Does God exist in the world of TV? Ljubica & Adam put forward their theory of the supernatural detective show and use it to examine religion and atheism on TV . Shows discussed: iZombie, Hand of God, Once Upon A Time, Grimm, Sherlock and Vampire Diaries (and 48 Hours!)

We're All Atheists Now

This episode, we discuss cyber security, encryption and the dumb politicians that wanna take it away. Then we move on to Top Chef, macho men, and the illusion of objectivity. Finally, we discuss whether voting for Hillary in the general would ever make sense to us. (Hint: Probably not) 

Top Chef Makes Us Think of the Death Toll in the Middle East

This week, Adam and Ljubica discuss depictions of abortion on TV and their implications. Then we breakdown the Bernie data breach non-scandal by interviewing a real NGP VAN user, Ljubica! Finally, we talk about our big (and small) takeaways from the Democratic debate. 

Merry Christmas, We Got You a TV Abortion!

On this episode of the cold pizza party podcast, we discuss the death & legacy of Antonin Scalia and whether originalism is or isn't a total crock of shit. We'll talk about originalism in relation to musicology (why?), political pragmatism, and Henry Kissinger. After that, we compare Colony to The Shannara Chronicles, and we'll let you in on the secret best-ever Australian TV show you've never heard of.

The Best TV Show You've Never Seen & the Most Famous Supreme Court Justice to Die This Week

Ljubica & Adam dispel Super Tuesday myths, berate Hillary Clinton's nonsense college plan, and finally hammer out what, exactly, neoliberalization means.

Nobody Knows What They're Talking About & No One Knows Where We're Going

This week, Ljubica & Adam discuss exclusively Vanderpump Rules with an eye towards class and labor politics. There will be spoilers, which means you don't have to be familiar with the show to listen, as we ask and answer questions like, When is reality tv more compelling than scripted? How much money does Lisa Vanderpump extract from these struggling 20-somethings? And should we consider them workers or fame-whores?

Our Semi-Marxist Read of Vanderpump Rules

This week, we talk Trump, a discussion we had hoped would never be necessary. Adam outlines a hypothesis for his rise, including Trump's secret strategy you probably haven't heard of. Then, Ljubica talks about his supporters and "the white working class": who are they, who hates them, and why? We discuss "white" as a politically & socially constructed category and the flexibility of whiteness.

What's the Matter with White People? (Hint: Joan Walsh)

Bonus episode! The first segment was recorded the day of the election. We discuss the campaign and make predictions, which... weren't exactly right. Kind of close, though! We talk about the political terrain of Ohio and Texas in particular. Then, a week afterwards, we cover some of the awful attempts to explain what happened, and suggest what's important going forward.

Trump: Adam Almost Got It Right

On this episode, we decide to take a step back and reflect rather than get caught up in the political rat race of the moment. We chose Stephen Marche's recent article in the LARB, "The Obama Years," as a way to look at the recent past and figure out how we ended up like this. The article's recurring themes -- like images, eating & shitting, jumping through hoops, and sameness -- help us tackle what it's been like to live these past eight years. For example: Why are we obsessed with finding the best new food truck? Why are sewage treatment plants finding gold in our shits? How did every city end up with a "unique," quaint, hip coffee shop? 

We also discuss politics more explicitly, when we ask why are there no new ideas. And we talk personally about graduating during the crash and realizing early that no amount of jumping through hoops would get us where we expected to be. We also laugh at ourselves, as we realize we are total Obama years cliches. 

"The Obama Years" by Stephen Marche
https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/the-obama-years/

Eating & Shitting in the Obama Years

This week, we compare the paranoia over "fake news" to the pseudo-smart grandstanding of Vox dot com. We cover a few recent articles (linked below) that help us detail the shortcomings of Vox's "explaining the news" approach and unearth the ideology beneath its neutral surface. We talk the politics of belief, Ezra Klein's straight-A aesthetic, and Matt Yglesias' boring burrito drivel. We also struggle to name-drop de Certeau, and then lay bare why Hillary was deemed "more electable."

