Thirsty Topics podcast
A weekly podcast dedicated to trending topics on social media, pop culture and entertainment. Lawrence and Meryl have healthy discussions with multiple perspectives.
Thirsty Topics podcast
Behind the Headlines: Trump's Health, Gladys Knight, and Celebrity Chaos for 8/27/25
Trump's swollen ankles and makeup-covered hands have sparked widespread speculation across social media, with healthcare professionals weighing in on what these symptoms might indicate. While some eagerly predict catastrophic health outcomes, Lawrence and Meryl navigate this sensitive territory with surprising nuance, questioning when political criticism crosses the line into cruel schadenfreude. After all, beneath the politics lies someone's family member—a perspective worth considering regardless of your political stance.
The conversation shifts to Gladys Knight, whose son alleges elder abuse from her much younger husband. At 81, Knight has reportedly appeared confused after recent performances, raising concerns about her well-being. Is this a cautionary tale about aging celebrities pushing themselves too far, or something more sinister? The hosts contemplate creative alternatives that would allow iconic performers to connect with fans without endangering their health.
From a French Justin Bieber impersonator who fooled an entire Vegas nightclub (and racked up a $10,000 tab in the process), to the surprisingly controversial addition of male cheerleaders to NFL teams, the episode examines how our cultural flashpoints reveal deeper societal tensions. When a New Jersey bagel shop goes viral for serving comically thick slabs of cream cheese, it's not just about poor service—it's about declining standards and disconnection between businesses and consumers.
Through discussions about America's declining drinking habits, Lil Nas X's concerning public behavior, and even Cracker Barrel's polarizing logo redesign, Lawrence and Meryl consistently return to the human stories behind each headline. Their compassionate yet candid perspectives offer listeners a refreshing alternative to the usual outrage-driven coverage of current events.
Tired of surface-level inspiration? This raw, transformative documentary digs deep into turning pain into purpose. Mainstream platforms wouldn't touch these powerful stories of resilience, but you can access them now on elrodvnetwork.com.
Tired of surface-level inspiration? This raw, transformative documentary digs deep into turning pain into purpose. Mainstream platforms wouldn't touch these powerful stories of resilience, but you can access them now on elrodvnetwork.com.
Tired of surface-level inspiration? This raw, transformative documentary digs deep into turning pain into purpose. Mainstream platforms wouldn't touch these powerful stories of resilience, but you can access them now on elrodvnetwork.com.
Hello, and thank you for listening to Thirsty Topics podcast! I'm Lawrence Elrod, and every week Meryl Klemow and I dive deep into the stories that matter, the conversations that shape our world."
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Hello everyone, welcome to this week's episode of Thirsty Topics. I'm Lauren Selrod.
Speaker 2:And I'm Meryl Clemo.
Speaker 1:Hey Meryl, how are you doing today?
Speaker 2:Hey, hey, hey Good, how are you?
Speaker 1:We're fantastic. Did you have a great weekend?
Speaker 2:I really did, I did. I went down to San Diego and I had four shows and three of them were amazing. One of them was a little awkward, but the rest were super good.
Speaker 1:Oh, you had a great weekend then.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and the shows were right in the middle of like where the Padres play in San Diego. I mean, I wasn't on the field, but I was right next to where it gets out, so you could imagine the like Saturday at 10 pm show with people drunk and just being crazy was super fun.
Speaker 1:So I know you had a lot of fun. I know a couple of weeks ago we had the Aaron Waters show here in Chicago and when they were doing the Aaron and water show, um, we happen to be downtown and um I'm sorry up on the north side and I saw the planes going past wrigley field at the time and I'm sitting there thinking to myself they're probably really pissed the picture and everyone can, oh yeah you know, throwing a pitch or giving signals and all of a sudden boom. You know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, now that I I have to in quotation marks watch baseball with my boyfriend a lot more I there's I don't know if it's like this for every game, but the Padres. Now, the way the camera is set up, it's like right next to a seat where there's always a screaming fan and now you can like actively hear what people are saying and screaming. I don't know why this is a new thing or something, but they just had a really, really loud lady. That was annoying, and now I could just hear a guy that was yelling like don't mess it up, but you could hear it so closely that I'm like, oh, this is weird.
Speaker 1:Nice. That means you were there enjoying the moment with them.
Speaker 2:Exactly, that's true, we're trying to phrase it that way, but yeah, well, I am actually going to let you start this week Amazing, okay, good, well, I have some thoughts on this. It's a crazy story. I don't know if you've seen this on TikTok, but a lot of the psychic TikTok community predicted we're going to get dark for a moment, but they predicted that august 24th yesterday would be a day that something not so great would happen to the president. Have you? Have you been seeing this at all? No, I haven't.
Speaker 2:Oh, there's been like an active conspiracy slash, like prediction community. A lot of people were saying that like 8, 24, august, 24th, there was going to be something big you know as big as you can get for the president regarding his health, and a lot of people were like predicting that we were going to hear something or not hear something about. Like you know, you could just imagine what would happen on that day if someone is not in good health. So that spawned a bunch of I know it's just really weird, but I think a lot of psychics, which we shouldn't. They've been wrong a lot on TikTok, but like they've been saying that they saw something in charts that they were like, just wait, it's going to be like a really big announcement day and, like you know, today's, the next, you know today's, a few days after, and we haven't heard anything yet. But anyway, that led to a lot of healthcare workers to then chime in and say we don't know about that. But what we do think is that he's going through maybe some like congestive heart failure or something, because he was spotted a lot with makeup on his hands, um, and swollen ankles, and they think that's signs of like him getting IVs and then putting makeup to cover his hands and his uh like ankles are showing sign of, obviously like some of the cardiovascular stuff I saw.
Speaker 2:This is so mean. But I saw someone that commented like clots and prayers. I know Now I have many like thoughts on this. I just think it's, at the end of the day, like to me he's still someone's like grandpa or dad or whatever, and I just hate the thought of like. If this is like the same thing with Biden, I felt where there's things I don't like and I do like or whatever, but I'm like I just thought of making fun of like an older, aging man who, like really might be feeling really ill, just like I don't really love that because I think a lot of people are like ready to celebrate and whatever, but yeah.
Speaker 2:So basically he's been showing up at places and he's had his hand covered in makeup, His ankles are swollen, he keeps saying it's nothing. His hand covered in makeup, his ankles are swollen, he keeps saying it's nothing. He alluded to like going to heaven a few days ago, but then his speaker person just said like you know, he's just saying that in general it doesn't mean anything, but I don't know. What do you think?
Speaker 1:Well, I mean, let's not forget. I mean, the thing that amazes me is how much he wrote about Biden being old and all this. Oh, biden and people tend to forget they're only three years apart in age, so he's almost 80 years old. Yeah, yeah, he's almost the same age as Biden, right? And the reality is we don't know what's going on. But if your ankles and I did see those pictures of his ankles- yeah, look at them now.
Speaker 2:They're kind of crazy.
Speaker 1:We don't know what it is, obviously. But yes, there is something medically going on, because your ankles don't get that big for no reason.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And with the makeup on the hand. To me, I think the worst thing he could have did was put makeup on there, because now he's drawing attention to himself.
