This week, we kick things off by singing the praises of the new Aretha Franklin biopic 'Respect,' starring Jennifer Hudson. Then, we share some of our latest TV binges, which include the always problematic and drama filled dating reality shows. We start off with the chaos that comes with marrying someone after ten days on Netflix's 'Love Is Blind After the Altar.' Keeping with the love chaos, we then chat about the Netflix film, 'Resort to Love' starring Christina Millian. Finally, we end with a game of "What's The Plot of These White Movies?," pulling from the American Film Association’s list of the 100 greatest movies of all time to test our knowledge of these so-called classic films.
Okay, Love Is Blind and So Are We to These White Films
Scottie Beam You're listening to Okay, Now Listen a bi-weekly show where we chat about what's on our minds, what we’re bingeing, and what's blowing up our timelines. I’m Scottie Beam, media personality, content creator, music enthusiast and a wing connoisseur who is on a detox.
Sylvia Obell And I’m Sylvia Obell, culture writer, host, producer and lover of Beyonce. And probably about to order some lemon pepper wet, just because every time you say your bio, suddenly my mouth waters for some freakin’ Wingstop specifically.
Scottie Beam And this is the episode where you want to bring up more wings, when I say that I want to detox?
Sylvia Obell It was really just – my mouth was watering before you said “detox” it took a sharp left.
Scottie Beam Whatever. First off, I just want -- I wanted to give a shout out to all of you who tweeted us things you're saying no to from last episode. It was like a lot of responses. We got a lot.
Sylvia Obell Y'all saying, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Scottie Beam That’s all we can afford, no more.
Sylvia Obell Can’t sing it too long. It’s gonna cost.
Scottie Beam Ain’t got the money.
Sylvia Obell But yes, some of you guys said that you're saying no to things like extra work without extra money. I know that's right. You say no to negative self-talk. Me every day in the mirror like not today, bitch, I will not let you do this to me, me talking to me every day and night. You all saying no to these niggas. I know that's right.
Scottie Beam And niggas is for everybody. He, she, they. It's hos.
Sylvia Obell It's, it's a -- it's an all-inclusive pronoun if you're Black, only for Black people, not for nobody else. And you guys are really saying no to anything trying to disturb your peace word to Luda. I love that. I love that for y’all. I'm so proud of you guys. Saying no is not easy. And I love how many of you guys really gave us the feedback about how much this episode resonated and was right on time. We love that.
Scottie Beam Y'all are holding these boundaries up right where they're supposed to be. I am so proud of you. So, shout out to y'all for that. But Sylvia, what else has been going on with you sis?
Sylvia Obell I -- you know, they've been bringing back screenings here and there. Right. I know you've been to a couple. I've been there a couple. I still don't go to the theater with the public. But for the private screenings where it's, you know, vaccinated card to enter Covid negative test to drink, I be in those right. I will tiptoe my way in. And I happen to have the honor of being invited to screen Respect, the Aretha Franklin biopic starring Jennifer Hudson. And baby, ain't no way y'all gonna miss this, okay? This movie, I -- it's just -- I hate that it even is coming out during a time where it's so hard to go to the movie theater because I really fully understand why people would not. But if you are about that life and you want to go, you’re vaccinated or find a time where theater is empty or whatever else, I highly encourage you to go see Respect, because Jennifer Hudson did one thing and that was that. Okay, she became, embodied Aretha Franklin's spirit.
Scottie Beam Right. The transformation was really impressive. Like, I said out loud, like I was sitting there and I'm watching, and when she opened her mouth to speak, I said, “Oh, damn.” I was like, wow.
Sylvia Obell She put the voice. She did the voice accent like the dialect.
Scottie Beam Yeah, the dialect was on point. I was like, this woman is the way that she was using her mouth too. It was similar to Aretha Franklin in how she was singing. Like I was very impressed. Jennifer Hudson did her motherfucking homework. I know she better get a nomination, all of them, or else I'm writing the letter, okay? I am writing a letter.
Sylvia Obell She understood the assignment and like she embodied it.
Scottie Beam She really did, she held the movie up for me personally. I think she really put the team on her back, and like literally –
Sylvia Obell Forest came in and Forest was great, one thing about Forest he’s consistent. Forest is great. He’s consistent.
Scottie Beam I mean come on, he’s a legend, absolutely. He really like -- if I ever wanted a disappointed father, I really would always channel Forest to be that for me, right. And also shout to Mary J. Blige, who played Dinah Washington --
Sylvia Obell Who played herself. I mean, Mary -- first of all, that scene, Mary as a blond, I was like something’s different. I thought Mary’s not blond. They really got her axed in the day because you know that's her natural hair color at all times. Right. But I loved Mary's little cameo in the beginning. She was --
Scottie Beam I love it.
Sylvia Obell And Audra McDonald also killed it as her mother in that movie.
Scottie Beam Yes she did.
Sylvia Obell I said, she's coming for that best guest appearance in the film, I don’t know, supporting whatever. I said, Audra trying to come for a little something too because in the few scenes she was in, she was like, you going to remember that I was in this movie. But she – Audra doesn't never mess up either. She doesn't miss, like in general.
Scottie Beam I mean, when you come from theater, I feel like they never miss like they don't play around when it comes to being -- embodying somebody. But I said the only thing that I had a problem with and it didn't reflect any of the cast members, they were all great, is that the storytelling was -- wasn't as fluent as I wanted it to be. Like I felt like it was disjointed, like it jumped from here to here, here and there without giving me the answers to what happened over here and what happened over there and what the hell is going on.
Sylvia Obell You know why though? I feel like it's because this because the family was involved. And when the family’s involved baby they're skipping over things, they're telling your story like grandma tell you the story. Be like, so wait, back up real quick. Chapter 2. So, when you said don’t worry about that.
Scottie Beam Hello. So, who is my father? Don’t worry about that. It’s the fact that we prayed over you.
Sylvia Obell They insinuate a lot of family secrets, but without being like what we're not going to do is have Aretha rolling out her grave and come fight us. You know, Aretha played a big part in getting this movie made before she died, like she really wanted this. And I think she -- she was part of the predevelopment before she passed. And I think that has a lot to do, honoring Aretha's wishes about what she tells and doesn't tell about her life, I feel like.
Scottie Beam Absolutely. And guess who didn't honor her wishes? The National Geographic version with Cynthia Erivo. That child. If you want mess.
Sylvia Obell Listen, they were showing every child pregnancy, baby, they were talking about the tour baby. You know, they were showing, you know, CL doing what he do.
Scottie Beam Right. They should have – there should have been just the middle somewhere between that and Respect.
Sylvia Obell But can I tell you, Courtney B. Vance versus Forest Whitaker as the father? I don't know which one I prefer more, actually. They really both –
Scottie Beam Courtney B. Vance, I am afraid of Forest Whitaker.
