Fine Beats & Cheeses

Put on your party clothes and get ready to get your rose as we travel back to May 2023 for our convo about the Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise. We had the funnest (yes I said FUNNEST) conversation with Jenny Kokai, professor and playwright, about ABC's "The Bachelor" franchise. We laughed, and we listened, and this talk could have gone on for another hour if people didn't have stuff to do. I (Lynne) met Jenny in a Facebook group of non-male identifying theatre professionals and my theatre company wound up doing one of her shows as a tour for schools. She is wonderful AND WE ARE GOING TO HAVE HER BACK. You can find more about Jenny here: https://www.usf.edu/arts/news/2022-23-news/20220819-meet-jenny-kokai-school-of-theatre-and-dance-director.aspx, on Twitter @jenniferkokai and on Instagram @jennykokai

Nothing's gonna stop us now, even if you wanted to! Today, we talk about 1987's human/sometimes wooden person Andrew McCarthy/Kim Cattrall romantic comedy, "Mannequin". This is hilarious. HILARIOUS. This was a fun one.James Toler is a singer, actor, and the co-host (along with Stephanie D'Accurzio) of The Pitchy Podcast, a show that discusses NBC's The Voice. You can check them out below, and wherever you listen to podcasts:https://www.youtube.com/@thepitchypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/thepitchypodcast/

Travel back to May 2023 for this lively conversation about CBS's long-running reality competition show, "Survivor" with Adam Vitcavage of the podcast and website Debutiful. This is a topic that all 3 of us can talk a lot about, as you will hear. What makes a good winner? What's a good strategy? Shouldn't you know how to swim if you are voluntarily stranded on an island? We discuss all of these important things :). Debutiful is a website and podcast where readers can discover debut authors. It has been named a Best Book Podcast by Book Riot, Town and Country, Los Angeles Review of Books, The Mary Sue, and elsewhere.Debutiful was founded by Adam Vitcavage in January 2019. His criticism and interviews have also been featured in Electric Literature, Paste Magazine, The Millions, among others. He lives in Denver where he previously was the Director of Events at Tattered Cover Book Store.Adam can be found at @debutiful on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-vitcavage-b5361433/, and Debutiful can be found wherever you find awesome podcasts.

We get meta today with a podcast episode about... PODCASTS! Our guest is Dr. Briana Barner, who actually teaches about podcasts, and she is really smart, and this is a really great episode!!You can hear an extended conversation with us and Dr. Barner if you subscribe to our Patreon, where you can get bonus content while supporting us for a small monthly fee!Go to https://patreon.com/FineBeatsandCheesesDr. Briana Barner is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Maryland. She received a doctorate in Radio-Television-Film and a doctoral portfolio in Women’s and Gender Studies from the University of Texas. Briana also earned a Master’s in Women’s and Gender Studies from UT. She is an interdisciplinary critical and cultural communications scholar with research interests in Black podcasts, digital and Black feminism, digital media, Black cultural production and representation. Her work has been published in Radio Journal: International Studies in Broadcast & Audio Media, Film Quarterly, and the edited collection Saving New Sounds: Podcast Preservation and Historiography, Feminist Approaches to Media Theory and Research and Black Sisterhoods: Paradigms and Praxis. Briana is currently working on a manuscript about the cultural production of Black podcasts.Find her:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/briana.barnerTwitter: briananbarnerInstagram: brianaisgrowinghttps://communication.umd.edu/directory/briana-barner

