Cassandra Explains It All

Max (measuring flicks) and Cassandra kick off their month-long exploration of the cinematic archetype and cultural phenomenon that is the Manic Pixie Dream Girl with 2004's Garden State. Are MPDG's just a holdover of outdated feminine societal structures from eras past? Infantilized male fantasies? Freudian mommy stand-ins' listless dudes feel okay about kissing? Are there two funk songs about Danny DeVito hidden in the episode somewhere? Find out! Tune in! Drop out! 

In this extra long episode Cass and Tiff do a deep dive into the relationship timeline! 

Today we are doing a quick recap of The Woman in Me. Michelle Williams is a genius and as tragic and heartbreaking as this book is, I can't wait to listen to it all over again. Enjoy ;)

I couldn't think of anything scarier for Halloween than these two monsters! MAJOR TRIGGER WARNING FOR THIS EPISODE. Today I am taking a look at the only project Shia and Marilyn ever did together Born Villian, but that's not the only thing they have in common. Born Villain is a surrealist horror short film directed by actor Shia LaBeouf in collaboration with singer Marilyn Manson. The film features a series of DISTURBING vignettes. I also discuss the current accusations against both singers and their connection to Johnny Depp. Enjoy ;)

I didn't have much time to edit but Allison and I did get a chance to dive into Tampa 90's con!!!!! We both went this past weekend and met SO many of our favorite nostalgic celebrities with Allison even getting to interview some of them. I can't wait to share this episode with you as it was such a treat to have someone who was a member of the press behind the scenes for us. We discuss signatures, photo ops, panels and everything in between! Enjoy ;)

PATREON PREVIEW!!!! Today we begin our journey through Drew Barrymore's culturally iconic and illusive memoir, Little Girl Lost. The child star of "E.T." describes her own nightmarish descent into alcohol and drug addiction--habits that were encouraged by her unique lifestyle--and her decision to enter therapy at age thirteen. Chapter 1 - Headlines. Enjoy ;)

Today I take a look back at Nick Carter's 2001 Love Line appearance. He was fresh off the stage and an amazing guest. We get some questions from callers about Aaron and Leslie as well. Hate them or love them Dr.Drew and Adam were asking a lot of great questions back in 2001. Enjoy ;)

Today we are talking about one of my favorites and how it is getting a reboot (uh oh!) Weeds! 'Weeds' Reboot Moves Back to Showtime: In 2019, news broke that a Weeds sequel starring Mary Louise Parker in her familiar role as pot dealing housewife Nancy Botwin was in the works. After landing at Lionsgate and Starz, the deal has moved to Showtime, the series' original home. "The Weeds revival would be written, and executive produced by Christian Torpe, creator of the popular Danish series Rita, and would feature Nancy (Parker) in Copenhagen, I hear." WHAT!!!!!?? Enjoy ;) 

In this episode I speak with Melanie Martin to discuss important and tough topics like grief, motherhood and Aaron's legacy. We discuss mental health, addiction and growth. We get into staying with Aaron through the hard times, Louis and others, stalkers and parasocial relationships, cheating rumors and we also leave the door open for more questions! This episode is a relief in many ways but also a sad one. We talk about Aarons final resting place, his legacy and what's next for Melanie and Prince. Enjoy ;)

In today's episode I take the deepest of dives into the cultural phenomenon of the song "I Want Candy". Did you know that “I Want Candy,” the strangely timeless song released by The Strangeloves in 1965 has a deep-rooted connection to tribal drumming? The Strangeloves were inspired to write "I Want Candy" in 1965 after they took a trip to the 1964 World’s Fair and producers saw a performance by Candy Johnson, a dancer known as “Miss Perpetual Motion" and the rest is history. Enjoy ;)

Today I take a look back at some of the most nostalgic elements of 1999. Topics include the emergence of CD technology, the top songs of May 9th 1999 and even the Y2K sensation ad the Nokia brick phone. Of Couse thanks to MTV we were blessed with many amazing clips. Enjoy ;)

Today we are revisiting one of the most underrated Nickelodeon shows out there. A spunky 14-year-old orphan from Philadelphia has difficulty adjusting to life on a Montana ranch owned by her long-lost cousins, the Lowes. Storylines dealing with Caitlin's attempts to satisfy her restless nature also address adolescent concerns such as peer pressure, stereotypes and sibling rivalry. Enjoy ;) 

PATREON PREVIEW!!! Nickelodeon has a predator problem. This episode is long overdue as I have covered so much of nostalgic Nick but as we all know Nickelodeon as a network has had a very dark secret for many years. Sadly, Nick isn't the only children's network whose closets are overflowing with skeletons, but it is the topic of today's episode. John K revolutionized animation with his work on Ren & Stimpy only to destroy his career by, according to their accounts, grooming and assaulting two young animators. Although ample evidence was provided by both girls absolutely nothing was done to secure justice for the victims. Trigger warning for talk or CSAM and Predatory behavior. 

