Fine Beats & Cheeses

Many of us Gen X-ers grew up loving the movies of filmmaker John Hughes. Almost 40 years later, though, some of us are looking at those films differently, especially when looking through the lens of race (among other things). Journalist John-John Williams IV talks loving movies that don't necessarily love you back. This was an honest, funny, sometimes sad but ultimately uplifting episode. John-John Williams is a DEI reporter at The Baltimore Banner. You can find him:On Twitter @popcouturejjw4On Instagram @johnjohnw4https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/author/john-john-williams/

There's intelligent life OUT THERE as well as on Fine Beats and Cheeses this week as we talk about UFOs with return guest, Rissa Miller. We imagine what our reaction would be if we actually had an alien encounter, and talk about UFO-themed media like the original radio drama "War of the Worlds", as well as the Netflix series "Encounters", among other otherworldly stuff. This is a perfect companion piece to last week's "Independence Day" episode! Rissa Miller is an editor, author, herbalist, seer, and storyteller.You can find her at:https://www.facebook.com/rissa.miller.39/teaandsmoke_byrissa on Instagramhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UC28JvqnLvLSq7xLyx_tc9xghttps://www.teaandsmoke.com/

Prepare your most rousing speeches and get ready for intergalactic battle as we discuss 1996's classic alien movie, "Independence Day"! Our guest is film historian David Neary, and we laughed and learned and yearned for the days when Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum and 90s Bill Pullman were kings. Enjoy! Ooh, and also, check out our Patreon page, where you will get bonus episodes and other grove content!David Neary is a specialist in moving image media history and preservation, and has worked as a critic, curator, archivist, conservator and educator for film and video, particularly in the museums sphere. His tastes vary wildly from the pulpiest trash to the most miserable arthouse cinema, the most mainstream blockbusters to the strangest video art. His passions include championing media access and promoting under-represented voices.Born in Dublin, Ireland, he has been living in Brooklyn for just over 10 years now. What he misses most is the chocolate.You can find him on Twitter and Instagram at deusexcinema

We are tremendously giddy about this episode because it's about THE BACKSTREET BOYS, and we are joined by out hilarious and really smart longtime friend and former radio host, Tena Jackson Quesada. As usual, a lot of laughter, but also quizzes, and some singing, and a warm embrace of all things Howie, Nick, Brian, AJ and Kevin. Always Kevin. ENJOY. ALSO, check out our Patreon and get extra content AND support our show at the same time!https://www.patreon.com/FineBeatsandCheesesMore about Tena:Graduated with a Bachelor's in Spanish from St. Mary's College of MD and a Master's in Teaching ESL from Framingham Univ. I have lived in Costa Rica for 31 years. I have worked for 25 years as an educator for high school and university students. I was a part-time DJ at a local radio station for several years (rock only!). As of 3 years ago, I am a blog writer for several New Jersey and Pennsylvania law firms. My hobbies include learning to swim, watching Australian Border Force on YouTube, and going to the movies with my handsome husband. We both abhor Rom Coms and enjoy small budget films. We also love stand-up.

It's a family affair as we discuss anime with Riah and Nikki Lewis, who are also Producer Sam's wife and son! It was a really fun talk and I learned a whole whole bunch because Riah knows everything about it and also has watched all the 1000+ episodes of the original One Piece manga series. It's quite impressive!!Riah Lewis is a sleep-deprived nerd.Nikki Lewis is a counselor, former teacher, and new anime fan, courtesy of her anime addict son.

Happy Halloween! Today we talk about the spooky animated classic, Disney's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". Our guest is musical theatre writer Stephen Gregory Smith! We laughed, reminisced, and learned A LOT1 Stephen also talked about the upcoming Baltimore production of Witch, a show written by he and his husband and writing partner, Matt Conner. ALSO!! We introduce "Extra Cheese", our exclusive bonus content that you can hear as a Patreon sponsor. Today's Extra Cheese is free for everyone and you can hear it at https://www.patreon.com/posts/91982134 . Please consider signing up to support us to hear more Extra Cheese!Stephen Gregory Smith – BOOK/LYRICS: The Christmas Angel, Ichabod: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (2023 Charles MacArthur Outstanding New Work Nominee), On Air, WITCH, Kaleidoscope, Monsters of the Villa Diodati, The Turn of the Screw - a 5 year commission(Creative Cauldron), Silver Belles (Signature Theatre, VA) , The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Shenandoah Conservatory; Creative Cauldron 2022), Night of the Living Dead the musical (Richmond Shepard Theatre; NYC, Kensington Arts Theatre, MD, New Line Theatre, MO), Edgar Allan Poe Academy (Creative Cauldron, VA, Riverside Children’s Theatre, FL). Finalist in the Bernard Ebb Songwriting Award. www.connersmithmusicals.com https://www.facebook.com/ConnerandSmith/Instagram: conner_and_smithhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ6niDBqMlCmaPw4FBik05whttps://connersmithmusicals.com/

