Bears On The Brink, From Peanut Butter Cups To Bearded Dragons, for 2/26/26

We weigh the Bears’ potential move to Indiana, unpack why Reese’s tastes different, break down the Supreme Court’s tariff ruling, question true crime livestream ethics, and laugh about a Golden Globes night upstaged by a reptile expo. It’s civic pride, customer trust, and real life priorities.

• Indiana’s stadium pitch and what it means for Chicago identity
• Soldier Field ownership, leases and business leverage
• Dome economics for concerts, hotels and local jobs
• Alleged Reese’s recipe shifts and confusing labels
• Quality versus cost pressures in food manufacturing
• Supreme Court limits tariff powers and consumer impact
• Who should receive the collected tariff money
• Claw machines as content, nostalgia and business
• Ethics and safety around true crime streamers on-site
• Public narratives, misinformation and responsible sourcing
• Awards, parenting and choosing priorities without guilt

If you enjoyed this conversation, follow and subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review—what topic got you fired up most?

Get tickets: Meryl so excited for her show Tuesday, March 10th at Flappers in Burbank

Tired of surface-level inspiration? This raw, transformative documentary digs deep into turning pain into purpose. Mainstream platforms wouldn't touch these powerful stories of resilience, but you can access them now on elrodvnetwork.com.

Tired of surface-level inspiration? This raw, transformative documentary digs deep into turning pain into purpose. Mainstream platforms wouldn't touch these powerful stories of resilience, but you can access them now on elrodvnetwork.com.

Tired of surface-level inspiration? This raw, transformative documentary digs deep into turning pain into purpose. Mainstream platforms wouldn't touch these powerful stories of resilience, but you can access them now on elrodvnetwork.com.

Transcript

Cold Open & Venting As Therapy

SPEAKER_00 1:12

Hello everyone. Welcome to this week's episode, Thirsty Topics. Hey Meryl. Hey, hey, hey. How are you today?

SPEAKER_01 1:22

I'm so good. How are you?

SPEAKER_00 1:24

I'm doing fantastic. I cannot complain.

SPEAKER_01 1:27

Yay. That's right.

SPEAKER_00 1:29

I mean, I cannot complain, but you know, no one really cares, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:34

I'm bringing back complaining with some of my friends. I do enjoy a good like vent slash, like in Jewish culture, we call it like kofetching. Like you just like cafetching. Like every now and then, I like to be positive, but it's also just fun to have like a very good, like venting, bitching session.

SPEAKER_00 1:49

Sometimes it's good to get stuff off your chest. It kind of releases that tension and pressure, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:56

Exactly.

Bears Weigh Indiana Stadium Deal

SPEAKER_00 1:59

Some people may have a little bit of pressure from this first story, but you know, we'll see. Um, the Chicago Bears are possibly going to Hammond, Indiana.

SPEAKER_01 2:10

Whoa!

SPEAKER_00 2:12

Yes, uh, let's see. Uh Indiana and fans in the region are excited about the possibility Indiana legislators legislators announced this week that the Bears are interested in building a stadium in the Wolf Lake area of Hammond, just across the state line from Illinois. Now, there's a lot going on with this story. For one, everyone knows that I'm a lifelong diehard Bears fan.

SPEAKER_01 2:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:44

Um, I honestly didn't think this could happen, but um, with everything going on over in Indiana, how aggressive they are with the uh with the deal they're putting on the table. Again, it's not over until it's everything signed, but there is a realistic possibility this to happen. And, you know, it actually was on Good Morning America, they talked about it as well, too. And I know that a lot of uh Illinois legislators um say that they're caught off guard by this, which I don't understand how, but yeah, but you know, they were just kind of knowing that the bears are gonna stay in Illinois. Obviously, the best case scenario would be to stay in Chicago and build somewhere in Chicago.

SPEAKER_01 3:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:38

So for those who think about going to another state, kind of throws a whole new wrinkle. And what's interesting about this, Merrill, is that before when they were talking about going to Arlington Heights, there was a big issue with the state saying that we're not gonna, you know, pay anything towards the stone, you know, we're not gonna do anything for infrastructure that's on the bears. Well, because Indiana is really serious and moving very, very fast ahead to try and get the bears over there. Now there's possibility of investing in infrastructure to help the bears stay. And I guess by the way.

SPEAKER_01 4:12

Well, of course, suddenly they found it.