In today's episode, we go way back to the nostalgia "Ska/Reggae" scene of So Cal! The sunny days of Sublime, No Doubt, Lit and that sweet sweet cultural appropriation! I indulge in the nostalgia of that insanely large Sublime Sun tattoo that someone you knew undoubtably had. I ask the important questions like, if Brad hadn't died would we have to suffer the timeline of Jack Johnson dominating the airwaves for the last twenty years? Was Lou dog suffering a similar fate as Aaron Carter's dogs? How many times can I bring up Aaron carter in this episode? Other topics include Sublime being kicked off of Warped Tour, the band destroying Wilie Nelson's studio, and the infamous house parties that made them legends of So Cal. I have a small update on where Brads son is now, and I review the line up for Reggae Rise Up! Trigger warning as i also dive into the acceptance of songs like "Date Rape", "Santeria" and other songs/ lyrics that paint rape and violence towards women as a casual joke. All of that being said, this week would have been Brad's 55th birthday, every day we love you just a little bit more.

Here is part one of a Gilmore Girls episode that was recently released on my patreon. For more bonus episodes please consider joning :) Today I am joined by Harley Quinn, host of many hit podcasts to discuss this amazing nostalgic episode of Gilmore Girls. This is part one of two! We review the entire episode and talk about some behind the scenes of Gilmore Girls and our love of the show! Enjoy ;) 

In case you forgot: Dr. Drew was in a Mary-Kate and Ashley movie! Today I take a look at Dr. Drew's Love Line era recordings the night before and after the premier of New York Minute. This new insight into the Olsen twins' lives is valuable beyond measure. I also take a look at why this film although being a cult classic is largely problematic in nature. Enjoy ;)

LFO Member Brian “Brizz” Gillis Dead at 47Brian “Brizz” Gillis, one of the original founders of LFO, died March 29, his fellow band member Brad Fischetti said in an Instagram post. He was 47. His cause of death has not been shared. It may not be summer, but it is high time to talk about Summer Girls. Did you know that Rich Cronin wrote most of LFO'S songs about Jennifer Love Hewitt? On this episode we are going way back to the Howard Stern days to hear some wild interview clips and indulge in the very best of 90's boy band music. LFO survived Lou Pearlman only to see two band mates die of cancer, now the remaining member will perform at Aaron Carters memorial concert, I have thoughts ;)

This week Lyndon joins me to talk about one of the most unforgettable shows Disney aired in the Zoog Disney era. Bug Juice is about kids trying to adapt to summer camp. Along the way making friends and having unforgettable memories. This documentary lets teenagers at summer camp talk about their feelings as they experience events like love, heartbreak, friend fights, and growing pains. The first season takes place at Camp Waziyatah in Maine, but every season the location changes. We go over so many different programming blocks in this episode and play a lot of clips that may be hard to find so I hope you all enjoy it!

Tiff is back to break down what has been going on recently in the Carterverse. Needless to say, we were all disturbed by the photos of Aarons death scene that were released. We dig into the continued harassment of Aarons family by Mel and others. We also take a look at the cycles of abuse that seem to be inevitable for baby Prince.

Today my guest is a good friend Tyisha Hampton, often referred to online as "Kel Mitchells Ex Wife" is an actress and writer and the ex-wife of Kel Mitchell. We all remember Kel from Nickelodeon's All That, Keenan and Kel and Good Burger but like most things with Nickelodeon, this got dark. Did you know that Kel is now a youth minister for a California church? No? Me either!  We talk about some pretty heavy subjects like satanic worship, pedophilia in Hollywood, domestic violence, and suicide. We try to explore some of the red flags that all people should be aware and discuss the nature of the patriarchy at large. Trigger warning: While talking about Jennette McCurdy's new book "I'm Glad My Mom Died", we did discuss Amanda Bynes, Dan Schneider, and some extremely upsetting acts that were witnessed by Tyisha Hampton behind the scenes of the production of these shows.