Speaker 2:Exactly, and I know his rep said there was nothing to hide and that no treatment plan or lifestyle changes were made, including for his swollen ankles. So if anything, you would think and this is just an ongoing thing exactly how they did it, for us to provide it as well. And this happens a lot where I think they don't want to alarm the public. But then now, with social media we're all creating, if we don't know the information, everyone's filling in the gaps and you have like psychics weighing in. There's cardiovascular experts on nurses that were actively saying like I see patients like this all the time and I'm pretty much like a hundred percent sure that this is what's happening, just because of the signs. So I think to me in this day and age, like we could handle information if they just told us what's up, you know, rather than just kind of denying it when it's actively right there in our face.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's true, and one thing that people don't understand too is that, yes, swollen ankles is a sign of something wrong, but it's also a sign of medication. There's a lot of medication that has side effects to swollen ankles, so it doesn't mean that there's something dramatically wrong going on. It could just be a side effect of a medication you saw exactly what's it like water retention or something too, from your diuretics?
Speaker 2:yeah, yeah, yeah. So like I don't know, though, I just feel weird maybe. Maybe I don't dislike him as much as like some people do. I like I don't I'm not a fan at all, but like just the thought of being hoping that something like really really, really catastrophic happens, it just kind of feels icky to me. I'm sure people disagree and I can see that and I can see where the rage comes from of, just like the things going on, you know, with the ice stuff and I I can see it's like, okay, well, I'm not going to have empathy for him because look at all the people that have been affected by him.
Speaker 2:So I do understand that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's true. I mean, the thing is is that you know he's got a tone for things he's doing and the reality is, is that what he ran on and what he's doing now? A lot of stuff he told us up front, a lot of stuff he didn't tell us. Yeah, you know we have to deal with that, but you know, like you said, he is someone's father, he is someone's grandfather, so there is the human aspect of it as well too.
Speaker 2:I know I saw a poll too that said now, like 40 of the people that they asked, 45 of people do think that they are misleading us when it comes to his health and I also just feel like he's losing trust a little bit in people, the way that, you know, biden did after a while. Um, and then there's also some, some accounts that are counting the days that he's been golfing and I guess he, like hasn't been golfing in 13 days and that's one of the longest he hasn't gone since even he's kind of gone the new president route.
Speaker 1:So yeah, yeah, I mean, I think the worst thing to do is have the american people find out that you've been lying all this time and you know you did have medical history, medical issues that you did disclose I know so we'll, we'll see, but yeah, there's definitely something going on again.
Speaker 2:Doesn't mean it's something dramatically wrong, but yeah, there is something going wrong and I would hope that, like everyone, no matter what your political party is, after the last two issues of this, like I think we can all agree that it would be very refreshing to have someone in office that, like, of course, any age can get medical issues, but just that this wasn't a a pervasive thing all the time of just having presidents leaning the wrong way and falling off things and stuff, and so it would be nice to have someone next up that's young and spry.
Speaker 1:Nope, I definitely understand and you make a good point too, but I still think it's hilarious that he made fun of Biden.
Speaker 2:I know.
Speaker 1:It's like you know, I kind of want to sit back and go really.
Speaker 2:I know, I know, I know, and yet he's not looking good. And you always see the screenshots of presidents like after you know, after four years, and just how, if they get gray, if they get tired or wrinkly and stuff. But this is like four months in or whatever. However we are, it's already his eyes look bloodshot and it's just not looking good.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And then the other thing, too, is when you go in hard talking about Biden's age, oh, he can't do this, he's not able to do this. Well, what happens is that when you start showing a little bit of your age, guess what's going to happen to?
Speaker 2:you Definitely.
Speaker 1:We'll see, we'll see. We'll see if he's going to be honest about what's going on or they're still going to just play like there's nothing wrong. So we'll see.
Speaker 2:I feel like, up until the last, everything it's going to be, they're going to be like everything's fine, everything's fine.
Speaker 1:That is true. Talking about something that's not so fine. I'm quite sure that is true. Talking about something that's not so fine.
Speaker 2:I'm quite sure you know who Gladys Knight is.
Speaker 1:right, yes, Yep, I love her. She's a great singer musician. Well, gladys Knight is you know. She's doing concerts all over the country and there's been some concern about her health and her son is stating that, um, that she's suffering from elder abuse from her husband. Now some people look at this as maybe telltale signs of something not right, because Gladys Knight, who is 81, is married to a young man who is 48.
Speaker 2:Oh no, oh no.
Speaker 1:And there was one or more occasions where she finished her concert and she seemed like she was kind of out of it. She was basically kind of confused where they have to leave off the stage.
Speaker 1:So that's kind of added fuel to the fire of the elder abuse claim. And Gladys Knight put out a statement saying that you know, a lot of things have been misconstrued about her and you know, and she's fine, there's nothing wrong with her. The only problem with that situation is it's a statement, it's not her sitting in front of the camera saying it Right exactly, it could be anyone like her publicist, her manager.
Speaker 1:Exactly and again, for all I know, it could have been her saying it, but I think that only makes it worse by doing a statement instead of her being in front of the camera saying it yeah, oh man, already, of course, like age gaps, as long as everyone's mature.
Speaker 2:Sometimes I am, I'm not the most upset about age gaps. I understand how they happen, but usually I feel like 15 to 20 years and less is like somewhat acceptable. Getting closer, almost up to like half, double the age of yourself, you know, like a 40 year age gap already. Whether it's either way, whether it's a woman and like a very, very old man or, like you know, vice versa. I think we kind of know what they're there for, maybe and like, who knows, maybe they're the most in love ever. But I don't like that already. Like that's definitely an orange flag to me. I think that that's happening, um, and I feel like we would have to see her to know and exactly like how it. You know, the proof is right there. If she is getting disoriented after shows or if she's seeming like kind of confused, then hopefully she's going to get like a few wellness checks done. But, um, yeah, it's pretty freaky yeah.
Speaker 1:I think part of the problem, too, is whenever there's money involved, people aren't really looking at you. In your best interest they're looking at you as a payday, because there's venues and stuff that make pretty good money with her doing her concerts. There's still a lot of people that love her music and love her as a person. Still a lot of people that love her music and love her as a person. So if they see something off, do you really think they're going to say anything? Or just kind of, you know, keep their mouth shut.
Speaker 2:I know, you know, that is like the sad part of the business. You know where you just keep going on a lot of these performers. I don't know what her financial situation is like if she's needing to go out and make money or if she could be fine just resting. But now I need to like, now I'm going to definitely after this I'm going to go, not stuck, but lightly look at that man a lot and see if I what my actual real thoughts are. I mean, don't you, do you, right off the bat, think that age gap is really like kind of just questionable, like kind of just?
Speaker 1:questionable. You know it's hard to say. I mean, in all reality she could easily be his. You know his grandma, yeah, so it will be hard to ignore that. But the other thing that you have to think about too is would he have her best interest in mind if she's not feeling 100?