SPEAKER_00 4:14

Exactly. Well, why why all the games, you know, because yeah, why not just put a deal together that makes everyone happy? And you know, again, the bears have options. So I don't know. What do you think, Meryl?

SPEAKER_01 4:29

Um, I mean, my most important thing for the story was how does Lawrence feel about this? I'm not gonna lie. And so uh it just seems crazy because I feel like when you think of Chicago, you think of obviously the Cubs and the Bears, and you know, like, and and it's just synonymous with the city. And so to me, it's just and I guess the White Sox, right? Wait, Chicago is the white, I'm bad at baseball.

SPEAKER_00 4:51

That's the the Cubs and the uh the Cubs and the Sox are both in Chicago.

SPEAKER_01 4:57

Okay, good. Phew, okay, good. But yeah, but basically, like the Bears just seemed like it's it's meant to be there, it's has a long history, it's like a huge part of the city, so yeah, why not provide, like you said, the support there when you when when it was needed rather than like it's almost like when you have a boyfriend and they treat you badly, and then all of a sudden you leave or you you get a new apartment and they're like, wait, wait, I can change.

SPEAKER_00 5:23

It's true, and you know, there's some fans that are saying, hey, if the Bears moved to Indiana, I'll no longer be a Bears fan. Oh man, I'm still gonna be a Bears fan no matter what. You know, whether they're here or whether they move to another state, I'm gonna still be a Bears fan no matter what. Now, I do admit that I would love for them to come to Arlington Heights because they'll be a lot closer to my home.

SPEAKER_01 5:46

So really, okay, it's okay to admit that. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 5:49

So I I do have a little bit of a preference there, but uh I don't know. I I think that if Illinois is serious about because really the Bears probably do want to stay primarily if in Chicago, and if they can't do Chicago at Arlington Heights, but you know, also their business too. And they gotta understand that. I mean, if they throw one hell of an offer out there as far as the financing, as far as the stadium location infrastructure, you know, there's a point where it's like, uh, you know, they can't ignore that either.

SPEAKER_01 6:24

Yeah, I mean, I definitely think too. So I wonder, does it say uh you might have mentioned this, but what would they do with where it is now if it does move? Will it just be you? You might have said this, but like what would happen to the physical space?

SPEAKER_00 6:38

Well, what's interesting is that um Soldier Fields actually is not owned by the Bears, it's actually owned by Chicago Park District.

SPEAKER_01 6:46

Oh, okay, so it would just become a field for like other things, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 6:50

And obviously, you know, the estimated time of wherever the new stadium's gonna be, they're gonna have to break the lease, but which they'll pay the the fee to break the lease. That's not a big deal for them. Okay, but I'm just wondering, you know, they redid Soldier Field not too long ago. Why they did not make it bigger and put a dome on it, I do not know.

SPEAKER_01 7:12

That to me, that is Well, I mean, I definitely Oh, sorry, what were you saying?

SPEAKER_00 7:19

Oh no, no, I was gonna say one of the big sticking features is that because of all the money that was spent redoing Soldier Field, they want the Chicago Bears to kind of pitch in and help out. But the problem is that whatever they negotiated, the Bears paid their price. So yeah. So it's like, I get it that there's still money that the city has to pay, but you know, you can't make someone pay something that they weren't contractually obligated to pay in the first place.

SPEAKER_01 7:49

Right.

SPEAKER_00 7:50

They agreed to pay so many millions, which they did, and you know, they decided okay, they need to go in a different direction. So I mean, I get them being angry, but you know, again, you can't force someone to pay something that they didn't agree to.

Soldier Field, Leases & Fan Loyalty

SPEAKER_01 8:06

Totally. I I was gonna say too, um, during my time in living in San Diego, was also when we saw the uh chargers move from San Diego to LA. And like for me, it I obviously I don't really care either way. It didn't really affect me at all. But but I did see people like it's sad when in San Diego when people do like make their personality a team or like they really, really care about it so much. And like that is like I mean, it's not like a severe trauma, but it is a trauma when you're like identified with a certain team and then they move or they jump cities and they're not like it in your city anymore. And I I do feel for people because it's like you know, if a big part of your life is going to see the bears or like going living in Chicago because of this team, having like a big part of why you're there in the first place, having a move can be a lot. That's true, that's true.