Sylvia Obell Courtney was in it, baby. I think Sir Courtney forgot that he was not C.L. Franklin at a certain point. I was like, Courtney come on. I know Angela was like, you talking real slick at home tonight, I know you in the middle of a project, but don't get really crazy. You’re talking to me crazy. Don’t forget. But to your point, yes, I do think I mean, Jennifer Hudson was born to play Aretha. No disrespect to Cynthia Erivo who, you know, has a beautiful voice, all of those things. But Jennifer is Aretha Franklin. It's one of the few times, you know, every time a Black woman gets a movie made about her, we complain about what was chosen. And no complaints about Jennifer Hudson. I mean, honestly, Jennifer Hudson -- Dreamgirls was the perfect audition for this movie. You know, I mean, like playing Effie White, if you can play, you know, it's like she proved like, okay, this is, I can do this. Because Jennifer can sing and her voice sounds like Aretha's voice. It was just -- it made the musical performances make the movie even better. Sometimes if it gets too musical it will take away from something. But in this one, every choice – and they sang so many of my favorites, because “Never Loved A Man (the Way That I Loved You)” is one of my favorite Aretha songs. And “Ain't No Way.” Oh, that performance
Scottie Beam “Ain't No Way.” is one of my favorites by Aretha.
Sylvia Obell I almost stood it up in that theater like it was church okay.
Scottie Beam I was trying so hard not to be disrespectful but I could not. I was like
Sylvia Obell I was trying so hard. I was about to get up out of my seat. I said, know these people hate me because I'm ready to stand up and just, sing it Jennifer.
Scottie Beam For real.
Sylvia Obell I’m about to throw my shoe at the TV screen.
Scottie Beam And as soon as I finish I ran to listen to the soundtrack because I was like that girl did that. Like, they both have very powerful voices. But the fact that she was able to do the work of changing the way that she actually sings to Aretha Franklin, that was great. And still leaving a little bit of Jennifer in there. I could still hear the Jennifer, but I really, really love Jennifer for that. And she better look, I'll say it again.
Sylvia Obell Give her the Oscar.
Scottie Beam She motherfucking better.
Sylvia Obell She’s like, I’m coming back for my Oscar again.
Scottie Beam Hello.
Sylvia Obell If you gave it to her for Effie it just logically does not make sense for her to not get it for Aretha. But, you know, the Academy going to Academy. So, we'll see. You know, but I am very happy that Jennifer had this moment. She is more than deserving.
Scottie Beam I loved it.
Sylvia Obell Yeah. So, I would love to see a true icon finally getting the biopic she deserves, because so many of our soul women, you know, they don't get them or they get them in their own lifetime. So, I'm very excited that she got that and you know, while that was probably the most moving thing I've seen, everything else that I've been watching lately is very lighthearted and slightly problematic TV. And I want to get into it with all because what the hell is going on? Y’all know my TV is free, I got to talk about it. I've been seeing some crazy shit.
Scottie Beam Yes, I'm excited to talk about these shows child. And we're going to play a little game where we both attempt to describe plots from the most revered white movies of all time. I feel like I might actually have a chance at this one because -- I actually don't. I don't know why –
Sylvia Obell I want you to know I can't wait to see what she says now.
Scottie Beam No, I actually don't, I actually have no hope in this at all. But there are some classic white movies that I know.
Sylvia Obell So here's a spoiler y’all, we going to fail this test.
Scottie Beam Oh, that's a fact. So, let's see. We might surprise ourselves. Let's get to these shows first.
Sylvia Obell How can I, how can i?
Scottie Beam How can I, how can i?
Sylvia Obell If you won’t let me? That's what Giannina is about to be singing about Damian. Anyway, let’s get into it.
Scottie Beam Okay, so let's start with Love Is Blind “After the Alter.” If you're not familiar, Love is Blind is a show where single people all go into these little pods by themselves and talk to other single people for ten days without seeing what they look like. So, you just working off of communication and personality. After the ten days the couples who fall in love get engaged and plan for their wedding. “After the Altar” was the special episodes that recently dropped to show viewers what happened to these couples after they said, “I do,” the few of them that did say “I do” because child.
Sylvia Obell Girl. So, here's the thing. I was minding my business one day and suddenly I saw new episodes on Love Is Blind. You know how Netflix will just bring it back if you've been watching it to the front of your queue. And like I said, new episodes? Is it like a new season? And I just see three little things that say “After the Altar” like, oh, they did look like a year catch up. That makes sense. I guess maybe, you know, pandemic, maybe shut down season two. And they said, what can we do? I really -- my expectations were so low, thought it was going to be like a straight to camera, what y’all been up to? Type thing, baby.
Scottie Beam Right. Keep us updated.
Sylvia Obell These people put on a fucking show. I was on the edge of my seat. I watched all three episodes back to back.
Scottie Beam In the middle of the night. I was like this is crazy.
Sylvia Obell I wasn't prepared. I didn't -- I didn't situate myself for a long sitting of these things. But I got into episode one. I said, oh, how did they manage? You talk about good casting. This really speaks to whoever casted them from the beginning. How do they manage to do so much drop by so much drama in the pandemic? Right. So basically, I just think that what made it so interesting to me was while we did know that, like, who was it? Lauren and Cameron are married and everybody's favorites. I'm so glad they're still together.
Scottie Beam I'm so happy that they're happy still.
Sylvia Obell And Cameron he love him some Lauren baby he love him some Lauren.
Scottie Beam Yes he do, the way that he look at her.
Sylvia Obell That white man say I love her Black ass. You hear me.
Scottie Beam You know what.
Sylvia Obell Ready to have her Black babies he don't care.
Scottie Beam He just, he love her, Lord. Yes.
Sylvia Obell Lauren and Cameron, who we love are still together and we get to catch up on them. And you know how like, you know, apparently Lauren’s feeling the pressure to have babies, blah, blah, blah. Amber and Barnett was slightly, pleasantly surprised to see that these two were still together.
Scottie Beam Really?
Sylvia Obell Well you know, Barnett was from the streets in the season. Don't forget, like, I didn't know if he had it in him to be a good husband. But you know what that goes back to? Barnett went back to his sudden upbringing real quick and was ready to just assimilate into his father, you know, whoever else. But like, I just feel like he was just like a bro-ey guy initially to me in season one. And because he really liked, like three different women, he had that whole drama, even though Jessica was not one of them, even as much as she wanted to be. And he ended picking Amber, who was a bit of a party girl herself. It came off as.
Scottie Beam But yes, I'm saying they both fit because they're both like bro-ey people. Like they're both like, oh, you drink beer, I drink beer and put cans on your forehead kind of thing. Like they give me that vibe. I guess it's just. Yeah, a match made in Middle America.
Sylvia Obell Yes, absolutely. You know, what’s wild about them? And this was the
journey that I enjoyed with like. Huh. I was like Amber looking like she got rid of that debt. I don’t know, she looks a little light on her feet. I wonder how they did that. Fast forward. Barnett gave up his house. That man sold his house to pay off her student debt. That is hustling backward, that is stupid, if you don't make the monthly payments and live in that house, what the fuck were you thinking, Barnett? That’s what I want to know.
Scottie Beam Also, shout out to Netflix, but can you use some of that money for the monthly -- like you could have paid the monthly bill from doing other things.
Sylvia Obell Her student debt was about -- well, she said on camera it was 20K.
