2021 was the year that made us look back fondly at 2020. And yet, there were some moments this year that made life worth living. On this, the last PCJ podcast of the year, Hayley, Shauna and Nicole tell us their moods according to Spotify, and look back at the best of 2021 in music, movies, and streaming. They also recall all the special guests who joined us, the top cultural events – those triumphs and tragedies that had us all talking – and all the fun Pop Culture Junkie had outside the studio...
Dec 30, 2021•46 min
WARNING: THIS IS NOT A SPOILER-FREE PODCAST! The Pop Culture Junkies watched Spider-Man: No Way Home at the Majestic Neighborhood Cinema Grill in Chandler, AZ and loved it so much they couldn’t wait to talk about it LIVE right after the show. Joining the Junkies was very special guest AZ Deadpool, a cosplayer who, despite the name, appeared as Spider-Man to talk about the movie. Shauna, Nicole, Alex, Hayley and AZ Deadpool discuss their immediate reactions to the movie, and talk favorite moments...
Dec 23, 2021•55 min
The 2010s…what a decade, right? There were good times, probably, and bad times too, and pop culture was there to get us through it all. The Pop Culture Junkie Podcast is looking back at the halcyon days between 2010 and 2019 with a five-part series we’re calling We Love the 2010s. This week, Alex, Hayley, Nicole and Shauna finish out the decade with a look at the years 2018 and 2019. In 2018, when we weren’t eating Tide Pods, we were arguing whether we heard “Yanny” or “Laurel”. It was the year ...
Dec 16, 2021•44 min
The 2010s…what a decade, right? There were good times, probably, and bad times too, and pop culture was there to get us through it all. The Pop Culture Junkie Podcast is looking back at the halcyon days between 2010 and 2019 with a five-part series we’re calling We Love the 2010s. This week, Alex, Hayley, Nicole and Shauna take a look at the years 2016 and 2017. 2016 was all about Stranger Things, like Baby Shark and Becky with the Good Hair, Pokémon Go and Girl Ghostbusters, clown sightings and...
Dec 09, 2021•56 min
The 2010s…what a decade, right? There were good times, probably, and bad times too, and pop culture was there to get us through it all. The Pop Culture Junkie Podcast is looking back at the halcyon days between 2010 and 2019 with a five-part series we’re calling We Love the 2010s. This week, Alex, Hayley, Nicole and Shauna take a look at the years 2014 and 2015. 2014 was the year of Gone Girl power: we were ‘All About that Bass’ and took a trip to Broad City; Sony got hacked and so did Apple, le...
Dec 02, 2021•49 min
The 2010s…what a decade, right? There were good times, probably, and bad times too, and pop culture was there to get us through it all. The Pop Culture Junkie Podcast is looking back at the halcyon days between 2010 and 2019 with a five-part series we’re calling We Love the 2010s. This week, Alex, Hayley, Nicole and Shauna take a look at the years 2012 and 2013. 2012 was the year of natural disasters like Sharknado, the end of the world as we know it, and Honey Boo Boo, the 50 Shades of Grey boo...
Nov 25, 2021•35 min
The 2010s…what a decade, right? There were good times, probably, and bad times too, and pop culture was there to get us through it all. The Pop Culture Junkie Podcast is looking back at the halcyon days between 2010 and 2019 with a five-part series we’re calling We Love the 2010s. This week, Alex, Hayley, Nicole and Shauna take a look at the years 2010 and 2011. 2010 was the year of Inception, iPads and Instagram, Bieber, bromance and Bitcoin, cougars, mansplaining, The Walking Dead, Silly Bandz...
Nov 18, 2021•41 min
In honor of the impending release of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the Junkies welcome a real-life Ghostbuster to the show! Jeff Lewis of the Arizona Ghostbusters, a 501c(3) registered charity, joins the gang to talk about his lifelong love of busting ghosts and the stellar community work his organization does statewide. When not talking about proton packs or the Ecto-fleet, Jeff and the Junkies discuss what to pop or drop this week. Nicole is a Yellowstone convert, while Shauna surprises everyone by...
Nov 11, 2021•59 min
Saturday Night Live’s squirrely Pete Davidson is not only captivating Kardashians; one of the Junkies finds him oddly alluring too. After debating the ubiquity of Christmas music before Halloween is even over, Alex dishes on Facebook’s new Metaverse, which could send you back in time via a picture you were tagged in circa 2010. Shauna and Hayley are tentatively popping Ghosts (it’s not as weird as it sounds) and Nicole has all the Dutch Slut news. All that, plus the best in movies, television, m...
Nov 04, 2021•38 min
We celebrate Spooky Season this week with a double-stuffed episode full of tricks and treats. The Junkies remember the costumes of Halloween past, and find out Hayley and Nicole each dressed up as sultry Sandy from Grease, and both Alex and Shauna discovered slutty costumes once they got to college. Then we say “Oh, hai Greg!” as Shauna interviews actor, writer, filmmaker and all-around awesome nice guy Greg Sestero. Greg talks about acting with Tommy Wiseau in the legendary so-bad-it’s-good mov...