SPEAKER_00 8:59

I mean, do I think there's gonna be some fans that are gonna be pissed off and might not want to watch him again? Sure, but I think that the true diehard fans are gonna follow them no matter where they go.

SPEAKER_01 9:12

Really?

SPEAKER_00 9:12

Yeah, a little bit upset. You know, they do leave the state, but I think that the majority of fans are still gonna be there. I know I'm gonna still support them no matter what.

SPEAKER_01 9:20

So good, yay. That's you, that's that's a true fan. And what if they move to like San Francisco and now they're they're like the randomly like the San Francisco Bears or something? They get them and the 49ers are like tied for I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 9:38

Okay, my feelings may change there.

SPEAKER_01 9:42

Exactly. You have limits, you have limits.

SPEAKER_00 9:44

See, I could drive to a a a game in Hammond, Indiana for a rent. That's no big deal, but yeah, a little bit hard to travel across the country.

SPEAKER_01 9:54

I bet I bet people even like real estate-wise, too, if that happens, then like uh the surrounding area, it's such a smart thing to just like try to snatch up some real estate if you can, like right by that, you know, knowing that this huge thing is coming to town.

SPEAKER_00 10:07

Oh, I tell you, if they the one of the things that that that we don't talk about is um that region of Indiana um would greatly benefit from having the bears organization because it's not just the bears in the stadium that that comes there. Um, obviously, having a professional NFL team is gonna bring a lot of revenue in the national, um, not only from ticket sales, but also we also forget the restaurants, the hotels, Airbnbs, all of them are gonna really, really, really uh uh uh enjoy the fruits of having that team there. And they're gonna benefit greatly by having them there. Plus, the other thing, too, by having a dome, it can be used year-round. So even when the bears concerts and other types of events as well, too. So, I mean, it's a huge, huge economic boost. And you know, I'm not terribly mad at Indiana for coming at the bears so hard because it's a hell of an opportunity, you know?

Economic Ripple Of A New Dome

SPEAKER_01 11:09

Yeah, absolutely. Well, we'll keep an eye on it. I'll know something, something tells me that I'll know one way or another. If I if I see your uh your shirt start changing to like Indiana Bears, then I'll know. Um, Wilkin, my story is my version of NFL sports, which is um Hershey's Reese's peanut butter cups. And and I thought this was so funny because this was like dueling tea between the different chocolate companies, which is exactly like my type of competitive sports. Um, a grandson of Reese's founder, H.B. Reese, publicly alleged that the Hershey company changed ingredients in some Reese's products, claiming the traditional milk, chocolate, and peanut butter were replaced with um weird like compound coatings and peanut butter style cream in certain items. The allegations were shared in a letter and social media posts and included examples such as the newer or seasonal Reese's products labeled as quote, chocolate candy and peanut butter cream. Um now, the core Reese's peanut butter cups, and I'm including myself of like the fans of these, because this is my favorite, is that we've been speculating for a while that the the taste of the peanut butter cups have greatly changed. Like it just tastes way more chemical now. A lot of people are saying they don't feel well after they eat them compared to like, you know, we we used to be able to eat like a bunch of those little ones, the little peanut butter cups, and be just fine. And now people are saying, oh, I have like two or three of them and I have a stomachache. Um, the company did acknowledge that recipe adjustments may occur across the broader Reese's product line to support new shape sizes and product innovations. And uh the dispute gained attention and industry pressures, such as high cocoa prices, which have led to manufacturers cutting corners. Um, so I mean, there's so much about this. I love, first of all, if you're the grandson of like HB Reese peanut butter cups, I would never shut up about that. I would be like the biggest chocolate Nepo baby that's ever been in this planet. And I got such a flex. Um, but of course, just as more and more like highly manufactured processed foods are coming around, of course, they're gonna cut corners and not use the same like wholesome ingredients that they first started out making.

SPEAKER_00 13:30

Yeah, I I don't understand the logic with that because I've even seen restaurants do this over over time where let's say food costs go up, ingredients costs go up, and instead of adjusting your pricing, they you know either substitute some of the ingredients, they use some lesser quality meat. And the thing is, your customers can taste the difference. Yeah, oh yeah. Instead of losing on price, you lose them because of the quality. Now, obviously, prices are going up everywhere. There's really not anything you can really do on that right now, um, especially with the tariff situation, which um obviously we'll be talking about very soon. Um, so the changing of the ingredients I think does way worse because I know that I haven't had a Reese's cup in a while, but I have heard that it's definitely doesn't taste the same.