Scottie Beam She lying, she lying, she lying.
Sylvia Obell Like, ain’t no 20K student loans that make you -- I went to an Ivy League grad school okay, I know what debt look like. It does not require -- he sold his house. I said, well that's what I said, he's dumb but oh he does love her.
Scottie Beam Well I also think because he's like nigga now that I'm married to you --
Sylvia Obell It's our debt now.
Scottie Beam It reflects on me. So now I don’t want that. This is where I don't understand. This is where I'm confusion. Okay, you sell your house, you're a married couple and then you have a roommate. Explain it to me, because that doesn't make any sense.
Sylvia Obell So Amber had an apartment during the show with a roommate and they moved in there. And I'm like, yes, and I've heard of this in some very ghetto New York City situations. But in the land of Atlanta, where I could probably afford to make a minimum, you know, a four bedroom home, why in Atlanta do you need to have a roommate in a two bedroom apartment if you're a married couple?
Scottie Beam Also, why are we discussing children?
Sylvia Obell That's what you and Barnett are on the same page with that. That's right. That's right. That I feel like it'll be rude to our roommates to have a baby crying in the middle of the night.
Scottie Beam You know, we don’t have our own place right now. I think it's just it makes sense to focus on one thing and that one thing should be moving out so that we can have the privacy of having a child who yells and screams in the middle of the night and the roommate won't feel like, damn, I am too part of this family. Like, I'm -- I don't understand that.
Sylvia Obell That part of marriage. Where are we going for our one year anniversary? How come the roommate didn't get invited to the party?
Scottie Beam Right, shit, because if I’m the roommate I’m in everything. I'm coming to the party. I'm doing all the things like y’all are crazy.
Sylvia Obell It was wild. That was the weird thing about them.
Scottie Beam But they deserve each other that they do.
Sylvia Obell And let me tell you something about Barnett. And this is where I got a little respect for him. He said, I know my wife and what I’m not going to do is piss her off. He -- that boy -- that white man was at attention, he was obedient. It was like there was a silent whistle. Amber had her man ready to go.
Scottie Beam That man knows the temperature at all times, that nigga has a finger in the air at all times. He goes hmm.
Sylvia Obell For people who haven't seen Love is Blind, Jessica was the whole villain in the season one. This girl was acting a fool and Amber -- I see why Amber don't like her. I see. I get it. She definitely asked Barnett at least twice after he proposed to Amber, you sure you want Amber? You know she definitely was stepping to Barnett. And so Amber was like she's dead to me. Right. But what I didn’t realize is that Amber meant that shit. Like she meant that shit in the way we're like I'm not even -- I don't see you. You are in front of me I am Stevie Wonder to the bullshit. It's what --
Scottie Beam So are you Barnett.
Sylvia Obell We can’t see you. We.
Scottie Beam We don’t see this bitch.
Sylvia Obell We don’t know who you are. And he knew where Jessica was in the room at every fucking moment. Okay, he made sure to be --
Scottie Beam Barnett couldn't even touch like not a fingerprint, the gift that Jessica got him.
Sylvia Obell And he looked at it, he looked at that thing and wanted to cut his -- if he could remove his hands from his body and throw him away.
Scottie Beam And his neck was doing full 360 like, the nigga was like – I know she’s somewhere.
Sylvia Obell I know she see – listen. I am getting laid tonight.
Scottie Beam I will embarrass you in front of all these people.
Sylvia Obell I am -- you are not getting in the way of my home and my peace, happy wife, happy life. If happy life, happy wife was a person it was Barnett at that party. He said, is my wife being a little dramatic? Sure. Giving this girl a lot of power? Sure. Am I going to question her about that? No, absolutely not.
Scottie Beam I go back home with her and the roommate, so there is no way that I'm doing all of that shit tonight. Fuck out of here.
Sylvia Obell He said, Jessica, so sorry. Can't do it. He told her to put that gift on the table somewhere. I was on the floor. And then all those nice white people who was around, they didn't even know what to say. And it was like the nicest ones too like Kenneth or whoever else and his lovely midwestern Ohio looking wife and somebody else. And they were just like I mean, it was a lovely gesture.
Scottie Beam Yo. I was so embarrassed for her and I have horrible like secondhand embarrassment. I can't do it.
Sylvia Obell That's what happened and Barnett was obedient. I will say, I respect that. I feel like everyone was like, you know what? In that moment Barnett, do what your wife wants. Good move. Good thoughts. Right. So that was definitely a highlight.
Scottie Beam That was great.
Sylvia Obell But can we talk about what pissed me off the most?
Scottie Beam I feel like I know.
Sylvia Obell Who carried these three episodes on they back, was Giannina and fucking Damian. Damian, Damian, Damian, Damian. I feel like if there's anybody who this show changed the most, the fame whatever got to they head whatever, Damian came in just a chill nice guy from who knows where. But you feel he was always like this?
Scottie Beam I feel like that nigga was always a narcissist. He was always like that.
Sylvia Obell I mean, he definitely left Giannina at the altar. And for me, what's confusing is why she even continued after that, even though I guess there's a part of me that gets why maybe you can understand.
Scottie Beam Nope, tell me what you get.
Sylvia Obell Well, the whole premise was crazy, right? Like so maybe like marrying you in two weeks. I can see how maybe you would like to just have a relationship first. But, you know, I mean, like, yes, we do the crazy reality show, you definitely embarrass the shit out of me. And I think the embarrassment would be what got in my way. But like from the outside looking in, I can see how somebody might be like, I really like you, but I don't think we should get married. Right. And maybe he should have said that. But men don't communicate well all the time, like that.
Scottie Beam Oh, no, I'm not using that excuse for that shit right there when I'm telling you, much respect to these motherfucking shows. But you better text me before I get up on that motherfucking altar with that white ass dress for you to tell me that you're not going to marry me or you don't want to. You better text me, do something, DM me something and let me know. Hey, I'm going to say no. So, you should say no too or, you know, a nigga like me ain’t showing up.
Sylvia Obell Say no first, you want to say no first?
Scottie Beam Yes, say no first.
Sylvia Obell Yeah, we can still date. But let's you know; I would still like to date you after the fact I see what you saying there.
Scottie Beam What made it worse is that she ran away.
Sylvia Obell That bitch sprinted out the door like Julia Roberts in Runaway Bride. I think she's actually kind of fast.
Scottie Beam She made it worse. And that's what I'm saying the only thing is she made it worse and she made the embarrassment a little bit more louder. The fact that she fell in the dirt and she's running. I said, girl, stop.
Sylvia Obell She was rolling in the dirt.
Scottie Beam She was rolling in the dirt trying to get away from cameras. You can't escape these Netflix cameras. They gonna be here for life.
Sylvia Obell They are faster. However fast you are, they are faster.
Scottie Beam They got the Maury, they got the Maury legs.
Sylvia Obell They got people waiting in the bushes in case you ran, they had the street drone shots coming up. Netflix was not missing your sprint. But so, after all that, we come to find out that when we fast forward to where things are now at this after special, Giannina and Damian are still dating. They're in a relationship, but they're still two years later. They still don't even live together. And this girl barely see this man at all, like they didn't see each other till the party. And then so, like, you know, it starts out, Giannina’s like we're having trouble. I don't know. She's talking to her mom, who for some reason love Damian. I cannot understand why.
