A Dose of Nostalgia, 'OMITB' Season 2, and Still Recovering From 'Stranger Things 4' Vol 2. | Miss Entertainment Issue 004

Miss Entertainment is a day late this week, but there's a good reason — I was off yesterday and incredibly loopy from waking up at 2:55 a.m. to watch Volume 2 of Stranger Things. While I am not fine (because of the show's content), I've mustered up the energy to bring you some of my favorite stories this week. 

'Boy Meets World' cast reunites for a rewatch podcast 

I had the privilege of talking with Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle, and Rider Strong about their Boy Meets World rewatch podcast, Pod Meets World. For starters, they're as nice as they seem. Secondly, I've listened to a lot of rewatch podcasts for shows I really care about, but this one is so well thought out I'm ranking it as my favorite. 

Watch the interview for more details and listen to the first episode of their podcast where they spill all the tea, including why Will doesn't do the Feeny call anymore and why Ben Savage isn't part of the podcast. 

'Only Murders in the Building' Season 2 dropped this week 

Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez's Hulu series Only Murders in the Building came back with two new episodes on June 28. Read my spoiler-free review of Only Murders in the Building Season 2 and watch the rest of the season weekly on Tuesdays. 

'Stranger Things 4' Volume 2 gives us fewer deaths than expected

I covered some incredibly misguided fan theories about the final episodes of Stranger Things this week, but I have yet to write anything about the final two episodes. I think I'm still processing what happened — hot take, but I think "Papa" was low-key a filler episode, save for a few scenes. Those could have been lumped into an even more epic episode 9. 

Also, I'm still trying to figure out if I missed some of the deaths the Duffer Brothers promised. Ahead of the Volume 2 release, I read a bunch of interviews with the Duffers and they "confirmed" five deaths in the last two episodes. However, I only counted three and a half — the last one I'm not entirely sure about because I didn't see a body. 

I'm hoping to clear that up in my coverage next week. Or I'll have to wait two years for season 5 to resolve these unknowns. 

I'll be back next week with more pop culture stories you might have miss(ed). 

XOXO,

Miss Entertainment

Chris Larangeira Appears in New #JSFamilyVacation, 'Outer Banks' Cast Grows, & More TV News | Miss Entertainment Issue 003

Hello and welcome to the first summer edition of Miss Entertainment. Jersey Shore: Family Vacation returned this week and yes, it's giving me life. I also got to write about Ozark this week because Laura Linney explained the incredibly boring person Wendy Byrde almost was in the Netflix series. Plus, I have some headlines about Outer Banks and The Umbrella Academy, two other Netflix shows I'm passionate about. Let's get into it! 

'Jersey Shore: Family Vacation' returns with new episodes and a surprise appearance from Chris

If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I'll be talking about Jersey Shore until the day I die. Call it what you want, but this MTV series is the main reason I do what I do for a living. This week, the show returned with the second half of season 5, which the cast filmed at the beginning of 2022. 

With Angelina Pivarnick and Chris Larangeira going through a divorce, I was mildly shocked to see his face in the premiere episode of JSFV Season 5B. Still no Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, though. I can say with absolute uncertainty that I think MTV "let him go." 

Laura Linney gives insight about how Wendy Bryde was originally supposed to behave in 'Ozark' 

The final episodes of Netflix's Ozark came out in April 2022, but Laura Linney recently did an interview and briefly spoke about it, so naturally, I clung to every word. I know a lot of people who hate her character Wendy Byrde, but I'm not one of those people (seriously, I don't get it — she's such a badass!). 

Anyway, Linney made some comments about how the character was initially written very differently, which blew my mind mostly because I would have hated that version of Wendy. Find out what Wendy was originally intended to be like in Ozark. 

'Outer Banks' Season 3 will introduce new characters 

Another Netflix series I love to cover is the teen drama, Outer Banks. They're still filming season 3 in South Carolina, but Netflix did give some fans news to mull over this week in the form of three characters joining the OBX cast in the new season. I also discovered a child actor was cast to play young John B. — the show's leading man — which tells me we'll be getting some flashbacks in the new season. 

Five things you should know about 'The Umbrella Academy' Season 3

The third season of The Umbrella Academy dropped on Netflix on June 22, but Whitney and I have been talking about it for the better part of two weeks (#WorkPerks). In this week's SPOILER HEAVY episode of the Showbiz Pop 5 (come back and watch later if you haven't finished the season), we rehash five of the most important storylines/characters/things the fandom should pay attention to in the new season. 

