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 . Ap...
Jun 08, 2023•46 min•Season 4Ep. 116
The Junkies welcome Olivia Rodi to the Pop Culture Junkie podcast, and Nicole and Shauna get to know her faves and fandoms. As she is a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Taylor Swift, Josie and the Pussycats, horror movies, true crime and celebrity gossip and conspiracy therories, it’s obvious she’s going to fit right in. After discussing whether Tupac is alive, Katy Perry is really Jon-Benet Ramsey and other hot takes, The Junkies take the conversation in a spicier direction, commenting on the h...
May 25, 2023•38 min•Season 4Ep. 115
Nicole and Shauna had the dubious honor of attending a 20th Anniversary Screening of The Room with Greg Sestero, and that led to a discussion of cult classics like Clerks , The Evil Dead , The Cornetto Trilogy and more. Then Shauna remembers her favorite midnight movie experiences, and invites Nicole to lose her Rocky Horror Picture Show virginity with her soon. Moving from so-bad-they're-good movies to just plain bad movies, the Junkies then determine the worst movies they've ever seen. Spoiler...
May 11, 2023•23 min•Season 4Ep. 114
Hayley, Nicole and Shauna gather together for a bittersweet episode: Hayley the Brave is saying goodbye to the Pop Culture Junkie podcast to start a new and exciting chapter in her life. But first, Shauna reviews the Creed and John Wick sequels in theaters now, Nicole reviews the docuseries Full Swing , which is a Netflix show about golfers and not sexy spouse-swappers, in case you were wondering. Then Hayley explains why Reservoir Dogs is superior to Pulp Fiction , if you must watch a Tarantino...
Apr 27, 2023•48 min•Season 4Ep. 113
On this extra-special edition of Pop Culture Junkie, Shauna is up extra early to talk to London-based singer, actor and activist Kate Nash. After bonding over Buffy the Vampire Slayer and how it empowered and validated teenage girls, Shauna and Kate discuss “f*** the patriarchy” music, the abysmal treatment of women by the media, and Kate’s time on the Netflix show GLOW. Kate also talks about her new comedy movie Coffee Wars , where she stars as independent coffee shop owner Jo, who attempts to ...
Apr 13, 2023•57 min•Season 4Ep. 112
The Junkies don't have much in the way of good goss this week, but they do have the sports report and Nicole sparks a conversation about women's basketball and the fashion-forward coach of Lousiana State University, Kim Mulkey. Shauna describes the bummer experience of watching The Whale, while Hayley describes how Babylon wasted three long hours of her life. Also this week, Hayley, Shauna and Nicole present their spring movie preview, looking at the trailers from Air , The Super Mario Bros. Mov...
Mar 30, 2023•53 min•Season 4Ep. 111
The Junkies review Cocaine Bear , and recall how fun it was to see it together. Shauna enjoyed rooting for the bear, Nicole lauded Elizabeth Banks and her directorial skills, and Hayley enjoyed the reunion of cast members from her favorite show, The Americans . In other viewing news, Both Hayley and Shauna are on a Pedro Pascal binge while Nicole is finally, finally, a fan of Only Murders in the Building . Speaking of Selena Gomez, The Junkies break down the Hailey Bieber/Kylie Jenner/Selena feu...
Mar 16, 2023•39 min•Season 4Ep. 110
Hayley is using her sick time wisely by binging shows like Animal Control with the still-ripped Joel McHale, and Shauna and Nicole have a friendly debate about whether White Lotus should be popped or dropped, but everyone still loves Jennifer Coolidge, regardless. Then after discussing the new Ant-Man movie, The Junkies debate the validity (and pronunciation) of Tomatometers, and whether online criticism should play a part in the decision to see a movie, or if everyone should just listen to this...
Mar 02, 2023•37 min•Season 4Ep. 109
This week, Nicole is binging NASCAR content (go Chase Elliott!), Shauna renders a verdict on You People , and Hayley will make you believe that Nickelback is cool again. Then, after debating the merits of Cars 3 , The Junkies take a stroll through the uncanny valley for a look at just how creative artificial technology can be. In a world where there are apps that can generate art and literature, will we ever get to the point where robots will be able to entertain us? Intentionally, that is. List...
Feb 16, 2023•41 min•Season 4Ep. 108
The Junkies are back! Shauna has her life back after a tough month on the job, Nicole has returned from a working vacation (where working means binging White Lotus ) and Hayley is no longer mesmerized by online sports betting. Speaking of sports, look for at least two of the Junkies to bare their shoulders – if not more! – at ‘Gronk Beach’, one of the many festivities planned in Phoenix as we prepare for the ‘Big Game.’ In other news, Nicole introduces us to the job description “giving pleasure ...
Feb 02, 2023•36 min•Season 4Ep. 107
The Junkies talk about how we came close to losing Hot Guy over the holidays, and then chat about the shows that they recently binged. Shauna started watching Alice in Borderland , Hayley is trying to make it through all of Arrested Development , even the remixed versions, and Nicole indulged in Homicide for the Holidays . (That is a show, right?) Then The Junkies talk about concert tickets, and how much more affordable they used to be. Though Swiftgate brought home how dysfunctional the whole s...
