All About The Joy
All About The Joy is a weekly hang-out with friends in the neighborhood! We share insight, advice, funny-isms and we choose to always try and find the positive, the silver lining, the "light" in all of it. AATJ comes from the simple concept that at the end of the day we all want to have more JOY than not. So, this is a cool place to unwind, have a laugh and share some time with friends!
All About The Joy
Accountability, Authoritarians, and the Hallmark Escape
A political pivot is easy to post but hard to prove. We open with Marjorie Taylor Greene’s sudden distance from Trump, then ask the harder question: what does real accountability look like for anyone who cheered harmful policies and normalized cruelty? Drawing on Alyssa Milano’s sharp Substack, we separate performance from change and make the case that words aren’t enough - consistent votes, policies, and courage under pressure are the only receipts that matter.
From there, we trace the currents feeding our polarized moment: the male loneliness crisis as both a real ache and a gateway to resentment, the status whiplash some white men feel as equity advances, and the stereotype panic that erupts when joyful representation clashes with old narratives. We talk about why empathy must live alongside boundaries, and why character is revealed by how we meet discomfort. Then the stakes rise. We unpack veterans in Congress urging service members to refuse unlawful orders and Trump’s furious response, including amplified calls for violence. Normalization is the authoritarians’ favorite tool; accountability is how we blunt it.
To breathe again, we end with the coziest of escapes: Hallmark movies. Yes, the tropes are real - the almost‑kiss, the bakery, the small town miracle - and yes, we lovingly roast the “indicating” acting and chaste finales. But there’s value in comfort, especially as the genre diversifies and challenges narrow ideas of “traditional family.” Joy is not frivolous; it’s fuel.
If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs both moral clarity and a cozy watch list, and leave a review with your favorite Hallmark trope. Your support helps more curious, compassionate listeners find us.
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Music By Geovane Bruno, Moments, 3481
Editing by Team A-J
Host, Carmen Lezeth
DISCLAIMER: As always, please do your own research and understand that the opinions in this podcast and livestream are meant for entertainment purposes only. States and other areas may have different rules and regulations governing certain aspects discussed in this podcast. Nothing in our podcast or livestream is meant to be medical or legal advice. Please use common sense, and when in doubt, ask a professional for advice, assistance, help and guidance.
Hey everyone. Welcome to All About the Joy. This is Culture and Consequence with Carmen and Andrea. Hey Andrea, how you doing? I'm good. I'm cold. Right? People don't understand that it is freezing in Los Angeles. It is. It's 61 or something. It's what? I know, but it's like like it's like 61, and people think we're ridiculous because 61 would be beautiful weather on the East Coast or something. I'm like, no, you don't understand.
Andrea:That's if it's under 70, it's butt-ass cold.
Carmen Lezeth:That's it's really but butt-ass cold. I love that. Um okay, so um I sent you our little agenda of what we would talk about. And I didn't know if you had a chance to read. Um, we're gonna talk about the what's her name? Marjorie Taylor Green, MTG coming to the realization that Trump is um, I don't know. But I sent you a link and I think everyone should read it. Um, I could actually read it right now so that we could have it on air. I don't know. Do you think I should do that? I think you can just send people to it. I mean, it's send people to it. So I generally I don't generally like give too much substance to celebrities when it comes to politics because I think they have a right to believe whatever they want or whatever, and they're celebrities and they use their you know pulpit or whatever you call it. What's it called? Their platform, pulpit, whatever, and whatever way they choose to. And sometimes it pisses me off. George Clooney, I'm talking to you. And then sometimes someone like Alyssa Milano, who I don't even follow, she wrote this amazing Substack on this situation. Um, and I'll link it in the uh notes for you to look at, but it was really well done, and it was basically calling out Marjorie Taylor Green's newfound um is it hatred of Donald Trump? Or I don't know what the right word is.
Andrea:Yeah, I don't I don't, you know, I don't know what to say about it. It's uh I don't know what the right word is.
Carmen Lezeth:She has come to an understanding that Trumpism is bad and that Trump is bad because of the Epstein file debacle. Um she was calling for the Epstein files to be released, and she decided that now was her time. That was the red line for her. And now she's like, oh my God, they're coming after me. I'm getting death threats, and and Alyssa Milano and a lot of other people, but Alyssa Milano put it in a really well-written thing, and it just, you know, why didn't you care when all this was happening to everyone else? Where were you during January 6th? Where were you during all of the different times when this was obvious to everyone else? And now you're clutching your fake pearls at the injustice and the, you know, so she was basically saying if you're going to, you know, now come to fruition, you need to actually do it in a much more truthful way, tell all the lies, tell everything. Like she wants more from her before she accepts her back in a way. I don't know.