Other notable highlights from this week include the new real estate shows and romantic comedies coming to Netflix this summer and Bob Odenkirk teasing a new character in the final episodes of Better Call Saul. I'll be back next week with a VERY exciting interview and more entertainment news! 

XOXO,

Miss Entertainment 

'Stranger Things' Theories, 'Jersey Shore: Family Vacation' Plot, 'The Boys,' and More | Miss Entertainment Issue 002

  

Five 'Stranger Things' fan theories debunked 

If there's one person I'm going to run a Stranger Things theory by, it's Whitney Danhauer. We used to co-host the Lights, Camera, No podcast together, but now we co-host Showbiz Pop 5 for Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Each week, we pick a topic and run through five stories about said topic. This week happened to be five Stranger Things fan theories, including one about Ms. Kelly working for Vecna and Eddie potentially being one of the kids from the Hawkins Lab. 

In other Stranger Things news, a new trailer for the final two episodes dropped on June 16 and it has a lot of fans (including myself) concerned about Steve Harrington and Eddie Munson's survival. Is it July 1 yet?

Angelina Pivarnick is with a new man in the 'Jersey Shore: Family Vacation' teaser

Jersey Shore: Family Vacation comes back next week and MTV dropped a teaser clip this week and I am big excited. In the clip, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino gets a picture of Angelina Pivarnick with a new man — one of her castmates from the competition series All Star Shore. Naturally, Mike and the roommates dissect the picture in their group chat. 

It looks like Angelina's personal life is going to (once again) be the focus of JSFV Season 5B. MTV has been teasing Mike as "The Instigator" this season and I hope that has something to do with this situation. 

'The Kardashians' finale reveals Khloé's reaction to Tristan Thompson's betrayal

If you keep up with the Kardashians (see what I did there?) you know all about the multiple times Tristan Thompson has cheated on Khloé. If you don't keep up with America's most famous family, I'll give you the CliffsNotes — in December 2021, news of a paternity scandal involving Tristan broke; the whole family got involved and the season 1 finale episode shows their reactions, including Khloé's.  

'Better Call Saul' finale teasers continue 

Better Call Saul won't be back with new episodes until July 11, but I've seen a lot of chatter about the second half of the final season recently. This week, the show's composer teased the return of Walter White and Jesse Pinkman in the final chapter of the AMC series. Plus, showrunner Peter Gould made a comment about the show concluding over several episodes instead of making a crazy one-episode finale, calling it "an unusual way to end a TV series." 

Whatever he means by this, I'm incredibly stressed! I trust Gould and Vince Gilligan to do a good job with this, but I didn't love El Camino — I felt like it could have been another episode of Breaking Bad instead of an entire movie — so I have that in the back of my mind going into this final chapter. Regardless, I'll be glued to the TV every Monday come July 11. 

'The Boys': Soldier Boy could be the weapon that stops Homelander 

I haven't watched this week's episode of The Boys yet, but I did look into Soldier Boy and that super-sonic blast he delivered out of his chest in last week's episode. Apparently, the Russians made him capable of stripping Supes of their powers, which could be problematic for Homelander (Antony Starr) this season. 

Side note: the Prime Video series has some insane imagery (you can tell it's a Seth Rogen project — someone literally used dildos to kill people) but it's one of the best streaming shows out there right now. If you like Marvel stuff and can handle gore and lots of male genitalia, I'd recommend The Boys. 

That's all for this week! I'll be back with more pop culture stories you might have miss(ed) next Friday. 

'The Bachelorette' 2022 Cast, 'Jersey Shore: Family Vacation' News & More | Miss Entertainment Issue 001

 

'The Bachelorette' 2022 men announced

Welcome to the first issue of Miss Entertainment, a weekly newsletter where I'm rounding up some of my favorite stories in TV, movies, and celebrity news from the week. This week, the men competing in season 19 of The Bachelorette were announced. Whether you love the show, hate it with your entire being, or hate-watch it like I do (at least I can tell myself it's for work), join me as Whitney and I assign superlatives to some of the men who will be vying for Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey's heart come July 11.

HBO Max's 'The Staircase' concludes, stirs up drama with Michael Peterson

HBO Max's The Staircase concluded this week with the eighth and final episode. If you've watched The Staircase documentary on Netflix, 1) please contact me immediately and tell me your thoughts on the owl theory and 2) Michael Peterson won't watch the HBO series, but he sure will complain about it to the media. Michael Peterson and the original documentary director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade had a lot to say about Antonio Campos' adaptation of the true-crime story. 