Come with us back to April of 2023 and our conversation about YouTube University, the term people use about learning things on YouTube. Our guest was the DELIGHTFUL Wanda "Godsbratt" Ford, who is a podcaster and makeup artist. We talk about the vast opportunities to learn skills fron YouTube, how Wanda picked up her podcasting and MUA skills on the app (and has changed her life) and how the internet levels the playing field by making the ability to learn a new skill available to everyone. This was a really fun conversation with someone Leslie and Lynne have known since 1985. Wanda “GodsBratt” Ford is a no nonsense, tell it like it is, what you see is what you get type of person. She doesn’t judge, she’s compassionate, empathetic, and stands in her truth. All of it. The good the bad and the ugly. Wanda has been working since she was fourteen years old, and her first job was in a doctor’s office as a front desk receptionist after school. She was always “different “ but she was ok with that. She wore pumps and skirts with silk blouses to school while most her age preferred jeans and tennis shoes. She’s worked at places like University of Maryland Department of Human Genetics, various Healthcare insurance companies like Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Willse and Associates, a third party administrators, and Optimum Choice. With each position she has made some lifelong friendships and earned the respect of the upper level supervision with outstanding professional references from them all. However her passion has always been about all things beauty, from clothing, to hairstyles, to makeup. So much so, she used to get in trouble for sneaking and wearing make-up in middle school. Her love of make-up just came naturally. She is a self-taught MUA who learned how to do make-up by watching YouTube videos and endless hours of practicing. For years others have been “speaking life” into her and her “make-up ministry “ and finally she decided to step out on faith to do what comes so naturally to her. Wanda felt like to have so many people to believe so strongly in her talent, who was she to continue to doubt herself? From there she stepped out on faith and hasn’t looked back since. She’s been using make-up by a black owned company called Playing In Makeup By Yolondo or PIMBY for the last few years. It’s really high quality and budget friendly and she’s always told anyone who would listen about how good this brand is, especially when she does her makeup lives an Facebook and TikTok. Recently the brand owner made her an affiliate of PIMBY. WHAT AN HONOR!!!! She’s also the host of a podcast called “Watching Wanda’s World “ In doing this podcast, she has found her purpose. #EmpowerUpliftSupportInspireMotivateEncourage. She hosts guests and discuss topics that speak to her spirit. Guests that show people that it’s never too late to turn your life around or reinvent yourself in a positive manner. She also showcases black-owned businesses that deliver a good product as well as excellent customer service. She’s just a country girl living in the city, trying to make a positive difference in the world.

Come with us back to April 2023 and revisit our conversation with the delightful Christina James about the Tom Hanks cryfest, "A Man Named Otto". CW- This episode (and movie) talks about attempted suicide, grief, widowhood and pregnancy loss.Our producer nicknamed this episode "Hankering To Cry", because we talked A LOT about how this 2022 Tom Hanks movie made us bawl throughout. Our guest is Christina James, radio personality from Baltimore's Bright-FM, where she plays Contemporary Christian hits middays Monday-Friday from 10AM-2PM. She is a fantastic guest and we LOVE her. This was SUCH a fun, thoughtful episode. BRING TISSUES and watch this movie. It's really, really great. Christina can be found on Facebook, and would love for you to join her Facebook Group, "Christina James I BRIGHT-FM Middays".

Go get your house painter who never finishes the job and join us for this wonderful episode about "Murphy Brown", the classic 80s-90s sitcom. Our guest is Lauren Milberger, actor, writer, and host of FYI: The Murphy Brown Podcast, where she and her co-host Jesi Mullins walk listeners through every Murphy Brown episode. On THIS episode of Fine Beats, we and Lauren talk how this show is both an emblem of its time while also seeming current. This is a great episode and we hope you like it.To hear us talk MORE Murphy Brown, subscribe to our Patreon, where for $5 a month, you will find bonus content, including extra episodes that go with the regular shows. Support us at patreon.com/FineBeatsandCheesesLauren Milberger is an actor/writer/playwright/podcaster in New York and a graduate of the Actors Studio MFA program and The Second City NY Conservatory Program. She is a Writer's Lab, Eugene O'Neill Semifinalist, and a published essayist on funny people such as Burns and Allen, Carrie Fisher, & Lenny Bruce. Lauren has previously co-hosted The Fordcast: A Harrison Ford Podcast and is currently co-hosting FYI: The Murphy Brown Podcast, a podcast decided to the series Murphy Brown, 90's pop culture, and women in media, where she has interviewed guests from Emmy to Tony winners. You can currently catch Lauren's acting in her scripted podcast "The Raconteurs: A Story of George Burns & Gracie Allen" as Gracie Allen, and various voiceovers, film, and theater.You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @LaurenMilberger, and also at http://www.laurenmilberger.com .https://www.murphybrownpod.com/

Go with us to April of 2023 as we welcomed the delightful Emily Edwards (who will be on another episode SOON) to talk about marriage!Is marriage cheesy? Maybe! TV shows and movies sometimes think so, and our wonderful guest Emily Edwards talks about it. We had so so so so so much fun with this, and we can't wait for you to hear it. Emily J. Edwards is the author of the Girl Friday series. She earned her degree in writing, literature, and publishing from Emerson College and took the long road to becoming an author, working for over a decade as a wine and spirits journalist, radio producer, and podcaster. She currently lives with her husband and several quadrupeds in Connecticut.She is @MsEmilyEdwards on Instagram and Twitter! Find her!

