and Craig have already put up their Christmas tree.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 1:Now, Michael and I are both allergic to early Christmas.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Partly because, you know, by Labor Day here there are already Christmas items.
Speaker 3:Right yeah, exactly. So by September you can see they're stocking up their stuff.
Speaker 1:Right yeah, september you can see they're stocking up their stuff Right, and at this point you know the television commercials are rolling out. Black Friday has now turned into early Black Friday.
Speaker 3:That's right. There's a couple of those things going on. It's just ridiculous.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the whole thing is so out of control and it gets so painful after what. No, go ahead.
Speaker 3:No, after what it gets painful? After, oh, after at least two months of it, yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, after a few weeks it starts to get painful. What were you going to say?
Speaker 3:I was going to say it's a lovely tree.
Speaker 1:So it's decorated with, is it birds?
Speaker 3:and butterflies. No, it's butterflies and flowers.
Speaker 1:What a beautiful way to decorate a Christmas tree.
Speaker 3:And a couple other cute little ornaments yeah but that's mostly what it is, and it's an absolutely lovely tree.
Speaker 1:Well, when it comes to a Christmas tree, I have to say that I like a theme, and I like a theme that isn't oh, it's all silver ornaments Silver and gold.
Speaker 3:silver and gold.
Speaker 1:Thanks, pearl. I like it better when there's a theme like this, like butterflies, flies and flowers, right when there's something from nature also, like a tree with just pine cones on it would thrill me.
Speaker 3:Okay, yeah, but see, and now the thing is in Perth, christmas time is summer, yes, and it's so beautiful for that. Well, it is summer, yes, so you know, and it's so beautiful for that.
Speaker 1:Well, it is beautiful for that. I'm thinking Florida a little bit too. Oh, yeah, okay you know like they could stand to oh.
Speaker 2:I don't know.
Speaker 1:I always like down there. I always felt like, well, it's a silver tree with pink ornaments this year. Right, you know a Palm Springs vibe, if you will.
Speaker 3:I gotcha.
Speaker 1:But anyway, I want to mention that we did a serious gag gag and we were making fun of ourselves, essentially on the incredible difficulty of doing an Australian accent. It is the hardest accent for an English speaker to do and I know very, very few people that can do it successfully at all without a great deal of practice. And so I hope that that day that we went a little bananas, a little bonkers, that we didn't offend our dear friends and we want you to know we love you and miss you and hope you're having a fabulous summer.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So I wanted to. I've been meaning to mention that, well, yeah.
Speaker 3:I mean, and I think it's right to be concerned about the feelings of you know, our feelings of our friends Diananda.
Speaker 1:Diananda.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:That's the only thing I can say, and they've told me that I say it wrong. There's another one that I heard recently Jennifer Lopez, jennifer Lopez, jennifer Lopez. Now I can't say it. Rise Up Blades.
Speaker 3:Oh, there you go.
Speaker 1:How was that? Good one Okay. So yeah, you have to say like Rise Up Blades, rise Up Blades. Oh, there you go, good one so anyway, I'm trying, you guys, yeah, and you know, don't forget, send some dim sum any old time that that is correct they have the most amazing chinese food, like i't know a mile or two down the road.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:There is no good Chinese food anywhere on Cape Cod. If you think I'm wrong, please let me know.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Because if there is such a place, we will be there. I mean good beyond fried rice. We can get good fried rice. That's true, I can get good fried rice, but we can't get anything else on the Cape, and we're both Chinese food fanatics.
Speaker 3:I'm Mexican, I also cannot really get great Mexican food.
Speaker 1:We have not been to the Golden Hall. You can get.
Speaker 3:Oh, that's true. I haven't been to the Golden Hall, pino, yet, but also we've got Añejo that has fantastic Mexican food. Oh, that's true. I've kind of forgotten because it's the small plates thing I kind of Small plates.
Speaker 1:Thing.
Speaker 3:Oh no, I'm thinking of the one in Hyannis, the one that starts with an E. What's that place that?
Speaker 2:has the small oh.
Speaker 3:Embargo.
Speaker 1:That's what I was mixing it up with. That's not Mexican. No, not at all.
Speaker 3:No, I was confusing it in my head.
Speaker 1:No, I'm laughing. Yeah, you were confused in your head.
Speaker 3:I was confused in my genectogazoint.
Speaker 1:I'm going to mention Wicked, the film which I have not seen and I don't intend to. It's definitely not up my alley. Wicked on Broadway is something different. Wicked on film eh, it's all exhausting to me Got some singers going on though. But I want to mention the stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, and I think that is the most bizarre casting. Imagin, okay, imaginable.
Speaker 3:Do you think they were cast for their voices first?
Speaker 1:Well.
Speaker 3:I don't know if it was first.
Speaker 1:There are a lot of people with incredible voices, but what gets me about the two of them is their differences in other ways, the fact that, first of all, the age difference Cynthia Erivo has got to be 15 years older than Ariana, older, okay, than ariana.
Speaker 3:Now ariana grande has hands down one of the best voices I've ever come out of any human being that's actually amazing, yeah, and a range she's got like an over four octave range.
Speaker 1:She's truly incredible, naturally gifted.
Speaker 3:And can pretty much sound like anybody she wants to oh, she's such a good mimic. Oh my gosh, she does a great, celine Dion.
Speaker 1:She can do anyone, she does a great Christina Aguilera. Yep, britney, britney, everyone, they're all great Yep, so she's amazing as a singer and I totally get it. Cynthia Erivo is seriously.
Speaker 3:Yeah, sorry, cynthia, erivo beautiful voice.
Speaker 1:Extraordinary voice. I love her voice so much. I wanted to talk to you about St Dennis, but we'll have to get back to that and to my thoughts on Wicked next week. It's been quite a couple of weeks All over the world. This is Pink Glitter in the Air, which I think is a beautiful song, and for everyone on planet Earth that is hurting right now.
Speaker 2:Please put a light on the tip of the iceberg the sun before the burn, the thunder before the lightning and the breath before the rains. Have you ever felt this way? Have you ever hated yourself for staring at the phone your whole life, waiting on the ring to prove you're not alone? Have you ever been touched so gently you had to cry? Have you ever invited a stranger to come inside? It's only half past the point of oblivion. The hourglass on the table, the walk before the run, the breath before the kiss and the fear before the phrase. Have you ever felt this way? This way, there you are Sitting in the garden Clutching my coffee, calling me sugar. You called me sugar. Have you ever wished for an endless night? I saw the moon and the stars and pulled that road.
Speaker 1:Have you ever held your breath and asked?
Speaker 2:yourself.