Nathan J. Robinson, "Explaining It All to You" & "The Necessity of Credibility"
https://www.currentaffairs.org/2016/11/explaining-it-all
https://www.currentaffairs.org/2016/12/the-necessity-of-credibility

David V. Johnson, "Explanation for What?"
http://thebaffler.com/salvos/explanation-for-what-johnson

Ezra Klein, "How Politics Makes Us Stupid"
http://www.vox.com/2014/4/6/5556462/brain-dead-how-politics-makes-us-stupid

11 Reasons Why Vox is Actually Fascist

This week Ljubica is excited to share some thoughts on true crime TV shows with Adam. We discuss new versus old and argue that "the real America" is murder shows. What are we exploring through these shows, and what do they do for us? What aspects of broader culture do they reproduce, like why are they all about women? How do murder shows from abroad compare to our homegrown, and what do we think of reenactments?

A Golden Age of Murder Shows

Today, we read Matt Yglesias’ tweets for young Bernie fans from an old Democrat, which are bad and wrong.

Matty G Tweets

This week we talk about the Vermont Governor's recent decision to veto a recreational pot bill, followed by a longer discussion about free speech and activism on campus. Are we all triggered snowflakes, or is there more to think about? Should students just sit down and shut up for the sake of their intellectual development, or is there value in thinking for yourself and taking action? We report, you decide.

TASCAM DR-05

Let's Smoke Weed and Protest on Campus

This week we talk Ancient Aliens, the tv show. We discuss why we love it as well as the many things about it that worry us. Then we talk about conspiracy theories at large: how do they function, why do they exist, and which ones are our favorites. Ljubica argues that all conspiracy theories may be reactionary and counter-revolutionary. Adam lends some cred to the episode and our harebrained ideas by introducing us to a thought-provoking essay by Eve Sedgwick about paranoid reading. We also manage to argue about religion. 

Links as promised in the episode---

Paranoid and Reparative Reading, or You're So Paranoid You Probably Think This Essay Is About You, by Eve Sedgwick:
https://sydney.edu.au/arts/slam/downloads/documents/novel_studies/3_Sedgwick.pdf

John Titor Conspiracy:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Titor

Link no one asked for, Mandela Effect listicle:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/christopherhudspeth/crazy-examples-of-the-mandela-effect-that-will-make-you-ques?utm_term=.hfMDJyNZV#.emVGJPEr6

Are We Being Paranoid? Ancient Alien Theorists Say Yes!

How many Transformers movies is Warren Buffet worth? How many Transformers movies could all the OxyContin overdoses pay for? And what ever happened to "Soviet Yugoslavia"? This week, Ljubica gives us a crash course in Yugoslavian history and socialism, as well as OPEC's disastrous impact on the third world, because Joy Ann Reid was being dumb. But first, Adam shares an independent investigative study on how we can have free Transformers movies until the sun engulfs the earth.

Links discussed:
James Robertson, "The Life and Death of Yugoslav Socialism" https://jacobinmag.com/2017/07/yugoslav-socialism-tito-self-management-serbia-balkans
Keith Spencer, "Why the Rich Love Burning Man" https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/08/burning-man-one-percent-silicon-valley-tech/
Joy Ann Reid, "I Don't Know What Yugoslavia Is" https://twitter.com/JoyAnnReid/status/888418586473136128

Dispatches from Soviet Yugoslavia

This week we talk about Amber A'lee Frost's recent piece for Current Affairs, "Against Domesticity." In the piece Amber argues that, “Attempts to elevate and fetishize household labor are deeply insidious…” because such efforts hide the real work and value behind traditionally feminine labor. We unpack the piece further by asking whether being a consumer or producer makes you freer? Why are those time-lapse cooking videos so popular, and is a gallery wall really worth all the effort? (Yes.) Finally, we close out with a more nuanced understanding of why adulting is so popular among the kids these days.


Link to Amber A'lee Frost's Against Domesticity https://www.currentaffairs.org/2017/06/against-domesticity

Confession: We are Active Members of The Cult of Domesticity

This week we get back to talking about TV, with a new "feminist" tv show. We take a critical look at The Bold Type, it's lack of commitment to an actual feminism, and its fervent commitment to only good feelings. Adam manages to connect the show to Mark Fisher's, Capitalist Realism, while Ljubica bullshits as always. Also our dogs--our dogs are all over this!

My Feminism will be Anti-Capitalist or It will be Bullshit!