Jan 19, 2023•34 min•Season 4Ep. 106
Hayley, Nicole and Shauna are back and trading holiday tales of getting barfed on, playing matchmaker, and having a great time at the North Pole of Arizona. Who did what? You’ll have to listen to find out. Then The Junkies ring in 2023 with the obligatory look at the best of 2022, and by obligatory, we mean “really, really fun.” 2022 may have been sparkling and bitter, like a negroni sbagliato with prosecco, but 2023 is going to be a great year for pop culture, and we can’t wait to share it all ...
Jan 05, 2023•30 min•Season 4Ep. 105
Hayley, Nicole and Shauna reunite to celebrate the holidays Pop Culture Junkie-style: by talking about their favorite holiday movies. Shauna’s is Jingle All the Way, and she challenges everyone to do their best Schwarzenegger accent. Hayley stans Muppet Christmas Carol which begins a debate about which Muppet is the sexiest (the answer may surprise you!) And finally, Nicole’s favorite is Home Alone 2 (despite a cameo appearance by you-know-who) and maintains it’s better than the original. Which ...
Dec 15, 2022•47 min•Season 3Ep. 104
The 2010s were so fire, so lit, and so cringe, we just had to revisit our five-part series looking at the decade. In the 2010s, we had good times, probably, and bad times too, and pop culture was there to get us through it all. The Pop Culture Junkie Podcast is again bringing you the most memorable moments of the years 2010 through 2019 with our series We Love the 2010s. This week, Alex, Hayley, Nicole and Shauna give their hot takes on the years 2018 and 2019. In 2018, when we weren’t eating Ti...
Dec 08, 2022•44 min
The 2010s were so fire, so lit, and so cringe, we just had to revisit our five-part series looking at the decade. In the 2010s, we had good times, probably, and bad times too, and pop culture was there to get us through it all. The Pop Culture Junkie Podcast is again bringing you the most memorable moments of the years 2010 through 2019 with our series We Love the 2010s. This week, Alex, Hayley, Nicole and Shauna give their hot takes on the years 2016 and 2017. 2016 was all about Stranger Things...
Dec 01, 2022•56 min
The 2010s were so fire, so lit, and so cringe, we just had to revisit our five-part series looking at the decade. In the 2010s, we had good times, probably, and bad times too, and pop culture was there to get us through it all. The Pop Culture Junkie Podcast is again bringing you the most memorable moments of the years 2010 through 2019 with our series We Love the 2010s. This week, Alex, Hayley, Nicole and Shauna give their hot takes on the years 2014 and 2015. 2014 was the year of Gone Girl pow...
Nov 17, 2022•49 min
The 2010s were so fire, so lit, and so cringe, we just had to revisit our five-part series looking at the decade. In the 2010s, we had good times, probably, and bad times too, and pop culture was there to get us through it all. The Pop Culture Junkie Podcast is again bringing you the most memorable moments of the years 2010 through 2019 with our series We Love the 2010s. This week, Alex, Hayley, Nicole and Shauna give their hot takes on the years 2012 and 2013. 2012 was the year of natural disas...
Nov 03, 2022•36 min
The 2010s were so fire, so lit, and so cringe, we just had to revisit our five-part series looking at the decade. In the 2010s, we had good times, probably, and bad times too, and pop culture was there to get us through it all. The Pop Culture Junkie Podcast is again bringing you the most memorable moments of the years 2010 through 2019 with our series We Love the 2010s. This week, Alex, Hayley, Nicole and Shauna give their hot takes on the years 2010 and 2011. 2010 was the year of Inception, iP...
Oct 20, 2022•41 min
The Junkies wrap up the Winona Ryder 101 lessons with 2018’s Destination Wedding, which may or may not be an actual movie. Winona teams up with Keanu Reeves (who may or may not be her actual husband) for the fourth time in this awkward and talky film oddity. While not the worst Winona movie they’ve had to watch (that would be Autumn in New York), Destination Wedding was still challenging for Nicole, who needed a break from the constant chatter, and Hayley, who felt the sex scene in this movie we...
Oct 13, 2022•41 min•Season 3Ep. 103
Well, shave my poodle! Pop Culture Junkie Hayley hosts Thirty, Nerdy, & Thriving, now part of the Pop Culture Entertainment Network. This episode is a love letter to the wonderfully weird world of Stuckeyville, and her favorite comedy drama of all time, NBC’s Ed. Ed ran from 2000-2004 and chronicled the life of Edward J. Stevens, a New York City lawyer who moves back to his hometown, buys the local bowling alley, and tries to win the heart of his high school crush. It starred Tom Cavanagh, J...
