The Experts

This is a one off episode inspired by the suggestion of ‘air'.  Air brings up some potent memories for Aggie and Irene. From the Parisian fantasies of youth to Hollywood flirtations, this episode is full of teenage daydreams.  Using Moon Safari and the Virgin Suicides Soundtrack as touchstones, we dig into Serge Gainsbourg and feeling powerless at the height of your sexual powers and evaluate the role of class in Sofia Coppola's beautifully lonely films.  Here's the photo of the Dunst/Plemons family referenced in the episode

In the finalé episode of their series exploring the beloved indie movie franchise known as The Conjuring, Aggie and Irene give a big "hello we must be going" to Ms. Annabelle.  We talk Bluebeard, well behaved teens, Annabelle's Cat in the Hat-esque shenanigans in this film and end the episode by ranking all the movies. Next week we're back to the randomizer! Tune in and see how we each interpret the suggestion of 'air'. 

The Conjuring Universe takes on the Latin American folktale of La Llorona, the weeping woman who is eternally distressed about committing infanticide, and we are here for it!  Aggie and Irene talk about this being a significant departure from the ethos of the series, give praise to always excellent Linda Cardellini and somehow avoid all mention of Andrea Yates (our bad).  La Llorona has inspired so much art, music and film. For a full sensory experience, listen to this beautiful version of the folk song by Chavela Vargas and this album by Llhasa which is inspired by the legend.  If you or someone you love is in an unsafe home situation and needs support: https://www.thehotline.org/

Holy Moly! This week Aggie and Irene are headed to a remote and cursed abbey in Romania to talk about THE NUN. And guys, we're obsessed with its blatant sexuality. We also discuss Aggie's trip to Bucharest, the incredible and unprecedented career of the nun herself Bonnie Aarons and discover that Aggie didn't realize the main character was named Sister Irene. 

This week it's all about the creation of our favorite demonic vessel, and the crown jewel of the CU crown, Annabelle! On the bumpy bus ride to the haunted farmhouse, Aggie and Irene take a few detours. We talk flavored syrups for La Croix, Anthony LaPaglia's twisted Geppetto, try to describe parchment paper to each other and come to the conclusion that Annabelle inceptioned the entire story. 

This week Aggie and Irene are taking a departure from the CU proper to visit a mangled branch of the Warren tree: The Snedeker case.  We also discuss the importance of thoroughly examining any rental before you move in, the power of skeptics and come to the conclusion that lies hurt people. Next week we're back with Annabelle Creation - what a relief.  References: Sally Jesse Raphael episode featuring the Snedeker family as well as Ed and Lorraine Warren A Haunting in Connecticut (2009) Monster Talk Radio interview with Ray Garton author of "In a Dark Place,"  the book he wrote with the help of the Warrens about the Snedeker family. (He disavows this book and calls it a professional low point)

This week Aggie and Irene talk a little bit about Conjuring 2 and a lotta bit about demons, how they work and what they'd do with the soul of a sociopath. We remember old movies we've seen, wonder what happened to all the words we read in books and draw a line in the sand about whether or not to keep furniture someone dies in.   This one is detours on detours on detours.

Aggie and Irene are back talking about the second installment in the CU and their favorite big strong girl, Annabelle. We talk about the real doll, the Christian screenwriter who gave us this eerie tale, how we both wish we'd been raised in different faiths and lightly discuss the role of the counter culture in these films. Most importantly, we wonder about what kind of gifts you'd walk away with from a Yankee Swap hosted by Annabelle Wallis and Chris Pine.   Next week is Conjuring 2!  Please rate/review/share and thank you so much for listening.   

NEW SERIES ALERT!  Aggie and Irene are investigating the greatest cinematic adventure of the 21st Century ... The Conjuring. In this episode we discuss the movie and it's Christian themes and mythologies, the Baptist twins who wrote it and the real life Perron family that the film is based on. We're watching chronologically in order of release. Next week is Annabelle and a deep dive on the sexy couple who keep demons at bay - The Warrens! Spread the good word - rate/review/share please :)  Please enjoy this interview with eldest daughter Andrea Perron around the time of the film's release: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=514di7CMcPY And this interview with the writers about their philosophy of using horror to spread the word of god: https://religionnews.com/2016/06/10/the-secret-christian-message-in-this-weekends-highly-anticipated-horror-film/  

This week Aggie and Irene watched the 4 part Netflix series Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel about the disappearance of Elisa Lam. We cover a lot of territory and spoilers abound! #freeMorbid Skid Row historian Douglas Mungin was featured in the doc and you can read his thesis here which includes a personal statement about his relationship to the area. We'll be back next week with a brand new SERIES! We can't wait. xoxo

Aggie and Irene discuss the life and career of tabloid obsession Nadya Suleman (aka Octomom).