Speaker 1:that's the real question yeah and only someone that knows him would be able to answer that question or not. But to me, whenever you see a situation where there's problems within a family like the son doesn't like the stepfather, um, because you gotta wonder what's going on it's hard to really take sides one way or the other when you don't have all the facts. But I do think it's something that people should be, you know, kind of aware of, especially promoters and people that have her, you know, performing at their, their venues exactly remember.
Speaker 2:We just talked about this before with, like, the wendy williams thing too. We don't know if she I mean that's a little different, because we do know, that's been confirmed that she has a lot of some, you know, physical and mental health struggles. But, like I think, with this too, we don't know, cause Gladys may be, like I know I'm kind of getting older, but I want to be out every night, so I need you to protect me. And saying that to her husband, but yeah, um, but yeah, you're right, it's the job of the promoters.
Speaker 2:But then it goes into like, like I used to, because I used to work in a music venue and I just think of all the times we would have people come in and if then it goes to like well, if we know someone's on drugs, then is it, is it our responsibility? Or you know, like we'd have performers of all different abilities and you know consciousness levels come in and stuff, and and I just think those people are being booked by like agencies and you know like companies like live nation and stuff, and and I just think those people are being booked by like agencies and you know like companies like live nation and stuff, and so it's just um, yeah, it's like kind of who who's really responsible? And a lot of times I think it's like that person's team too.
Speaker 1:That's why you have to have good agents and managers oh yeah, and I remember a while ago where there was a big concert where someone was either hurt or killed, and what a lot of these promoters of venues have to understand if something goes horribly wrong, you're getting sued as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Because you should have known. So you're still on the hook for that and I get it. There's hundreds of thousands, depending on the artist, even hundreds of millions of dollars at stake. But think about how much you're going to lose if you get. You know you're sued because something horrible happened at your venue and no one wants to come to your venue anymore.
Speaker 2:I know it's tough too with someone like Gladys Knight, because it's like you want to be remembered as like a legend and an icon. But you probably also just don't want to sit at home and, like you know, you probably do want to do what you love, which is for her doing music. But I think there's also ways to get around that, whether that's like doing more sit down performances or like coming to perform with someone and doing kind of like a duet type situation, or even doing like a shorter set. You know, like if I was a manager and someone one of my clients told me that I'm like okay, let's find whether maybe one of your songs can be in a movie, or like you could record a new Christmas album, and you know there's ways to still do what you want to do, except for like being out, you know, late at night out on the stage.
Speaker 1:That's true, that's very true, and with technology right now, I mean, you can even stream concerts if you really want to. You really don't have to be at a stadium. You can be at one venue and stream it, you know.
Speaker 2:Exactly, you can get really creative. Like one of my favorite bands now the leads is the Barenaked Ladies and the lead singer. They split up and now the lead singer does like a summer camp where basically other musicians can go and learn from him and it's like the coolest thing. So I mean he performs and everything, but that's a way to be connected with him in a way that is different than just him touring the world, which he does. But like I think you know, getting creative of like OK, what, what can that person do? Do you have a family that you want to stay with and can that family like come out, you know? So even just doing something like that would be awesome. I don't expect Glass Knight to do a camp, but, like you know, an afternoon with her where you get to drink wine and have fun, that's actually an excellent idea, and I know that there were a lot of people that would love that too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly too. Yeah, exactly, I'd be a super fan. I'd be. I don't know if I'd be there, but I'd be. Uh, if she she did like a sushi night with cladis knight, I'll message. I'll message her husband and see what he thinks.
Speaker 2:Well, talk about. Uh, the, the complete opposite end of the spectrum. I am obsessed with this story. I think this is so funny. Uh, justin bieber look Bieber, lookalike tricked a Vegas nightclub into letting him perform and racked up a $10,000 bill before getting kicked out.
Speaker 2:I must have watched this video If it has 10,000 views. 8,000 of them are me. A French man named Dylan Desclos performed at the XS nightclub in Vegas because everyone thought he was Justin Bieber. Now he was able to get, so he popped into the nightclub he looks like Justin a lot and then they told him they were saying like you know, I'm Justin. He was acting like it and then he hopped on stage and performed with DJ Griffin.
Speaker 2:Who the DJ believed that he was doing a set with the real Justin Bieber until a friend told him it was fake. It's one of those things that, if you haven't watched the video yet, until a friend told him it was fake, it's one of those things that if you haven't watched a video yet, you just have to see it, cause, like the first one I saw, was this DJ really excited that he's performing with Justin Bieber and it's like so embarrassing Cause he even says like the Biebs is in the house and everything, and then people go wild, of course, and he performed a whole bunch of songs and he was there for like quite some time and people were going crazy taking videos and then I think people realized he you know, they weren't uh, it wasn't him and it was an imposter, but he he racked up. I mean, I have to say like, at some point I'm a little bit impressed what was he drinking to rack up that kind of bill?
Speaker 2:I don't know. Probably, probably everything. It would imagine just being like haley and I are gonna buy shots for everyone in the bar. But I just think this is crazy. It really does look like him, but you know when, like there's a lot of taylor, swift, uh, impersonators too, where it doesn't look like them, but there's just a little thing off that you just can't picture. And I feel like this guy has that too, where I'm like, if you look a lot, it just doesn't look like them, but there's just a little thing off that you just can't picture. And I feel like this guy has that too, where I'm like, if you look, it just doesn't capture the full essence of him.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you know what? There are people out there that look like, look like famous people. A good friend of mine years ago we went out with our wives and stuff with downtown and we almost got comped at a restaurant because he looks like Mike Singletary from the band Whoa Did someone ask are you him?
Speaker 1:He's like is you Mike Singletary? He's like yeah, I'm Mike. And look, he kept doing this. They killed back and forth. They couldn't tell, but he does look like Mike Singletary. It was kind of funny. They didn't cop us, but that's okay.
Speaker 2:And it is crazy that people the whole culture in general that the thought of, because he is this person, that he would get free things when a normal person doesn't. I don't really agree with that all the time. Why would he be able to get something free and this other person wouldn't? I I don't like special treatment like that.
Speaker 1:I think it's weird this was crazy to me about that.
Speaker 2:The real justin b beaver is worth hundreds of millions of dollars why, yeah, from anything just saying I'm you know exactly, I know, I know, and if I was him I'd be like, okay, I don't I. Because I feel like everyone wants their sweatshirt to be seen on him or like have him holding their vodka bottle or whatever, but just like throwing stuff when they're not promoting it's just like.
Speaker 1:It's so weird to me yeah, you know, everybody wants that 15 minutes of fame you know that's what it? Is and I would imagine, like the club owner or whoever owns the place, was probably thinking oh my god, justin bie's here. Oh my God, look up. You know, look at Justin Bieber. You know getting everybody excited and stuff, people calling, people coming in, and basically everybody's thinking until someone goes, that's not Justin.
Speaker 2:I know, oh my God. And then you have to be ready for it, because if you're standing up on stage and like, thousands by thousands, people start to recognize that you're impersonating someone. You're lucky that people just don't go and like beat you up and everything. And I think this is really funny, though, because the impersonator has like the look that justin has now, which is really weird because it's not like the old school bieber look, it's like skinny kind of looking, a little questionable, you know, like sunglasses on shaved head. So it's funny that like he's, he's that he is the current day, what you would think Justin Bieber looks like this month, type of thing.