Andrea:Yeah, I mean, you know how I don't know how you feel how I feel about this. I mean, it's like you know, it's I don't know, I'm at a loss for words. Like, she's so insincere, you know, and it's performative, it's it's performative for sure. Um, and I think that uh truly, I think it maybe has less to do with Epstein and more like she's mad at Donald Trump for whatever reason, you know, and there are rumors floating around about why she might be mad at Donald Trump. So she's on the outs. And oh wait, what rumors? I don't know the rumors. There was uh uh AOC put out like a something, I don't know, it was on Instagram or TikTok, I don't know, whatever. This was like last week, two weeks ago, who you know, who even knows? Who knows that Marjorie Taylor Green wanted to run for Senate in Georgia and Trump told her no? Right. And so she's pissed. And you know, she's um an attention seeker. Why would Trump tell her no?
Carmen Lezeth:Like, why does he think he has the right to tell people who they're not? Because that's how they all are.
Andrea:They have to go ask daddy for permission.
Carmen Lezeth:And if he says no, it's no. Okay, every time I hear someone call him daddy, it just the cringe level of it. But that's how they act. It's gross. It's all the all the bros too that always do that. They call him. I can't even okay. I didn't even know about that. I I was under the impression more that she kind of you know took the the kind of wind and noticed that the Trump fucking bark or whatever the hell it is, right? She's is falling over, it's tipsing or whatever.
Andrea:A manipulative narcissist attention seeker, right? And so maybe she is, you know, got her finger in the wind. Maybe she is kind of a true believer on the Epstein stuff, but also she's on the outs with Trump already. And so she and she loves to get under people's skin. We know this about her. That's that's her whole vibe is like, let me niggle my way and under your skin and piss you off. So that's what she's doing. She's getting the attention she wants, she's being manipulative, and she's getting under Trump's skin.
Carmen Lezeth:And okay, but what would it take? Okay, so let's let's forget about her. I I agree with you. I'm not gonna, you know, I'm not gonna fucking sit here and you know defend her. But I'm curious, because this led me to a different part of this is what does it take to accept people who have been supporting Trump all this time back into Earth one? Uh I love that. Earth, because we're Earth one and you've all been living in Earth Two somewhere. So what would it take for you?
Andrea:Uh well, you know, you don't it's not happening, but if it was gonna maybe happen, I would say probably years of action showing that you have actually turned a moral corner, that you have come over to the side of like, you know, moral clarity. So I don't want to hear your words, I don't want to hear your humble apology, I don't want to hear anything about that. I want to see that you actually no longer support and vote for policies that actively harm people. I want to see those actions over and over and over and over again, and then over and over and over again, and then maybe, maybe for me, I will consider possibly not thinking that you are an immoral piece of shit. That's where I'm at.
unknown:Yeah.
Carmen Lezeth:I, you know, I'm not gonna disagree. I think it's really a I think it's a difficult situation. I don't, I I don't, I'm really angry that Trump and the cronies who know better, because let's be very clear here. And and and I know you're not very forgiving of people who I think were just sucked into a cult. And I get it, right? Because what he was able to do, what Trump was able to do so easily was get himself with people like Steve Bannon and Charlie Kirk and all these people. And what's the other guy? What's the what the that guy, Steve, Steve, whatever, the guy who's the immigration Jewish guy who is what's his name? Steven douchebag. Right. He was able to get with other people and manipulate your racism, your homophobia, your, you know, ableism, your all of the isms that you all hate because it's woke, because it's woke. And I know people don't like to be told that they're racist or homophobic or whatever. And I can understand that's very painful. But that's part of the problem is you're not even aware of it most of the time because it's so institutionalized. And that's what he was able to tap into, and you went with it. And that's why, and and I'm we're gonna be all over the place with topics saying, but that's also why this whole thing about, you know, we we touched on it a little bit last week about white men and what's that guy, Scott Galloway, and his kind of like, whoa, whoa is me, right? Because that's that's what's happening now. Like white men are all in their feelings kind of sorta because they're feeling like, oh, I'm not a man, and I need to feel like a man, and I can't find a woman, and so my life is, and it taps into all of that bullshittery, all of it. And that's what Trump was able to do. And I am shook it by the people who keep trying to support him. I was watching a couple of, and I can only do like three minutes max. I was watching guys podcast. I was watching like there's three different, uh, pretty well-known podcasts, and I was like, I can't even sit through this. Like, even as they're trying to say they're turning a corner because they don't believe, blah, blah, blah, they're still there. I don't know.
