Thirsty Topics podcast

Snoopy Sold, Cruises Questioned, Pajamas Fly for 12/25/25

• Lawrence Elrod & Meryl Klemow

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Snoopy has a new corporate home, a cruise tragedy raises hard questions, and travelers are turning pajamas into a protest. We dive into the culture shifts shaping daily life and the quiet choices that reveal who we are as consumers, companies, and communities.

We start with Sony’s more-than-$450 million move to take control of Peanuts, the modern calculus behind mega IP buys, and the tightrope between growth and guardianship. What does “doing right by nostalgia” look like when the plan spans films, games, and anniversary merch? We talk licensing power, platform reach, and how a gentle, timeless brand can evolve without losing its heart.

Then we face a haunting story: a cruise passenger allegedly served 33 drinks before being restrained and later dying. Where does personal accountability end and venue duty begin? We compare land-based overserving standards with shipboard realities, outline sensible cutoff policies, and talk training, documentation, and safer de-escalation. The bottom line: pace yourself, and businesses must build better guardrails.

A viral kindness at TGI Fridays sparks a second debate: recognition that doesn’t match the moment. We unpack what makes employee rewards feel meaningful, sustainable, and fair—including time off, education funds, and transparent programs—so empathy doesn’t become a PR stumble.

From there, we tackle pajama protests in the air and the etiquette of shared spaces. Comfort matters; hygiene and social cues matter too. Clean athleisure beats sleepwear, shoes stay on, headphones solve most problems. Small norms keep cramped flights civilized.

We also examine the Oscars’ big leap to YouTube in 2029. Will the move reach younger viewers or strand loyal audiences behind platform paywalls and chat chaos? We weigh discoverability, live-event integrity, and whether comments belong alongside Hollywood’s biggest night.

To close, we get real about holiday loneliness with practical ways to help: gentle invites, active listening, volunteering, hobbies, and planning anchors that make January feel hopeful. And if the weight gets heavy, therapy is strength, not stigma.

If this resonated, follow the show, share with a friend, and leave a quick review—your support helps more curious listeners find us. Which topic hit you hardest today? Tell us in a comment or DM and keep the conversation going.

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.

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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."

Please help support our show by following us and telling others about our show. New podcasts weekly.

SPEAKER_01:

Hello everyone. Welcome to this week's episode of Thirsty Topics. I'm Laura Sellrod. And I am Meryl Klima. Hey Meryl, how are you doing today? Hey, good. Go bears. Yes, yes. I'm still celebrating the win over the weekend.

SPEAKER_02:

Yay. Bear up, as they say.

SPEAKER_01:

No one says that, but almost bear down. Bear down.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, bear down. Oh, okay. Bear in any direction people want. That makes way more sense than bear up.

SPEAKER_01:

That's okay. That's good. I want you to sound right. So that way, if you actually in Chicago, like, hey, bear up, y'all.

SPEAKER_02:

Like, I'd be screaming, bear with it.

SPEAKER_00:

All right, man. We have some interesting topics.

SPEAKER_01:

The first one is actually kind of a shocker for me.

SPEAKER_02:

So I'm gonna let you see. Yeah, exactly. This is this one's perfect for our age group. Um, well, the news came out that Sony took control of Snoopy and Peanuts in a$450 million deal, a new mega deal that gives the company access to the famous group of characters for its movies, video games, and other content. Um, they will pay more than$450 million to double its stake in Peanuts holding to 80%, according to the Wall Street Journal. And uh I just think this is so crazy. So basically, the the family of peanuts creator Charles M. Schultz will retain the remaining 20% stake in the lucrative business. It sounds like that 20% stake is just not going anywhere anytime, rightfully so, and very smart smartly so. Um, the family probably wants to always remain, you know, to have that stake in things. And uh yeah, so I think this is gonna be really weird. I'm they said despite the Sony deal, consumers can expect to see peanuts content on Apple TV for the next five years. Um, the peanuts movie produced and distributed by Fox in 2015 reeled in more than 20 million dollars. And yeah, uh what do you what do you think about all this?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, it looks like it's a great way of getting immediate cash flow, um, but also setting up generational wealth down the line. So it's kind of almost like having your cake you need it too.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, no, I love like I feel like Peanuts and Snoopy are such a I don't know if it's a mixture of nostalgia and the fact that they were such cute cartoons. Like, is that a cartoon that you really liked or that you knew of?

SPEAKER_01:

Oh yeah. I used to watch it all the time. Yeah. Yeah. It's actually interesting that over the last few holidays, um, I'm probably dating myself, but I know growing up, every every Thanksgiving, every Christmas, um, and then other times of the year, they would always play it. But in the last few years, maybe even the last five to ten years, you rarely see it on TV anymore.

SPEAKER_02:

You're right. Yeah, like the Snoopy Christmas and the Charlie Brown Halloween. You're totally right.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, so um not sure why. I guess they figure that um they're not gonna make any new ones, and I'm just assuming. But I know it's um it's interesting that you don't see it anymore on TV.