Speaker 1:The interesting thing is, I took a look at Justin Bieber recently and Justin Bieber doesn't even look like Justin Bieber anymore.
Speaker 2:I know.
Speaker 1:If you're a big Justin Bieber fan and this guy looks like the current one, I can see how that would happen. I really exactly.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah. But also, how embarrassed are you if you're the DJ, the main DJ, and then you're like, oh my God, this is the set of a lifetime. I can't believe this happened. And then it showed him and cut to him like in his dressing room 15 minutes later, like I really thought that was him. I feel so bad for this dude minutes later, like I really thought that was him.
Speaker 1:I feel so bad for this dude? Yes, definitely, and I'm quite sure the real Justin Bieber probably saw this and is probably laughing his ass off.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, he is probably like I have nowhere to be found. Yeah, that is crazy.
Speaker 1:Talk about crazy. Now we all have seen cheerleaders in college football that's not a new thing, you know and actually some high schools too Not a big deal. Well, there's a big uproar in the NFL, especially when Vikings the NFL team, the Vikings now has male cheerleaders. Okay, some of the fans are in a big uproar over it Really Big time. Not all the fans, just some of them. I have my own feeling on why they're really in the uproar, but I'll just keep that to myself. But let me ask you this Do you have a problem with male cheerleaders in the NFL?
Speaker 2:No, 0%. I think like these aren't just random men coming off of the street like joining you know this minute. Chances are they've done this since they've been little, I bet you know. Maybe they're like gymnasts or cheerleaders and they probably were like that. They're athletes like that in high school and college and so no, I don't think so at all and I also think, too like chances are they're working very nicely and like in sync with the other, with the female cheerleaders and you know all of the positions and everything.
Speaker 2:So to me, as long as the organization and, like the, the OG team is okay with it, I'm more than okay with it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and the interesting thing is and I found this to be interesting that the Vikings were not the first team to have male NFL cheerleaders. Really, one of the first teams was the LA Rams. I did not know that until I. We do some research on it. And the interesting thing is that if they've already had male cheerleaders, I mean no one really cares at this point Dude, that's the real reason you have a problem. Well, I wonder, do you think people are threatened that now?
Speaker 2:this means cares. At this point, yeah, dude, yeah, that's the real reason. You have a problem, you know well. I wonder, do you think people are threatened? That now this means, or where are there? There's no female uh players? And then like that's not allowed, right or like?
Speaker 1:uh, no, there's no female nfl players okay.
Speaker 2:I wonder if people think, oh okay, if we're gonna extend this now, it's gonna get crazy with like, like females can be in, with like females can be in the professional football. I know there are professional leagues, but I wonder if they're thinking okay, it's that whole give an inch, take a mile type of thing. This is just going to transcend into craziness. But I don't think it's going to get like that.
Speaker 1:I don't know, but I know some people thinking probably well, what about women wanting to be NFL players? I'm OK, on one condition they go through the same burgers routine. Yeah, male players go through. Because these, these male cheerleaders had to do the same routines as a female, they didn't change any rules or make things easier for them. They still had to do the routine just like the regular female ones do. As a big fan of the NFL, I really don't care about the cheerleaders. To be honest with you, they're good to look at.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah. After seeing some of the TV shows about them I'm like, wow, they really do put so much effort and they really are athletes and the amount of just time and effort they put in I think is very impressive to me. But same thing is like they come out in the game and usually that's when I'm like about to eat my nachos and I just look at how pretty they are and I'm happy to like look at the males too and just notice their muscles. But yeah, I definitely don't. I'm not like basing my whole life around them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly Like I said, I think there's a bigger issue going on that has nothing to do with football, which is to me, I think, the real reason. Some people have a problem with it, and I hope that's not, and if it is, they need to get over that they really do.
Speaker 2:You think the big issue is because do you think any people think they're protecting the females by being like we don't want creepy guys around in the locker room? But I feel like that couldn't be farthest from the truth with like male cheerleaders because once again they've grown up being in the like. I don't think a lot of men are joining it just so they can like be creepy. I think they're genuinely interested in it as athletes yeah, I.
Speaker 1:I personally think the real reason is there's probably a little bit of homophobic issues going on. That's just my personal opinion, and I'm 20,000% wrong, but in all reality, why do you really care if you're watching the game? I know, yeah, there's a time when the cheerleaders come out. Please, cheerleaders, don't get mad at me when I say this, but you know I'll probably get my next beer or something. You know what I mean. I'm really paying attention. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Exactly. It seems to me that, like the more secure a man is, the more fine, or like unbothered he would be with cheerleaders in a game that he like doesn't know.
Speaker 1:He's not the one playing the game. You know what I mean. Like it seems like more bothered would mean more weird things to me. But yeah, exactly when you go to a game, let's face it you're watching the game itself. You're not really paying attention to all that stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, interesting. But yeah, I could see like it. It does open up a very interesting discussion because then it's like okay, like the all-female soccer league, then what now? And this is different because these are obviously the cheerleaders and not the players, but like just the conversation of like, oh, okay, then if, like, it's good for one side, if we're now allowing females or whatever to play, now can like a guy join like the all the soccer girl league, and you know, then I'm kind of like no, I don't want that to happen, almost just for, like, the fun aspect of it. But then it's, it's a very interesting. I know. You know it's a big talk too with, like the trans stuff and it just there's a lot of different opinions, um, so I feel like it's a scale of opinions and not necessarily like a black and white thing but I feel like cheerleaders are fine, I agree.
Speaker 1:I agree. I mean when you talk about I know we're getting a little bit off subject here but when you're talking about a male or female playing in the opposite sex of sport, it's one thing. If you're identifying like here's a great example, if you're, if you're playing, let's say, because I know flag football has become real popular yeah.
Speaker 1:Let's say you have a women's flag football team or a girls volleyball team or girls wrestling team. To put a male in there that identifies as a woman I would have an issue with, not because I'm homophobic or anything, but because there's a physical, real difference in the body type between a female and it would not be a fair comparison. Now if it's someone who has transitioned over from being a male to a female totally different scenario.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I don't know if that makes sense. To a lot of people it totally does.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, it makes sense to me, I feel like just like many things I'm not.
Speaker 1:I like almost don't know enough where I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I almost don't know enough to like have an opinion.
Speaker 2:Very healthy, anyone can clip that, but yeah, totally yeah.
Speaker 1:So I mean you have to take it, and I agree with you. I don't think it's black and white. I think you have to look at everything on a case-by-case basis yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2:Well, I think that's good. I will be cheering the male cheerleaders on. I had some cheerleading guy friends in college at Syracuse and they were so nice and they were the sweetest, nicest guys. They would be the men that would walk us late at night if we were home by ourselves. I feel like they were good at school and respectful to women, even just at the college level. The male cheerleaders that I knew are like 10 out of 10. Amazing.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's nice, that's nice.
Speaker 2:So I have a feeling that that's what they're mostly like.