Scottie Beam Stability.
Sylvia Obell How’s my stepson Damian doing?
Scottie Beam Stability, money.
Sylvia Obell I'm like girl, but he just trash. But, you know, Mom, you know, old -- she's old fashioned. Her mom seems. Yeah, but then so Damian -- so we see Giannina talking about her and Damian that they're having issues, blah, blah, blah. But then suddenly there's some chick that comes into the mix
Scottie Beam From Too Hot to Handle, by the way.
Sylvia Obell And I'm just so confused I’m like who the fuck is this? Suddenly, the one date we see Damian go on in this after special is not with his girlfriend Giannina, it's with this bitch from Too Hot to Handle Francesca. He already got in trouble, caught by the paparazzi hanging out with her one, holding hands as they're exiting an L.A. restaurant. And I don't know how Giannina took that he was holding hands with a friend. Why are you holding hands with a friend leaving the restaurant? Damian is a fuck boy. And the problem is, is that he -- I said he deserved the speech that Tasha gave Lawrence in season two of Insecure. You are worse than a fuckboy with because you think you're a good guy, but you're not. You're a fuckboy and you're gaslighting the shit out of everybody.
Scottie Beam I mean, this is also the Harper -- Harper discussion as well.
Sylvia Obell This is the Harper thing too, child had both both Robin and Jordan at the wedding, Damian going to bring Francesca. What kind of masochist says, you know what, Francesca, you've been a big problem in my relationship? We done got caught taking pictures out, you know, however my girlfriend's insecure about you. How about you come to this anniversary party of the anniversary of when I embarrassed her in front of the whole world and said no to her at the altar because this day is not already going to be hard enough for her.
Scottie Beam This is your third time publicly embarrassing her.
Sylvia Obell Annually, on this same day.
Scottie Beam So what is your point? Why is this – why? And for Giannina, much respect to her, you know, sending love out, but you doing the whole like, get away from my man. That's my man. Why are you standing with my man? That man don't respect you, sweetheart. Okay, Francesca, she a little liar too. She's a little liar. She was sitting there talking about, oh, we talk about you all the time and this, that and the third.
Sylvia Obell I mean they do talk about you.
Scottie Beam No, no but not that type of talk. Right. So, I was like, this bitch is wild.
Sylvia Obell And that’s the thing, Francesca is going along with this, it was making it more confusing to Giannina. Like also y’all are just friends? That's why it’s so gaslighting it's like taking your friend on dates and you're doing these things. But she and you are both saying that you're just friends, even though you both know that you guys had all the sexual tension and like are attracted. Damian is crazy. And then he tried to make Giannina feel crazy at the party for how she acted when she finally did say something.
Scottie Beam Because he’s a fucking -- he's a manipulator. Like, that's all that he does, it’s dangerous. It's very it's gross. And I hope his blockhead ass ends up with no one, because that's exactly what he needs to do, like be with no one. Because that's nasty. That's horrible behavior. Actually, stay with Francesca ass because she going to blow him anyway. She's going to leave him anyway.
Sylvia Obell She's going to do him like this like he needs to be done.
Scottie Beam Right. Exactly. Use him for his money and get the fuck up out of there. And that's exactly what she's going to do. And I hope that when her mom sees that on the show, like, you know, actually sees the show and sees how disrespectful this nigga is.
Sylvia Obell Yes. She won't love him still after that.
Scottie Beam I hope not, because after the first -- I hope my mother after you leave me at the motherfucking altar, my mom should have shot up that place immediately. Casualties everywhere.
Sylvia Obell Not shot up the place.
Scottie Beam Right. Shoot it up while I run out because I'm running out. I'm changing my white dress.
Sylvia Obell I'm pulling the car around. Right. I'm pulling the car around for y’all to run into and we out.
Scottie Beam We out. Because that's the only way.
Sylvia Obell That’s the only option.
Scottie Beam It's the only the only way for me and my mom.
Sylvia Obell I did Google. I had to Google because I was so upset by midway through the party. I paused it, poured me a glass of wine and googled if the fuck Damian and Giannina were still together. I had to know, she broke up with his ass, thank God, because I was like, ain’t no way this show can air and you can look at yourself in the mirror and still be with this man.
Scottie Beam What sign you think Damian is?
Sylvia Obell You know, I just was saying the other day how I don't know how white men present themselves in the zodiac. Because I swear to god I just said this the other day. I was like I don’t really know how white men present themselves, but if I had to guess Damian, I would guess Gemini only because of just the -- it's the hot coldness of it, it's the able to do both of it. Yeah. You know, it's just the switch because he could just switch it. That's a skill to switch.
Scottie Beam No, there are master manipulators, master, master.
Sylvia Obell And sometimes they use their powers for good or bad. But they are able. They are able. And it's like my guess would be Gemini, a Cancer rising, Scorpio moon type situation if I had to -- just chaos honestly. But the only person crazier than Damian is that nigga Chris. From Married at First Sight Atlanta, I just have to say I'm not even finished. Y’all literally Scottie just had me like when we were brainstorming for this episode. She was like you should watch the show. I was like, I'm gonna check it out. I spent all Sunday, all fucking day watching this shit and it's so long that I watched it the whole time. I still only made it to the end of the honeymoon episodes. This shit is like crack, I -- the second we're done recording. I am going back.
Scottie Beam If you've seen it already, you already know that she's not -- she doesn't, she doesn't even scratch the surface of the bullshit of Chris.
Sylvia Obell Chris is already, he has already called this beautiful chocolate queen unattractive.
Scottie Beam Oh my God. You have not even seen the mountaintop. You haven't seen it yet.
Sylvia Obell He was engaged five months before their wedding. And had the woman's name tattooed when she was like oh, I love your tattoo, he was like oh it's new. And she was like, Oh why? He was like, well, funny story. I had to cover up my ex's name before our wedding. What? What Chris?
Scottie Beam I just want to know like, after that, during the wedding, I would have turned around and left. First of all, I wouldn't have walked down that aisle in the first motherfucking place because as soon as I saw Chris’ face, I would have said, Oh, I'm good.
Sylvia Obell He got some nerve making her feel a way. I smelled the colorism from a mile away before -- before he even met her. I said, this is going to be a colorism thing ain’t it.
Scottie Beam I don't know what the fuck his problem was. He's crazy, but I hope to never, never see him again on any show ever.
Sylvia Obell He has a -- and I'm sorry, I'm at the place where he's revealed on their honeymoon that his ex-fiancé is pregnant. And the fact that Paige is still standing here --
Scottie Beam Still standing.
Sylvia Obell Standing – she gonna stick beside him?
Scottie Beam For real.
Sylvia Obell She gonna stick beside him? This man has even said numerous times that if it was him, he would have been left her. Yeah. And she is still who -- I want Paige to love herself more than this. Anyway. Married at First Sight is wild, Love is Blind is wild, dating reality TV shows are just such a triggering, weird, magical, crazy thing.