SPEAKER_02:

I know, and there was one time I think Snoopy was like the face of some insurance character, like Met Life or something, and I'm like, take Snoopy off of our advertising. We don't need him to be, I don't want him going anywhere near my car insurance or anything. So I hope this is a good thing. Like, I don't quite know as a Snoopy fan if this is and Peanuts fan, I don't know if this is terrible or good, or they're gonna try to make some like weird, violent video game out of it or something, or or if it will just mean nothing and we won't know that you know, we won't be able to tell that Sony now owns it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, that's true. I mean, I think the last thing I saw about uh Peanuts was um, and you probably saw it where it was kind of gone on social media about why Franklin was wasn't uh invited to the table. Why is he sitting on the side of the table by himself?

SPEAKER_02:

Oh yeah, yeah. And I feel like Lucy was ahead of her time. Like I like that she always would take the football away from the person, and uh when you know, she would try to kick it and everything. So yeah, the characters, it was a very like sweet, light-hearted show, I think.

SPEAKER_01:

Now you know Family Guy, they tease every show, and even Snoopy wasn't off limits. Do you remember uh there was an episode of Family Guy where they had um Lucy holding the ball, and of course Charlie Brown trying to kick the ball, she takes the ball away, and then Peter goes over there, grabs Lucy, beats her up, says, Okay, stop, we're not doing this anymore. We're gonna do this.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, that's funny. No, I didn't know that.

SPEAKER_01:

He makes her hold the ball beat up and say, Okay, go ahead and kick the ball now. And he just kicks it and just rolls, there you go. See? Now for anyone watching, listen, please don't do this. This this is a cartoon, but I saw this on. Do not do this.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, that's I did not know that. I love that.

SPEAKER_01:

People who watch Family Guy have probably seen that episode.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, but we'll we'll see. We'll see what's in store for Snoopy. To me, I hope this means more. Like, I want more in the world of Snoopy. So hopefully Sony does it right.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, my guess is that for Sony to be making this kind of a purchase, um, they want the naming rights and probably rights to be able to maybe produce more more cartoons coming out.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, like the licensing and the everyone loves a good like 45th anniversary of something, so yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

That is true. Um on a less lighter note, uh, cruise passenger Michael Virgo dies after allegedly being served 33 alcoholic beverages within hours.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh my gosh! Thank gosh.

SPEAKER_01:

Uh yes, you you definitely heard that right. So cruise passenger Michael um Virgo died on a Royal Caribbean ship in December of 2024 after allegedly being served over 33 alcoholic drinks. Um, the story's coming to light now because it's starting to make its way through social media, and then also there's lawsuits pending as a result of this. So, leading to an incident where he became aggressive, was restrained by several crew members, some standing on him, and later died, with the medical examiner ruling it a homicide due to mechanical ex um ex uh expia. Oh my god, I'll put you in this word here, um, combined with intoxication, obesity, and enlarged heart. His fiance has filed a wrong for the lawsuit against Royal Caribbean. There's so many things wrong with us. I saw the video um uh of him trying to bang down a door, and supposedly that wasn't his room, that he was actually knocking the door down, so he was really out of control. So I guess there's a couple of things. For one, you cannot serve anyone that kind of alcohol and that shirt in a bar. You will be sued, you will be shut down, and possibly arrested.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, and and how old was he?

SPEAKER_01:

He was only 33. Uh, women, oh I'm sorry. Let me see if it's at his age in here. Uh 35. I was close.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, but uh well, and also like, don't you think though it's like people have to also kind of like parent themselves at some point and not have like no I can see sometimes when they're like I overserved this person so much with the pores and like they got five drinks and like the amount of alcohol, like you know, unknowingly, they got doubles each time and like that amount. But like if you're 33 and you're going for like your 11th drink at some point, like I feel like on drink number like 12 or something that becomes a you issue. I really do, because no one is like making you get to the point where you need to drink 33 beverages, like at some at some point you just can't like give up your life and be like it's up to the bar to like rein me in.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I mean, I I definitely understand what you're saying, and I I agree with you up to a certain point, but to me, I'm thinking to serve that many that many drinks, that means somewhere halfway through those drinks, you see the man either slurring, yeah, oh yeah, you know, not able to be able to sit straight, whatever. There's signals that someone's had too much to drink.

SPEAKER_02:

Totally, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01:

And you know, yes, he's an adult, he can order as many drinks as he wants, but you know, I think that common sense factor has to kick in as well, too.