Aggie and Irene talk RuPaul, John Waters, The Conjuring franchise and a mega-list of mainstream favs! 

Legends and movie recommendations abound in this one! Irene tells a tale of royal paupers living in squalor while Aggie excavates one of Shakespeare's villains.   We also talk Cassavetes, Billie Eilish (and whether youth culture is worth investigating), and end on up on the same page that the Handmaid's Tale is best as a short subject. 

In this episode, Aggie and Irene discuss corrupt billionaires, a historical trailblazer, and 1.5 poems all inspired by the randomly generated word, "Orange". 

Given the suggestion "REQUEST" from random word generator, Aggie and Irene go on QUITE the journey.  Irene discusses the history, context and content of the 'last meal' and Aggie talks about dystopian internet artist Josh Harris and his ill fated project "Quiet: We Live in Public".    We also touch on #challengeaccepted and how we engage with social media and then offer fans a shoutout on Instagram if they (you) rate us five stars.    Next week ... ORANGE. 

This week Aggie and Irene talk about two famous cases of blackmail: David Letterman  and the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III.    We round out the episode by discussing Alyssa Milano's appearance on Ziwe's brilliant Instagram live show Baited and after learning the truth about Griffith J. Griffith, vow to only refer to it as Tina Park (after his long suffering ex-wife). 

Aggie and Irene are inspired by the word "palace" and educate each other on Ferdinand Cheval's Ideal Palace and the United Daughters of the Confederacy. 

In the first episode of the Potpourri series, Aggie and Irene attempt to surprise each other by each selecting a story to tell based on a random word ("van"), but end up picking the same exact thing. 

Aggie and Irene are emerging from the depths of corn teen to update THE PUBLIC on an outrageous development in the Mary Kate Olsen and Olivier Sarkozy marriage. Spoiler alert: it's over and it's ugly. The Experts also tackle: hearing the news from Cat Marnell's twitter feed, what isolation for the Olsen Twins might look like, leather face masks and our upcoming season.

Aggie and Irene discuss the power couple Oprah and Gayle and their own friendship. 

New Series! POWER COUPLES Join Aggie and Irene as they discuss the lives and love of Mary Kate Olsen and Olivier Sarkozy. From their humble origins to the cigarette filled bowls that decorated their wedding, there's a lot to unpack! The Experts also sort through imaginary friends, the resurgence of Bubonic Plague and whether or not Shel Silverstein is sexy. Click here for a photo referenced in the episode

Aggie and Irene conclude their Robert De Niro series by evaluating what they've learned so far and discussing his latest movie, The Irishman. 

Aggie and Irene discuss Quentin Tarantino's 1997 crime movie, Jackie Brown, as part of their ongoing series on Robert De Niro. 

Aggie and Irene discuss the 2016 film Dirty Grandpa.

Aggie and Irene discuss Casino and Heat in the third installment of their Robert De Niro series.  

lol  

Why so serious? Aggie and Irene discuss the films Joker, Taxi Driver and King of Comedy in their first series on Robert De Niro. 

Aggie and Irene discuss Angela Carter's The Sadeian Woman and the Ideology of Pornography, Caroline Calloway, and reveal the topic of their next series. 

Aggie and Irene discuss the Marquise de Sade's famous/infamous novel Justine. ***CONTENT WARNING*** this book is about violent sexual acts and we discuss all of it so this pod won't be suitable for everybody. If you don't want to listen we'll see you next week

Aggie and Irene discuss Anne Desclos' 1954 erotic novel THE STORY OF O.

Aggie and Irene discuss the first novel of Anne Rice's horny book series, The Sleeping Beauty Quartet.

Aggie and Irene discuss E.L James' 50 SHADES OF GREY in the first episode of their new series: Erotica. 

Aggie and Irene begin with a preview of their second series and then discuss the opera, ANNA NICOLE. 

Aggie and Irene discuss the 2007 film, The Anna Nicole Smith Story and Mary Harron's 2013 Lifetime movie, Anna Nicole.

Aggie and Irene attempt to make sense of Rita Cosby's dense and tragic book about the last days of Anna Nicole. 

Aggie and Irene discuss the E! Network's salacious and morally devastating Anna Nicole Show.

Welcome to the first episode of The Experts! For our first series, Aggie and Irene are diving into the complex world of Anna Nicole Smith. In our first episode, we discuss the biography Great Big Beautiful Doll by Eric and D'Eva Redding.   

Aggie and Irene are two buddies who love to become experts on whatever cultural curiosity  captivates their interests. Join them as they become experts in their first subject: Anna Nicole Smith! Coming July 22.