Gossip Girl: Cultural Flashback Pilots Inspired by Nobody Wants This

11/12/24 • 40 min

In our latest episode we are chatting about another cultural flashback pilot episode inspired by Nobody Wants This...Gossip Girl. Adam Brody and Kristen Bell have reminded us all that they’re national treasures and their beginnings in 2000s teen dramas were worth coming back to. We’ve covered the pilot episode of The O.C., Veronica Mars, and now Gossip Girl, a show in which wealthy, privileged Upper East Siders take on high school as the anonymous “Gossip Girl” (voiced by Kristen Bell) reveals their secrets at every turn.

Launching the careers of Blake Lively, Leighton Meester (who also happens to be married to Adam Brody), Chance Crawford, Penn Badgley and Taylor Momsen, Gossip Girl is as enduring and addictive as Blair Waldorf’s headbands!

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Alyssa Jarrett & 'Love On The Rocks': Complicated Conversations Series

On this episode of Debut Discussions, romance author Alyssa Jarrett shares her journey from a passionate reader to a published writer of a four-part series. She discusses her second installment, Love on the Rocks, an opposites-attract rom-com that proves love is the most exciting adventure of all. Blending Silicon Valley satire with romantic comedy, Love On The Rocks explores themes of anxiety, trust, and personal growth.

Alyssa chats with us about the importance of relatable characters and the influence of pop culture in her writing, while also reflecting on her own experiences in the tech industry and how they shape her storytelling. We also talk about the complexities of celebrity relationships, the impact of reality TV on self-identity, the struggles of professional identity, rock climbing as a romantic metaphor, and astrology as a way into characters.

Listen now to Alyssa’s story wherever you get your podcasts. Love On The Rocks is out now -- buy it, read it, and share it (in other words, make a debut author’s dreams come true!).

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'Disclaimer' & Cate Blanchett: The Perils of Being a Woman

On our new episode we’re discussing the Apple TV+ limited series, Disclaimer, and specifically, the gut punch twist heard round the world. Based on a book by Renee Knight and created for TV by famed director Alfonso Cuaron, Disclaimer’s multiple perspective storytelling technique is meant to ultimately make audiences confront their own judgements about what is real and what we’ve just assumed to be the truth. One thing is clear: we as a society are willing to believe the worst of a woman, particularly one who is ambitious, successful and strong. It’s damning and depressing and frankly, we’re just sort of sitting with it.