SPEAKER_02:

You know, yeah, oh yeah, absolutely. I like I think it's both. I think like some someone shouldn't get themselves in the position where they're like they have drink 33 drinks and the and the restaurant or bar should be like, hey, you know, we limit people at like nine beverages or something, you know, so like you're you've been cut off.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I'm a little I'm a little surprised that the situation wasn't handled better. And the reason why I say that is I'm quite sure he's not the first purgent person to take advantage of their drinking policy and went overboard with the drinking. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

I mean, 33 drinks is like to me, that's like there's overboard and then there's like next level. Because like I to me, I I feel like overboard is like, oh no, I've had like five cocktails and now I'm like spinning around and throwing up and stuff. 33 is like you to me, you are a participant if you're still conscious of like you you're a co-creator in this in this ridiculousness, you know.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I mean, it's it's a really sad situation because I could see both sides of the coin. On the one hand, you know you're drinking too much. Okay, you should then some people say on the other hand, the ship should have known better, the bartender should have because again, that's a lot of drinks, so you know, especially if you just study giving them drinks, because sometimes people mistake all you can drink or open bar with drink till you drop. That's not what that means. I know it's almost like if you go to a uh a wedding, perfect example, and you know they'll have open open bars certain periods or whatever. That doesn't mean just drink, drink, drink until you fall out, you know.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. What about like I wonder if this will ever like if at an all-you-eat buffet, if someone eats like so much and then they have a heart attack, like is that should the buffet have stopped them? Like, I actually don't know, you know what I mean? Like, if you're if you're selling an all-you-can eat experience or all you can consume in one way or another, and someone does that and hurts themselves or hurts someone else, like, who is the complete liability at? You know, like not to reference another family guy, but there was one where I think fam or maybe it was Simpsons, but one of them went to like an all-you-can-eat shrimp buffet and had to be like craned out, basically.

SPEAKER_01:

But uh you know, that's an interesting question. That's I don't know.

SPEAKER_02:

I know, I don't know either. Because if you're like selling something or marketing something and someone does too much of it or does it in the wrong way, like is it up always to the person or the server or the businesses? It's like kind of buyer beware type of situation. I mean, it is tragic and it's really, really sad. And no one should be, he shouldn't be in the position to have drink this much. But I don't know. To me, if if you are a 33-year-old, you should have some control of your faculties to like not have to need bartenders and like waiters to be your like to inner parent yourself.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, that's true. That's true, but you know, the all-you-can-eat bar is an interesting question. That is a very interesting question because you know that one's harder because you won't see it coming versus where if you're drinking, you can you'll start seeing signs that someone's had too much to drink. So that's true.

SPEAKER_02:

I mean, I don't know. Sometimes at all you can eat buffet, there's signs of like we're sweating. We're I've had some I've had some moments where people are like, we need her to stop right now. But but yeah, it's it's definitely like a big conversation on when is the line to cut people off, and then I on on cruise ships that are probably so used to just people wanting to be like hedonistic that it's probably a quote unquote bummer. It's like, you know, where's the line of just someone being so so so so sloppy drunk and like being a real issue to themselves and to others?

SPEAKER_01:

That is so so true. Maybe maybe some of our our watches and listeners can school us on that.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, exactly. I I'm I'm definitely on the that is bad, but I think I'm a little bit more on the side of just like the people and the cruise goers and the people having to have a little bit more like responsibility for ourselves rather than like waiting for bartenders to cut us off. But I know that that's like in the times that we can't or it doesn't happen, then we look to the professionals to help.

SPEAKER_01:

So very true, very, very true.

SPEAKER_02:

Interesting stuff. I also feel you know, I've seen people too, a lot of times those drinks happen quickly, as but a lot of times people will get drinks like two at a time, and whether they say it's for friends or it's like you know, like you act like you're kind of like, oh, my group and I, can I get like four of these? And then before you know it, you do that like four times, and you've already had a whole bunch of alcohol in you.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, that's true. I mean, I know that sometimes, like, if if there's an open bar, um, or even if I'm at a bar where you know you you pay or whatever, I may get multiple drinks just because I don't want to wait in a stupid lines all the time.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, exactly. Exactly, or because they'll like pour it'll be like a six-ounce thing, and it's so it's like twenty dollars just to get you know, like nothing basically. So yeah, I'll get like two doubles or something.

SPEAKER_01:

So that's that's that's interesting. So I um as of right now, I don't know what's going on with that lawsuit, but um what it's a situation. Just uh my my suggestion is if you go on a cruise ship, you get a drink package, take your time, pace yourself. You don't have to drink like it's running out of liquor. Okay, liquor's they have plenty of liquor, you don't have to go crazy.

SPEAKER_02:

Exactly. Yep, totally. And and for people to be for workers to be more on the lookout for signs that someone may need to be cut off, and then to just say, sorry if you're mad at us or if we're a bummer, we're trying to like you know help keep everyone safe on this ship. And yeah, it's a very sad situation.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, one place that I never drink too much at is TGI Fridays, just because the drinks are all extremely expensive, otherwise I would. Uh, but I thought this was so funny. I wanted to get your take on it. So uh uh recently a server went viral, a name, a server named Brittany Bell, she touched millions with her heartfelt act of kindness when there was a video of her where um a uh one of her patrons, there was like a little boy that was crying so much, a two-year-old little boy, and just kind of throwing a fit. And so instead of just saying, like, can you please quiet the boy or whatever, the waitress took this two-year-old and was holding her, or sorry, holding him, the little boy, and walking around and just you know, comforting him, and just was able to kind of soothe the emotional breakdown. And that was so sweet. Everyone like thought the mom was like, Well, that compassion really helped after like a hectic travel day, and she just really exemplified kindness. Then the next part of the story is that TGI Fridays flew out the CEO and wanted to acknowledge Britney, and then it was so funny because they made this like big fanfare, and then they handed her a check for$500, and the internet interneted and was like, that's not enough. Like, what do you you know? So, and they were saying the amount that it took for the CEO to fly was like less than what they actually gave her.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, the crazy thing, I was thinking the exact same thing. Really? I mean, I get what the CEO wanted to do, but I'm like, so you spend thousands of dollars to give her 500.