'Stranger Things' 4 Volume I continues to rock my world

If you're not a Stranger Things fan, you're missing out. It's what I and many of my colleagues are calling the best show on TV right now. Without giving any spoilers away, now that the big bad of the Upside Down is known, there's been a lot of talk about how the actor got into character this week, including the weird accessory he carried around on the set. Don't click any of these links if you're actively avoiding spoilers/haven't watched Stranger Things 4 and plan to! Also, I'm big excited for July 1 and Volume II to drop because the Duffer Brothers are promising a wild conclusion to the Netflix series. 

'Jersey Shore: Family Vacation' crew shares exciting news 

Jersey Shore: Family Vacation is my bread and butter — pretty much the reason I landed the job that I have, to be honest. It brought me great pleasure to learn MTV renewed the reality series for two more seasons, per Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino (my Twitter bestie). My spidey senses tell me that might mean one more season (season 6) which they'll split into two halves, A and B. But it could mean two whole seasons altogether. Stay tuned for clarification. 

In the meantime, the rest of season 5 drops on MTV on June 23 and my heart can't wait. During my coverage this week, I noticed a teaser in one of the promotional images for Jersey Shore: Family Vacation — one that hints at Mike "The Situation" playing up the villain this season. We love to see it. 

'First Kill' drops on Netflix on June 10, 2022

If you're into vampire shows, a new one called First Kill came out on Netflix today. Emma Roberts, who you might recognize from Scream Queens and American Horror Story, executive produced the eight-episode sapphic teen drama, which is based on the short story by Victoria "V. E." Schwab. It was not for me, as evidenced in my review of First Kill, but I would never discourage anyone from watching anything and telling me what they think! 

That does it for this week's Miss Entertainment. I'll be back next week with more pop culture stories you might have miss(ed). 

The Pre-Writing Has to Stop

So it's been a year — and then some. But hey, I was busy trying to become who I am. I'm embarrassed to say how long I've had this draft open in my browser (it was a week and a day). Twenty-twenty was undoubtedly a rough year for the universe, but I don't really want to rehash all of that. What's sad is I could have been using that time more effectively to reach my personal goals, but I didn't. Again, there's no point in wallowing in all of that ~time wasted~.

In other news — I'm back, baby. 

This isn't one of those accountability posts. It's more like a "rip the bandaid off and publish something" post. I did a lot of what Hannah Horvath would call "pre-writing" in the last year or so. Now it's time to get those ideas out into the ether. Because that's what this space is for. I used to think I wanted it to be something for everyone else to pore over. Now I realize the immense and invisible pressure that puts on a person like me. 

Recently, I've been inspired by a lot of the creative people I work with. In fact, my boss was actually the one who inspired me to sit down and reflect on the things that I'm passionate about outside of work. Because we shouldn't be defined by what we do for a living — we should be defined by the things we want to do. 

When I'm not publishing whatever the heck I want to on here, I'm likely doing a few other things elsewhere online. My creative ooze is everywhere! 

Staff writing for Showbiz Cheat Sheet  

You can find most of my writing on Showbiz Cheat Sheet because I'm a staff writer now. I've been with the company for a year, but I've taken some recent inventory, and I've been writing about entertainment for like, six years. Good for me. 

I'm excited to share more about that journey (I've been watching too much of The Bachelor) here as well. From getting the job to celebrity interviewing tips to my not-so-great reality star encounter — it's all on my list of 'things to write.' 

Lights, Camera, No podcast

Then there's the Lights, Camera, No podcast. Every week, my internet pals and I talk about a different movie in the horror or thriller genre. Every Friday, you can listen to us on Spotify, iTunes, and pretty much every other podcasting outlet. We're also on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. Plus, Lights, Camera, No live streams from Twitch every Wednesday while we record new episodes. Come hang out with us sometime! 

Freelancing for POPSUGAR

Ironically, I got the freelancing gig with POPSUGAR by applying for a full-time job. At the time, I think the hiring manager was looking for a digital editor (maybe?), and the position wasn't remote. I still managed to land a phone interview thanks to my background in writing for SEO. Unfortunately, they weren't willing to commit to a full-time remote worker, but they offered me a paid spot as a freelancer instead. 

I don't get to write as frequently as I would like for POPSUGAR, and there are many reasons why. For starters, most of the writing I'm capable of or interested in overlaps with what I write for Cheat Sheet, and that always takes priority. The other thing is that I actually have to submit pitches, and those don't always get the green light. I'll do a whole post about freelancing for POPSUGAR, how you can do it too, the types of pitches they're looking for, and all of that good stuff. Like I said — 'things to write.' 

But this is where I'll continue to host my musings.