We start out with a long ranting sesh as we decompress and try to digest the horrifying events of the weekend in Charlottesville. Then we switch over to some lighter faire and discuss fashion in the Trump years. We talk about how the Trump women manage to balance without fear in their Louboutins. We also discuss stilettos more broadly and possible reasons they are so appealing aesthetically and culturally as well as evolutionarily (we think the evo psych thing is bs, but we discuss it). We close out by touching on Ayesha Siddiqi's Bush Era Redux theory and round that out with a Jacobin article on the rise of "fuck you fashion" under the new administration.

Links: 
Melania, Ivanka and Ivana Trump Wear High Heels, a Symbol of Everything That Is Beautiful and Horrifying About Them
https://www.yahoo.com/news/melania-ivanka-ivana-trump-wear-155844548.html?.tsrc=fauxdal

Ayesha A. Siddiqi Bush Era Redux Thread
https://twitter.com/AyeshaASiddiqi/status/813689401137995776

Crimes Against Design
https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/06/trump-gucci-vetements-fashion-couture-art

Memorizing Instagram Workout Video Account we Discussed. https://www.instagram.com/kaisafit/?hl=en

Louboutins and Neo-Nazis

This week, we talk Harvey and Houston. We also explain Houston to people who’ve never been. Listen for some interesting facts that might counter misconceptions of Houston and Texas, for a discussion of the alienating nature of hierarchy as seen through Harvey, and for us gushing about the aesthetics of local TV. At the end, we talk more broadly about the hidden costs of capitalism, both on a national and state level in the face of crisis, but also on a personal level, when it comes to re-making the self.

Donate to foodbanks for hurricane relief ~
http://www.galvestoncountyfoodbank.org/
http://www.foodbankcc.com/
http://www.houstonfoodbank.org/donate/

Red cross is bullshit ~
https://www.propublica.org/series/red-cross

Ridin out to Beyonce's ***Flawless Ft Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Howdy from Hurricane Harvey Country

This week we have a cold pizza party first, an interview! Better yet, an interview with our friend and DACA recipient Andrea De La Vega. She tells us what it’s like to live with precarious status in this country for most of your life. She explains how she ended up in such awful circumstances despite following the law and conscientiously navigating the Kafka-esque immigration process. We also talk about the concept of borders, traveling back to your hometown in your dreams, and how the immigration cloud taints even the most beautiful gestures and relationships. Also Ljubica get’s really into Andrea’s story and says “yeah” a lot. (Sorry.)

Andrea's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrea.d.vega.7

As the DACA debacle continues, it’s important that your voice is heard. Please check out the links below for steps you can take to put pressure on congress. 

My recommendation is that you go here: https://whoismyrepresentative.com

Find your congress person’s number and use this script:
Hello,

My name is ____, and I am one of your constituents. I am calling to express my discontent with the White House’s decision to end DACA and ask Senator/Representative ______ to support legislative action that will protect immigrants affected by the termination of DACA. Eight hundred thousand lives are affected because of the president’s decision to end DACA, and now it is time for Congress to pass a law that would provide a pathway to citizenship for this group of immigrants. Does Senator/Representative _____ currently support the Dream Act or Hope Act?

If you are told your representative/senator supports either the Dream (in the Senate) or Hope Act (in the House of Representatives), say thank you and let them know you applaud that decision.

If you are told your representative/senator does not support either the Dream or Hope Act, ask the staffer to explain why. Then, let the staffer know the human and economic impact that leaving 800,000 youth undocumented would have (see script for the White House above).

If you are told your representative/senator has not made up his or her mind on the Dream or Hope Act, let the staffer know you urge the representative/senator to support these legislative efforts.

(Script link http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/daca-has-ended-you-are-outraged-heres-what-you-can_us_59ae4bd7e4b0c50640cd619e)

But here are some other great options too:

http://weareheretostay.org/call/

https://ssl.capwiz.com/aclu-action/issues/alert/alertid=78557626&type=CO&ms=web_170905_immigrantsrights_DREAMAct

https://www.thecut.com/2017/09/how-to-find-daca-protests-donate-call-congress.html


Outro: Elephant Gym-Light (燈)

Conversation w/ a DACA Recipient

Why is House Hunters International so appealing to literally everyone? This week, we think out loud about the fantasy of the show, its rigid format, its character types and why the opportunity it presents for loathing can be so fun. Ljubica also shares some behind the scenes House Hunters secrets she learned from a realtor! But first, she explains why you don't have to read theory to be a good leftist. We need to bring people along, because socialism is not a clique.

closing song: Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - Love Connection

House Hunters International the Podcast

This week we basically make the point that no one is free under capitalism. Consent doesn't mean anything when money is inherently coercive, and your choices aren't your own when access to resources is limited by capital. We also talk about our discomfort with parasocial relationships, and how the anime Mob Psycho 100 helped Adam think about how insidious America's Calvinist culture and Protestant work ethic can be.