Oct 28, 2021•1 hr 8 min
The Junkies confess to car karaoke on this week’s episode, so give Nicole a nod if you ever pull up next to her while she’s in Billie mode. Hayley and Shauna were popping live shows this week, and Alex freaks everyone out with his Chucky impression. Then it’s on to the news, and the Junkies cover everything from the silly (Megan Fox’s fanfiction romance with Machine Gun Kelly), to the sporty (Chicago Sky picks up a WNBA championship!) to the spacy (Captain Kirk’s rocket ride) to the serious (the...
Oct 21, 2021•53 min
The Pop Culture Junkies recorded this episode live at the Be My Secret Cars and Anime Con on October 9th at Rawhide Events Center in Chandler. While Shauna and Hayley are very familiar with cons and cosplaying, this was a first for Alex and Nicole. Experienced or not though, everyone had a great time. For this episode, The Junkies welcomed incredible guests like cosplayer Alina Masquerade, Brittany Saint Leafy from Mordhau Historical Combat martial arts school, and duct tape artist Micah E. Garc...
Oct 14, 2021•44 min
The Junkies welcome very special guest Whitney Peyton, so this episode is all about music. Whitney is a headlining rap artist, songwriter and all-around content creator (she makes her motion picture debut this month!) who hails from Philadelphia and is now based in Phoenix. Whitney chats with Hayley, Shauna, Alex and Nicole about her music and her influences, tells touring stories, and even confesses to seeing Nickelback in concert. Whoa. Then Whitney and the Junkies list the up and coming acts ...
Oct 07, 2021•52 min
The Junkies are shooting up a lot of pop culture this week, and it’s all for your benefit. Alex makes the acquaintance of little-known models Cindy Crawford and Gigi Hadid, while Hayley and Nicole celebrate the return of smokin’ hot daddy Chris Meloni (along with the various Laws and Orders) this week. Then the Junkies celebrate the new direction R. Kelly will be taking, try to make sense of the Pinkett-Smith marriage, and fret about what an IATSE strike will mean for fans of pop culture, aka al...
Sep 30, 2021•45 min
Prepare to be scandalized as The Junkies confess their childhood transgressions: Hayley’s deception, Alex’s trespassing, and Shauna’s illicit snogging absolutely pale in comparison to the lengths Nicole went to for a first grade birthday party. The Junkies break down the Emmy Awards (not the ceremony, which no one watches anymore), but the entertaining moments from Conan, Seth Rogan, Michaela Coel and more. Speaking of moments, this week, some pop culture sparked joy, like Jojo Siwa, Montero, Br...
Sep 23, 2021•46 min
Which late night hosts do the Junkies want to kiss, marry and kill? You might be surprised by their answers, and by the fact that only one Junkie wants to take out notorious car-humper James Corden. Shauna does her best to not spoil Shang-Chi for Alex, and he returns the favor by not ruining the start of Lucifer‘s final season for her. Hayley is pumped for Hawkeye, Christmas and a year’s worth of Marvel content (#blessed) and Nicole sells us all on The Morning Show – and Apple TV+. We hope she’s...
Sep 16, 2021•50 min
The Junkies welcome super-special guest Lauren Knight, Stallone Enthusiast (oh, and the Film and Events Programmer for Majestic Theaters, Phoenix) and they use their powers to erase their least favorite films from existence. Sorry, fan(s) of The Love Guru. Lauren tells everyone of the exciting new programs coming to the Majestic Theaters, formerly the Alamo Drafthouse. Then the Junkies start popping the best things to watch this week. Alex clues everyone in to See, the Jason Momoa show no one kn...
Sep 09, 2021•56 min
The conversation is so good in this episode that the Junkies consider starting a podcast. They start by talking about TV shows with banging theme songs, which of course leads to a discussion of twerking to the Law and Order: SVU opening music. After that, things get weird. James Corden-humping-cars weird. Alex recommends Vacation Friends with benefits, Shauna is still catching up on classic vampire flicks like the ridiculously homoerotic Interview with the Vampire, and Hayley counters with anoth...
Sep 02, 2021•46 min
The Junkies pop, drop and roll their way through the week in pop culture. Reminiscence puts Hayley to sleep, while the Paw Patrol Movie is on point. Nicole is drawn into Rampage, not so much for The Rock as for her beloved Chicago. Alex pops Lin-Manuel Miranda’s music in Vivo, a new animated musical that is very Coco-meets-Soul, and Shauna is iffy on The White Lotus, and not just because of the genitals. Then the Junkies break down that Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer we’ve been dying to see. Do...
Aug 26, 2021•44 min
Nicole offers to manifest good things for all the Junkies, because that how she rolls. Shauna’s getting back her $200, Hayley will get to see Benson and Stabler (finally) make out, and Alex will always have dry pants. The Junkies also discuss James Gunn’s crazy direction on The Suicide Squad, Sebastian Stan’s lackluster voiceovers on What If…?, The Killers’ transcendent new album and David Spade’s sarcastic take on Bachelor in Paradise. Then it’s the week in pop culture, including a Hollywood en...