We are waking you up before you go-go to do anything else besides listening to this episode about the duo of George Michael and Andrew Ridgely, AKA British 80s pop wonders, WHAM!! Joining us is returning guest Melanie Hood-Wilson, who we've known since 8th grade, when we all loved Wham! together. Get your teeth whiteners and your short shorts and join us before Last Christmas comes. That sentence makes no sense, but I had to get that song in somehow.Melanie Hood-Wilson is the president of Melanie Hood-Wilson and Associates, a company that offers educational and consulting services. She has been in the education field for 29 years, and is dedicated to making the world a better and more inclusive place through teaching, learning, diversity, equity, and inclusion.https://www.melaniehoodwilsonandassociates.com/

This week we talk Carrie and the gang as we and guest Jennifer Inglis talk about "Sex and the City" and it's reboot series, "And Just Like That"! This is a really fun one! NOTE: Some adult language and subject matterJennifer Inglis is the author of two novels, "Girls Who Wear Glasses" and "Enchanting Sarah Greenberg." She's also studied comedy writing at The Second City in Chicago. An alumna of Northern Illinois University, she earned a bachelor's degree in theater arts, and also a master's degree in teaching from National-Louis University. She formerly worked as a public school drama teacher, which meant she spent six years being ignored by tweens. In a past life, she worked in professional theater in suburban Chicago, as a playwright, actor, assistant director, and producer, despite being a classic introvert who'd rather be home reading a book. Jennifer currently lives in Chicago and, when she's not trying to dress up her cat, Daisy, in a variety of fetching hats (and failing miserably) she works as a freelance writer is currently working on her third novel.You can find Jennifer on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JenniferInglisWriter, on Instagram at jennifer.inglis.writes, and at http://www.jenniferinglis.com

We are soothing ourselves with retail therapy this week as we talk to the brilliant Tyese Woodson about shopping and also WHY we love it! Tyese is a mental health professional, an author, and she also was in Lynne and Leslie's graduating class in high school. This was a fun and smart conversation and we hope you love it!Tyese Woodson is currently serving the community as a Mental Health Counselor. Tyese completed an associate and bachelor’s degree in the Criminal Justice field and a Master's in Psychology. Tyese Woodson became an author in 2020, with her first book entitled “I Am Woman”. Tyese also currently teaches General Education (GED) test prep classes and conducts group substance abuse counseling virtually in several sessions throughout the week for those in recovery from addiction. Tyese acquired a podcast tv show where she interviews talented creative artists, entrepreneurs, and mental health professionals to bring awareness to how passion and purpose can bring peace of mind, with the show’s tagline “What We Do for Therapy.” Tyese has also recently began a nonprofit youth mentoring program entitled "The Emerald Village" working with young men and women ages 12-18. The program provides one on one mentorship as well as group activities and internships. You can find her at:https://www.facebook.com/tyese.woodsonOn Instagram: emeraldmindandbodyhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/tyese-woodson-64b08266/https://www.youtube.com/@thetyeseshowhttps://www.theemeraldvillage.org

Producer Sam named this episode "Can't Look At the Screen", because it's about cringy moments in movies and TV! Some are scripted and some even happened live! It's those moments where you know a character is about to do something REALLY embarrassing that you don't want to see but kinda can't help it. Our guest is the delightful Baker Beers, and this was FUN. And we aren't embarrassed at all. And speaking of real life cringe, listen to what happens to Leslie's mic early on in the episode. Baker says: I’m a born and raised Texan, though I’ve also lived in Philadelphia, Shanghai, and New Orleans. I moved back to Texas in 2018, after mostly living away since 2009. I now live across the street from my kindergarten teacher with my Rhodesian Ridgeback, Albert. When I’m not playing with Albert, spending time with friends and family, or planning my next trip, you can find me practicing law.