Scottie Beam And it's something that I will always take part in 100 percent.
Sylvia Obell Yeah, that's why I have to dose up when I do it. You guys were so surprised I hadn't seen Married at First Sight, it's like I get too involved. I'm an empath. It's too much for me to watch women be treated like this. I'm yelling at the TV, I'm standing up, I'm pacing back and forth. It's too much. But this is also why I say people should also every now and then tune in with something, with somebody who you dating or who is your relationship with, because you're going to learn a thing or two about if they on the right side of history.
Scottie Beam Check the temperature,
Sylvia Obell Go turn on Love is Blind the after show and watch them three episodes with bae and see what he think about Damian. Learn some things. Observe.
Scottie Beam Absolutely, absolutely. I 100 percent agree.
Sylvia Obell Go watch Married at First Sight. If the nigga next to you is making too many excuses for Chris, you might want to run.
Scottie Beam Not might, nigga run. Run there is nothing good. Especially Chris, nothing good about this nigga.
Sylvia Obell My nigga Vincent, my nigga Vincent kept – he was looking at Chris like my nigga I don’t know what to do for you here.
Scottie Beam I don’t even know what to say to you anymore.
Sylvia Obell When he told Vincent that he would – the girl was pregnant; all Vincent could say was how far along is she? He was like what?
Scottie Beam It’s too much.
Sylvia Obell He was like, we signed papers. You’re married. Why would you do this.
Scottie Beam It’s crazy.
Sylvia Obell Okay, before we finish moving on, I have to have to talk about different kind of love story that we watched on Netflix. It's also Scottie's fault that I watch this. Resort to Love with Christina Milian and Jay Pharoah, Scottie did you watch this shit?
Scottie Beam Absolutely I watched that shit. I just said I just couldn't believe there is a universe that they were trying to write where any bitch would be contemplating between Jay Pharoah and King Claw. Like at any point, would I ever, never consider Jay Pharoah.
Sylvia Obell Jay Pharoah ever.
Scottie Beam And any -- I don't care if he was my boyfriend for 18 years.
Sylvia Obell Have you seen Sinqua?
Scottie Beam Thank you.
Sylvia Obell The fuck.
Scottie Beam And that's all I had to say about Resort to Love, was that there's never a world or a truth or -- or anywhere where I would say Jay Pharoah is the one for me and not Sinqua, especially when he's sleeping in my cabin. Y'all are sick and nothing happens. Yeah, okay.
Sylvia Obell Okay Christina.
Scottie Beam That's all I was saying. Okay, Christina, please. And that was it.
Sylvia Obell So what else?
Scottie Beam Sometimes I got to take a break from all this lovey dovey shit because, you know, everybody knows how much I love The Office, I love comedy. Okay, The Office is my first and only love. I love it, too -- I am dedicated. You know, I'm still working with Netflix, trying to get The Office back, bring The Office back, please.
Sylvia Obell She’s taking meetings guys. She’s taking meetings. She’s got Ted’s calendar in a chokehold.
Scottie Beam I'm really trying, guys. Okay, but while I do that, you know, while I'm over here, you know, being an activist for The Office, I am -- I took a chance because everybody says, watch Parks and Recreation. And I watched that shit, that shit was trash. So, I said, you know what, I'm a try 30 Rock for the first time. Let me tell you, something guys, those white people are on to something. All right. They’re on to something. They’re on to something. I, I laughed so hard, I haven't laughed that hard from a show since The Office. I finally found somebody that I actually like. On the show like I love, and his name is Alec Baldwin. Now listen, I found him very funny. Shut up, Sylvia. I found him very funny. He does you know; I only know him for the Trump impersonations and stuff like that on and off Saturday Night Live. But this new talent that I've literally discovered, Alec Baldwin, this nigga is funny and it's pretty good. I really, really do enjoy 30 Rock. It's dry. It's silly, really for real. If you like The Office, you will like 30 Rock for real.
Sylvia Obell I do think it's a really good companion piece. And I was very, very amused when Scottie came to me like she had just discovered new talent, like fresh out of acting school. Have you heard of this actor? His name is Alec Baldwin. Have I heard of Alec Baldwin, Scottie? Yes, yes I have. But he's not new to the industry in any kind of way. And she was like I just knew him from the -- I just thought they found him to do Trump. Like, I just thought that they figured he would make a good Trump impersonator. And it just really goes to show if Scottie can discover Alec Baldwin in 2021 and not even know what Macaulay Culkin’s the name is still, he's still Matthew to her in these streets, that it really holds no bounds, her blind eye to this white shit. It just truly never ceases to astound even my Black ass. Like I feel like this is the only space where I am not the Blackest one in the room.
Scottie Beam You were telling me about Alec Baldwin and him having a brother and then, like his niece, married to Justin Bieber. And I'm like, wow, this is crazy. But if you need a little clip to watch, just to get y’all going.
Sylvia Obell Of 30 Rock?
Scottie Beam Alec Baldwin does an impersonation of Redd Foxx. Let me tell y’all something. Of Redd Foxx and I have never been that offended yet laughed so hard in my life. I was offended.
Sylvia Obell At the same time? Sanford and Son.
Scottie Beam Sanford and Son. It was so good. I'm sorry.
Sylvia Obell Harlem Nights Redd Foxx?
Scottie Beam Yes. He was trying to embody and be Tracy Morgan's father and the only impersonation he could think of is Redd -- it – first of all, guys, also, this was done years ago. So, you know, before you all go --
Sylvia Obell it's real problematic as shit.
Scottie Beam It is very problematic. A lot of things from the office, too, was problematic. But they were these were my faves.
Sylvia Obell Because it was supposed to be, the only reason they get away with it is because it supposed to be commentary, satire on white people being problematic. So that's kind of the loophole that they live in. But, man, love that you've discovered a new white person. I feel like that's the perfect transition into this game that we're about to play. Time to play a little game called What's the Plot of These White Movies? So, our producers have selected some movie titles from the American Film Institute's list of the 100 greatest movies of all time. And we're going to see which one of us can guess more of the right plotlines from their titles, because apparently these are supposed to be great American films and we are great American women.
Scottie Beam Absolutely.
Sylvia Obell They don't be thinking about us when they say that, though. So, we gonna see how much of these great American films of all time have impacted our lives or not. And our editor, Jess Jupiter, who's been with us judging our take since the development of this podcast, is going to come and tell us the right plot lines as needed.
Scottie Beam Keep us in your prayers, okay? I'm going to give it my best, Sylvia, and I know you will, too. So, let's go. Let's do it.
Sylvia Obell Okay, so the first movie that has been placed in front of us, apparently the movie called Fantasia. It's a -- it was made in 1940.
Scottie Beam If you want me talk to me. Oh, not that one.
Sylvia Obell I'm very glad – I said Barrino was the first thing that came to my mind because I was like, listen, something now is taking over me. That’s the Fantasia I know. I do feel like I recall perhaps an animated Disney movie starring Mickey and them called and Fantasia. Is that what this is?
Scottie Beam It is. It is. And it has no words. It's all music.