SPEAKER_01 14:23

And you can't tastes like so processing chemically, yeah. And that's why, like, I would love to hear from our listeners if anyone else is, because that's definitely my number one like chocolate type of situation. But now it's so worth going to like spend a little bit more and going to like a C's candy or somewhere. And even if you get a bigger peanut butter cup, you can like cut it in fours and have a little bit less because the like the gas station peanut butter cups, it just tastes like so weird and so not right. Um, but but yeah, it definitely like I used to want to get uh Cool Ranch Doritos and peanut butter cups, and now if I eat that, I feel like I'm eating battery acid. Like the next day I like can't see, and like I have like my fingers are like triple the size they normally are, and I'm like, I just had one bag of Doritos in Reese's peanut butter cups.

SPEAKER_00 15:12

Well, one thing is when you get stuff out the uh the gas station, I'm a stickler at always looking at the expiration dates on everything.

SPEAKER_01 16:17

Oh I never look, I should do that.

SPEAKER_00 16:19

I ran across gas stations that pretty much everything on the shelf was expired.

SPEAKER_01 16:23

So oh my god, I never look.

SPEAKER_00 16:27

You really need to look. Now, I haven't run across that in the grocery stores, but gas stations typically either they're expired or they're very close to being expired. So definitely want to make sure you watch it.

Reese’s Recipe Rumors & Taste Change

SPEAKER_01 16:40

Oh my gosh. And I try to I try to gross myself out by watching videos of like how these are made in the factory, because in theory, this would stop me from eating a lot of processed food because it is kind of gross just watching like how much work goes into making a peanut butter cup, you know, and just like seeing all the factory parts and just seeing how like non-natural it is is kind of really disgusting, but then I always forget and just end up eating it anyway.

SPEAKER_00 17:09

It's almost like the hot dog. Everyone loves the hot dog, but you don't want to see how exactly.

SPEAKER_01 17:15

Sometimes you just need to forget and enjoy it, and then other times you need to remember.

SPEAKER_00 17:21

That is so true. That is so so true. Well, talk about enjoyment. This may be really good news for consumers. The Supreme Court has invalidated most of President Trump's tariffs. So this has been a real big issue when Trump took office with tariffs going on. Um, the Supreme Court on Friday delivered a major blow to President Donald Trump by invalidating most of the global tariffs, a cornerstone of his economic policy in his second term. So in a 6-3 decision written by Chief Justice John Roberts, the court deemed that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which is IEEE PA, does not give Trump the power to unilaterally impose tariffs. So we claim no special uh competence in matters of economics or foreign affairs. We claim only, as we must, the limited role assigned by the uh to us by Article III of the Constitution's Roberts Right. Plaintiff uh fulfilling that role, we hold that IEEEPA does not authorize the president to impose tariffs. The Trump administration attempted to justify the tariffs by arguing that the IEEEPA says that the president has the power to regulate um importation. But Robert said that the road of the law, the read of the law was a stretch. Now, this is huge because the tariffs have really thrown everybody in the weapon. The average person is uh the average family has paid more than$2,000 a year because of these tariffs. So it actually raises a few questions. One, um, what happens to all that money that was collected? It's almost two billion dollars. Does it go back to the companies that charge them, or do they go to the American people? My personal opinion, this is just my opinion, it should be divvyed out and given to the to the American people because we all know that if you give them back to the companies, them companies are not going to share with the customers. I could be wrong, but that's just my feeling.

SPEAKER_01 19:48

I agree with you. I'm on team people, and the the money anyway will be going back to different companies and the economy in general, with people like how it did with our stimulus and to get it going. But the fact that we pay so much in taxes and just see very little of it back directly, um, it would be a very nice help for people that are struggling, I think.

SPEAKER_00 20:12

I agree. I agree. Um and this took a while to get through um because of how long it it took to fight this out in court, but I think that they need to um literally tell the administration what to do because as far as the administration is concerned, um they need they don't know what to do with the money they need to be told by the court. Well, I don't know, maybe I'm crazy, but if you've been told that you're overcharging, do you really have to be told you have to give the money back? I mean, I'm just saying. Or maybe am I really oversimplifying it? I don't know. What do you think?