It's time to play the music, dress up right, and discuss the Muppets on the Fine Beats and Cheese Show tonight (or today or whenever you are listening to this)! We talk all iterations of Jim Henson's Muppets with Chef and Restaurant Professional Chrissy Benoit. We laughed and reminisced and laughed some more. We hope you enjoy it!You can find more about Chrissy at https://chrissy-benoit.com/2.0/

We take you back to March 2023! This was an amazing conversation with fan of the Joss Whedon cinematic universe, Maria Blake. We talk about her love of these shows and movies, and also about the conundrum of separating a problematic artist's work from the artist themselves. Great talk.

It's all we've ever wantedIt's all we've ever neededSo tell us what to do now'cause we talking about NSYNC!!Yes, friends, this week we talk perennial boy band, NSYNC, with NSYNC superfan, author DL White. I know I (Lynne) learned a lot, and we had MUCH fun. DL White is an Atlanta based author of novels that center Black love. Fan of fried chicken, brunch, the beach, coffee, cheese! podcasts, and documentaries. Military brat, *NSYNC stan. Facebook: https://facebook.com/booksbydlwhiteTwitter: author_dlwhiteYouTube: https://youtube.com/authordlwhitehttps://booksbydlwhite.com

Get out your rainbow wig and travel back to April 2024 for this was fantastic conversation with Producer Sam!! Sam Lewis, who is an amazing artist, photographer, culture commentator, and of course, producer of Fine Beats and Cheeses (and kind of our brother-in-law, as he is married to our longtime bestie who we've known since birth). Today, we talk about clowns, as a concept, and their history. Leslie is actually afraid of clowns and doesn't get them, and Sam gives us his know-how of clowns and such, and their cultural significance. We learned a lot, and we loved this talk. Also, Lynne talks about her questionable encounter with a burger joint clown mascot. 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/

Top of the morning, Guv'nor! Gaze across the pond with us and guest Laurie Kilmartin as we discuss the American fascination with the British royal family (we are team Harry and Meghan), including some recent developments (We recorded this on February 23)! (AND for more talk of the MOST recent stuff, check out our Extra Cheese Bonus Episode. recorded on 3/17, for our Patreon subscribers. Not a Patreon supporter yet? Go to https://www.patreon.com/FineBeatsandCheeses and support us and get all of the extra stuff!Laurie Kilmartin is a comedian and an Emmy-nominated/WGA Award-winning writer for CONAN. She has also written for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, The Late Late Show, and Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn. She has performed standup on CONAN, The Late Late Show with James Corden, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Comedy Central and Showtime.Laurie has written two books, Dead People Suck and the New York Times bestseller Shitty Mom. She and fellow comic Jackie Kashian host a popular podcast about standup comedy called The Jackie and Laurie Show. Her new album, Corset, was released at #1 on the iTunes charts. Laurie was recently seen on Apple TV’s Gutsy Women series, being interviewed by Hillary and Chelsea Clinton. Her new comedy special Cis Woke Grief Slut drops January 30, 2024.You can find Laurie on Twitter and Instagram @anylaurie16, or at lauriekilmartin.com

Walk with us back to March 2023, when we were our own guests in discussing our beloved show, "The Resident" on Fox, which then got cancelled. Good talk, and then the two of us argue at one moment, and Producer Sam made us keep it because he said we modeled good conflict resolution. And Lynne clears her throat a lot because we recorded this at like 7 AM! Enjoy! It's a fun one.

Put on your best DJ voice and your finest 70s fashions as we talk with special guest Niko Stratis about the classic TV comedy, "WKRP In Cincinnati"! We know you are singing the theme song in your head right now. It's a wonderful conversation about nostalgia, themes that are still timely, and of course, whether turkeys can fly. Enjoy!!Niko Stratis is a culture writer based in Toronto, Ontario by way of the Yukon where she spent close to two decades working as a journeyman glazier before coming out as a trans woman in her late 30s and being forced to abandon her previous line of work.As a trans woman now in her 40s, Niko provides a unique voice in cultural spaces seeking to work through lifelong traumas and emotional highs and lows through her work. She has twice been nominated for a digital publishing award for her personal essay work, is a team writer for queer outlet Autostraddle, and her work regularly appears in outlets like Spin magazine, Xtra and more. Her column in Catapult, Everyone Is Gay, was a widely read series that explored gender and sexuality in 90s music and music criticism and its impact on her as a closeted queer and trans woman in her teen years. Her newsletter, Anxiety Shark, is a self-published weekly essay collection using music to explore her relationship to themes like gender and sobriety. Niko is working on her debut novel, GIRLS OF SUMMER, a punk rock novel about three friends spending a life-altering weekend at the Vans Warped Tour at a dusty Calgary speedway in 2002. The novel examines growing up isolated, lonely and desperate for a connective link to a perfect unknowable place that might tell you exactly who you were meant to be; about understanding your own transness through exposure to something so pure and perfect; queer love, desire and loss. She lives in Toronto with her fiancé, their dog Bowie and two cats Winona and Ramona. She is a former smoker and a cancer.