Speaker 2:I love that your stories always give like a great pop culture commentary and then like my next one is the silliest, goofiest thing you just bring up like real world conversations. And then now for me, we're going to talk about bagels and cream cheese. Yeah, so I thought. Another thing, this I was just watching over and over this week.
Speaker 2:I found hilarious on TikTok that a bagel shop in New Jersey is going through a schmear campaign, which is a bad joke, but an influencer girl held up. I forget what her name is, a TikToker girl, I think. Valentina showed her bagel and said like I'm sorry, but is this normal? And you have another one of these videos that you just have to see to believe where her bagel. She opens it up and on both sides it's like someone just cut a block of cream cheese and put it in two different sides and so it's not spread. It's just like a brick of cream cheese. And then she's holding it up and it looks insane, Like the cream cheese is almost bigger than the actual bagel itself and it's like there's no way on this earth that someone could like eat that and be happy with the results. You know it's insane Because at that point it's like you just eat the block of cream cheese alone and don't even involve the bagel. So I think people got very passionate about this. I'm one of those people.
Speaker 2:It got 25 million views and people were infuriated. The place was from Bella's Bagels in Sea Park, New Jersey, which I do feel bad for this business because you think all of a sudden one day you're just going about business and the next thing you have 25 million people, like you know, hate, hating. I'm sure people took it too far too, but it was just then. It sparked a whole discussion is like on like how much cream cheese is too much? Um, are these people just lazy? And also like, why is this girl paying money for anyone to do this? You know, like this is just. It just shows a kind of a lack of care. I don't know. I guess my thought is how much do you eat bagels and cream cheese? If so, what's your spreadable style?
Speaker 1:You know what? I haven't eaten bagels in a long time. I do like them though. I do like them. I like mine with flavored cream cheese, strawberry stuff like that. If I was served a bagel like that, I would be pissed, Right, it's gross. I would be thoroughly pissed. And you know, here's the thing. We've all had our bad days at work. We all do. It's normal. But you know, if you're going to be that petty, stay home. That's just ridiculous.
Speaker 2:Exactly, yeah, and there was different comments where people were like, okay, that's an insane amount of it. And then other people were like, okay, the amount is right, but now you have to just like spread it around, like that's actually how much cream cheese we do get. But I don't think so. It really really looked like someone said is that a baked potato? Like the way that I looked in.
Speaker 2:If you are just taking a block of cream cheese and cutting it in half, as a business owner I would also be upset because you're that's like really expensive too. You know what I mean. Like that's that has to add up. And I'm sure the owner was just like that's not the way we do things. We just take three seconds and make it look presentable. And yeah, if you're, if you can't take the time to like spread it out on a knife for two seconds, then you're just having a bad day. And then other people were like no, it's up to the person buying it. Like it's up to this girl now to like spread it around. But people are like that's not what you're paying $10 per bagel for.
Speaker 1:You know. In that case, I agree with that, because here's the reality. If I got to put it on myself and spread it all over, I might as well just make it at home.
Speaker 2:Exactly. I don't know if you can see this. I'm showing you the visual now, but yeah, you know what's scary about the picture you just showed me.
Speaker 1:You can see how thick that cream cheese is.
Speaker 2:I know it's disgusting, it's honestly disgusting.
Speaker 1:And it's like wow, really, I mean I don't know. I mean I don't know.
Speaker 1:I mean again, if you're having a bad day or you hate your job, just quit, just or call it whatever, because the reality is most people are understanding and some people really don't give a damn about your bad day. They're coming in there and paying the service. You know they're paying for the product, and I've been on the internet sometimes too, where it's like wow, why'd you even show up today? This person at the service got a nasty chip on their shoulder.
Speaker 2:I know I feel like I could totally miss details and look over things, but I'm like if you're handing someone a bagel that just looks like this you just have to be so unbelievably checked out and disconnected. I totally get it that mistakes happen and things get messed up looks like like this. You just have to be so unbelievably checked out and like disconnected, you know, because I I totally get it that mistakes happen and things get messed up. But, um, I just thought you know, and I I also am jewish, so like bagels are very close to home for us. It's a very serious thing, even though even though it's not fair, because then my stomach hurts all the time like it's like the cream cheese and bagels are like the two things I shouldn't be eating.
Speaker 1:But here's a good question. If you got served like that, would you say something?
Speaker 2:Oh my God, Totally Honestly, I wouldn't be bitchy about it at all, like I probably would have made like a tick tock, but I I honestly would have maybe called and just said this is, I wouldn't be a Karen, but I'm just saying this is a little ridiculous. Like just so you guys know, this is like before someone does make a viral video about you or something like maybe just take a minute and take a deep breath you're nice, you're really nice I I honestly am nice, I think I am nice.
Speaker 2:I'm not going to be rude, but but what I wouldn't like is if, like if it continued, and I just think people, um yeah I don't know, I think with me.
Speaker 1:I don't want my money back, really, and if they and if they offered, well, you know we can make your rights, and no, I used to work in a restaurant and I know how you guys do when you get angry at people. So no, I don't want anything foreign on my food. So no, just give my money back yeah, see, I do.
Speaker 2:I'm even trying to just like, personally, to curb a lot of my restaurant eating because I'm finding more and more I'm just like not happy with, whether it's like wings that I'm getting, or just like coffee or whatever. I'm finding more and more disappointment in like food preparation and stuff. So I think it's a sign to take the bagels in-house.
Speaker 1:That's true, and you know there are some people who work in restaurants and don't understand that the way you treat your customers dictates your tips yeah, exactly, totally I mean, I've even seen people where they actually get angry when they don't get a tip, but then they've been given shitty service and it's like yeah, yeah I know it's very weird, yeah, but yeah, I always think about that.
Speaker 2:Just to have like people making your food that don't really care as much and that's that can't be good on like many different levels. It's just kind of weird, you know.
Speaker 1:So definitely, definitely, definitely. Well, I do want to take this time to send out my condolences to the family of Frank Caprio. Do you happen to know who that is? Was it the Sopranos guy? No, actually he is. They call him America's nicest judge.
Speaker 2:Oh no, I didn't know that.
Speaker 1:Yes, he's the one. He has a big following on social media, where people come into his courtroom and he shows a lot of generosity.
Speaker 2:You know he shows compassion for him, oh, ok. I think, I've seen this.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there's instances where he's dropped a case. Give them like a real low fine.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know you can't do this for every single case, but the thing that I like about it is he looks at every case on an individual basis and he does have compassion. You know what I mean. Because you know we don't know. Sometimes people are going through all kinds of struggles in life. Sometimes people don't even know they're going to make it the next day and you know, yeah, you have to follow the law and you have to enforce the law and everything like that. But you can show some grace too.
Speaker 1:And that's what he's shown is that you can have grace and still enforce the law. Now there are situations where, yeah, you're going to throw the book at that person because this is ridiculous what they did, but, when appropriate, show grace, and he did that on a day-to-day basis and I think that's why so many people really love them oh, I love that.