SPEAKER_01 20:50

No, I mean, I think I think our government and everything likes to make simple ideas very challenging and complex just to mess with us and keep us stuck in bigger systems. But like, yeah, I think I think you're right, and I would vote for it to go back to the people for sure.

SPEAKER_00 21:09

Yeah, I mean, I would say back to the people, or you know what, get creative and do job training, or yeah, another idea, help pay off a lot of the student debt that people are carrying. You know, maybe just okay, we're gonna pay something towards everyone's student debt. Maybe it's a year's worth, maybe it's a two years' worth, or whatever the amount may be. Um, but there's all kinds of things that you can do. And I really hate when I hear politicians say we don't have the money, but then when it comes to things that's important to them, there is no such thing as a budget. It's like, okay, whatever needs to be done, we'll figure it out.

SPEAKER_01 21:46

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then they go into debt, it's like the robbing Peter to PayPal kind of thing, where it's like, okay, they reach into this, and then then now like education has to get underfunded or whatever. And so, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:58

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 21:59

And I really think too, like, for all of us, it should always be the priority, should be like clean water and food and air, and then like infrastructure, and then like all the little other things down at the bottom, but it's always like safety and a good environment should be like you know, at the top of our priority.

SPEAKER_00 22:17

Well, yeah. I mean, one of the things that they touted was uh the administration said that these tariffs is going to save the Americans money, which it didn't do. So I would think that the money will go back to them, but I could be wrong and I could be oversimplifying things again. But I don't know. People watching and listening to us, what do you think they should do with the money? Exactly. Let us know on our social media. What do you think they should do?

SPEAKER_01 22:43

What if everyone says thinks it should go into the White House ballroom?

SPEAKER_00 22:50

More golds bidet. That would be shocking. That would be terrible.

Price Pressures, Quality, And Labels

SPEAKER_01 22:58

So funny. Well, uh, so if they don't give it back to the people, I may have a way that we can all make our money back, and that is with the resurgence of claw machines. Now, I saw this article and I'm like, we just have to talk about it because it's so funny to me. So, first off, are you? I think you are, but like you know what I'm talking about, where like the games that we see in restaurants or our kid, you know, where and people know where it's like the metal drop-down claw. It usually is getting like a stuffed animal. Um, a lot of times I feel like for one reason or another, they may be fixed or magnets or lasers are actually helping us not win. But claw machines have experienced a resurgence driven largely by social media content and nostalgia with videos attracting billions of views and turning the games into monetizable entertainment. Um, now I have I watch some TikTok accounts. Where they they live stream themselves playing claw games and winning. And I'm obsessed with like the creators that know how to hack the system and basically all times they're able to like win a claw game. And whether it's the technique or whether they have some type of like magnetic device that trips up the machine, I'm just like obsessed with watching the claw gameplay. Um examples include YouTubers Eric Kane and Matt McGone, who began playing as children and now have millions of subscribers documenting them playing claw games. Uh playing costs typically range from 25 cents to$2 per attempt. And the trend reflects a broader ecosystem in which claw machines function as a platform for content and small business activity rather than solely as arcade games. So people are saying also like a business opportunity is being the vendor of claw games and pretty much like going to local restaurants and saying, I'll supply you with the arcade game and trying to like have a business that way, which I think is really interesting.

SPEAKER_00 24:59

That's true. I mean, I used to play claw games a long time ago. I just got tired of putting my money in there because one, if you're not paying attention, you actually spend more money on trying to win that price versus if you just bought it straight up. That's the first thing. And then the second thing is there's been times where I had it directly on the item and it looked like it's coming up and then it slips off. And it's like this thing is playing this crap no more. And I think that's why a lot of people don't play them anymore. But if you watch the YouTube, you'll you'll get to know the hacks. That's true. I mean, I've heard that there's a certain way you have to uh I guess once you put it in, you gotta hit the the not the level a certain way, or hit the button so many times and all this. It's like, you know, personally, I don't want to do all that kind of work just to win a little stupid prize.

SPEAKER_01 25:53

Yeah, I know that's the thing is usually these things are like a a penny kind of trash trash stuffed animals anyway, you know, like I mean, you know what?

SPEAKER_00 26:05

More part to you, people want to use them. I think it's something that would I invest as a business for that? No, I wouldn't. Because yeah, people are gonna try it, you know. And the thing is, if people aren't winning every so often and everyone is losing, then people are just gonna stop playing the game, and you just gotta get invested in and no one's putting money in there.

