1. The After Party – I wasn’t sure how this show was going to turn out, but I knew I loved a lot of the people in the cast. This was the MOST clever show, give me a murder mystery but make every episode a different genre of movie? I loved it! If you’ve missed this, it might be a great binge with the family (or alone!) over the holidays.
2. Bel Air – Having grown up with The Fresh Prince I was curious how this dramatic interpretation would do and I was blown away by how they could take such a light and fun sitcom into a 2022 drama.
3. Minx – I almost missed this show and I am so glad that my friend pushed me to make sure and watch. A feminist in the 70’s begins an erotic magazine – sure! A fun holiday binge (but probably not with your parents or kids?)
4. Hacks – I love this show so much. I love the characters, I love the relationships, I love it all.
5. Ms Marvel – This is the best of the Marvel superhero shows since WandaVision. I loved the comic books when it first came out and the show lived up to it!
6. Loot – Maya Rudolph is ALWAYS the right answer, and I am so glad she finally has the sitcom world she deserves. This fills the Ted Lasso hole in my heart.
7. A League of Their Own – I still think about these characters and their relationships and how they survived and lived and hid in the world.
8. Julia – I have always heard snippets about Julia Childs bio but never really delved into it. This show made me want to read more and learn more about this incredible woman, her friends and family.
9. Bad Sisters – I love a murder mystery where you know who’s dead and just watch the story unfold from everyone’s POV each week. These are sisters I want to be friends with and never want to upset.
10. White Lotus – I was happy to be back in Tanya McQuiod’s world, even if it was only seven episodes (why isn’t this show longer?!). I would also follow a spinoff of Grandpa Bert farting his way through Italy.

I don’t know if I’ve ever watched as many movies in a month as I have in the past few weeks. From a girls trip to the mountains to a long holiday weekend with lots of holiday movies to enjoy, I feel like the pop culture part of me that lacks, has finally caught up! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving holiday and that it was filled with some great pop culture moments. Here’s a few of my favorites from the past month.

Reading

I had planned to read on my girls weekend, but instead we watched a bunch of movies which was glorious. I did finally get back into audiobook mode and listened to I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. I had heard about this book over the summer and was intrigued even though I didn’t know anything about the actress. There are a myriad of trigger warnings for this book, so please be warned it isn’t for everyone. If you’re fascinated by the rise of a child star (Jennette was on iCarly which I never watched) and want to read a very very personal and candid account of their upbringing by one of the top 5 worst parents I’ve ever read about, I highly recommend this book.  I listened to the latest episode of Keep It (a podcast I keep telling you to listen to) and they talked about celebrity memoirs (my favorite) and what makes a good one. If you enjoy a good celebrity memoir (and we all know I do!) this was a great podcast that discusses McCurdy’s book and talks about what makes a good celebrity memoir (which evidently Matthew Perry’s is NOT).

Thanksgiving weekend finally was the time and space I needed to pick up a book and start reading again. I’m almost finished with Drunk in Love, a contemporary romance that I’ve heard great things about. It’s a quick and fun read, just what I needed this weekend.

Listening

You know what’s a great idea when you’re running a state level campaign? Going to see Lizzo 4 days before the election! As expected, Lizzo is an AMAZING performer in person and the concert was incredible. It was exactly the night out that I needed with friends and the album continues to be on repeat over here.

I know I jumped the line on podcasts above, but last weeks Keep It introduced me to Celebrity Book Club, and of course the first episode I’m listening to is about I’m Glad My Mom Died! 

I have ONE episode left of Ultra the new Rachel Maddow podcast. It is BONKERS to learn that this wasn’t the first attempt to over throw the government in the last 100 years…

I finally listened to We Were Three from Serial. It was an interesting and sad story about a broken family that was torn apart during COVID and the rise of disinformation. Lots of trigger warnings here too and they aren’t well warned I felt (just a heads up!) I was excited for the bonus episode of Burn Wild and happy to hear the judges ruling and an update from one of the main characters.

Watching

I get that the new season of White Lotus is different than the last, but I am still really enjoying how weird and intertwined it is. For a complete 180 I am thrilled that Yellowstone is finally back! The second episode was emotionally draining but I am still excited to see where this season goes. I am also thrilled for the return of The Sex Lives of College Girls, one of the funniest shows of last year.

I watched a bunch of movies on my girls weekend, and highly recommend Fire Island, Where the Crawdads Sing (the book was better, but it was still really good!) and I think I recommend Don’t Worry, Darling. I mean, what even was that movie? Was it a good movie with bad editing or just a bad movie? If you’re at all curious about the movie, you should watch it. And then call me after and we can discuss.

I jumped into the holiday movie spirit this weekend and Bad Moms Christmas will never not be funny to me, it’s so dang great. Speaking of KBell – The People We Hate At The Wedding was a funny holiday weekend watch, although not a Christmas movie.  We watched Christmas Vacation with friends in the theater which was a super fun holiday kickoff activity that we will hopefully continue for years to come! If you missed Single All the Way on Netflix last year, there’s no time like the present!

Alright! What got you through Thanksgiving and November? What are you excited for in this final month of 2022? I can’t wait to hear…

With just over a week until the election, my pop culture habits are more important than ever to keep me sane and provide an escape from the chaos of politics. The change in weather also means a change in how and where I consume my pop culture, as you’ll see from the one book I made it through this month…

Reading

We took a (much needed and maybe not great timing) trip down to Palm Springs earlier this month for a fun get away with friends. I didn’t get as much reading done as I had hoped but I LOVED More Than You’ll Ever Know. It goes back and forth between a journalist and the woman she’s writing about who had two husbands (at the same time) and one husband killed the other. It’s a great story and I loved the back and forth narration and the mystery of it. I head out of town for a girls weekend after the election and look forward to getting back on track with my reading for the year. 

Listening

I haven’t been able to focus on an audiobook since early  September, but I have been blazing through podcasts. The latest episode of into it “The Abortion Episode” is FANTASTIC and the pitch for a Parks & Rec style show set in an abortion clinic is something I need to have happen ASAP. Trust me, listen to this.

I am obsessed with Ultra from Rachel Maddow. It’s a crazy story I didn’t know, and based on how well it parallels current politics I’m surprised it hasn’t come up sooner. Burn Wild has been another fantastic series from Leah Sotille, and listening to the story set in Oregon has been fascinating to me. I’m also glad The Daily has had some fantastic reporting and explainer episodes lately.

Watching

I really enjoyed SheHulk: Attorney at Law especially because Tatiana Maslany is such an awesome actress (see Orphan Black). The fourth wall breaking in the finale was insane. “This can’t possibly be where this season was going” and KEVIN, were perfect.

Reboot on Hulu was a great show with a clever premise with an awesome cast. Bad Sisters was a great series and I loved the finale. I don’t think they need another season but I would watch these sisters do just about anything together. 

My husband is a HUGE This Old House fan so of course we watched The House that Norm Built, the retirement celebration episode! I have seen the Ask This Old House episode where they install a garbage disposal so many times, I am certain I could do it. I thought we (finally) broke ours last month and was disappointed when my husband fixed it and I didn’t get my chance. It’ll happen.

A few weeks ago I read a story in the New York Times about Empress Elisabeth of Austria and the new show on Netflix about her. The Empress is a slow burn story about this woman but I am really liking it and can’t wait for more seasons as she becomes more of a recluse…

That’s what’s getting me through this month, I’m looking forward to catching up post election season and into the holidays! What got you through the past month?