SPEAKER_02:

Exactly. People were thinking that there was gonna be like a 500,000. There's like there's no thousand at the end. But um, to me, I mean, in normal times, 500 obviously to a lot of people is a great amount. That could be a Christmas changing amount, or you know, that could be a car payment plus then some whatever. Like that, I'm sure she's not mad about that. Um and then then people launched a GoFundMe, and the fundraiser has like raised a lot more. I think it was like a$10,000 goal, which is very sweet. But to me, it's like I I also think they probably could have given her more like free food for like her loved ones at TGI Friday. You know, even if they're not gonna give her cash, there's probably still more like a vacation of her dreams, or they could have partnered with like a different company who even wanted more advertising to give her like you know, a thousand dollars of forever 21 clothes or just you know, something. But I just think I can see though at like TGI Fridays, if you start doing this, like it's a very nice thing, but if you start doing this for one person, then like every waitress that does something nice are they going to then have to like give hundreds of dollars to? I don't I could see like as a CEO being like, this is really nice, and we're going to give this person a treat, but like if they gave her$10,000, then is that going to set the precedent of like, well, she got this, but like why not this person in this city?

SPEAKER_01:

You know what? I did not even think about that, but you're right. Because let's let's be honest, to a big corporation like TJ Friday, giving out$500 to multiple employees, it's not a big deal.

SPEAKER_02:

Right, right. Exactly. It wouldn't be a big deal, but what if they just started having to get like now we have to acknowledge like everyone? But I mean, I don't know.

SPEAKER_01:

I think it'll probably be, you know, where they stand out above and beyond. Um, it can't be a situation where you expect to get a bonus for doing your job either, you know.

SPEAKER_02:

Exactly. That's the other thing. And no one asked her to walk around with the kid, which was extremely nice. Like, I mean, that's like so nice that she did that. Yeah, but like also that's not really probably if I was going to be extra nitpicky and probably a little bit of a bummer, like what if like you might not even want to do that to pa in in case the kid got hurt or like she ran into something hot, or you know what I mean? Like that's very nice, but it's also not like a childcare center or whatever. So I I think she should have gotten something great, but like to me, I don't know if that warrants like fifty thousand dollars worth of a reward and stuff.

SPEAKER_01:

No, no, I um Um I I don't know if any company is gonna you know give anything over$500 to$1,000 max for something like that. Yeah. Um and then also too, there are some companies that would probably have written her up for that because there's inherited liabilities, let's say, if she were to trip.

SPEAKER_00:

Or she wouldn't have to be able to do it.

SPEAKER_01:

Um that's why uh you'll hear situations where you don't hear too much too more work too much more anywhere anyway, that a place gets robbed and the worker wants to be a hero, they chase after the person or try and you know catch the robber or whatever, get the money back, and then you turn around, everybody's calling him a hero, but the company fires him.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And and again, the reason they do that is to make it crystal clear, it's money. Never ever ever ever chase anyone out of your store. You call you let law enforcement handle it because the last thing you want is now you got an employee that's hurt or worse because you wanted to play hero.

SPEAKER_02:

Exactly. And imagine if these parents were crazy instead of nice, and like the kid had some scratch marks on his arm from like a tree or something, they could be like, this waitress picked him up, and then all of a sudden he has scratch marks on his arm, or you know what I mean? Like the people are weird out there, which is sad that we even have to think this way. And this woman sounds amazing, and I definitely would, of course, I want her to like have as much of a bonus as she can, but I just think in this in this case, like if Fridays gave her a car or something, then it's like every server that is doing something really nice, then do they get like a free car? Or like I don't know, it's just it's like a slippery slope to start giving employees like hundreds of thousands of dollars just because they want it to like be seen by everyone on the internet.

SPEAKER_01:

That's true, that's true. And you know, the other thing too is when you do something nice for your employees, you don't have to advertise it either.

SPEAKER_02:

Right, right. I think the mom posted it, so yeah, I think the oh yeah, yeah, or I think other people I know what you mean. I misunderstood that. I think other people from Fridays also posted it and not just like not just Fridays, so that is so true. You know what though, it it wasn't good timing for that story to come out on the same day as Taylor Swift giving her dancers$750,000. Because honestly, I actually don't think it would be that bad. People wouldn't be that mad if this it wasn't like tucked around underneath this story because it the the juxtaposition of like the two things is kind of funny.

SPEAKER_01:

That is true, that is true.