Speaker 2:I think I saw a video where he like helped a single mom out or something. You know, I think he would hear those cases. And then there was one case where it's like I'm trying to pay this but I need a job and I don't have a car, and so I get a car, I need this. And you know he he was understanding and he gave them a fine, because I think too that we always have to remember that, like I think sometimes for people if it spirals negatively, it like spirals so much negatively you know where it's, like your car, your house, your everything is like the first one to go and then it's really hard to get back to, even like ground zero.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, exactly, and you know, the thing is there are some people that try and gate the system, but there are some people that are truly struggling and they do need some help. Yeah, you know, yeah, I get it. Legally you can throw the book at them, you rack them up with fines, but here's the reality if they can't afford to pay them, all you're doing is burying a person. You're not fixing anything.
Speaker 2:I know, I know that's why, even here, I do get annoyed when, like here, there's so much kind of weird crime and like weird things happening that when pedestrians or whoever get like a ticket or you know, 115 ticket for parking or something, I'm just like I feel like you're actively going after the people that are just trying to work hard. And I mean of course there's going to be some like privileged people or entitled people out of the bunch, but, like for the most part, when people get pulled over and just like a ticket for something very minor, I get mad because I'm like okay, that might be like a whole person's day of work or you know, that was a hundred dollars that they need towards like their grocery bill this month or something.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and then you know there are some municipalities where I think the boot is really exaggerated. Now, if you have a lot of tickets, okay, I get it. That makes sense.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, there are some situations, there's some municipalities where if you get two or three tickets, they're ready to boot your car. I know, I know, and the reason I have a problem with that is one it's two or three tickets, oh my God. Second thing is, when they put that boot on, you got to pay for your tickets. Then there's a fine that you have to pay behind it, then you have to pay the fee to get the boot off. Then in most cases your car may be towed or whatever. So you have to pay the towing fee. So it's literally like bills and bills and bills, fees stacked up on top of each other yeah yeah.
Speaker 1:So if if they're having a hard time paying for the two or three tickets or in some cases, two tickets that you boot them, you racking up all those bills aren't going to make it any better.
Speaker 2:Now you basically put a situation where they can't afford to do anything yeah, I would also argue too I think that judge was on to something where I think people will learn better sometimes if you do show them some type of compassion. That doesn't mean like let them go and do everything they want to, but if, if you tell them like okay, I'm going to give you one chance, I believe in you to like I'm going to have you not pay this or have you pay it in installments, but like we're going to help set you up with this job or this situation, I think people like I don't know, I still have faith in people that they'll take that and run with it a lot. Sometimes, no, but there are still people left that will do good.
Speaker 1:Oh, absolutely. And you know, sometimes you know people don't have anyone in life that they can lean on, that can point them in the right direction.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And you know you'd be amazed. Something as simple as a smile can change a person's day. I know If you're having a real bad day. You know whatever's going on and you pull to the drive through or your food and all of the person's like, hey, how you doing? And they have a genuinely good smile. You can feel a good smile versus a fake smile, and you're like, wow, okay, and all of a sudden, for whatever reason, now you feel good. Yeah, and your whole day was changed just like that.
Speaker 2:I know.
Speaker 1:Just by someone showing some compassion.
Speaker 2:That's why anyone that ever comes to my comedy shows I am not one of the comedians that will like make people feel like ugly or bad in the audience. If anything, I'm like oh my gosh, you guys are all so attractive Like cause I also think if someone's like showing up by themselves or everyone is insecure how they look and like they're not the ones on stage, I think a lot of people are just nervous to even sit down and like be in a crowd, you know sometimes. Be in a crowd, you know sometimes. And so I have some friends that will like actively be mean, especially to men, about like how they look and everything. I think if someone hasn't earned it yet, then I'm going to never be mean first or, like you know, let them. I just feel like we don't need to make people feel ugly, cause I almost everyone I know already has like a whole bunch of insecurities that they don't need Like oh yeah, and you know the thing is, and I've always said this before, you don't know what's going on in a person's life.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you know you saying something or treating a person a certain way may push them over the edge in a bad way, and you know exactly however, if they're piping up, then we can smack them down if they ask for it, which I've had.
Speaker 2:A few people that are on the edge where I'm like. I'm like, sir, don't, don't test me I hear you, I hear you.
Speaker 1:I have to admit I do kind of like it when hecklers mess with the wrong comedian.
Speaker 2:I do love watching oh god, oh my god, I can't take it, especially like. I mean this is a whole other, separate podcast and conversation, but like there truly is nothing worse than like a I mean, I love, I love girls, I'm a girl's girl, but like a drunk woman that just like won't shut the heck up is like so unbelievably annoying. I don't know why it annoys me so much, but it's just. Even I had some of the other show where she kept on saying like and then what, and I'm like I'm about to tell you next, like, shut the hell up. I always say to them like what you have to say is important, just not for the next 12 minutes. So you know, but yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like I said, I've seen hecklers that have pushed the limits with the wrong comedians and they end up becoming the show.
Speaker 2:I know, I know and I can't. I can't take that. I think that I think it like it's a misnomer, where people think that, like, if they want to be a comedian, one of the ways is to shout out at the person on stage. But I'm like that couldn't be farthest from the truth and, like every comedian hates that. That's like the, that's the least thing. So, yeah, no-transcript. American self-reported drinking down to 54 percent and now now more people are thinking that like, ok, the studies are right and moderate drinking even could be bad for your health. This is, like you know, a growing concern. I think we used to think, growing up, like red wine is good for us and like a moderation is good for us, but now it's kind of turning out that moderation might not even be. You know, like all alcohol is poison, but I don't know, some people are still continuing to drink. I, I don't know. What do you think like I, I see both. I see it where lots of drunk people and like cocktails are still a thing.
Speaker 1:But I also think, more especially out here in la, like less and less people are are drinking you know, I think that and I've actually said this to my wife I am really shocked that bars don't sell bottled water they don't sell bottled water.
Speaker 2:A lot of them sell bottled water.
Speaker 1:A lot of them don't.
Speaker 2:Really that's crazy, Shocking. So what if someone wants water? They just have to pour it per person.
Speaker 1:That's so weird. And here's the thing I'm not a big fan of water being poured because you don't know where that water is. It may just be, straight tap water and I don't drink tap water in my own house. Yeah, drink tap water and I don't drink tap water in my own house. You know, yeah, yeah. So to me if you would attract more people if you ordered or had bottled water and you also had non-alcoholic drinks, because you know, a lot of your favorite cocktails can be made non-alcoholic yeah, exactly like a pina colada stuff like that.
Speaker 1:You can actually make that non-alcoholic. Yeah, mocktails are good, and what happens is to me, you actually bring in more people Because you still have the markups and margins and stuff like that. Plus, if someone has a little bit too much to drink, guess what you can still drink something?
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's true.
Speaker 1:And not just sit there looking crazy, exactly.
Speaker 2:Yep, yep, yeah, I think it's good and they said on the study that beer is still like the most popular, which kind of makes sense Cause, especially with sports and just how much it goes along with like some of the culture. But I still every now and then like I am lucky in the way that I don't, I don't have like an issue with it, but it definitely I like like a cocktail of it. It's kind of like a food thing that goes along with a dinner. I think less and less people Are wanting to just be at a club and especially as you get older, I don't know a lot of 30s and 40 year olds that actively want to hang out 24-7 at bars or clubs.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I agree with you. I mean, it kind of gets old after a while.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and expensive, yes, very expensive.