Andrea:Yeah, we are living in separate realities. We really are. I did a little bit of reading after last week and our discussion, I did a little bit of reading and um about you know the male loneliness crisis, I guess. Uh and is that what it's called? It is. It is. And one of the things that I read, it was written by a woman, and it was like, you know, we kind of what you just said, right? These people are having feelings, right? And they're uncomfortable with those feelings, and so shaming them or making fun of them in the way that I did last week is obviously not helpful. Um you think, okay, good. This is Andrea's version of apologizing. I'm not apologizing at all. I'm actually going there at all. And so I heard that, and I'm and I'm because I was, I was like, all right, I'm obviously a bitch, and uh, you know, that sucks, and maybe I could learn something here. And and what I took away from that reading was that, like, you know, we talked about equity, right? And so let's say we're all in a race, right, to get through life, and you've got everybody else in kind of, you know, there are some people who are on the starting line, and then other people who are maybe further back, and other people who are a little bit forward. The men, the white men are like on the 25-yard line, you know, they're so far ahead of everybody else. And the the whining and the and the sadness and the loss of control is because they're like a half a yard back from where they were, right? They're like, it's just the tiniest little bit of change. They still run everything, they still look across all of the political leadership across all parties.
Carmen Lezeth:Okay, all right, but I'm gonna I'm gonna be devil's advocate, and it's just to get the conversation flowing, right? In in a way. So when I was growing up, I remember people, adults, adults would be telling me, stop using your race as an issue, stop saying that because you're black, this, or or or they would say things like, so what? You don't have parents, you can still be somebody like you don't even come on, whatever it was. Like people were always trying to deny the fact that I was hurting or behind the whatever, I don't know anything about football, so I can't use that as an analogy, but like that I wasn't even in the playground to even be in the game. You know what I mean? Whatever it is, okay? So I remember how much it hurt because no one would acknowledge whatever it was that I was going through. Okay. So even though I agree with you with white men that they are still, even though they're, you know, a couple of yards back than where they were before, I still feel like it is taking everything in my being to say this. I still feel that there is something happening that is uncomfortable for white men. And I get that, and I hear it. And also, white women, like in this country, there is something happening where other people are getting equality and that's hurting you. I don't know how else to say it. It's a change. I it's a change, and change is uncomfortable for people. And then there's the fear, okay, and then I'm gonna let you go, and then I'm gonna let you say whatever you want. Then there's the fear part, right? There's the fear that, and this is true about a lot of white folk. I'm not saying the white people watching this video are listening, so please, I don't need the nasty emails because whatever. Um, that feel like, well, if black and Latino and Asian people get any power, they're gonna take over and I don't know, do what to white people. Treat them. I've heard this before, treat them the way we've treated you. I said that's you on this podcast. I'm just trying not to let it be you. But I mean, this is what I'm saying is like that, you know, it's such a weird, evil kind of thinking that that's what people want. And I don't, I'm just telling you, in the circle of people that I hang out with or talk to or listen to or read or whatever, I have never once heard a person of color be like, yeah, I can't wait to hurt white people. Like that's never been a part of a conversation. Yeah. Um, okay, so a couple of things.
Andrea:I'm gonna go back to what you said about like change being hard and uncomfortable. Yes, it is. And it is how you choose to meet discomfort that shows your character.
unknown:Yeah.
Andrea:I know, I know, I know what they're doing. They're discomfort with hate, with misogyny, and you know, like that.
Carmen Lezeth:Could we be wait, wait, wait, but could we be more positive and be like it's probably because they didn't see it coming? No, okay, so I look it. Like, I'm just saying, look at, I am the last person on the planet who is going to be this kind about white men or whatever, but I'm just saying, I think part of the problem is they feel, they feel whiplashed, right? They're not they're not at the top anymore. Yeah, they are. Look at there's this whole, I know, I know, look at there's this whole trend happening on TikTok right now called the quarter zip. And I I know you're not on TikTok, but people who are on TikTok will know what it is. Basically, it's it's um young black men wearing quarter zip uh like pullovers. And it um do you remember like the dandy era, the kind of the fashion era where um black men were dressed in kind of like the hats and the, you know what I mean? So it's kind of parallel to that era, and what's happening is all these young, beautiful, wonderful black men are wearing these quarter zips and they're like coming out and they're dressed to the nine. They just look beautiful. And what's so weird is everybody's embracing it and so happy, and then there are these, there are white people who are like, you're stealing uh you know, fashion from white people, you're and I'm like, what is happening right now? There are people demeaning it because to see young black men in kind of this beautiful, I don't know how to explain it, but they're just in a fashion-esque moment, and they're just having joy and happiness is really triggering to white people for some reason. And I am shook by it, and I think it's because white people can't seem not all white people, please, really, not all. We just talking about those, are having a problem actually identifying the stereotype you have in your head about black men and black boys and black young people with what the reality is. And that's what I think is actually happening. You know what I mean? I think that's the discrepancy is people have an idea of what they think black people are supposed to be like, and then they are seeing them everywhere, whether it's black women, black men, Asian, Latino, whatever, you're starting to see them as human beings who are equal and smart and wonderful and talented and contributing, and and that's not how you used to view people of color before.