Aug 19, 2021•47 min
The OG Junkies are on the air! Shauna and Nicole man the show this week as Alex celebrates two birthdays and Hayley is off campaigning to make the Nathan Fillion Civilian Pavillion a thing. She aims to misbehave! This episode has a lot of Jennifer Aniston, from the rumors she’s boinking David Schwimmer, to her starring role on The Morning Show to her stance on anti-vaxxers. Also this week, the Junkies rewrite their favorite shows minus their least favorite characters; so adios, Ross Gellar and t...
Aug 12, 2021•49 min
It’s unanimous: 3 out of 3 Junkies prefer bagels to doughnuts. This week, Nicole is back, but Shauna is MIA so this episode has a no-swears guarantee. This week Alex reps Ted Lasso, Nicole is all about Billie Eilish’s new, non-whispery album, and Hayley digs Tig Notaro’s animated adventures. Then the Junkies turn to sports, with stories from the Olympics and the men’s roller derby team from Cleveland. And finally, they take a deep dive into the epic battle of Disney’s evil empire vs. our favorit...
Aug 05, 2021•43 min
The Junkies make a new friend this week when Preston Statzer, owner of Olympus Games, sits in for Nicole. Hayley recalls asking a psychic if she was going to marry David Duchovny, which came half true, and Alex tries to teach the others how to have swag. Preston debates anime dubs vs subs and manages to out-Shauna Shauna. This episode has everything: the corrupting influence of Harry Potter, rom-coms, true crime, the Olympics, Pokemon, and Megan Fox’s toe thumbs. Don’t miss it! Thank you to Olym...
Jul 29, 2021•47 min
On this week’s episode, Alex is iffy on Space Jam but digging Monsters at Work, Hayley stans any and all mockumentaries out of New Zealand, Shauna enjoyed the Crime Scene Kitchen finale when she wasn’t getting sunburnt, and Nicole is digging The Bachelorette final four but isn’t looking forward to the sandy sexcapades on Bachelor in Paradise. Then the Junkies get into the Loki finale, TikTokkers fueled by White Claw, Britney Spears firing back at her skeevy family, and Jeff Bezos’s space phallus...
Jul 22, 2021•48 min
Reunited, and it feels so good, as the song goes. After months of Zooming, the Pop Culture Junkie Podcast now records live at Olympus Games in Mesa. Even better: Alex, Hayley, Shauna and Nicole all got together to see Black Widow, and you know they have a lot to say about the first Marvel movie in theaters in two years. Also this week, the Junkies dish on Loki, the big reveal in Sex/Life, billionaire space races, and the newest Marvel hero, Hot Guy. Thank you to Olympus Games, the new home of th...
Jul 15, 2021•45 min
Like Bon Jovi, we are halfway there – halfway through 2021, that is. In this short and sweet episode, Alex, Nicole and Shauna talk about the best of what is yet to come in pop culture this year. Everything is opening up – theaters, concert halls, conventions – so find out what the Junkies are looking forward the most. And find us on social media so we can hear what you are dying to see! Everyone in the Junkie-verse should join the Pop Culture Junkie Support Group on Facebook to be a part of the ...
Jul 08, 2021•8 min
The Junkies reveal their pop culture nemeses, and decide that some of them just need to be tripped. (Watch where you walk, Scott Baio.) Nicole is enjoying how The Bachelorette is not taking any BS from her dudes, Alex discovers Manifest almost too late (#SaveManifest!) and Shauna wishes Venom had been just a little more violent. In pop culture news, the Junkies discuss the incredibly unfair conservatorship of Britney Spears and how weird it is that so many people in her family are named Jamie. (...
Jul 01, 2021•38 min
It’s officially summer, even though here in Arizona it has been scorching hot for months. This week the Junkies celebrate the solstice by talking about terrible vacations, terrific summer binge-watching and of course, sports. Nicole and Alex each promote their favorite Sox, while Shauna reps the hometown favorite, the Phoenix Suns, who are burning up the NBA. The Junkies discuss Victoria’s Secret ditching their Angels and how that affects Tyra Banks. Speaking of cancellation, it’s time to discus...
Jun 24, 2021•40 min
How to play the Pop Culture Junkie™ Drinking Game: drink every time Shauna has to censor herself, Hayley talks about Law and Order, Nicole mentions Billie Eilish, or Alex references Kanye West. Not to be played while driving. We’ve got all the bodily fluid news you want (and then some) this week. You’re welcome. The Junkies dish on Batman as a selfish lover, giant Lamar Odom, YouTubers vs TikTokers, and Kanye unfollowing Kim. They also give you the Pop it or Drop It reviews of Loki, The Bachelor...
Jun 17, 2021•46 min
The Junkies met in real life for Friends trivia night at the Alamo Drafthouse (thanks, Alamo Drafthouse!) How did they do? Find out by listening! Speaking of friends, the Junkies welcome their new friend, John Pyka, The Prophet of Pop Culture and host of the Back of the Cereal Box podcast, who does a mean Kermit impression. (Links below!) This week, the Junkies (who may or may not be naked from the waist down) and John have a LOT of pop culture hot takes this week. After marveling at the days of...
Jun 10, 2021•1 hr 10 min