SPEAKER_02:

I still think$500 is a great, a great amount, and let us not forget that that it's it can be really nice for some people.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, yes, I totally agree. And like you said before, to$500 to a lot of people, um, you know, is money that can pay off a bill, put some food on the table. There's a lot of things that people can do with$500 these days.

SPEAKER_02:

Exactly. And maybe maybe if I was like the Fridays person, I would almost be like, hey, this went so well, let's once a month, let's pick like an employee of the month, like worldwide, and we show them on the internet and they get they get a thousand dollars, and that's a way I think to contain it, you know, of like we chose this person, and yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Yep, I totally agree. Well, this is gonna be an interesting topic here. Um let's see, people wearing pajamas to air flights uh against the Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's request. Yeah, this is gonna be a real good one here. People are deliberately wearing pajamas on flights as an act of protest against U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's recent request that travelers dress with some respect as part of his golden age of travel civil civility campaign. It is important to note that this is not a legally binding rule or ban, but a suggestion that has sparked a social media driven pajama resistance.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh my, it's so funny. Only in 2025 slash six are we like protesting in pajamas.

SPEAKER_01:

This is um this is crazy that we're even talking about this because we see pajamas everywhere. You go to the grocery store, you're wearing pajamas. Oh yeah, yeah. You know, to each his own, I'm not a big fan of it personally. Same. My thing is, you know, hey, if you're gonna wear your pajamas, make sure you're clean. Just saying, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I just had this conversation. We I went to Disneyland yesterday with a friend, uh, a friend and her husband, and we were seeing a ton of people in their pajamas. And granted, it's like Christmas time, so people are getting it with the Christmas PJs, but it just makes me feel like even when I see people in pajamas, and if I'm it makes me feel like dirty and like I have the flu or something, you know, like I can't imagine going to Disneyland or doing something out in the world in pajamas or even like a sweatpants thing, because it's it's it's it's almost like less about the way it even looks, because I don't care about things looking sloppy, it's more just like the feeling that you're like tired or you you're sick or something. I don't know, it just kind of like makes me feel that way. And if I see people out at the airport wearing pajamas, I'm not necessarily thinking, oh, they're protesting like under Sean against Sean Duffy. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, exactly. And the other thing too is you know, you to me, it's a certain place you should wear. Um yeah, I don't think you should wear it outside of the house. Personally, that's just my personal opinion, totally, but also too, when you're talking about flying on an airplane, um, and let's face it, we all know that those seats are not the most spacious seats in the world, right? And you know, there are some people that um may wear pajamas and may not be the most hygienic people in the world.

SPEAKER_02:

No, it's so weird. We've got and then and then if you take your shoes off and you're barefoot, like if you're barefoot in pajamas on a plane, you are like too confident in with life at right now as we know it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, yes. And you know, I have never experienced it, thank goodness. But there have been times where people have taken off their shoes and people around them knew it without seeing it.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh I don't I know some people feel that way about like athleisure, you know, and like people dressing sporty and and doing it, but I would much rather that. Like I love athleisure clothing, and I think you can still look like somewhat cute and put together and really comfy.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, yeah. I mean, you know, you want to dress, you you want to dress comfortable, okay. Throw on a pair of sweats, maybe a t-shirt or whatever, a sweatshirt. No big deal. But I just think that pajamas is a different way of looking at it. And maybe it could be a generational thing too. Okay.

SPEAKER_02:

Maybe I don't know. I've I'm I'm part of that. I'm with you. And I've heard for real that you just get like maybe it's a mindset thing, maybe whatever, but I've heard that even on the air airlines, you get like treated better if you kind of dress a little bit nicer and present, like they they're more likely to either like upgrade you for to first class or you're just kind of like treated a little bit better.

SPEAKER_01:

You know as crazy as this sounds, I've heard that too. I really have heard that. And and let's be honest with you, you know, when people look at you, the first thing that they draw um some type of conclusion or some type of first impression is the way you look. That's a fact. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Yep. Yeah, I don't think people need to go in like their power suit or anything, but I think it's exactly.

SPEAKER_01:

But you know, it's like if you go into a here's a great example. You go into a job interview, and you got one person coming in, you know, they got on a suit, um, you know, everything's neat, whatever. Or you come in with a jersey on, look like you haven't shaved in a week, have a comb your hair. Yeah, I could probably guess who's probably not gonna get that job.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah. And pajamas just that is an inside the house thing. We don't need to like I do think there should be like outside clothing and inside clothing, you know. And to me, that's what makes pajamas so comfy, cozy is that it is like uh you're in the house, you're snuggled on the couch, or you're about to go to bed, type of like that's a good thing, but we should keep it inside the house.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, probably they give you if you want to go out in your backyard with your pajamas on or sit on your porch.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Absolutely, absolutely. Or if like to me, if I'm if I was like in a really, really, really big city like New York, or I mean, like LA's not like this because it's not that walkable, but if I was in New York and it's like cold out and I just had to go downstairs and like down three, you know, if I my walk was like a second to go get a cup of coffee, I could see like every now and then just doing it for like 30 seconds and then you you go back in. But if you're like walking around an airport and flying, who wants to arrive in your destination wearing sweatpants either, like or like pajama pants? Like by the time you're you've been on a flight all day and then you like arrive where you are and you're wearing pajama bottoms, like that's weird.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, yeah, that's a great one. Let's say you bring in your boy your new boyfriend or new girlfriend to your parents for the first time and they're no, no, I can't even picture that. I would love to see that because that'd probably be a great scene.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, you know, the only the only thing I could see wearing pajamas to the airport is if you're like a cute family trying to do some funny Christmas and like you're all going in some type of matching pajamas and you're everyone's in on the bit, and it's just but it still seems like uncomfortable, and I just I don't know, I can't think as well when I'm in public wearing pajamas.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, but you actually brought up a good point where in that scenario that may be okay. Yeah, that may be okay, and generally when families dress up in pajamas, like for Christmas or whatever, they're normally new pajamas they put on, and it looks really nice, okay? Yeah, not dingy, like you know, they've worn them for like two weeks or whatever, like that, you know.

SPEAKER_02:

Exactly. So we we need some like democrat liberal people to come out and and agree with us too, because then people will stop protesting. Only can like only can this become a political thing where like people are like, I'm wearing pajamas to show them.

SPEAKER_01:

There you go. There you go.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, well, oh my gosh, is this my last one? Wow. Um okay. Well, what I thought this was really interesting. Uh, the Academy Awards are moving to YouTube starting in 2029, marking a new era for Hollywood's leading award show and mainstay of network TV for decades. The deal between the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and YouTube will start with the 101st Oscar ceremony in 2029 and run through 2033. Uh, the telecast has layered aired live on ABC since the 1970s, and then Disney owns ABC, as we all know from recent events. Um, I think this is very interesting because it definitely shows how much like YouTube is growing uh in dominance and also just the fact that like, I don't know about you, but in our household, we we have YouTube like up on the TV and we watch it just like we would like a channel, you know, a TV channel where we will scroll through different YouTube videos and everything. I I spend a lot of my time watching videos on YouTube, but I don't know how I feel about like a uh an award show. It's it's something as like fancy as the Oscars. I I think it will lose a lot of people. What do you think?

SPEAKER_01:

I agree with you, and I and the reason why I say that is if you take a look at the demographics, um most of the younger generations don't watch awards like like the older generations do.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

So and a lot of the the generations that are older, like especially generations older than me, they are you know internet and social media savvy. So a lot of them aren't on YouTube, right? And even if they're on YouTube, nine times out of ten may not want to pay for YouTube to do it.

SPEAKER_00:

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01:

So I think it's a risky move, but um the only the only way I see them trying to do this, unless they're trying to get to a younger demographic.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

But just putting it on the on the platform doesn't automatic automatically mean they're gonna watch it either, right?

SPEAKER_02:

And I think so too. Like I wonder in terms of because half half of the fun is just knowing that things are kind of on like a network, and sometimes things go weird, you know, like we've seen slaps before, and we've seen like person and things that like you can't really stop, and they get aired, and then it's a big deal. But YouTube just does seem like still more of like a live on Instagram, but this is 2029, so like who knows what the sk scope of everything will look like by then.

SPEAKER_01:

That's true, that's true, and you know, unless the contract has been signed, this could change. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I like I said, I I'm not a big fan of it, you know, but it's it's interesting. And again, when I first heard this, I thought it was fake, and then I looked it up and did some research, like, oh no, this is real.

SPEAKER_02:

And I I I honestly feel like award shows almost are like one of the last things that make networks irrelevant now, still, or so that is true, that is true, and you know, if they do this, the question is, are other main awards gonna follow suit? Yeah, and then also I wonder if like the comments, you know, if it's gonna be I I don't want to see like live streams of events and like have see everyone's comments coming in. Like, I don't it's gonna make it look weird.

SPEAKER_01:

That's true. I think it's gonna take away from the show too.

SPEAKER_02:

I agree.

SPEAKER_01:

So what do you think, Meryl? If it if it goes through, you're gonna you're gonna subscribe to YouTube because I'm quite sure it's not the free version.

SPEAKER_02:

By 2029, maybe hopefully I'll be in it.

SPEAKER_01:

There you go.

SPEAKER_02:

Maybe I'll be uh at least in the audience, but we'll see. Um, I think no, I probably wouldn't watch it anyway. I always I'm so bad about like all the LA stuff. I forget night after night that these things are on. Sometimes I've I've even driven down Sunset Boulevard, and I'm like, why is everything so busy tonight? And then it's like, oh yeah, the Oscars is happening like a block away.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, yes, that is so true. That is so true. Well, um the last topic that I have for today um is actually taking a little bit of a turn from what we normally do on our show. And I wanted to kind of talk about something that should be talked about more, and that's um about people experiencing loneliness during the holidays. So I wanted to kind of you know talk about you know how to help someone that may be experiencing loneliness during the holidays. Um by no means, you know, am I a therapist or anything like that, just talking as a human being is the way I'm doing this. So some of the things that I found when doing some searching is to help someone um that is only during the holidays, just reach out with gentle, persistent invitations for low pressure activities, validate their feelings, offer practical help like a meal or shared hobby, and encourage volunteering or joining community events for connection while also respecting their need for space. Remember your presence, active listening, and sincere efforts to connect are the key to combating their isolation.