We are SO thrilled to welcome singer, actor and author Colie Aziza to the show to talk about Netflix's hit dating show, "Love Is Blind". We laughed A LOT. Join the party!Colie Aziza’s musical style uniquely blends sounds of sultry jazz and soul with therapeutic elements of spoken word that speak to the mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being of her listeners. This independent singer/songwriter’s performance intentionally sets out to create intimate landscapes, where she connects and shares her vision with the audience. Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, Colie attended Music & Arts High School in Harlem, where she majored in vocal studies, and she continued her studies at Syracuse University, where she studied musical theatre. Colie believes in the power of collaboration. She currently creates and shares the stage with Liberated Muse Arts Group, Deep Water Jazz, The Charles Rahmat Group, as well as her ensemble Soul For A New Day. Colie published her first children’s book, Corey’s Dreams in 2016 using her pen name Aziza M. Throughout her life’s work, she encourages both adults and young people to always follow their dreams.You can learn more about her on her website at colieaziza.com

Y'all, we are so thrilled to have as our guest, actor and screenwriter Johnathon Schaech, star of a bunch of things, including "That Thing You Do" (which may be Leslie and Lynne's favorite movie), "Jonah Hex", and "Road House 2", the sequel to the Patrick Swayze butt-kicking classic "Road House". He's the perfect person to talk all things "Road House", and he and us and Producer Sam also talk about the wonderfulness of Patrick Swayze, action movies, and even a little about That Thing You Do (which we have to do an episode on). This was so fun, and we hope you love it. (Lynne was on Day 3 of COVID, which is why she sounds like she does, and why there is mention of coughing at the end ).Johnathon Schaech is an actor, screenwriter, producer, activist, and Maryland native. You can find him on Twitter @johnschaech, and his show "Blue Ridge" will be out in 2024.

Leslie is Last Twin Standing this week as Lynne was REALLY congested, so instead, Leslie is in conversation with Producer Sam, the person who makes us sound purty every week, and whom you will remember from our episode on clowns! In this episode, Leslie and Sam talk about hair metal bands from the late 80s-early 90s like Poison and Warrant, and cheeky lyrics, musical talent, and eyeliner. Sam Lewis is an Austin, TX-based artist and photographer who's visual project, "The Fool's World", features neo-Victorian clowns as a commentary on current culture. You can find him at http://thefoolsworld.com/

This week we discuss the 90s classic film "The Truth About Cats and Dogs" with return guest Robin Peace, who always makes us rethink 90s movies and their takes on beauty and weight and all of the things. This is a really thoughtful discussion as we also question if we should make any more movies about people pretending to be other people in order to make them love them. (Maybe we shouldn't?) Robin Peace is a government analyst, and also a great writer. You can find her on Facebook as Robin Regina Peace.

Listeners!! MOVE THAT BUS and enjoy our latest episode in which we talk to our friend Athena Boyd about her, our and your love of home improvement shows! We laughed a lot, and had some weird audio stuff that should be gone but we talk about it and the whole thing is awesome. Athena Boyd is an Annapolitan with a love for the healing arts and all things art in fact! Business owner and mama! Tiny little person in a big family! http://www.rootedtherapeutix.com

We are so pleased to have Derek Pentz as our guest this week to talk about Bravo TV's long-running reality TV hit, "Vanderpump Rules". What a fun, informative conversation about not just the show itself, but how reality TV stars are really smart marketers, and what we can all learn from them. NOTE: SPICY LANGUAGE and SOME ADULT SUBJECT MATTER. This was such a learning experience of a talk, and we hope you enjoy it.Zenobia Darling is the critically acclaimed drag persona behind stand-up comic, podcaster, and artist Derek Pentz. Derek is a graduate of Towson University's theater program, where he studied reality television's theatrical and societal relevance, writing his undergraduate theater thesis on two of Bravo's reality tv theater masterpieces, Vanderpump Rules and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, titled "Would Oscar Wilde be a Nineteenth-Century PumpHead? The Wilde Aspirational Comedy of Vanderpump Rules." Since 2022, Derek has been creating out of his Havre de Grace, MD art studio and recording his upcoming podcast, #RockStarLife: Coffee Break, where Zenobia beams down to earth to gossip with guests about pop culture and reality tv, with a special interest in The Real Housewives and Ghost Adventures. Follow Zenobia’s #RockStarLife on Instagram, and on Derek’s website, ZenobiaDarlingCreative.com!