SPEAKER_01 26:26

So I think it's always so funny to and kind of a tell when they have like four stuffed animals and then like an iPhone 15. And I'm like, okay, no one is winning that. Like, you can pretty much guess if they're selling like$800 sneakers in there or something, they have something set up magnet-wise or laser-wise or something that like you're probably not going to get to it.

SPEAKER_00 26:48

That is true, that is true. I mean, it would be nice to see some win that, but see someone win that, but I agree with you. I don't think anyone's gonna win that. And I could be wrong, totally wrong.

SPEAKER_01 27:00

Would you think this? Oh, yeah, definitely. Like every now and then, if I have cash and if I'm somewhere where there's like a line and and that we're waiting for something, I totally will. Just knowing that I will lose stuff. Um I love I love skee ball the most. If I'm at an arcade, I want to play like skee ball all day.

SPEAKER_00 27:20

It's nice. I like skee ball too. I think I'll play that faster than I would the claw machine.

Supreme Court Nixes Most Tariffs

SPEAKER_01 27:26

Me too. And and just pretty much knowing with the claw machine, like you are kind of just throwing away stuff. I I even feel that way about like fair games, you know, like games that you would play at a local fair, knowing I don't want to win this like weird garbage-stuffed animal, but it's still kind of fun to just mentally zone out and play.

SPEAKER_00 27:46

Well, you know what? It's the it's the the the uh the challenge of winning is what it is. It's not even prize, but just that hey, I won this. That's what people really chase.

SPEAKER_01 27:57

It's like a dopamine stuff, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:00

Absolutely, absolutely. But uh, like I said, people that want to invest in those, more power to you. Uh exactly. Well, my last topic is an interesting one. Um, and actually a sad one at the same time. Uh, podcasters and live streamers are camping out in front of Nessie uh Guthrie's home. So, um, as of late February 2026, a significant number of true crime influencers, YouTubers, and live streamers have been camping out or maintaining a constant presence in front of the Tucson Arizona home of Nancy Guthrie following her February 1st disappearance. So the street outside of her home has been described as a media circus and a unique crime scene where influencers have set up lawn chairs, tripods, and phones to stream for hours, often speculating about the case. Streamers such as JLR investigates, uh, which is Jonathan Lee Richards, have conducted near constant streams from location. Some streamers have been present for consecutive weeks. So there's issues raised by the local authorities and residents being um frustrated with the presence of these content creators, notifying, uh noting that they, along with media crews, have created parking congestion in a narrow dark road. Safety concerns included by uh uh Arizona State rep Alma Hernandez has criticized the presence of these streamers, stating that they are hindering the investigation and creating safety issues. I think this is so sad that people are using this as their 15 minutes of fame and try and get more people to watch their their podcasts and stream shows and stuff like that. I'm really surprised that law enforcement isn't taking a better handle on this because when you're investigating something, you may not necessarily want eyes right there, you know, kind of see what you see until you analyze what it is. And I think it's probably on that line of being disrespectful at the same time. What do you think, Meryl?

SPEAKER_01 30:27

Yep. I agree. I mean, I think it's definitely um one of the things too that it comes down to almost safety and like a res a certain amount of respect. Um what did you say that this like originated from, or it just uh like I'm looking now too, because I I heard it differently, I heard a story about um this, but from like the police point of view, too. Um but yeah, I I agree with you.

SPEAKER_00 31:00

Yeah, I mean, this is crazy, and and the you know, this is someone's family, this is someone's love that that they want that that's missing. And I think that um the other problem too is when you have people constantly, and this is what we talk about about social media too, where sometimes it's not so good. And this is one of those situations where they could be putting out false narratives about, well, this is going on, and okay, now they got this lead, it's probably this and that. And I I I tell people to be careful where you get your information from.

SPEAKER_01 31:33

Exactly. That's what I was gonna say. I just found it. It was an article more from like a police person saying that sometimes when people create a big spectacle out of these things, it can lead to wrong information, the wrong people get pursued, and we actually waste like resources, money, and time. Um, and I think a lot of these YouTubers and people camping out too. I'm sure some of them mean well, but then other people are just looking for their own 15 minutes of fame and just want attention. So it's a shame that these this kind of stuff happens with like every well-known case and speculation where people there are people just trying to do good and help and like find missing people and advocate for those that have been hurt, but then there's others that just want to kind of jump on the like bagwag bandwagon.

