This week, Olivia and Shauna give their book reports - how many books they've read this year above and beyond their goal, and not to brag, but we know two people who'll get coupons for a personal pan pizza this year. In other news, it's the holiday season, and for a lot of us, that means traveling, whether to get to or get away from family. And the perfect marriage of pop culture and traveling is the road trip movie. The Junkies talk about what makes a great road trip movie, and name some of the best road trip movies in every genre: comedy, drama, horror, comedy...well, they're mostly comedies ..read more

Shauna details her busy week getting interviewed by the national press (and the advocacy work that got their attention, and Olivia describes her slightly less fun adventures (though she did get a chance to consume a LOT of pop culture.) Then Shauna tells us about being a mathlete until Olivia challenges her to a bit of mental arithmetic and...BUSTED! Speaking of mental stuff, this week The Junkies look at the Uncanny Valley phenomenon, that eerie feeling we all get when we see something that is nearly but not quite human. Who discovered it? What's the science behind it? And what did our collec ..read more

Shauna is obsessed with getting through this journey we call life, and what better way to do that than with a little bit of pop culture? She has controversial takes on the finales of both House of the Dragon and The Bear, and watching the Love Island reunion makes her wonder if she should catch the U.K. episodes. Olivia speaks out in defense of Blake Lively, who got roasted about stuff her hubby didn’t when his new movie came out. And a new documentary about the murder of Laci Peterson has her wondering if the husband really was the killer. Then the Junkies look at how certain music trends see ..read more

Olivia has been globe-trotting (nation-trotting?) nearly as much as Nicole these days, but she has had time to binge season 3 of Regency-era sex-sation Bridgerton (and do her laundry). Nicole is still on a thriller book-kick, devouring Nerves of Steel about pilot Tammie Jo Shults and her daring emergency landing, and she and Shauna both consumed some Glen Powell content recently. Somehow that leads to a vote on which anthropormorphic rodent is the hottest, and sorry to say, but Glen came in last place. Then it's on to the heart of this episode: celebrating Pride Month while looking back at the ..read more

Shauna wants to add LARPing to her nerd repertoire - hey, is that what Nicole is out doing now? Probably not. Olivia is still in her Taylor era - not surprising as this is the time to indulge in all things Swift and Shauna's been using a SIMS game to bring back The Spice Girls. Then the two talk about the X-Men movies and Shauna's impersonation of the week is Rogue, as performed by Dolly Parton. It's really something. Then Olivia wants to talk about separating the art from the artist when the artist is discovered to be...problematic. The Junkies talk about that gut-wrenching feeling when you d ..read more

Nicole gets the Junkies thinking about traveling, and while Olivia plans to escape the oppressive Arizona temps this summer, Shauna will enjoy the hot hot heat poolside. As for Nicole, she'll soon be sailing to the other side of the International Date Line, where her today will be our tomorrow. Then the talk turns to movies, specifically movie sets. With an imaginary time (and place) machine, Shauna wills herself to the set of Blade (1998), where she participates in the Goth nightclub scene that culminated in a blood orgy. Fun! Olivia's choice is Eyes Wide Shut from 1999, so she can see for he ..read more

The Junkies gather together to mourn some hopes, but also to celebrate an important victory. And while the future looks uncertain, Shauna and Olivia vow that we'll all get through whatever comes next together, and pop culture is going to help us do just that. Speaking of girl power and pop culture (and we were!), this week the Junkies take a good look at the history of feminism and how it was represented by pop culture. The Junkies recount the history, starting over a hundred years ago with the suffrage movement, flappers and the first "It Girl", straight through to where we are today, when we ..read more

Olivia recently spent some time in San Francisco, giving her time to think about her proximity to the Zodiac Killer's turf (and to binge watch both Princess Diaries movies.) Shauna continues to brush up against the cool and the famous in her quest to save Arizona from itself by getting out the vote. Speaking of propositions, the Junkies (and everyone) are nervous about the upcoming election, so what better way to cope than by...talking about politics? Specifically the intersection between pop culture and politics. They discuss the best television shows set in the West Wing, and look at politic ..read more

Olivia is back from the Big Apple, where she took a tour through Jimmy Fallon's "Tonightmares" - a haunted house based on the late night host's own personal night terrors. Shauna is continuing to fight the good fight politically here in AZ, and as a reward got to meet a certain 'Electra-fying' star. The Junkies then discuss the perfect pairing of Halloween and pop culture, specifically in the multifaceted horror movie genre. From slashers to monster movies to psychological horror, this genre is so versatile that depending on the movie, you'll swoon, laugh, shudder or even throw up. (Looking at ..read more

The Junkies return to Phoenix Fan Fusion! This year, Nicole and Shauna hosted a panel about streaming or network television shows that were canceled too soon (looking at you, Jessica Jones!) and discuss the shows they - and the audience - miss the most, and whether it's even worth it to get invested in new programs any more. Find out if any of your beloved but prematurely canceled shows made our list! We have a Patreon! To support our podcast and get access to exclusive content, click here. Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pop-culture-junkie/id1536737728 Spotify: https ..read more