Travel back to March 2023 with us for this funny and informative discussion with Meredith Davis, Ph. D., about the intersection of race and reality TV. We talk Flava Flav and Bachelorettes and The Real World and such!Meredith Davis is a solution focused leader that possesses three decades of experience in non-profit, higher education administration and teaching. Davis' focus areas are equity, access, diversity, inclusion, crisis management, leadership development, training and strategic planning. Her educational and pastime expertise is Blackness and the intersections of historical and popular culture. With a degree in sociology, she is obsessed with culture. Her favorite saying is, "If you are willing to do it, I am willing to watch."

What a timely rewind ep, since the 25th season of The Voice premiered this past week! This episode is from March 2023, and our guests are our friends James and Stephanie ,hosts of the VERY popular Pitchy Podcast, to talk about NBC's The Voice (which their awesome podcast discusses weekly). There is probably more giggling on this episode than any other FB&C episode so far. AND WE LOVED IT. You can find them at:Instagram: @thepitchypodcast/TikTok: @thepitchypodcastYouTube: @thepitchypodcastAnd wherever you listen to podcasts!!

So all 3 of us were fan-personing over today's guest. It's Judd Winick, cartoonist, author of the kid graphic novel series "Hilo", and also an alum of The Real World: San Francisco. He is a wonderful artist and heck of a nice person, and he talked to us about superhero comics (among other stuff). Fun doesn't describe enough the time we had recording this. OOH! Judd's latest "Hilo Book 10: Rise of the Cat" comes out TODAY, 2/27/2024 and you should get it. Enjoy. JUDD WINICK is a cartoonist and creator of the award-winning, New York Times bestselling Hilo series. Judd grew up on Long Island with a healthy diet of doodling, X-Men comics, the newspaper strip Bloom County, and Looney Tunes. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan, and today lives in San Francisco with his wife, Pam Ling; their two kids; their cats, Troy and Abed; and far too many action figures and vinyl toys for a normal adult. Judd has written and produced animation for television and film, created the Cartoon Network series Juniper Lee; has written superhero comics, including Batman, Green Lantern, and Green Arrow; and, along with his wife Pam, was a cast member of MTV’s The Real World: San Francisco. Judd is also the author of the highly acclaimed graphic novel Pedro and Me, about his Real World roommate and friend, AIDS activist Pedro Zamora. Find Judd:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/judd.winickTwitter and Instagram: @JuddWinickhttps://juddspillowfort.com/

Not post this rewind episode from February 2023? AS IF? Our guest is Qondi, founder of Thirst for Democracy, who talked about the 1995 classic, "Clueless'. It's a fun, smart conversation and we are thrilled to have her!Qondi is the founder of Thirst for Democracy, a multi-platform political project, which harnesses the power of the Thirst and her democracy baes to encourage joyful civic engagement. She is also the creator of the romcom Twitternovela “The Affair” starring Stick Qondi, Senator My Boo and the Brother Husbands.You can find her on Twitter @QondiNtini