Links: 

Our Ep, Eating and Shitting in the Obama Yearshttps://soundcloud.com/coldpizzaparty/eating-shitting-in-the-obama-years

That parasocial Youtube vid, Fake Friends, Ep One: https://youtu.be/x3vD_CAYt4g


Riding out to The Marias, Basta Ya: https://soundcloud.com/themarias/basta-ya-1

Sasha Grey and Anime

This week, we invite you to sit on our Texas porch, pop a bottle and discuss the recent-ish (recent when we recorded it) controversy surrounding the YouTube "beauty community" and their use of the n-word. This leads us to a deeper discussion about racism, identity politics, and our personal experiences growing up in two very different parts of Ohio, one affluent, suburban and white where the n-word was never uttered, and one working class, struggling and (relatively) integrated, where it was.

Linkz: 

Shane Dawson Docu on Jefree Star: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUf2-sjGqQw&list=PLDs0tNoNYTz05R0xo7PCVc-RgL2fsJnGg

all youtuber apologies discussed can be found on (you guessed it) youtube.


Riding out to: https://rabbitislandband.bandcamp.com/track/deep-in-the-big

Wow, Racist Beauty YouTubers!

We share our first impressions of the CW reboot of Charmed and ride out to B*Witched "C'est la Vie"

Links:
------------------------------
Charmed ep we mentioned in the ep: The Ethics of "Charmed" and Lady Detectives-->https://soundcloud.com/coldpizzaparty/the-ethics-of-charmed-and-lady-detectives

CW Charmed: First Impressions

On this ep we get meta and discuss why we do what we do: watch bad tv and connect it to politics. Then we get into some the witchy TV that's been flickering across our screens lately. First we discuss Charmed and how it's failed to charm us into continuing with the series. Next we discuss The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. We talk about why the show works so much better than Charmed, and what doesn't work so well (Hint: homophobia and racist imagery). 

We ride out to Bbymutha's Janis Ian Dyke: https://soundcloud.com/bbymutha/janis-ian-dyke-prod-sxylk-myfriendmeesha



Links

Vogue Runway app:https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vogue-runway/id289380413?mt=8

SHOWstudio Vetements - Autumn / Winter 2017 Panel Discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpzIoX4dg5I&t=1705s

Digibro - "Why You Watch Bad Anime" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi04dyS2xkI

Lindsay Ellis-Ep 1 Transformers and Film Studies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRXI__Wixas (highly recommend the entire series)

Sabrina vs Charmed: Why We Watch Bad TV

Matthew of Liquid Flannel joins us again to talk The Spirit of Christmas, a Netflix (but more like Hallmark) Original Christmas movie about a hard-working lady lawyer that falls in love with the burly ghost haunting a Vermont inn at Christmastime. We recap its dumb plot and weird world - where ghosts are fully embodied people who hide in the armoire - and we talk about the hallmarks of the genre, its conservative worldview, what makes it bad, and what makes it maybe kind of good. Feel free to watch the movie first for maximum masochistic enjoyment, or let us bite the bullet for you and recap the best / worst bits.

Follow Matthew @MattTheGweat and check him out the Liquid Flannel podcast, on iTunes and Soundcloud etc.

The Sexiest Christmas Movie Ghost w/ Matthew @MattTheGweat

This week we say goodbye to 2018 with an ep full of recommendations! Here's a bunch of stuff we like in no particular order.