Sylvia Obell And that shit pissed me off as a kid that I do recall hating it instantly.
Scottie Beam Also, I remember either, Mickey, it's a story about Mickey being poor and homeless or something. And -- and I remember crying –
Sylvia Obell You remember way more about the plot than me.
Scottie Beam Wait, unless -- I was crying my eyeballs out. This is the problem being an empath. Mickey was cutting a bean into like six – do you remember?
Sylvia Obell Is that what’s it’s from?
Scottie Beam I think that’s what it’s from.
Sylvia Obell I knew exactly the gif because people use it all the time to talk about how much they've gone over their budget or what their budget is for the week.
Scottie Beam It's like in six different pieces because he wanted to feed himself. And I think many, and I cried forever. Okay, my mom was like, we have to turn this off because something is wrong with you.
Sylvia Obell Your mom should have been like finish your food, remember Mickey, right. Slicing that bean, finish your food.
Scottie Beam Six times. They were so thin that they were see through. I never seen see
through bean.
Sylvia Obell I’ve never seen see-through bean. I hope that’s this movie because if it’s not that would be hilarious.
Scottie Beam Okay correction this is from Mickey and the Beanstalk.
Sylvia Obell You sat here and told a whole poor man's tale about Fantasia and it wasn't even the right movie.
Scottie Beam Yes. And he wasn't cutting beans in half he was cutting a bread. But the bread was so thin. It was see-through.
Sylvia Obell It was thin, I remember exactly what you’re talking about. Yes, I remember that.
Scottie Beam I cried so hard.
Sylvia Obell Is it not Mickey being like a wizard of some sort? I have two different memories.
Scottie Beam Well, I think he taps into his true wizardry because it was so poor and broke that he was finding new ways to really, like, live to survive. And that's where the colors came from.
Sylvia Obell This sounds like Harry Potter. So anyway, what is Fantasia about?
Jess Jupiter Okay, yeah, I got it right. He was an apprentice to a magician, a wizard. He was learning his magical skill and then he went a little over the top with the magic. He didn't know what he was doing because he was still an apprentice. So then when the brooms is dancing and all that is going on. I don't know about this poverty bit that you included.
Scottie Beam I got to find it. I don't find it so easy. I don't it. I got it. Okay. Go ahead. Go ahead with the next one.
Sylvia Obell What’s the next one?
Scottie Beam All right. The next movie. One of the greatest movies of all time, according to American Film Institute, is Taxi Driver, which was made in 1976.
Sylvia Obell Okay, well, I'm immediately out because the taxi movie I'm thinking of stars Queen Latifah and I was alive, so I don’t know what the fuck this is now. Because I was like, taxi, Queen Latifah.
Scottie Beam Right. I'm assuming this is in New York.
Sylvia Obell Hopefully, you would think, maybe it's starring somebody like Robert De Niro. I don't know. It sounds like something.
Scottie Beam Yeah, it sounds like a Robert De Niro maybe.
Sylvia Obell I really am pulling it out of the top of my head.
Scottie Beam Maybe a Dustin Hoffman kind of thing. I know who Dustin Hoffman is.
Sylvia Obell It was the ‘70s, those are the only white actors I know from back then. I think John Travolta was alive, I don’t think he would have been in this. Maybe he made an appearance. I have no clue. Is it about a taxi driver just driving people around all day?
Scottie Beam Maybe he's crazy. The taxi driver is crazy and he thinks he's a taxi driver and he ends up not being a taxi driver. And then maybe he gets killed because he picked up the wrong person and then he dies.
Sylvia Obell Suddenly this became Collateral. Suddenly Jamie Foxx was picking up the wrong -- picking up Tom Cruise, who's an assassin.
Scottie Beam If Jamie was really a taxi driver I'm thinking maybe this man thought he was, but he lived in a different, you know, I don't know. And then he killed – he got killed.
Sylvia Obell Okay, guys, we don't know, okay.
Scottie Beam We don't know. Come on, Jessica speak to us.
Jess Jupiter Well, that was wild. Taxi Driver is a movie about a mentally unstable Vietnam veteran, Robert De Niro, who works as a nighttime taxi driver and he attempts to liberate a presidential campaign worker and an underage --
Scottie Beam Wait time out. I've seen this way.
Sylvia Obell You’ve see it? I want everybody to notice that Scottie knows both of these movies better than me. I want that to go on the record. But also, Robert De Niro was really in this is the funniest shit to me, can I tell you I pulled that one out my ass. Like you just said. It seems like something Robert De Niro would be in. I was joking. He was really in it.
Scottie Beam Yeah. Yeah, I remember now. I remember that's why I was like, maybe I'm mixing, but yes, I've seen this movie. I seen it during this whole Covid thing, too. By the way, I was trying to watch all these different movies.
Sylvia Obell You ain't seen Home Alone, but you watched Taxi Driver.
Scottie Beam Taxi Driver. Yes, I did. Yes, I did. Yes, I did. I remember now. Thanks, guys.
Sylvia Obell I am shocked. You think you know somebody, Scottie’s full of surprises. I tell you every day. What's the next movie?
Scottie Beam The next one is Psycho. 1960. All I know about this movie is, is that everybody recreates it everywhere. Clearly it's -- so I know Jack. Jack Nicholas -- Nicholson, Nicholson, Jack Nicholson is in it, and he played, oh, so it is not Jack Nicholson.
Sylvia Obell I'm going to go ahead and tell -- let me tell you all this right now, Scottie, you are on your own. I do not know this movie. I did not get -- I don't do horror in 2006, let alone in 1960.
Scottie Beam I have no idea who the psycho is.
Sylvia Obell I was going to say Christian Bale. But is that like a different version of Psycho?
Scottie Beam In 1960? Uh uh.
Sylvia Obell That's why I said but did he do like a remake? You're about to curse me out. I meant to say did he just do the remake? I remember him being like an American, like, oh, it was American Psycho.
Scottie Beam How about this okay, I know that a white man is crazy in it. A white man is crazy. He terrorizes maybe a woman that he's in love with and it's kind of like Misery but with a man.
Sylvia Obell What if it's a documentary on white men in America?
Scottie Beam I mean, that is the truth. They wouldn't be doing a 1960 --
Sylvia Obell During the civil rights movement. That's why I was like 1960, I feel like there was a lot of psychos to be documented. I don’t know.
Scottie Beam So what is it Jess please?
Jess Jupiter So first of all, you were thinking of The Shining with Jack Nicholson.
Scottie Beam The Shining.
Jess Jupiter Is what you were thinking.
Sylvia Obell Another movie I would never watch. I do not do scary movies. I don't do horror.
Jess Jupiter Psycho is about a secretary who is on the run after stealing forty thousand dollars from her employer with her boyfriend, and then they're traveling on the roads and end up at a hotel called the Bates Motel. You probably saw there’s a series –
Sylvia Obell Bates yes, where the series comes from.
Jess Jupiter Yes. And meets the polite but highly strung owner Norman Bates, who is a young man with an interest in taxidermy and a difficult relationship with his mother. And that is played by Anthony Perkins.
