200 And Counting

Happy Pride! In honor of the month of June and to celebrate Pride Month, this week’s documentary, The New Black, dives into the issues of same-sex marriage in the state of Maryland in 2012. Though it was released in 2013, the doc discusses a number of issues specifically involving homophobia within the Black community and specifically in the Black church community and dances around the problematic topic of whether “being gay is the new black.”

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Happy Pride! In honor of the month of June and to celebrate Pride Month, the first documentary of the month is an absolute classic that documents the ball scene in New York in the 80s and 90s, celebrating the LGBTQ community at the time. While controversial, Paris Is Burning is often credited as one of the first instances of positive representation of gay and trans people on screen and is one of the most celebrated docs of all time.

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On November 18, 1978 cult leader Jim Jones led more than 900 people to their deaths at a secluded compound in the jungles of Guyana - infamously known as Jonestown. Executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonestown: Terror In The Jungle takes an in depth look at what happened during one of the most horrifying events in recent history in a slightly new way.

TW: This episode contains disturbing themes.

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You've definitely seen the story in the news, and now it's on the podcast - Netflix's documentary Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admission Scandal is all about the controversy that rocked the world of university admissions back in 2019 after it was revealed that rich families were jumping through a number of illegal hoops to get their kids into school. But for all the attention this story got when it first broke, does the excitement hold up through the documentary? 

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Welcome back to Season 3 of 200 And Counting! The first episode of the season highlight's Shalini Kantayya's film Coded Bias, which discusses artificial intelligence and racial bias. As quickly as technology has advanced over the last few years, what does that mean for those left behind by the systems themselves, and how can real-world human biases creep into the technology that we use every day? 

If you want to hear/read/or see more of what Tia’s been up to, you can follow her on social media:

This episode explores the new, musical documentary Dark City: Beneath The Beat which celebrates the vibrant culture of the Baltimore club scene both through music and dance. Dark City mixes interviews with musical interludes to create a love letter to Charm City, and paints an uplifting picture of a city that doesn't get enough shine. The film's director, club queen TT The Artist, came onto the pod to discuss the making of the project, the signature club sound, and what it is that makes Baltimore so special.

This episode of the podcast dives into the hip-hop industry in the wake of the Me Too movement, with HBO's new doc On The Record. The documentary tackles the accusations of sexual assault and misconduct brought forward against record exec and mogul Russell Simmons and highlights former Def Jam A&R executive Drew Dixon, who spoke out against Simmons following the movement, and covers everything from sexism in the industry to problematic lyrics to the issues Black women face both within the Black community and outside of it. 

Warning: This episode does contain strong language and discussion of sexual assault. 

On The Record is available to watch in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DsbFW_d6J6M 

Did you know an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm once helped save a man from going away to prison for murder? Exactly, it's wild. This episode's documentary is all about a man who managed to escape a very, very long prison sentence for a crime he didn't commit thanks to a few seconds of one of the funniest shows of all time. 

The tweet in question: https://twitter.com/SoloChills/status/1286647414418374657?s=20  

On this episode, Tia dives into the documentary about the infamous story of Daryl Davis, a Black man whose life's work revolves around finding and befriending members of the Klan in order to get them out of the group. Anddddd he collects Klan robes. Wild. Truly...wild. This doc was #3 on the list of Best Documentaries of the Decade and now it's finally getting its very own episode, in the middle of a particularly interesting time to be having this conversation. 

She's back!!! We can all agree it's been a wild year so far. And given the present situation in the United States sparked by the deaths of two unarmed Black people: George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. In light of all the protests and activism that's swept the nation, this episode is dedicated to a documentary that gives essential context around the Black experience in America. 13th (aka the doc rated #1 on the Best Documentaries of the Decades episode) is a film by Ava Duvernay that is absolutely necessary viewing if you want to know more about what's been going on and why. 

You already know what it issssss!!! In this episode, Tia's back and reviewing the most talked about doc of the Quarantine Szn, Tiger King. She'll be answering some burning questions: is it worth the watch? Should she get a tiger? Did Carole Baskin kill her husband? Is seven episodes too many? Who cares! We're all quarantined! 

Happy Quarantine! On this episode, Tia gets into her favorite cult documentary on Netflix, Holy Hell. The doc follows a spiritual group known as the Buddhafield and its leader, the master, Michel. It's a wild ride from start to finish but hey, we all got plenty of time on our hands these days. 

This episode is a companion episode to Don't F**k With Cats Pt. 1 featuring the first guest of season 2, Brandon Caruso! Brandon is the co-host (along with Tia and their friend Mariah) of a weekly standup show here in Brooklyn called Working Thru It, a social publisher, and close friend. In fact, he's the friend who recommended Don't F**k With Cats in the first place! 

Join them on this very special episode as they discuss the doc and break down details that might not have been talking about in part 1. And as usual, there are a ton of spoilers!

Welcome to Season 2 of 200 And Counting!!! 

On this episode, Tia finally gets into the most talked about doc of the holiday season, Netflix's absolutely terrifying online mystery: Don't F**k With Cats. The doc follows the story of a Facebook group who takes on the task of locating a kitten killer, and the madness that unfolds. It's thrilling but terrifying and you will definitely be left with some questions (and maybe some nightmares). Some MAJOR SPOILERS in this episode as well as graphic descriptions of violence.