Speaker 1:So no, I get it. But you know, I mean, you know, it kind of gets old after a while. You know, yeah, inexpensive, yes, very expensive. So no, I get it. And I think A lot of bars need to really think about. Hey, maybe, just maybe, if I sold bottled water and a bunch of non-alcoholic drinks, I can bring in those people that used to come in all the time. And you know what, if you don't feel like you want an alcohol drink, don't buy one here, buy this instead.
Speaker 2:Exactly, yep, I'm down with it.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, that's not surprising at all. In fact, I have a bar in my basement right now and my bar is like totally packed because I rarely drink, you know. Yeah, don't get me wrong. You know I like a cocktail, like a beer, so often, but it's so rare that I drink that my bar is literally overstuffed pack.
Speaker 2:wow, you know what I mean my conspiracy theory as well is that also our food with the additives is making us also so not feel well, that I think maybe we would drink more if, like we weren't also bogged down from little caesar's pizza and like cereal and like I can't do all of it, I can't have Cheesecake Factory and alcohol. It's making me too sick.
Speaker 1:I totally understand that does make sense too. But talking about something that doesn't make sense, do you remember Little Nas X?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, yeah, I saw this. This is crazy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, did you see the story about what's going on with him?
Speaker 2:Yes, A part of me was like is this a bit for a new song or something? I don't quite know, but it seems like it's real right.
Speaker 1:It was real. Unfortunately, oh. Just so people are aware, in case you don't know what me and Merle was talking about. Just so people are aware, in case you don't know what me and Merle was talking about, lil Nas X was recently videoed walking down the street in his underwear and boots Literally that's all he had on Yep. He looked good, came on the scene how he's so successful. He made some great songs and then I don't know if it's just me, but it seemed like he disappeared for a while.
Speaker 2:Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 1:And he was also admitted to a hospital for possible drug overdose. Now they didn't elaborate on what that meant, but obviously something triggered them to do that, because when I first saw that video I'm thinking there's one or two things happening Either A unfortunately there's some drugs going on, or it could be, you know, maybe it's a mental breakdown. You know, because it's not something that normally any person would do, let alone him.
Speaker 2:I know Fame like that seems very hard. It doesn't seem to do well on people's mental health and then when you mix that possibly with like drugs and alcohol or you know some type of substances, it seems to be a recipe for disaster.
Speaker 1:I agree, I agree, and you know, the thing is I kind of wonder what happened to him, because you know, again, he came on real hard with his song. I had a couple of other songs that were really good songs. After that I remember he got awards, you know he was, you know, playing live on TV and stuff like that. Then literally it's like overnight he was gone, just nothing.
Speaker 2:I don't know. Once again my conspiracy theorist. I feel like it's an Illuminati humiliation ritual.
Speaker 1:I remember there was one point where he bought some Jordans and I guess he customized them. It was a very demonic type. I was a little disappointed in that because that really kind of I know I really was disturbed by that it was very demonic.
Speaker 2:Well, I think that was even a lot of his videos and stuff. Like people that think that what I think is crazy would argue that he's almost like laughing at it and part of it is tongue in cheek and he's like in on the joke. But I'd be like, okay, okay, but his joke is like that. He's like sitting in the devil's lap and like I don't know why it's. It's like weird to like make the joke, like kind of your whole stick or whatever. So you know, of course this is, I'm a little bit into this stuff, so this is just what I like sometimes think where I'm like, oh okay, this makes sense that like someone like that is having a breakdown. But who knows, we never know anything. Could you imagine just driving down the street, because where that was? I drive around that a lot and I could just be like, okay, there's Lil Nas X in his underwear. It's kind of weird.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's true. And then as you're telling someone, they're like stop it, did you have something to drink? Stop saying that. No, seriously, I'm looking at him. Yeah, stop it, did you have something to drink? Stop saying that, no, seriously, I'm looking at him yeah. I don't know. One of the bad things about the entertainment industry is you got to be around the right people and you really have to have your head on straight, because there is a lot of dark spaces within the industry.
Speaker 1:I know If you don't watch out, you can fall into those pits.
Speaker 2:Yep, Absolutely Wow. I know If you don't watch out you can fall into those pits?
Speaker 1:Yep, absolutely. So I'm hoping that he gets the help that he needs whenever it may be.
Speaker 2:I know Me too Well. Something else that almost took the internet by storm was the new Cracker Barrel logo sparked a lot of backlash, as people say that it is eroding nostalgia. Now have you seen this new, the new, not improved logo? Yes, I have.
Speaker 2:Okay, okay. Well, you know it's kind of it removed a lot of the soul of it, like the barrel itself, like now it looks just kind of looks weird, I think it's now it's like text only and people that worry that it's a rebranding, showing that larger cultural changes are happening. I don't know how on earth like this became a political thing as well, like now. I don't know what the Democrats versus Republican. I don't know what my cracker barrel taste is. I just know that, like with, I don't have a lot of thoughts on it other than that, like from a graphics point of view, I'm a purist. I like the old version better. I feel like a lot of the logo changes that I've seen with a lot of stuff lately just seems to take a weird turn. But I thought there was nothing wrong with Cracker Barrel before. If it's not broke, don't fix it, kind of things.
Speaker 1:I think what they were trying to do is do some rebranding, because over the years Cracker Barrel has been losing money yeah they're trying to.
Speaker 1:In my opinion, they're trying to get ahead of the situation before it gets worse. And you know a lot of people don't realize this. I didn't realize this. But you know a lot of people don't realize this, I didn't realize this, but you know they've had the same logo for over 50 years Really. So maybe in their mind they're thinking, hey, maybe we need to upgrade because there have been customers that complain about it being, you know, kind of run down, looking, old fashioned looking, and you know, yeah, that's what.
Speaker 1:I like about it, though and you know, the thing is is Is that you can't please everyone. You really can't. I agree with you. I have no idea how the logo became Political.
Speaker 2:Exactly, of course. Why do we need two sides on like everything? It's so weird.
Speaker 1:I mean, I guess my biggest thing is Does the food taste the same?
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, I looked and the closest Cracker Barrel to me is 44 miles and I did last time when I was in San Antonio. I can't tell you how excited I was to like eat inside a Cracker Barrel and pay $12 for my like dinner salad and I had a wonderful time. But also it's a novelty when you're not like around lot. I could see if that's like your real, actual restaurants, but but I would think, just like how red lobster did you don't? The logo is not like the most important thing. I think changing the menu, making making sure people know like what you're going to get when you're there, is the most important thing and you know getting on tick tock, you know doing all those things no, I agree with you, and you know.
Speaker 1:The thing is is that no? I agree with you and you know, the thing is is that I I get the nostalgic part of it, but companies rebrand all the time. This isn't something totally new I know, I know, I know yeah and you know the thing is, they show one of the stores that they did the update to and really all they really did was just put a brighter paint on the wall and, like you said, you took the barrel and the guy off of the picture, yeah, I mean this.
