Introducing: Dead and Kind of Famous

Have you ever strolled through a graveyard and felt a sudden wave of curiosity about the people resting beneath the headstones? Especially the one’s featuring a mysteriously unrecognizable yet glamorous headshot? If you’ve ever been to Los Angeles’s most iconic cemetery, Hollywood Forever, then you know the type. And on their new podcast, Dead and Kind of Famous, hosts Courtney Blomquist and Marissa Rivera will be focusing on the graves of the, well… dead and kind of famous folks that are laid to rest there. 

A seasoned actress who’s been in at least half the commercials that flash across your tv, Marissa herself is kind of famous and brings a current industry perspective. Courtney, on the other hand, brings an endless curiosity about Old Hollywood and dead people and the perspective of a complete nobody. 

Get to know them and their impressive (Marissa) and wildly eclectic (Courtney) backgrounds in this brief episode. Hopefully they’ll be your new best friends and guides to making sure that the stories of Hollywood’s dead never die. And if you (like Courtney) aren’t famous, just remember… you’re also not dead yet. 

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Transcript

Courtney 0:17

Have you ever wandered through a graveyard and wondered about the lives of its permanent residents? Obviously, life has ceased for the names etched on each headstone. But who were these people and how are they remembered? Are they even remembered?

Marissa 0:32

It's a strange thing to try to get to know people after they have died, but it's one we can all relate to, especially when it comes to famous people.

Courtney 0:40

In Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles you can find many graves of really famous people. Judy Garland found the end of her rainbow here. Mel Blanc, prolific voice actor of Looney Tunes fame, is buried here with a that's All Folks epitaph.

Marissa 0:55

That's all folks.

Courtney 0:56

Very clever. Yeah, johnny Ramone is memorialized playing guitar and stone with loving quotes from friends upon his grave.

Marissa 1:03

That's a good one playing guitar and stone with loving quotes from friends upon his grave. That's a good one, but this iconic cemetery that lies directly across from Paramount's famous Golden Gates is also filled with names you won't recognize. But that doesn't mean these people didn't have stories to tell. They may have even enjoyed a touch or two of fame, and if they're buried here, chances are they have.

Courtney 1:23

These are the graves that this podcast, dead and Kind of Famous will be digging into Not literally, of course.

Marissa 1:30

No, no, no, no, no, no. We don't Manual labor. Yeah, we're not going to dig.

Courtney 1:35

Please rest in peace, sweet deceased. We mean it. We do no ghosties.

Marissa 1:45

But from prolific character actors to forgotten heartthrobs, to creepy trailblazers, we are making sure that the stories of Hollywood's dead never die. And who are?

Courtney 1:50

we, you might ask. Well, we're best friends who are doing this podcast together.

Marissa 1:54

Yeah, I feel like they need more context, more information.

Courtney 1:57

All right fine, let's say what we think our obituaries might say about us.

Marissa 2:02

Okay, right now, currently. Yeah, all right, all right. So mine would say hey, what's up?

Courtney 2:11

Guess who died.

Marissa 2:16

It's me, Marissa Rivera, and I'm a seasoned commercial actress whose credits include Capital One with Samuel L Jackson he's freaking dope Multiple spots for Lowe's and McDonald's, and the 2021 Super Bowl M&M's campaign with Daniel Levy. I also played Magdalena Magda Calderon in season three of Good Trouble and I am currently a member of the Try Guys cast of YouTube fame. I'm one of those actors you see a fair amount, but you don't necessarily know me by my name. I'm also a dog mom and a phenomenal Baker.

Courtney 2:53

She's kind of famous no.

Marissa 2:55

I'm not. I'm really, truly I'm not yet.

Courtney 3:00

Okay, okay, yet, and I'm Courtney Blomquist. I'm one of those people who has tried a million and one things at least once, and have a confusing resume to prove it, she does.

Marissa 3:10

It's wild yes.

Courtney 3:12

I started out in acting, dabbled in photography, did stand-up comedy and produced podcasts.

Marissa 3:18

Yeah, remember when you were a dominatrix for literally a day. She said less than 24 hours. And she said nope, not for me, she's too sweet.

Courtney 3:28

I didn't have the image for it. I didn't have the image. Or the stamina, or the stamina or the will or the like tone of voice. I've spent my 20s and 30s throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks, and most of it hasn't. But now I'm a stay-at-home mom and the spaghetti my daughter throws has better luck sticking to the wall. I'm not dead yet, but I'm also not famous at all. But you do have a wiki feed. I do have a wiki feed, but one of the pictures is actually of you.

Marissa 3:56

I don't know how that happened. It's wild. Wikifeet is wild, yes, but yeah, I also have my own.

Courtney 4:05

WikiFeet yes, you do. Yours has a lot more posts and a better rating than mine, because you're kind of famous.

Marissa 4:11

And I'm really religious about my pedicures. Okay, All right, okay.

Courtney 4:15

Anyway, Marissa tends to have her finger on the pulse of what's currently happening in Hollywood, whereas I tend to have my finger on all things that no longer have a pulse.

Marissa 4:23

She's obsessed with dead people. I am Every other week.

Courtney 4:37

I'll be surprising Marissa with the story of a dead person that she is very likely unfamiliar with, and then I'll give my two cents about who I think they were, in the form of a completely bullshitted obituary, and then I'll share the real story, while utilizing Marissa's acting chops to read for these charismatic dead characters, even though sometimes I get the accents completely wrong because I walk in completely blind and I only like I only have a certain repertoire of accents at my fingertips. Right, right, you know it's like pick one of four. I'm kidding.

Marissa 5:06

The show is super fascinating, fun and full of Hollywood truths and half-truths and mysteries and rumors and scandals and scandals and mysteries, and rumors, and scandals and scandals. So if you want a little star-adjacent history with a side dish of banter, you've found your next favorite podcast.

Courtney 5:25

Heck yeah. If we've piqued your curiosity, please subscribe on Substack at deadandkindoffamoussubstackcom. We list each episode there, along with photos, newsletters, sources and more. You can also find us wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, you might not be famous, but you got a story to tell and you're not dead yet.