Who doesn't love a good list? For the last episode of 200 And Counting of the year, Tia breaks down her top 10 favorite documentaries of the 2010s, ranging from docs about cults to subways to porn. 

Happy holidays!!! In honor of the holiday season, Tia dives into the African American culinary staple of soul food with Soul Food Junkies. It's all about whether or not soul food is healthy (technically, no), its impact on the African American community (in many ways, good), and it features several mentions of yams and/or sweet potato pie. It's a doc all about African American food, culture, history and how all that trickles down to present day.

On this episode, Tia dives into Three Identical Strangers, the documentary that tbh sounds like something out of a fairytale. It tells the store of three identical triplets who were separated at birth but find each other years later as adults and the twisted backstory that made it happen. 

On this episode, Tia discusses the horrifying two part true crime doc I Love You, Now Die. It follows the story of Michelle Carter, who was given prison time after being charged with manslaughter in the suicide of her boyfriend, Conrad Roy. At the time it happened, it was crazy as hell. Watching the doc after the fact is even crazier. Tia talks just how messed up of a situation it was, social media relationships, and how embarrassing it would be to have people read through your texts (very).  

Warning: This episode discusses topics of suicide. 

She's baaaaaack! In this episode, after a lil hiatus, Tia tackles The Seven Five, a gripping documentary about the 75th police precinct in New York City during the 1980s and Michael Dowd, the corrupt cop who ran the streets. It's a rollercoaster of emotion from start to finish and honestly, almost everyone involved is triflin.

On this episode, Tia talks about the film that's made her reconsider ever posting on Instagram again (not really who is she kidding lmao): Jawline. It's all about wannabe teen influencers, rabid fan girls, and how social media is even sadder than we all thought it was. The moral of the story? Don't drop out of school to be an influencer, it only works maybe 50% of the time.

On this episode, Tia talks about the doc that'll have you even more paranoid than usual about what you do online. The Great Hack is all about how Cambridge Analytica stole people's info on Facebook to help influence the 2016 presidential election, and plenty of other things. If you're on social media (which you must be, let's be real) you'll wanna watch this, and best believe you will never trust a Facebook meme again. 

In this episode Tia talks about a man who (no surprise here) is quite literally...a voyeur who spent years spying on people in his motel from a hiding place above their rooms and boy oh boy what a story it is. Journalist Gay Talese is enlisted to write a story and a book on the man and his...fetish but along the way there's some problems. Besides, of course, the fact that he's been watching people without their consent. If you're looking for another talk-out-loud-at-the-TV-and-go-WTF type doc, this episode is for you. 

In this episode, Tia takes on a classic doc in the African American community: Chris Rock's Good Hair. While it may have been groundbreaking back in 2009 pre-natural hair movement, it miiiight not land so well in 2019.  Tia seeks to answer the burning question: ten years later, is Good Hair a good doc? Also, will relaxers ever come back in style? 

In this episode, Tia is joined by the first ever guest on 200 And Counting, NYC-based comedian & friend of the pod Pooja Reddy to talk about everyone's favorite disgraced politician: Anthony Weiner for the doc of the same name. Pooja is the co-founder and co-host of Kutti Gang, a South Asian comedy show highlighting women and gender nonconforming comedians. In her past life she was based in Washington D.C. and even worked in the Obama White House (bless). So she brought some of her political and comedic prowess onto the pod to talk Anthony Weiner's infamous sexts, his wife (our hero) Huma Abedin, and why every politician should have a finsta. 

In this episode, Tia talks about a little-known piece of Black history: the MOVE bombing in Philadelphia in the 1980s, where the Philly police department bombed a house full of civilians and children. Yeah, it's CRAZY. It's essential viewing because of course, it probably wasn't in your history books. It's the story of shady politicians, social justice groups, and of course, racism smh.

If you're tryna learn something anddd celebrate Juneteenth at the same time, this is the doc for you. 

In this episode Tia talks about her favorite guilty pleasure doc, Finders Keepers. It's the weirdly thrilling story of a man who lost his leg in a plane crash and the man who found it and...charged people to come look at it. If you think that sentence was crazy, just wait til you hear the rest of the episode. 

Yes, you read that title right. No, it's not what you think. In this episode Tia uses the word "weirdo" way too many times, but hey, what can ya do? She also digs a lil deeper to talk about The Satanic Temple, religion, and trolling homophobes in Penny Lane's hilarious, heartfelt doc 'Hail Satan,' which premiered at Sundance in January 2019. And yes, there's a King of the Hill reference.

In an episode about what might be the most infuriating documentary of all time, Tia talks about cliche storylines, horrible reenactments, and poor parenting for Netflix's doc Abducted In Plain Sight.

Warning: This episode discusses topics of sexual abuse.

In the FIRST EVER EPISODE, Tia answers the question on everyone’s minds right now: Which Fyre Festival doc is better? Also, who was the real MVP of Fyre Fest? Answer: It was Andy. 

If you’re concerned about those affected by Billy’s SCAMMING nature, there’s been two (official) GoFundMe pages set up!!!