SPEAKER_00 32:15

That is so true, Meryl. And you know, the crazy thing about it too is that you know, I mean, do they really make that much money where they can sit out there all day long? I know.

SPEAKER_01 32:27

Well, I guess the money is streaming. I I guess to them it's like it's almost like an investment in there, they can stream from there, and it's probably good for views, and then it's like upping their profile, which is kind of annoying, you know.

SPEAKER_00 32:38

Yeah, and you know, the one thing that that that was highlighted in what I just read, we we forget is there's other families, other people that live in that neighborhood. So yeah, totally just imagine how angry they are because it's literally a circus right outside of their door. Yes. And just imagine being able to, because you still have to go to work, you still have to go to the store to get stuff. So, you know, to get in and out of your home and in out of your block, it's like a zoo in itself, and and that that can be very, very trying and very stressful as well. Too.

SPEAKER_01 33:13

Yep, absolutely. Uh but uh yeah, it's crazy watching, and then I feel like there's a lot of like well-known influencers that do that or like YouTube streamers, and then there's a lot of like baby ones that just show up wanting their 15 minutes of fame.

Who Should Get The Tariff Money

SPEAKER_00 33:26

Oh, yeah, and and and you know, the crazy thing about it is this it makes it difficult to know what's really going on because you got so many people throwing their hat and throwing their two cents into what they're thinking is yeah, it goes back to okay, you need to really just pay attention to um mainstream media. Some people have their opinions for or against it, but at least you'll have some type of knowledge as far as what's really going on, and some of the stuff that you hear, because I've I've listened to some of this stuff, and some of it's really off the rails. You know, I'm not even gonna repeat it, it's just so you know, but yeah, I know, I know.

SPEAKER_01 34:03

Even even as a conspiracy theorist, sometimes I'm like, this is enough.

SPEAKER_00 34:08

Right. So you really have to be careful where you get this information from because some of these people, it's like, okay, what experience do you have? Well, I have a camera and I have internet connections.

SPEAKER_01 34:18

So exactly. Yep. Well, um, oh, my last one. I think this is so funny. Where uh, okay, I'm obsessed with this. So actress Rose Byrne uh won her first Golden Globe for uh the movie If I Had Legs, I'd kick you, and revealed during her acceptance speech that her partner, Bobby Canavale, was absent because he was attending a reptile expo in New Jersey. Uh Byrne, and of course, like the internet went ablaze with this, and some people thought it was hilarious, and it was like, okay, good for him. And then other people are like, why isn't your partner at the Golden Globes? Why is he busy looking at iguanas and everything? Um, Byrne later clarified that Canavale was not attending for himself, but was purchasing a bearded dragon for their two children. Um, she said the public reaction made it seem as though he was a reptile enthusiast, which she disputed, emphasizing the pet was for their kids. And a lot of people said, um, you know, she said she felt unprepared during her acceptance speech and later apologized via messages to forget people that she or to thank people that she forgot. They've been together since 2012 and they share two children. Um, now I'm obsessed with this, and I think I could totally see me being at the Golden Globes and my boyfriend being at like a weird oddities expo and in in a good way, not in a way that like because he's not supportive, just in a way like, like I don't care if if my boyfriend comes to my comedy shows or not. And I think when I was first starting out, I did. And now I'd rather just like be focused and without him, you know. So if I was getting like a lifetime achievement award, of course, like I'd want him and my parents there. But just like even just the golden globes to these people, I think just are a normal, as exciting as it seems to us, to them. It's just like, okay, Tuesday afternoon, I'm gonna go to this award show and like you're gonna go get a bearded dragon. So I don't see anything wrong with it. And I think it's like so hilarious that she said that just the honestly what was happening, and then now she had to go back and explain it again.

SPEAKER_00 36:21

I mean, you know, the thing is, I agree with you. I think it depends on each individual person, each individual situation. Um, because who knows what could be going on. And you know, it may be a situation where it's like they're really proud of this award, but okay, maybe they've had prior um commitments that they want to fulfill. And your commitment to your children counts as a commitment. People gotta understand. Yeah, and sometimes people kind of look at it as well, this is a big major award, you know, you should have been there. I get all that, but I still it still boils down to be an individual decision. It really does. Because we've exactly we've seen awards, I mean huge awards like the Oscars and stuff, where the person that's supposed to get their award isn't there and they accept it on their behalf, and that's all it's said. Yeah, they don't go, well, why wasn't this person here? Blah blah blah. You know, it's like, okay, they're not here. Let's go on to the next award.