SPEAKER_02:

I love well, I think you're so sweet for being thoughtful and bringing that up because I think that's true. A lot of times people feel even if you even if they you have families and you have I think a lot of people will feel loneliness if like they're missing a parent or if they're estranged from their family, um, you know, or even if they're empty nesters and their kids have left. So I think like it's okay to feel lonely during the holidays. Um, I think too, like I wrote down some things too that if if people are feeling lonely, sometimes just like getting out of the um just the environment that you're in and shaking it up, whether that means if you're if you're able to go on like a big trip, you know, that's obviously cool. But if not, if you're able to, even if you like go on a staycation and spend the day in a different part of town or like go walk around a different part of town, I think just even getting out of your own environment helps you and reminds you that there's like a million trillion things going on, or if you are able to like go to New York and walk around Times Square, do something that you like totally wouldn't think where there's lots of people. I think just to remind yourself that we're not you're not lonely. You you can be surrounded by people at any time. Um and then yeah, just maybe also thinking, okay, these are these couple days might suck, and like I'm gonna feel lonely Christmas to New Year's, and then like the middle of January, I'm really going to try to join a class or like go on meetup.com and just make it a goal for the next year to like be out and about so much. Um, and it's that whole thing, like to me, whenever I'm the times that oh, I don't really feel lonely, but I feel like I think it's so important too that if you're seeking that kind of stuff, think of think about the ways that you can show up for others, whether it's like does one of your friends perform music and you can go watch them and support them, like instead of feeling bad for yourself or like like you know, feeling away, think about how you can show up for others. And volunteering is a big one too, you know. So I think like everyone's I think feel your feelings, but then also like make an action plan to get yourself out there as much as you can.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, yeah. And you know, a lot of times too, when a person's feeling lonely, they might not always reach out to you as well. Um, but you can kind of tell when you're talking to someone, um, you know, they may say, Oh, so what are you doing for the holidays? And you know, like, oh, I'm with my family and with so-and-so, whatever, we're doing this, we're doing that. And then you ask, so what are you doing? Um, just at home, you know. I know, I know, you know, versus and and and you have to know what they're saying too. Because if they're like, Well, I guess you know, I'll be by myself, you know, just at home, whatever, versus thank God, everybody's out of the house, time, nobody's gonna bother me if totally, totally.

SPEAKER_02:

That's why like it's not lonely. Exactly. Because I feel that way sometimes too we're like, I feel like I'm just kind of naturally like a weird loner. And I honestly would most times would rather be by myself than like like with someone else's family and stuff. But I think you're right, it's about knowing the people and like what would make them feel happy and um getting it out of your environment. But like I think that's such a big thing, you know. Maybe, and I've there's so there's such amazing like travel groups where if you're a woman or a man or whatever age or like interest you have, there's all these groups that are like travel. To Portugal, you know, together as singles, and like I just think there's and even if you can't do that during the holidays, knowing that like okay, this year I have two amazing trips coming up that I'm going to probably meet some new friends at, or like I'm going to rest this this week because like this year I have a really I'm gonna be running a marathon and I kind of need to start like conserving my energy. So almost like making this downtime serve a purpose.

SPEAKER_01:

That's true. That's true. And you know, like I said, if if if people are out there and you know you're listening or watching and you you you are feeling a little lonely, you know, don't don't be ashamed to reach out to someone and say, hey, you know, so and so, you know, would you mind if I came over, you know, maybe to sit back and maybe watch a game with you, or you know, maybe um, you know, have dinner with you, or you know, come over, I can cook, whatever. You know, don't be afraid to reach out. Yeah, definitely. Absolutely. I really, yeah. Oh, no, I was gonna say everyone, you know, normally has one or two people that they can reach out to um, you know, when they need something. And when I say need something, need something doesn't always mean you're giving something, it could just be just sitting there listening to them too.

SPEAKER_02:

Exactly. Yep, yep, absolutely. And there's so many like random, because a lot of people don't even like holidays at all. And I feel like if you look at like bowling leagues or, you know, things that are just kind of like off the beaten path where people that otherwise might not have families will be at that a lot. I think people do like kind of get out of town and go on hiking or whatever. So as much as you can do that other people might be like, hey, you know, I'm gonna be doing this. But I was gonna say, as like a very kind of non-lonely person, I feel like my number my number one like tip and hack really is to support other people because that's how like it's almost like how people become popular, I think, is you just show up for others and like you know, think this year of like who which of your friends has a book coming out? Like, can you go to their book signing? And the more you support others, you'll just naturally like they'll take to you, and then you'll meet their friends, and it you know, you won't be lonely as much.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely, and you know, like I said, you know, maybe do a hobby. Um, you know, maybe throw darts, you know, during a week in a dart league. Um, maybe join the basketball league if you play basketball. You know, there's a lot of different things you can do, or maybe, you know, if you like working out, maybe get an inexpensive gym membership where you can work out even though you're concentrated on what you're doing, you're still not by yourself either.