Andrea:I got nothing, man. If that's your process, you know, go go find your fucking island and live with your bros. I don't, you know what I mean? Like, I got I I I thought about this because you said you said last week something like, Well, are you not having empathy for them? And I'm not I guess like I'm sorry, like if that's the way, if that's your thinking, that's a you problem.
Carmen Lezeth:It is a them problem, but I can have compassion to see that it is a difficult thing to walk through. No, all right, we're gonna move on to the next subject. I know, I know. I'm trying to, I just feel like if people are trying to find their way through, I'll give you my answer on what it's going to take for me to believe. I have so many people I know who were Trump supporters and now they're not Trump supporters for whatever reason. I'm disappointed what the red line is for you. I'm not gonna lie. It's gonna, it's I don't know if it's ever gonna be okay for me to think that um him coming down that stairwell or whatever it was, and the first of all, I'm from the East Coast, so I knew from back in the day that he was not to be trusted, but he comes down that stairwell and/or whatever it was, escalator, whatever it is, and talks about mexicanos. And I will never forget that because I couldn't even believe that at that moment, and that right there and then there was a political figure in this United States saying something so vile about a group of people, and that what that I don't know how that wasn't the red line, or so many things before that. You know what I mean? So for me, it's really hard. And as much as I'm glad that so many people are seeing the light, I I've lost something about who you are as a person, and I I don't I don't know how to fix that. That is over time, you know. But think about think about someone you met and you really liked and you thought they were amazing and great, and then you found out that they, you know, hit a child or something, you know what I mean? Or or they whatever, they have a conviction of something or whatever. It's not that you hate them or whatever, but it's gonna be hard to get back to that place of how I thought you were. I think that's fair. I don't know, maybe it's not, but that's how I feel about it.
Andrea:Yeah, I mean, I think I I guess I don't have anyone like that. You know what I mean? I I don't have someone. I'm just saying in general. I'm just saying in general. I mean yeah, I will never trust anyone who supported Trump. I mean, that's just I I will never, and and that's kind of where I'm at. I can't see a reality or world in which I'm like, okay, yeah, you're good now. I just don't see it.
Carmen Lezeth:I think the way in which you can help though is I I I do think it's important not to talk so much. I do like we don't need to hear your confession, you know what I mean? Like behave as if you've always, you know what I mean? Like just and just start voting for Democrats, like just start fixing the problem.
Andrea:Well, and that yeah, that for sure. And I think, you know, one of the things I thought when um I watched that that clip that was on CNN with Marjorie Taylor Green was like, okay, I think this is total bullshit, but if one morally bankrupt white woman sees her and thinks, like, you know, and it and it provides like a questioning for her to be like, well, maybe I should look at my support for Trump, I suppose that's a good thing.
Carmen Lezeth:I mean, oh no, a lot of people because she did look at I'm gonna give her, I know I am gonna give her some credit because she came out, because even that Bobart person, whatever her name is, you know. I mean, she was put in the sit room and asked to change her vote on the Epstein files. I mean, so look at I I I can have more than one thought. I'm trying to teach people that you can have more than one thought and feeling at the same time. Like, bravo, bravo to doing what you gotta do. Like, I'm gonna give you that credit. I think because MTG did come out vocally on television, it's started to change a lot of Trump supporters' ideas. Yes. I mean, uh here's my that's good.
Andrea:I agree. Um, yeah, we'll give it that. Um, and yes, you know, you can say, like, okay, that particular action was impactful and and ultimately positive. However, like you said, are you then gonna come out and support policies that do not harm people? Are you gonna go essentially against the things you've been supporting? And I would I would ask that question of her and Bobart, Brobart, whatever her name is, and anyone else who sort of, you know, decided, okay, I'm not gonna support Trump now. Like, is it just the Epstein files, or are you now beginning to see the light on other issues?