Travel with us back to February of 2023 for this is uplifting conversation with Coach and Speaker Larisa Harrington about the 2010 movie "Eat, Pray, Love" starring Julia Roberts. There was a lot of head-nodding and mmm-hmming as we talked about self-care, and not feeling guilty about it.Larisa Harrington, PCC, C-IAYT, is a Coach, Consultant, Trainer and Speaker specializing in mindfulness, emotional intelligence, somatic trauma healing, conscious leadership and burnout recovery &amp; prevention. She is a Professional Certified Coach, Certified Yoga Therapist &amp; 20-year Air Force retiree with over 2 decades of experience working in wellness &amp; leadership (Lynne has used her coaching and it was life-changing). Larisa began her military career in the intelligence field and then transitioned to an employee assistance role teaching leadership, well-being and resiliency to both military and civilians supporting the NSA until retiring in 2017. She started Strong By Nature, LLC while serving in the military and has committed her life to continuing to be of service to others. She helps successful, purpose-driven professionals continue doing meaningful work in the world without sacrificing their health. She teaches clients how to create more freedom, ease, joy and impact. Larisa is the owner/founder of Strong By Nature Wellness, a holistic well-being company offering coaching, healing, yoga &amp; strategy to support purpose-driven professionals in making a bigger impact in the world without burning out. She is also the owner/founder of Better Execs, an executive coaching and consulting company offering support to purpose-driven organizations committed to the well-being &amp; success of their people &amp; their organization.https://larisaharrington.com/Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/larisa.harrington">https://www.facebook.com/larisa.harrington</a>IG: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/strongbynaturewellness/">https://www.instagram.com/strongbynaturewellness/</a>LI: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/larisa-harrington-45687a160/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/larisa-harrington-45687a160/</a>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/LarisaDelana">https://twitter.com/LarisaDelana</a>

Come with us back to February 2023, where repeat guest Rissa Miller talked about the "Goth Girl" trope, and how it helped her find out a little more about herself. It's a REALLY fantastic and really well-researched episode where Rissa, who is an author, editor, herbalist and storyteller, brought us an engaging discussion that goes beyond the stereotype of the moody girl with black eyeliner. We talk about identity and belonging, and I really hope you enjoy it!!Rissa Miller is an editor, author, herbalist, seer, and storyteller. Her storytelling expertise stems from extensive research into the area of esoteric history, including ghosts, divination, cryptids, and folklore. Rissa believes the most enduring stories teach us not only about humanity's past, but also give reason to reflect on our own present beliefs and realities.You can find her at https://www.teaandsmoke.com/, on Instagram at @teaandsmoke_byrissa and on Pinterest @teaandsmokebyrissa

This rewind episode was originally aired in February of 2023! Our guest is Melanie Hood-Wilson of Melanie Hood-Wilson and Associates (guest on our October 2023 Wham! episode), who offers consulting and workshops on education, DEI, and program and curriculum design, among other educational services. She is also Leslie's best friend, and has known Lynne and Leslie since the 8th grade. We talk about loving soap operas, particularly All My Children, One Life To Live, and General Hospital, especially in the days we ran home from school to catch them. You can find Melanie at https://www.melaniehoodwilsonandassociates.com/

Go on a magical vacation from your house as we revisit this episode from 1/31/2023! Our guest is Taylor Payne, a wonderful actor who Lynne has had the honor of both acting with and directing in theatre shows! On the show, Taylor talks about her love of going to Disney World, and her love, actually, of all things Disney. Taylor is also a part of the new 2024 cohort of The Welders, a DC-based playwright collective. Check them out here: https://www.thewelders.org/blog/introducing-the-welders-4-0/

Grab your dice and your imagination as we talk the classic role playing game Dungeons and Dragons with friend of all of us and spouse to one of us, Nikki Lewis, who is Producer Sam's wife and Lynne and Leslie's oldest friendship. We discuss the bad rap the game gets, and the awesome thing it actually is. This was a really, really fun one, and we hope you like it. Nikki Lewis is a licensed professional counselor who loves her family, animals (we have 9 furry and scaly friends in our home!), and listening to 90s R &amp; B. She has been a professional counselor for 6 years and during that time, she has worked with adult individuals, juvenile offenders, families, and couples. She is especially passionate about helping interracial couples navigate some of the challenges that can arise in relationships between people of different cultures, races, or racialized ethnicities. Nikki is also a certified therapeutic game master and is currently running a D &amp; D therapy group called Nat 20 Insights with Prism Integrated Health in Austin, TX. This group allows clients the opportunity to explore thoughts, emotions, and behaviors and to face challenges in a safe environment, which helps to build confidence and self-esteem. It also allows adults to have fun and PLAY, which is so important, no matter what your age. Although Nikki currently resides in Texas, she still bleeds purple and black and took great joy in the Cowboys and Texans losses (especially the Texans!) Let’s go, Ravens!!

We introduce Finely Aged Cheese, a new Friday thing where we share older episodes of FB &amp; C that you may not have heard! We start with Episode 10 from January of 2023!We talk to the VERY funny Calvin Coates, host of "All Things Black with Garland and Calvin", about his love for "Antiques Roadshow", and the thrill of watching people find treasure in their grandma's attic. Calvin is the co-host of "All Things Black", a very funny podcast that he hosts with Garland Thomas. https://www.facebook.com/groups/2646687082251514