Sylvia Obell Who the hell is Anthony Perkins?
Scottie Beam Anthony Perkins. All right.
Sylvia Obell I’m going to have to Google Anthony Perkins.
Scottie Beam I don’t know who Anthony Perkins is. Anthony.
Sylvia Obell I hate that we -- Oh, I don't know this man. No, I do not know this man. But he looks like he will call me all sorts of slurs.
Scottie Beam Yeah, he gives me privilege. All right. Yeah, we were wrong with that one. Next.
Sylvia Obell Don’t know. Oh, I know this one. The next movie that we were just dropping on our list was Schindler's List and because American schools will not let you forget the Holocaust, one thing about them, they gonna make sure we knew about the Holocaust, okay. Slavery, not so much.
Scottie Beam Slavery, they give us a week of study on Black History Month. But the Holocaust.
Sylvia Obell But I read about 17 books about the Holocaust in elementary school.
Scottie Beam We know everything, everything.
Sylvia Obell And I don't know that Schindler's List is one of the movies that we had to watch when I was in tears like the Holocaust tore me up, it tore me up. I hated to hear that it even was a thing that existed like this. But the crazy thing is that I've seen so many Holocaust movies and so many Holocaust books in school that I'm trying to remember which one this is. I know Schindler's List was like it was either a protection thing or an endangered thing. But it was. But it was. all I know is that it's a movie about the Holocaust, but I can’t remember --
Scottie Beam I just know the white man helps the people. He wasn't supposed to help the people, but he decided to help them. And here we are. Now, the white guy I know the white guy is from Maid in Manhattan.
Sylvia Obell Voldemort? The dude who plays Voldemort?
Scottie Beam I think so, Jess, let me know if I'm right. Okay, so I have also lied just now, so that is not true. But he looks just like him that. That white guy I have seen so many times I've seen him everywhere, but I can't look it up yet. Can I look it up? I just -- we know what Schindler's List is.
Sylvia Obell It's on the tip of my tongue. Oh, school was so long ago, I'm getting old.
Scottie Beam But also I know that white man. I know him. Oh Liam Nelson.
Sylvia Obell That's Liam?
Scottie Beam Liam Neeson.
Sylvia Obell Liam, that is Liam. You know what? Liam was young. I totally forgot. Taken, Taken man.
Scottie Beam Yes, all them. He's the one who's always, you don’t know, but I will find you.
Sylvia Obell Yeah.
Scottie Beam I will get you. I will find you and I will kill you.
Sylvia Obell I always feel so sad when I see Liam Neeson because his wife was Natasha Richardson, the mom from the Parent Trap and she died when they were married. Hold on. This is what I'm talking about then. Here it is. One second. His wife was in Maid in Manhattan. That's what I get it mixed up with.
Scottie Beam She was, okay, I see where you went with that and I see how you got there.
Sylvia Obell Boom boom boom bap. Okay, Schindler. Yeah right. What's next. I don't know how we're doing. I don't know. We're halfway through. I'm like –
Scottie Beam I think we're doing great. I think the only one we got wrong so far is Psycho. So, here’s that. Okay, go ahead. Jess, what's next? Okay, the next one is Gone with the Wind. Fabulous, 1938.
Sylvia Obell Kenya is old but she’s not that old. 1938. Gone with the Wind made in 1938.
Scottie Beam Oh, racist slavery movie. I know. It's like, Oh, the whites love Gone with the Wind. Isn't that the one where Hattie McDaniel got nominated for her Oscar like the first Black woman to get nominated for playing a mammy a slave or something? They wouldn't even let her into the stadium. I think it's about it's something about the women on the plantation during slavery Gone with the Wind, because here's what's funny about Gone with the Wind. It's talked about all across Hollywood all the time. And I have never watched it because I don't care to. I really don't care to watch a romanticized look at slavery and make it all cute and fluffy. But that's all I know about it is Hattie, because --
Sylvia Obell Yeah, all I've seen I've seen clips of it because of Hattie, but I've never watched the movie entirely. I don't know what it's about. I just know that Hattie is in it and she gives such a great performance that she wins an Oscar and there's that. But that I don't know anything else.
Scottie Beam Yeah. Shout out to Kenya Moore for bringing it, for reclaiming, reclaiming it for us.
Sylvia Obell Reclaiming, making in her own and everywhere Gone with the Wind, fabulous. Jess what is it about?
Scottie Beam Is it the romanticized story about slavery, women on the plantation, relations between the white women and the Black woman they own?
Jess Jupiter Yes and, it's also about -- it's the civil war drama that traces the survival of Southern Belle Scarlett O'Hara through the downfall of the South during the Civil War and Reconstruction and her tangled love affairs with Ashley Wilkes and Rhett Butler.
Sylvia Obell They made a love story to the set with slavery as the background, Black as the like, as the environment. You know all about white people falling in love wistfully while people are being enslaved and kept from their rights. Scarlett O'Hara, that is that character’s name.
Scottie Beam Of course that's all that we get nominated for is slave movies and crooked cops. And when Halle Berry shows her titties, what's the next one? All right, My Fair Lady, 1964. My Fair Lady, it has to have -- this is 1964. So, I'm going to say Judy Garland is in it because that's the only white woman I know that played back then. Judy Garland sings, she's a singer.
Sylvia Obell It's a Judy Garland or maybe a Julie Andrews –
Scottie Beam Princess Diaries. Her that girl?
Sylvia Obell That's Julie Andrews. That's Julie Andrews. Okay, but maybe not. Mary Tyler Moore?
Scottie Beam Mary Tyler Moore.
Sylvia Obell Was Mary Tyler Moore in My Fair Lady? No. That was the Dick Van Dike Show, and what was the Black and white – is it in Black and white? You sure it’s not Judy Garland?
Scottie Beam Oh, Marilyn Monroe? Is it Marilyn Monroe? No, close. Who was -- who's -- who's close to Marilyn Monroe? The other lady. The white lady.
Sylvia Obell Oh, Scottie, you are you are carrying the team on your back. I am useless right now. I am like white women from the sixties who were actors. Oh, oh, Audrey Hepburn.
Scottie Beam I'm going to say, okay. She was friends with Dorothy Dandridge and that --
Sylvia Obell Dorothy Dandridge was in this?
Scottie Beam No, no, no. But I only know of white people because I was watching the Dorothy Dandridge show. I mean, Dorothy Dandridge documentary and she was friends with this white lady, Audrey, Audrey Hepburn.
Sylvia Obell Audrey, Audrey Hepburn. Y’all know who I mean, Katharine’s girl, you know, these -- I don't know the relations, but one of them Hepburns, the classic looking one they always loved, little mousy looking one. I'm dying that you had me thinking Dorothy Dandridge was in this like –
Scottie Beam No, because I was trying to think of Dorothy Dandridge’s friends because she was friends with all them cute little white girls. And so, I said, one of them white girls is in this. And Audrey was that bitch back then. She was that bitch. But I've never seen Breakfast at Tiffany's.
Sylvia Obell I only know as much as I know about Breakfast at Tiffany's because of Blair Waldorf on Gossip Girl. She worshiped that shit.