Carmen Lezeth:And that's well, I'm gonna give, I'm gonna give Mayor, what's her name? MTG, whatever, a little bit of credit because she also came out about health care. She was upset about the healthcare thing and she started talking, but I think that has more to do with the Ascended thing, but I don't care. She came out and she was, you know, saying, no, we have to come up with a plan if we're not gonna keep um the Affordable Care Act. I don't think she ever called it Obamacare, but I think she was gonna put her words. But um, but yeah, I mean it goes back to the Alyssa Alyssa Milano. I I was really looking, I I feel bad because I don't even know, I couldn't name what show that woman was on, but I know she's a big deal. But I confuse her all the time with Jessica Alba. I confuse the two of them all the time. I know, I don't know why. But uh I was really impressed by what she wrote, but she talks about that at the end of it. Like if you're going to fully come to you know to the table, we need to know all the lies. We need to see you talk about blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And so it's kind of uh full circle there. So it's uh it's a really good piece on her substack. But yeah. Um, I wanted to show a video to just change. Oh, unless you had anything else you wanted to add. I wanted to um you're good. You're you're done with M MTG. Um, I'm gonna show a video first. Uh I'm gonna, and I and Joya, you and I have not talked about this, but it just happened this morning. So uh let me just say that the initial video that I cannot show because I feel YouTube will take it down, was basically Congress people. It was Alyssa Slotkin, who's a senator from Michigan, Mark Kelly, senator from Arizona, Jason Crow from Colorado, representative Chrissy Holand from Pennsylvania, Matt Maggie Goodlander from New Hampshire, also representative, and Chris Deluzio from Pennsylvania. These are all people in Congress who have military backgrounds, and they came out and they basically did a video that's been airing all over the place saying to military people do not obey illegal orders. So I don't know if you knew about that. Um so and then this morning, Donald Trump responded, I guess. So let's watch this.
Tizzyent:This is happening in real time. So let me give you some context. Uh several Democratic veterans in Congress urged service members to refuse unspecified unlawful orders. They simply said, Hey, you swore an oath, and if you were given an unlawful order, you should refuse it. To which Donald Trump, of course, got very upset because he's the one issuing the unlawful orders. Uh, this is really bad and dangerous to our country. Their words cannot be allowed to stand. Seditious behavior from traitors lock them up. President JD. He then went on to truth. It's called seditious behavior at the highest level. Each one of these traitors to our country should be arrested and put on trial. Their words cannot be allowed to stand. We won't have a country anymore. An example must be set. Okay, this doesn't seem like unusual behavior for him, right? Except he then retruthed the post calling for them to be hung. The sitting president of the United States reposted someone saying that other elected officials in the United States should be hung. This is the darkest timeline.
Andrea:Immense frustration, I guess. Um I don't want to say fear, but anxiety. You know? Like we're we're just so so far down the hole. Yeah.
Carmen Lezeth:I think um I actually was shocked when I saw the initial video by the Congress people that they felt the need as military personnel or military whatever is the right terminology, right? Because they used to be in the military and now they're serving our country in a different way, that they felt the need to say it to begin with. Like, that's where we like I was like, wait, what's happening here? And yet I've been saying it about ICE all along and our police officers here in Los Angeles. Like, why are any of you letting this happen? You know, like why? And so I am not surprised that Donald Trump continues to behave so badly as a president because he's been doing it since day one. But there were no guardrails at all. I mean, none whatsoever. And he's calling for basically the assassination, unaliving. Yeah, the unaliving, because we can't say certain words, of uh other how do you not think this is like Hitler? I don't understand. You don't understand that this is well Hitler had a lot of support. Hitler had a lot of support. Yeah, he did. Yeah, and he also had a lot of people who did nothing.
Andrea:Exactly. And so it is like Hitler in that you have some support, you have some people doing nothing, and you have some people who are standing up. I mean, that's that's where we are.
Carmen Lezeth:I think it's getting better that more people are seeing the light, but I don't know. And then of course, we have where Trump the other day, was it yesterday or two days ago, calling a reporter piggy?
Andrea:Did you like it's one of those things that's like that was personally trigger triggering for me? Like, there's all kinds of things that trigger, but it was like, what the fuck? How does everybody not stop what they're doing in that moment and be like, you can't do that?
Carmen Lezeth:Well, it's also so normalized. So for people who don't know, he was on the plane, he was being asked a question by a reporter, and of course, it had to do with the Epstein files or whatever, I think. And uh it was a woman asking the question. And because I don't know how it's so exhausting. Like, I don't know how people don't remember this country without it being this exhausting every day. It's so disgusting that every time I hear something about Trump, it's negative. It's never something positive because he doesn't do anything positive. He had the fucking Saudi Arabia guy thinking about that, in the Oval Office who killed what's his name?
Andrea:Kushkogi. I forget how to say it. I can't remember his first name, but Kushogi, I think, is his last name.
unknown:And admitted it. Like I mean, he picked up.
Andrea:That was almost to the day that he was murdered. It was like on the anniversary or something, or very, very close to it.
Carmen Lezeth:Like just so vile. I just want to talk about Barack Obama's tan suit for a moment. Um I can remember the fucking hoopla over Barack Obama wearing a tan suit. I mean, they were calling for him to be like he was disgracing the White House. It was a disgrace. Like it's not, I'm not even making a joke. This was a huge big deal. Because he wore a tan suit. And then I remember they had to juxtapose uh a photo of Reagan wearing a tan suit with Barack Obama. Like, you know what I mean? Like with another picture of Barack Obama wearing a tan suit so that people would calm the fuck down. But here we are.