Claw Machines, Nostalgia, And Hacks

SPEAKER_01 37:18

Exactly. And the fact that he was looking for a bearded dragon for his kids is just a very funny reason not to be at this thing. And and like just like anything, I'm sure all of us view these like award shows and these Oscars and Grammys as like huge things. But if you've gone to them like two or three times in a row, they really do just become kind of like, uh, this is just like oh, we like I think many people would be shocked what the Oscars looks like when you're driving by on Hollywood Boulevard. It's just basically like a like an outside room, and they have like fake carpets and it's it's not as like glamorous. And so I can imagine when you're inside it so much like they are, and you're just like, Well, you know, I could go to this or I could go shopping for with the for the bearded dragon.

SPEAKER_00 37:59

Oh, yeah, and you know, a lot of people don't understand too, Meryl, is that when you see a lot of these award shows, a lot of those seats that people are in, um, outside of the the celebrities, a lot of those seats are paid for because they have an empty stadium or empty community giving out awards that don't look great. So a lot of people don't realize that there are a lot of people that are literally paid to sit there uh at the awards show.

SPEAKER_01 38:29

Exactly. I love it.

SPEAKER_00 38:32

So I don't know. I I think people are really kind of getting a little bit crazy with this, you know. It is what it is.

SPEAKER_01 38:38

Me too, and why not? Honestly, like uh I think this is an opportunity to also think it's cool that someone in Hollywood actually told the truth and like was honest, and she told us the answer. Other people would bullshit us and be like, he couldn't be here because but it's like cool, and she's a real person with a husband and two kids, and like she said what the truth is, and so why not why punish someone like that, you know, and just if anything, be happy that she's not being fake like a lot of these other actors are.

SPEAKER_00 39:05

I mean, she could have easily just saying, Well, you know, he wanted to be here, but he wasn't able to make it and leave it at that.

SPEAKER_01 39:11

She could have yep, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 39:13

You know, so hey, when I got a bearded dragon, that's all.

SPEAKER_01 39:19

Can't blame a man for going to that instead of the golden gloves.

SPEAKER_00 39:25

Well, talk about what's going on. Meryl, what do you have coming up?

SPEAKER_01 39:29

Yay. Um, I am so excited for my show Tuesday, March 10th at Flappers in Burbank. And so it's just a very fun show. Um, anyone that lives in Los Angeles, Southern California, Flappers and Burbank is so awesome. It's where kind of like the home club for where Jay Leno is. On any given night, Jay Leno performs there. Um, there's been lots of times where I'm doing the show in the small loser room and Jay Leno's in the big, cool, famous room. So yeah. So I will be there Tuesday, May, or sorry, Tuesday, March 10th. Flappers.

SPEAKER_00 40:07

Hey, babe, maybe Jay Leno surprised you, bring you over to the nice room, huh?

SPEAKER_01 40:12

Oh my God, I would love that. And there's been there was one night where I did a show and Jay Leno was in the big room and I was in the little room, and then afterwards I went out to Chick-fil-A and Jay Leno was in Chick-fil-A eating. And I didn't I didn't go up to him because he was like talking to someone, but I'm like, I told my parents, I'm like, Jay Leno and I are having like the same night, pretty much. Nice, nice. He just went home to a few more cars and a few more square footage.

SPEAKER_00 40:41

Well, everyone, if you're in the Burbank area, definitely make sure you go out and support Meryl. She would love to see you there. Thank you. Well, everyone, thank you so much for watching and listening to us. Um, we are very excited and looking forward to your responses to some of the things that we brought up and some of the input that we asked for. So definitely make sure you go to all of our social media and let us know what you think. We would love to hear your exactly.

SPEAKER_01 41:10

Totally. I'm I'm most uh interested in the Reese's peanut butter hot cup hot talk. I want to know.

SPEAKER_00 41:17

Something tells me a lot of people are gonna comment on that.

SPEAKER_01 41:21

Yeah, me too. Well, everyone, I'm Lawrence Elright, and I'm Meryl Climo.

SPEAKER_00 41:30

Have a great day, everyone.

SPEAKER_01 41:32

Bye bye.