Oct 06, 2022•1 hr 41 min•Season 3Ep. 102
Autumn in New York may be the movie that broke The Junkies. Hayley, Shauna and Nicole are not here for any of this movie’s nonsense: not the cringe factor of the age difference between Winona and her love interest Richard Gere, not the utterly unrealistic sex scenes, not for yet another Manic Pixie Dream Winona, and they are definitely not loving that the movie’s main theme is that a woman dying to make a man be better is somehow romantic. Oh, and all that poetry "Winona Dickinson" spouts is sup...
Sep 29, 2022•43 min•Season 3Ep. 101
This week we revisit a special episode with Lauren Knight, co-host of the new podcast That Movie Is Fine, part of the Pop Culture Entertainment Network. The Junkies and Lauren use their powers to erase their least favorite films from existence. Sorry, fan(s) of The Love Guru. Then Alex clues everyone in to See, the Jason Momoa show no one knows about. Shauna and Lauren bond over Sly’s ridiculous 1993 film Demolition Man, and Hayley reps Only Murders in the Building and Shang-Chi and the Legend o...
Sep 22, 2022•56 min
Shauna and Hayley celebrate the 100th episode of Pop Culture Junkie by keeping it old school. The Junkies talk about their favorite PCJ moments, like interviewing Brad Perry, hosting panels at Phoenix Fan Fusion, getting recognized at strip clubs, and engaging with dedicated fans. The Junkies talk about the best and worst of what’s happening now in pop culture now, like The Resort, Sandman, House of the Dragon, and The Black Phone. Then they dive into Marvel’s misogyny problem, try to figure out...
Sep 15, 2022•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 100
This week, The Junkies continue their in-depth look into one of beloved actor Winona Ryder’s most iconic roles by watching Girl, Interrupted, a passion project for Ryder, who bought the rights to the book and worked for seven years to get the film made. Winona plays Susanna, a troubled young woman who may or may not be mentally ill and who gets sent to a facility. This is the movie that officially turned all The Junkies bisexual…but it’s hard to blame them when you see Winona’s pixie cut and Ang...
Sep 08, 2022•46 min•Season 3Ep. 99
This week, the Junkies are excited to welcome Rachel Herrick, aka Adorkable Rachel, a Sesame Workshop-trained puppeteer who has lent her puppeteering skills to shows like The Afterparty and Crank Yankers. Rachel is also a voice actor, singer, writer, YouTuber, and a Marie Kondo-wannabe. Hayley is excited to talk all things Muppets with Rachel, while Nicole asks Rachel about her YouTube channel. Shauna is interested in the mechanics of puppeteering, and Alex wants to know the difference between v...
Sep 01, 2022•49 min•Season 3Ep. 98
This week, The Junkies continue their in-depth look into one of beloved actor Winona Ryder’s most iconic roles by watching Reality Bites, the generation-defining (?) look at the whiny slackers of Gen X. Featuring Winona at her most appealing (and Ethan Hawke at his most annoying), the movie sets up a love triangle between the aimless Lainey (Ryder), the jobless Troy (Hawke) and director Ben Stiller’s character Michael, who has everything going for him but mysteriously wants to enter Winona’s den...
Aug 25, 2022•38 min•Season 3Ep. 97
The Junkies welcome special guest Jim Louvau to this week’s episode. Jim is an award-winning photographer, a director and a musician, and a Phoenix native. Jim has directed two music videos for Jerry Cantrell, formerly of Alice in Chains, and has photographed rock music legends like the late Chester Bennington, Maynard James Keenan of Tool and A Perfect Circle, and Kat Von D (and so many more.) Jim is also a musician, performing with the band There Is No Us and is working with Filter’s Richard P...
Aug 18, 2022•45 min•Season 3Ep. 96
This week the Junkies take an in-depth look into one of beloved actor Winona Ryder’s most iconic roles by watching Heathers, a dark satire on high school cliques, bullying, teenage suicide, and scrunchies. It’s Mean Girls, with murder! In this movie, Winona is the ultimate in chic adolescent cool by daring to be a Veronica in a sea of Heathers, and this movie has a ton of quotable lines, which The Junkies are happy to perform. Here in the time of high school lockdowns and active shooter drills i...
Aug 11, 2022•46 min•Season 3Ep. 95
What if you could get a degree in pop culture? You can! This week The Junkies consider going back in time to change their majors after talking to special guest Dr. Jeffrey A. Brown, Chair of the Department of Pop Culture at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. For the past 50 years, BGSU is the only university in the nation to have a Deparment of Popular Culture, and Dr. Brown easily convinces Alex, Shauna, Hayley and Nicole that getting an undergrad or Master’s Degree at BGSU ...
Aug 04, 2022•47 min•Season 3Ep. 94
This week, The Junkies take another in-depth look into one of beloved actor Winona Ryder’s most iconic roles by watching Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice, which is one of Ryder’s first big roles, and started her on the path to be cinema’s iconic goth chick. While Hayley and Shauna were already big fans of the movie, this was Nicole’s first watch, and spoiler: she loved the combination of horror and comedy. But what’s not to like, when you have the surprisingly likeable Alec Baldwin, sweet Geena Davis, t...
Jul 28, 2022•48 min•Season 3Ep. 93