Andrea:Here we are. Like, I don't know, man. Like, what we're I don't have the words. Like, there are like it's depraved. You know what I mean? It's disgusting. Like, we're and like you said, we're living like there are multiple things per day that are just like how are we all living like this?
Carmen Lezeth:I don't know, but I wish this nightmare would end already, too. I do. I I I don't I I mean, I've never had any hope for him to be anything other than what he's always been, because again, growing up on the east coast, I don't know how people didn't see this all over the place, but if you don't know who the central five are at this point, I don't know what else to say. Yeah, I don't know what else to say.
Andrea:I mean, I remember him from the 80s and just being like, hail to the no. Like he's so obviously a grifter. And I wasn't even on the east coast. He was just like, oh, art of the deal, big, you know, it's like he was just so obviously slimy.
Carmen Lezeth:Yeah. I remember him from the Central Park fire thing. I just that I remember. I but I I hear you. It's not like he's ever been, but you know, people got sucked in again. I'm not making excuses, but they got sucked in by that reality show thing of a jiggy. Uh and still, like, okay, whatever. Um, but all right, let's change the subject to something joyful. You want to talk about Hallmark movies?
Andrea:I actually wait, how did we even realize that like you're a big Hallmark movie bug? We've been talking about it after the show yesterday about like, well, you know, how essentially, like, how are you coping? And I'm like, I'm watching like Christmas movies 24-7.
Carmen Lezeth:I know, and I was like, Me too! So I was also saying that like I kind of hate watching them because they get so annoyed because some of them are so bad. But then I was like, there are people on there that I just love. So I'm just gonna put up the picture I showed you because you know I got mad love for this boy. Damn, that's my favorite one.
Andrea:Okay, you see one with him in it yet.
Carmen Lezeth:I know this is Warren Christie for those who don't know. Oh my god, I love him. Okay, you so he has one of the most classic. I okay, I probably shouldn't keep his picture up there for the rest of the show. He's so beautiful. Um, but um, he has one of the most classic movies with Henry Winkler. I sent you the link, I forget the name of it, I'll put it down at the bottom, but um, it's such a good one. And I know I was I was looking through all the things to find out when he was coming up, but they just did like a weekend of him or something. So you kind of on Hallmark? On Hallmark. So how are you watching Hallmark? That's okay. So uh I have it through YouTube. I don't have a separate Hallmark.
Andrea:Yeah, I mean I have it's like I have like everything. So I'm I'm watching a lot of stuff on Netflix, and some of it's Hallmark and some of it's not. Oh, okay. Um, and then there's a few on Prime, which I have, like I have all this stuff, and then we also have like regular cable, so I'm watching like the actual Hallmark.
Carmen Lezeth:Okay, it's so funny. I was gonna send you a gift card to get the Hallmark channel just because I wanted you to watch like three, because I think he has three of the best. Um I sent you. I sent you the list, but I think he has like three of the best of them on there that they're actually good movies and good acting and good storylines or whatever, right? But here's the thing if you buy Hallmark, the actual cable channel, Hallmark Plus, they don't have all these movies on it. It's kind of a supplement to having it on your regular channel. So you just have and and I looked because I was like, Warren Christie. And uh he doesn't have any of them coming up, so I'm like, I'm not gonna send them back now. Yeah, yeah.
Andrea:I mean, that's a whole other rant where it's like, okay, I'm paying for everything and then I gotta pay more to watch what I'm saying. Yeah, yeah. So um, yes, there's a lot of hate watching.
Carmen Lezeth:Um, but so there's like no no wait, why are you hate watching? No, no, I'm hate watching because as an actor, I feel like I could be on 95 of those 95% of those as a consumer, I guess.
Andrea:Like the acting is just so like it's just so bad. It's so insultingly bad, you know. And you just kind like I watched one last night that was uh uh I don't I don't know of any of the actors, but there's some some of them were people I had seen before and whatever, some other things. Yeah. Um, and it was like a family who went on like a cruise together. Oh yeah, I saw that. And the greatest yeah, he's sick, and there's like the gay couple that determines like ah ah, like the acting was so stilted, you know what I mean? But that's one of the better ones because at least there's a storyline. And like the mom isn't dead, the mom is always dead, always, always dead. I have my like markers, right? So there's like the formula, and I'm like, okay, dead mom, okay. We did that, okay. Like, is there a bakery? Is there a bakery? Started off maybe a farm. Uh is there an inn of some kind? Uh you know, all of the and then the moment where they see each other as like real people, you know, the almost kiss.