Helpful Links
------------------
-Against Theory https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/bc01/f683dd50ec4f99f0358f2d7cef8a9701b6ce.pdf

-Cunk on Britain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUM89s4N2BQ&list=PLtn0bqSPV-EDUlKldlC5j2YhAI1LF8pTG

-Wohe Lit http://wohelit.com

-Unraveled Podast https://www.unravelpodcast.com

-Midwest Socialist: What it means to be a marxist http://www.midwestsocialist.com/2018/11/29/what-it-means-to-be-a-marxist/

-Donald Trump, Brett Kavanaugh, and the Rule of Pampered Princelings https://theintercept.com/2018/10/10/donald-trump-inherited-wealth/

-Bee and Puppycat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNs9shgQ2rI

-Everything is Alive, https://www.everythingisalive.com

-Within the Wires http://www.nightvalepresents.com/withinthewires/

-Two Fat Ladies on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nu9yUU0fTAk

-BA brown butter chocolate chip toffee cookies https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/brown-butter-and-toffee-chocolate-chip-cookies

Recommendations!

Why is it islamophobic to think that Ilhan Omar is anti-semitic? Because Roland Barthes was wrong in "Death of the Author." We bring Walter Benn Michaels' "Against Theory" to bear on the faux-outrage against Omar and critique AOC's weak support. Then, we talk about our very different public high school experiences - different in terms of class - and the recent college admissions scandal.

Closing song:
bloothirsty butchers - デストロイヤー [Destroyer]

Ilhan's Intentions & Aunt Becky's Very Bad Day

First we discuss the Netflix teen, melodrama, The Society. It claims to depict socialism--but spoiler, it's not the good kind. The show also makes us wonder whether this is a sign that we are moving past the apocalypse fertilization of shows like the Walking Dead, and towards re-thinking how to organize. 

Next we discuss the Vanderpump Rules reunion. Is this show even good anymore? Should fat shaming be punishable by job loss? Is denying a trans woman's experience for coin ok? And why does the success of the VPR kids trigger regular people. 

We ride out to Bijelo Dugme's Djurdjevdan 
Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5C3SKkNt828
Translated Lyrics: https://lyricstranslate.com/en/Djurdjevdan-St-Georges-day.html

The Society & Vanderpump Rules

In this ep Ljubica shares her thoughts about the neon color trend sure to dominate our wardrobes, as well as some ways to update the look so you don't give people laser tag flash backs. After that Adam leads us through a discussion of the recent controversy about whether Bernie is paying his staff enough. We point out why your faves were wrong to pile on Bernie for this one. Finally we dive into Netroots Nation, explain what it is, and why so few candidates attended. Ljubica also shares her personal Netroots experience.

cw: for predatory behavior and harassment. (we don't go into super detail but we do talk about it)

Links:
Jaclyn Hill, Lipstick and Capitalism: A Love Story | with Maggie Mae Fish--https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kj8rX_5qmc

We ride out to deca joins Go Slow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikn3Drf3PpU

Hot Pink Pizza Party!

We discuss the DSA clapping controversy, and why it matters. Then we examine Bravo's Southern Charm and it's struggle to deal with it's racism, sexism, and classism. Also, who raised these people?

Links:
Antifa Resolution Thread: https://twitter.com/leonardpierce/status/1157845386616344576

We ride out to Laki Pingvini-Šizika: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0qEjcZHJKo

Clap Daddy Crystals

This week we're joined by our fellow Texans from Psychic Dolphin Garage to break down the premier episode of the Real Housewives of Dallas. We discuss how the wealthy use money to control others, their bizarre aesthetics and just how very Dallas this show is. If there's one conclusion we come to, it's that this show should be used to convert people into leftists.

Jeremy's Breakdancing Troop Mural:
https://tinyurl.com/yycd6e5z

Also please don't forget to listen to Dolphin Psychic Garage available everywhere on everything and follow our buds:

@sexconfetti
@shenobi1kenobi
@schnedwob
@DolphinGarage

The Real Psychic Dolphins of Dallas

This week we discuss the Netflix show, Another Life. Every youtuber seems to think it's trash, but as trash tv experts we disagree! This is good ACKTSHULY! We discuss the human truths it tries to explore like: the horror of connecting with others, the terror of parenthood, and how we process past traumas. Then we connect it to the larger trauma that we've been living with (hint: 2016). We also call out dumb, nerd youtubers for being dumb. 

We ride out to: Lizzo-Truth Hurts

Links
-Death of Yugoslavia 1/6-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDADy9b2IBM
-Marxist Poety Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marxist-poetry/id1473011608
-Russel Brand and Gabor Mate-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-mJnYmdVmQ

Another Life Another Trauma

cold pizza party is Adam & Ljubica, talking about TV and leftist politics and trashy TV

cold pizza party!

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