SPEAKER_02:

That's a really good one. Yeah, because I feel like all the time you'll see people and then you'll learn that you're not a weirdo for being alone. Like there's hundreds of thousands of people that do their own thing for the holidays and that aren't necessarily with family all the time.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes. You know, other places to consider. Um, we have a Legion uh hall over in um Huntley, Illinois. And with the Legion, um, obviously they support veterans. And what makes it very unique is they're open every holiday, and that's done purposely so that people that don't, you know, veterans and people who don't have family can come there, and you know, they'll actually have food um that they provide so you can sit there, you can talk to people. In other words, you're not alone. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Exactly. And sometimes I was gonna say, too, like like I we I even feel like one way is very infrequent times where I do have like a Thanksgiving by myself, and I you could even like romanticize your loneliness sometimes. And I like I make it so dramatic in a way where I do go to like I think I went to like a horse farm one time by myself, and I was just like walking alone with the horses and taking pictures. So I think if you are lonely, it's totally okay to just be like, well, I'm having like a really weird year and I'm totally by myself, so I'm going to like immerse myself in this and just go to a town and like you know, write a book about it or try to even get creative, and and it's okay to feel lonely sometimes. And the other thing I was gonna say too is like finding which way to volunteer that feels right to you. Like, I'm just someone that I probably unfortunately like I don't see myself, I'm not that good of a person where I'll be like at a soup kitchen on Christmas, but like what I would do is maybe go walk like shelter dogs, or you know, I tend to really love animals. So thinking about like what you care about and thinking about like the less fortunate people or animals in those situations, and like you have using yourself as an instrument to help the other people that need you, whether it's older people or like you know, young boys and girls clubs or animals or people in a homeless shelter, you know.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh yeah, and you know, the one thing too that um that we don't talk about enough is if if it's severe enough to where um you're really feeling down, you feel like you're in a dark place, there's no shame in talking to someone. Oh yeah, yeah. You know, sometimes you need to talk to a therapist. It doesn't mean that you're weird or something's wrong, it just means you're human and you need some help. That's all.

SPEAKER_02:

Exactly. And knowing that, like, even if you see happy families together, all those people also experience feelings of loneliness at any given time, and everything everything changes, you know, like kids grow up, people get divorced, people get married. It's like we're not we're not all stuck in whatever situation we're in right now. So things change like for the good and bad. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

I agree. So if you're watching or listening to us, um, and you're feeling lonely, reach out. You know, don't sit there uh in silence. I mean, if you really need some help, reach out a free need to talk to someone, don't be embarrassed to do it. Um, that's what a therapist is there for. Don't be embarrassed to call them.

SPEAKER_02:

Exactly. Or if you just want to stay home and watch all of our old episodes from 2025, then do that.

SPEAKER_01:

Then you're not alone. Absolutely, because we would definitely have you laughing.

SPEAKER_02:

Exactly. It'd be so funny to revisit all the news of like a year ago and all the ridiculous stuff that's happened.

SPEAKER_01:

That is so true. That is so true.

SPEAKER_02:

You're so sweet for bringing that up. You're so thoughtful.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, thank you. Thank you. Well, Meryl, what do you have coming up?

SPEAKER_02:

Well, speaking of lonely, I know I talk about this all the time, but I will be at a gentleman's club. I bet I bet on the holidays there'll be plenty of people there too. So um, I have a show January 7th at a place called Plan B Gentlemen's Club in Los Angeles. I am not performing there as a dancer, unfortunately, for no one, but um I'll be a comedian there. So I'll be one of the comedians on a really funny show.

SPEAKER_01:

Nice, nice. Well, I think a lot of people would love to come out to that.

SPEAKER_02:

I would love to have them. That's another thing, too, is if you're lonely, start going to more comedy shows and then you'll see all of the lonely deranged comedians and you'll feel less bad about yourself.

SPEAKER_01:

That is true, that is true. Um, I don't encourage going to stripper clubs and uh stuff like that when you're lonely.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I don't either.

SPEAKER_01:

But hey, to each his own, right?

SPEAKER_02:

Yep, we went from volunteering at a super kitchen to to this real quick. Hey, we cover all bases. Exactly. We're welcoming to all to everyone. It's a wide spectrum.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, everyone, thank you so much for watching and for listening to us. Uh, we really appreciate your support, and we also appreciate you sharing our information, commenting on our social media, and thank you again for all the comments, uh, for the likes. We really appreciate it, and we definitely appreciate your support. I'm Lauren Telrod.

SPEAKER_02:

And I'm Merrill Climo.

SPEAKER_01:

Bye, everyone.

unknown:

Bye bye.

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Lawrence Elrod

Host
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Meryl Klemow

Co-host