Carmen Lezeth:Uh right. Wait, there's always the first almost kiss that is interrupted by someone or something, you know, always you can count on it. Um so I've gotten really bad too because um there's a lot of, so just acting wise, there's a lot of indicating, which drives me insane. So, what indicating is is like um, let's say there's a sad scene and I do this. Weird. But you know what I mean? Like indicating, it's like I'm going to show you with my face how I feel. It's like I fucking it drives me insane. I'm only gonna be looking for that in everything I watch. I'm telling you, you're going to see it every time you watch Hallmark. It just, it's one of those things where I just want to go on set and be like, okay, everyone here is an actor. No indicating. Let me show you what that looks like because once you know you'll stop doing it. But let me tell you, and we're talking about actors who've been on there for years who are doing this. So um, that's one thing. And then the other thing, and this is just a shout out to all the actors out there who are on these shows. If you're not gonna really kiss, like you're not gonna use tongue and stuff, don't do it because we can tell. What is this? So tight. You're not really kissing. If you don't want to really kiss him, we could we're waiting. That's the moment we're waiting for. That's why we're there. Right. We've already, we're always so excited, and we already got interrupted by whatever the fucking muffins are done or something. You know what I mean? Like, oh, and then you go and it's the ending shot, and you didn't actually kiss, and I'm like, fuck it, you know. But yeah, oh my god. I love that you hate watching too.
Andrea:So you also think, but some of the writing's also like the one last night was like the writing was terrible. It had a story, but like the dialogue was like, oh my god, yeah.
Carmen Lezeth:Yeah, yeah. Okay, so why do you I mean, I know why I watch it. There is something very it's like comfort food to me. Like you know, it's like macaroni and cheese.
Andrea:It's cozy. There's usually baked goods involved. Um, you know, people are dressed nice and warm. I mean, there's just yeah, it's just like yeah, I can't wait till they come on. I get, you know, I really oh my god, you're so funny.
Carmen Lezeth:I think, I mean, I I I I can wait for them to come on. I kind of um I have my favorites. I like um the my my other favorite is Kevin McGarry. I don't know you know who that is. They look similar, dark hair, tall, good looking. He's on uh When Calls the Heart, too. He's the lead actor in When Calls the Heart. Um, but I I really like him too. I think he's a a good actor, but he's also good looking. Um as far as the women are concerned, uh, I just it's so funny because you brought up one of them, and I'm like, she's the baby doll of Hallmark.
Andrea:Like, Hallmark line at the Hallmark stores now. Yeah, some bear, some malay.
Carmen Lezeth:I don't know. Okay, we're bad. I don't look it. I don't care about the women because I care about the men, you know what I mean. I will say this I do love that there are gay people. Okay, wait, let me let me back up, let me back up, let me back out. So, one of my favorite things about Hallmark is like when they were making this change where they were gonna have more people of color, they were going to have more different types of relationships, you know, like gay men or whatever. People were going crazy on social media. I wanted to stay the same. I'm going to leave too. I'm going to dip bit dip di. And I was like, baby, do you not know that 75% of those men are gay on that show? Like, all you have to do is Google them. Right, right. They are actually gay. And I remember writing that, like, this was back in the Twitter days when Twitter wasn't what the fuck it is now. And they like people were so it doesn't matter. They're not, that's not true. I'm like, well, if it doesn't matter, uh, why do you care then? If you want to Christmas, come on now. I'm like, it just cracks me up. So yeah, that's the other part. So uh there's like three leading men on there who, you know, I Googled out because I want to see how old they are, you know what I mean? Everything to see if there's a possibility and stuff. And I'm like, oh my god, you're gay.
Andrea:You're mad.
Carmen Lezeth:Oh, it's so bad. Yeah, it's so bad, but yeah, it is fun. But I do like that they have now uh they've lost a lot of viewers, have they? They've lost a lot of okay. So what so you're you're new to the hallmark, yeah, yeah. Very proud of you. I I don't think anyone would expect this.
Andrea:It was really like last year, maybe a year before, where I was like, okay, because there was like the traditional Christmas stuff that you watch, right? Like, yeah, you know, that starts in June. But yes. And then I was and I was always sort of like, oh, these movies are so stupid. And then there was that one. Um, it kind of started it all for me. I'm embarrassed to say, but um, don't be embarrassed. It was on Netflix, and it was the Lindsay Lohan one, it was kind of like her comeback vehicle. Um, I can't remember what it's called now. I didn't see it, so it's okay. I don't know. I don't have Netflix. Um and it was like funny and goofy and kind of stupid. Yeah. And so I was like, all right. And we all like me and girls watched it and you know, loved it. It was super funny. Um, and it has all these sort of callbacks to like mean girls and you know, stuff like that. Well, yeah, that's so cute. Yeah, yeah. Um so then you start to, you know, that was my what do they call it? My initiation. Right, your initiation into the drug, the hallway. Now I'm like into it all. And then last year I was like, all right, I'm just watching them all. I'm just gonna watch them all. Right. Everything. I watched like, you know, Christmas at the Biltmore and you know, Christmas inheritance, and like okay.