Speaker 1:They really didn't dramatically change it either, you know I know, I know I.
Speaker 2:And it's so funny how they people are saying the rebrand is woke. I'm just like. I don't know how it's woke, but to me, just from like a like a person that likes, that would like the crackrel brand, it does seem like a little bit less homey or whatever. To me it just kind of seems a little bit more sterile and just more like whatever. But I'm not going to lose my mind over it. I feel like I would still go to the restaurant.
Speaker 1:So you mean you won't stay away from it because the logos no?
Speaker 2:I would go as long as it, unless they turn it into a weird, different, like a whole other thing. But, um, yeah. So what do you think, mary? You think they're going to get over it? I think people will still want to go. I just think the rebrand is bad because it doesn't. It doesn't make me feel the way that, like Cracker Barrel make usually makes me feel, you know, which is homey, kind of connected to that. I just think they don't do a good job. It looks, it just looks odd.
Speaker 1:Yeah. I hear you, I hear you.
Speaker 2:I think it's a fail, but I wouldn't like, I don't. I don't think it's a fail, but I wouldn't like. I don't think it's a fail for the reasons that are going in the news right now. I just think almost more like graphics and like emotion wise, it's a fail, not a political statement. What do you think? Or you just think it's fine.
Speaker 1:I mean, when I looked at it I expected to see this dramatic change. But the changes they did, I could see the nostalgia in it. But I don't think it's really worth it, as many people get so angry about it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I also think it's just threatening, because maybe also so much like everything is changing so fast and it's like last week we talked about AOL going away and it does feel like all the things that we just kind of know and love are getting changed and like whether that's TV shows and whether that's like restaurants, it's like we can't really have anything anymore. So I think that this symbolizes like that type of thing for us.
Speaker 1:No, I hear you. I hear you, and that does make sense. Talk about TV. My last topic is actually a great one to talk about. Do you remember the show the Biggest Loser?
Speaker 2:Yes, yep, it was crazy.
Speaker 1:Yes, well, netflix of course has a documentary about it. It's called Fit for TV, the Reality of the Biggest Loser, and some of the clips that came out were, for example, this one woman that was on there. I think she was a former officer and she literally had to put on weight before she could get on the Biggest Loser.
Speaker 2:Really.
Speaker 1:Because she wasn't big enough.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:And then you know they were talking about all the crazy things that they had to do during the Biggest Loser, you know, to compete, and a lot of it was really not healthy stuff they were doing.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And they also showed some people, especially this one gentleman who lost, I want to say, over 270 pounds, a lot of weight, and today he gained every pound of that back.
Speaker 2:Really yeah. So that just shows that whatever like mindset changes or you know he couldn't make the lasting shifts.
Speaker 1:Well, I think what it was, and my personal opinion is it was done just for the ratings. Yeah, they didn't really address the human side of it, because one of the things that people have to understand is diets are horrible. Yeah, here's the reason why they're horrible because you may do something, you get the weight off and everything, but the moment you change your eating habit stuff like that you're probably going to gain weight back again.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:What you need to do is have a lifestyle change, which is totally different.
Speaker 2:Exactly, yeah, like sustainable, which isn't good. When you're competing to win, you know how many pounds you've lost on the scale. Also, that woman, jillian Michaels, that was on it has, like I don't know what she does, but people have such bad things to say about her, like I haven't followed it. I like actively stay out of it. I think that's her name, right, jillian. Yeah, but like all I know, I try to actively not pay attention to it, but like all I know is that she does not have a good reputation.
Speaker 1:She seems like very problematic oh my god, there's a lot of people that really hate her I know, I know not dislike hate yeah, for real, like she must really not be great, but um.
Speaker 1:But yeah, the whole show is problematic, you're right, and I think that does seem unhealthy, where it's just trying to get people to lose weight, like as quickly as possible, no matter what it takes yeah, and the other thing too is it's really not good on your body to to have a yo-yo type situation where first you lose weight, then you gain, then you lose, then you gain, then you lose, again you gain it. That's. That's not the sustainable result at all either, and that causes other issues besides the issue of, um, you know, just losing the weight.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yep, they need to combine Cracker Barrel and the Biggest Loser and have a comeback. You have to lose weight by only eating Cracker Barrel for three months.
Speaker 1:You know, as crazy as that sounds, that's actually a great idea.
Speaker 2:Right, it'd be like every day you have an okra sandwich or something. Yeah, there you go. Yeah, but I don't know great idea.
Speaker 1:Right, it'd be like every day you have like an okra sandwich or something, and yeah, there you go. Yeah, but um, I don't know, did you like the show when it was on?
Speaker 2:I didn't watch it at all. Honestly, like I don't like weight loss stuff. For weight gaining stuff I don't really care either way. You know, like that's not something that like really interests me. I kind of like a feel of I find it like a little bit disgusting to watch like, uh, people either like gain or lose weight or kind of you know. I like yeah, I feel like, especially when that was when I was a teenager, college student, so I just felt like I didn't really, um, enjoy it that much yeah, I have to admit I didn't really watch it either, just because I did not like the way people were talked to on that show.
Speaker 1:Yeah, treat it. To me it was for ratings and I wasn't really fan of it because it has to be a lifestyle thing, you know not. Let's try and lose as much weight as possible, let's do whatever we need to do Because, again, the moment you go back to changing your habits, you have a high, a high risk of getting all that weight back and some extra.
Speaker 2:Yeah, definitely, yep.
Speaker 1:So now I agree with you I'm not a big fan of that show either.
Speaker 2:No, but I probably will watch a documentary. It's the same as like the fast fashion things where I'm like, no, I didn't really shop at this Brandy Millville, but I'm going to watch it.
Speaker 1:There you go, but talk about something fun to watch. What do you have coming up, meryl?
Speaker 2:Yay, let's see. Monday September 1st oh, okay, no, I'm going to start now. Okay, monday September 1st, I have a really fun show in Sherman Oaks. I think it's called like Jess's Jokes, my friend who's a really great comedian, this woman, jessica Winter. So that will be at a place called the Oaks in Sherman Oaks, and it's so fun.
Speaker 1:Nice. Well, everyone out there. If you're in the area, definitely go support Meryl.
Speaker 2:Yes, and for people that are watching too, I'm plugging my my very good friend Bo, who's a DJ, dj man cat. I'm wearing a DJ man Cat hat today. So if you're in San Diego and you want a cool DJ, check out DJ man Cat.
Speaker 1:Ooh, nice, nice.
Speaker 2:Some product placement here. I will wear anyone's hat if you're my friend and talk about your business for free, so perfect.
Speaker 1:There you go. Well, this was a lot of fun. We always enjoy having a good time. Also, make sure that you tune in to watch us on LRodTVNetworkcom. Yes or you listen to us on all of the major streaming platforms. Just look for Thirsty Conversations, I'm sorry. Thirsty Topics, my mind is Thirsty Topics is what you want to look for and again, I appreciate everyone's support. I'm Lawrence Elgret.
Speaker 2:I'm Meryl Clemo. Have a great day everyone.