Scottie Beam Hey, I'm about to blow your mind, Blair, I know Blair. She was in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
Sylvia Obell No that would be Serena.
Scottie Beam Wait, wasn’t Blair in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants?
Sylvia Obell No, it was Serena, the blond one, Blake Lively. Blair is the dark haired one you and your confidence you were so ready, you were so ready and so loud, so wrong.
Scottie Beam I’m trying to impress you. I’m like here it is. I’m about to fuck you up.
Sylvia Obell You almost -- you almost had me. But I said, no, but I see how you got there. I do. I do see how you got there. Okay, wow. Shout out to Blake Lively though. She got you. Gossip Girl, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Bet she didn’t see that coming.
Scottie Beam All right, go ahead. Who knows what My Fair Lady is actually about? I don't know the plot at all.
Jess Jupiter It's about a professor who teaches a poor flower girl who is Audrey Hepburn's character, how to speak proper English to make her presentable in the high society of London.
Sylvia Obell That's what this movie is about. What the fuck is the hype?
Scottie Beam Yo, what was niggas watching back then? Like, y’all was sitting here really watching somebody learn how to speak. Y’all, really.
Sylvia Obell This is why Black people only watch The Wizard of Oz. That's all they had. They just kept watching it over and over and over again. Because what the fuck else you gonna do?
Scottie Beam What else are you going to watch?
Sylvia Obell Y’all I can name -- I know three old white movies like three white movies that came out before the ‘80s. And I'm just like, will one of them make it on this list.
Scottie Beam Please, please. Go ahead, what’s the next, there it is. The next one.
Sylvia Obell The next one on the list is The Sound of Music, 1965. And finally, finally Sylvia is back in the game, guys. She has taken off her warmup jersey and running back on to the court because I have watched The Sound of Music so much with my mother over and over again as a child. And one of my earliest memories of a movie being so long that it had two VHS tapes. Like it was – you know how VHS used to come in a two pack. And it would be part one. And then you had to pull out part two halfway through the movie to watch the second half. Y’all kids Gen Z don't know about this.
Scottie Beam Yeah but I didn't even know that Sound of Music was that long.
Sylvia Obell It is. I mean, or at least it back and then it couldn't have taken up that much tape. But I do think eventually they were able to put it on one tape. We got the newer one eventually in the plastic VHS holder. That was one tape, I remember being amazed like, oh, they expanded the size of VHS. But the hills are alive with The Sound of Music. It is about Julie Andrews, who was a nun who was too lit for the convent she was getting on the sisters’ nerves. So, they went -- they sent her to be a governess, nanny, something, whatever you want to call her for this rich family, this captain, they're not in America. They're in Europe somewhere, Austria or something like that. And she goes to be a nanny for his twelve. He got like six, seven, eight, nine kids, a lot of motherfuckers. I don’t remember how many and their mother had died some time when they were younger or whatever. And she just teaches them. She's always singing. She has her head in the clouds. She's always on the hills, just spinning, daydreaming. And so, she brings light and music back into the house because everybody’s just so mean and said stern, because their mother is gone. And I just love the soundtrack y’all. I don’t know.
Scottie Beam That’s the one that had “I'm Singing in the Rain,” that song.
Sylvia Obell No, Singin in the Rain, Singin in the Rain is literally a movie called Singin in the Rain.
Scottie Beam Is it?
Sylvia Obell Yeah.
Scottie Beam So what's the name, what’s the song?
Sylvia Obell The hills are alive with the sound of music.
Scottie Beam Next, next.
Sylvia Obell Or, you are sixteen going on seventeen...and I’m naïve.
Scottie Beam Okay I know that one.
Sylvia Obell There's also like the good night song where it's like, oh goodbye, au revoir, auf wiedersehen. Adieu, adieu, to you and you and you.
Scottie Beam I sang that in choir, there’s a choir version of that.
Sylvia Obell The soundtrack hits, I hate to say it, but it's probably my you know next to A Star is Born probably one of my top favorite white soundtracks in the game. I think it was because they were able to get into my heart at a time before I knew about racism. So, I came in very fresh eyed. And also, these are not American whites. They were up in Europe. And because everything was crazy to re-watch as an adult was realizing there was a Nazi Holocaust subplot in this movie because the movie is about while it's about Maria and Captain von Trapp and the von Trapp children coming together and him realizing that they're in love because, you know, he got some gold digger trying to marry him and the kids don't like her, whatever, whatever. He falls in love with Maria. They get married, they get together. And just when you think they're going to live happily ever after, here come the Nazis wanting the captain to join them and they don't want to join them because they're good people. So, they literally use the nuns in the convent to help them run away and hide from the Nazis and escape into the hills and go live somewhere else because they don't want to be a part of that shit.
Scottie Beam This is insane. I've never even -- I know her from Princess Diaries. Also, I know of Mary Poppins, never seen a Mary Poppins movie.
Sylvia Obell You’ve never seen Mary Poppins?
Scottie Beam No that little witch, I don't --
Sylvia Obell Not that little witch.
Scottie Beam I don't -- I never watched it before.
Sylvia Obell I love the Sound of Music. Me and my mom -- my mom -- we watched that movie -- it feels like in my mind at least once a month as. We loved that movie. Okay, I have to make my kids watch it. They’re going to be like Mom, what is this one white movie you keep making us watch? But as far as the list is concerned, overall, it screams white mediocracy being celebrated in Hollywood because I can name 10 Black movies that most critics haven't seen and are better than these movies.
Scottie Beam Yeah, that's true. Because My Fair Lady really should tell all of you guys that niggas was just watching anything.
Sylvia Obell A person learning English. Thet’s your key? This is the poster on all of y’all’s walls? Audrey Hepburn was y’all’s queen?
Scottie Beam When there's a whole soldier's play like that's not on the list at all Jess? Is that anywhere?
Sylvia Obell Is Raisin in the Sun on here anywhere? Gone with the Wind, a romance movie set in the backdrop of slavery that's on the best American film list. Like y'all doubling down like this movie is so good, in fact, that we're going to ignore like we love to do, race. Oh, I don't see race. I don't see slavery. I just see romance. Yeah, they have a movie, animated movie where nobody even speaks called Fantasia and ain't got no Black.
Scottie Beam No nothing.
Sylvia Obell I don't know. But anyway. All these movies overrated. I would like to make another list one day.
Scottie Beam Oh yes we will come back with a great list. Absolutely.
Sylvia Obell All right. That's our show guys. Thank you all for tuning in.
Scottie Beam Our show is a production of Pineapple Street Studios in partnership with Netflix and Strong Black Lead. Shout out to our team, our editor is Jess Jupiter. And our producer is Taylor Hosking. Our music is by Amanda Jones. Special thanks to Max Linsky and Jenna Weiss-Berman
Sylvia Obell Make sure you share your thoughts with us on the episode using the hashtag okay, now listen. Follow Strong Black Lead on the socials at Strong Black Lead and follow us too I'm at Sylvia Obell.
Scottie Beam And I'm at Scottie Beam.
Sylvia Obell Until next time folks. Stay blessed.