Carmen Lezeth:The fact that you know the names of them, all I know is every single one has Christmas in it. That's it, that's all I know. Like mostly. Um, so about I think it was like two or three years ago, probably when you first started watching this or whatever, a lot of the stars from Hallmark moved over to the Great American Channel or something, the Great Family Channel. I don't know what the hell the name of it is, but there's another channel that started competing because Hallmark wanted to diversify. And one of the CEOs or trustees, or whoever, I don't know, but a white man, of course, moved and started another family channel. And so he took a lot of the Hallmark stars with him, and it was a big deal. And it doesn't mean that, like, and so like and well, because they didn't want diversity, they didn't want, and the way they said it was the way some of the stars said it was um, we want to keep traditional families in the TV show. It's like, okay, well, your version of traditional families is very different from mine, you know, because mine is not white, and mine, you know what I mean? Like, and there are there are gay people in my family, and you know, so it's just it's just so that so that was like a big riff, and it was like, what was going to happen? Um, and so Hallmark has diversified, but it's also lost a lot of its audience to whatever that other channel's called. I don't know the name of it. Um, but it's something like that, you know, great American family or something stupid, you know. Um, but you can also see because you it's like lifetime, there's so many of them, right? That are just churning out these um shows, these movies, because they're so easy, they're so low budget.
Andrea:They're obviously pretty cheaply made, I would think.
Carmen Lezeth:Yeah, so that's why they just churn them out. And it's kind of like watching the golden, although the golden girls was well acted, well written, and brilliant. But what I mean by that, it's comfort. It's just you can have it on in the background, and no one is going to well, yeah, like no one's gonna die. There's not gonna be blood, there's not gonna be, you know, anything major. And now they have minor drama that you know is gonna be worked out. Yeah, but I I I mean, I do laugh at how um I don't know, how sane it all is, and yet how I still am like, oh, time for me to watch my shells coming out or whatever, you know.
Andrea:No, like I'm over here waiting for like like because Netflix like drips them out, right? So you get like a big tranche of them in November. And then there was like, okay, this one's coming like November 10th or whatever, and then there was another drop like the 15th, and I'm like, give it all to me now.
Carmen Lezeth:No, you know what? I have to there, I'm I'm I'm gonna give you my password or whatever, and you can I can pretend I'm at your house because you could do it, because I have YouTube and I have the the best one saved. Uh, the Henry Winkler one. I know anybody who watches Hallmark is gonna know what I'm talking about. It's really just it's just really well done. Although I still think the star, the the woman in that one is so thin.
Andrea:Like I every time I watch, I'm like, I wish she'd be like, well, that's another, I mean, I do that with everything, but I'm always like, why is her makeup so bad? And like, okay, and then they'll be like, there's there's one exactly. I'm not gonna say what it is because I don't want to be whatever, but like, so there's three, there's two sequels. There's the main one, and then there's two sequels, right? The first one, her makeup is atrocious. The second one, they fixed her makeup, but her hair is like unwatchable, and then the third one, they like yassified her, and she just like looks like a completely different person. And I'm like, what are we doing here? Wait, what are we talking about? We'll do it off air. I'll tell you later. Yeah, okay, okay. That's so funny. Uh sometimes I just watch because like there's really good clothes, or it's shot in Chicago at Christmas, and I love that, or you know, whatever.
Carmen Lezeth:So yeah, no, look at I I think there's a place for all types of uh movies and whatever. I just thought it was the cutest thing. Like, I was like, wait, what? I couldn't believe it because I didn't, I just would never assume you would admit it, you know. But um, see, I don't think highly of you. What's that about? No, I'm just kidding. I adore you. Um, yeah, Hallmark is great. I think it's gotten better. I think it'll get, I mean, I think it's doing fine now, but there was a big bump in it, and a lot of people left because they wanted traditional families. If you're calling traditional families anything where people are divorced and have how many wives does that man have? Which one? It doesn't matter. I'm talking about Trump. Like your definition of traditional values cracks me up. You know what I mean? Like it's just you gotta rethink that, you know. Uh, but that's a whole other conversation. But wow, thank you so much. I think we're ending on joy, which I think we have to do more often. Yay, we're gonna try to do politics, politics, politics, but then always end in something fun. I think that's gonna be our new strategy. So all right, everyone. Well, thank you so much. Remember, at the end of the day, it really is all about the joy, and yeah, we'll see you again next week. Bye, everyone. Thanks for stopping by, all about the joy. Be better and stay beautiful, folks. Have a sweet day.
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