Today Enty joins me to take a very deep dive into the dark past of Disney’s seemingly perfect town, Celebration. The town is filled with tales of murder, suicide a 'death pond', and even swingers. Celebration was once hailed as the ultimate dream town for Disney aficionados where they could escape to their very own fantasy land, but a series of murders and other misfortunes unfolded in this idyllic Florda community. Enjoy ;)

When I think Christmas, I think horror movies. This is an episode that previously was posted to the Cassandra Explains It All Patreon, enjoy!  Do you need over two hours of Max (Measuring Flicks) and I reviewing 1998's The Faculty? Yes, you do and it's guaranteed to jack you up.  When Casey Connor, Herrington High School's newspaper photographer, witnesses the murder of a nurse and sees her alive again, he decides to investigate the bizarre happenings. Join us as we take a deep dive into Kevin Williamson's  slept on body horror cult classic! We talk all things horror and Danny Masterson. Enjoy ;)

Today animator Brett Wilson joins me to discuss Dr.Katz for Thanksgiving! We learn about Dr.Katz's musical relationship to Robin Williams and have a ton of fun reviewing this amazing episode. Enjoy ;) 

Happy Thanksgiving! Today I'm joined by Enty lawyer to discuss the mystery of Michelle Trachtenberg. We go through everything from her start on Clarissa Explains It All, The Adventures of Pete and Pete, and Harriet the Spy to her iconic roles on Gossip Girl, Weeds, Buffy and of course the Joss Whedon of it all. We discover an unfortunate Bryan Singer connection and reveal some exclusive blind items! Get out your bingo card because Seth Green somehow makes an appearance. Enjoy ;)

Trigger warning for talk of anorexia and the pro ana community at large. This entire episode involves a lot of talk about appearance and how it can affect our self-worth. Libby is back to talk Daria! One of my all-time favorite shows. It's crazy how well Daria holds up and how endlessly rewatchable it is. I hope you all the best New Year's Eve ever! Daria and Jane create an iconoclastic poster for a contest, only to find that the school demands it be altered against their wishes.

This morning I saw that Aaron's album "Blacklisted" was released before he has even been laid to rest.  I have so many words for the people who have surrounded Aaron over the last few years, but I know I need more time to process those words in a way that won't get me sued. For now, I hope that you can all listen to this interview and form your own opinions on the types of people Aaron kept in his circle. This interview was done within the last two months. 

Enty Joined Tiff and I to unpack the death of Aaron Carter. This is not something I ever wanted to record but I figured I should publish it to this feed as well for anyone who needs an Aaron update that doesn't listen to Welcome to the Carterverse pod. 

Today we are celebrating executive producer Shawana's birthday with a cameo from David Lascher. I expected to get all the nostalgia feels from this cameo, what I did not expect was all of the hot TEA! We get the scoop on Melissa Joan Hart and exactly what that new project that David and Chritine Taylor are working on! This is a Cassandra Explains It All Exclusive! Enjoy ;)

You didn't think I would forget you on Halloween, did you? This is a very special episode of Cassandra Explains It all as we celebrate our executive producer Shawana's birthday and the release of Trouble Takes A Holiday! I am joined by authors and podcasters Marco Sparks and James Taylor to cover this amazing episode of PLL where we visit camo Mona. In this episode the liars go glamping for Mona's birthday as A's threats escalate and the FBI arrives in Rosewood. But not even a mani-pedi can lift the girls' spirits when the evening takes a dangerous turn. We also chat about the release of their new YA book Trouble Takes A Holiday, available everywhere now. Jenny Valentine won the prize. Keeping it won’t be easy. She’s filthy rich, she’s dating the head cheerleader, she’s blackmailing the star athlete, and she’s got an ace up her sleeve that no one will see coming. Life is good for Jenny Valentine, the tiny teenage sleuth and misanthropic heiress to the late RJ Valentine’s bestselling Trouble: Girl Detective publishing empire. After putting her evil stepmother away for Dad’s murder, book sales and merchandise are way up, and Jenny’s anxiety is way down. Only trouble is, the real killer is still out there, and he knows Jenny is lying. With six heirloom clues left, the game remains afoot, and a shocking murder case from the past might be the Stranger’s new playground. Between an active serial killer, mean girls at school, an anonymous cyberbully, and a nosy reporter, everyone wants a piece of Trouble. Can’t a girl have it all? The money, the fame, the romance, the secrets, and Danger too?

Here is an episode that was posted to my Patreon last year. I hope if you like it and want more, you'll join us over on Cassandra Explains It All Patreon, otherwise don't worry because there will be plenty of new content coming to the main feed soon! Please enjoy this episode of DARK. It's a classic and a fan favorite, Brett helps me break down why this episode is iconic in the nostalgia community.  Enjoy ;) 

This episode was posted to Cassandra Explains It All Patreon page on my birthday, and it was one of my favorite episodes to record! If you enjoy it consider joining the Patreon for a bonus episode and exclusive content every week! Disclaimer: I'm not sure if it was the cold medicine, Manny or Tim Allen but I just couldn't stop laughing! This was a great deep dive on 1997's Jungle 2 Jungle. A man learns he has a thirteen-year-old son who was raised in the jungle and brings the boy to New York City, turning his life upside down in the process.

Scott Barber the director of The Orange Years documentary is back with a brand-new documentary for us to unpack! "This Is Gwar" is the powerful story of the iconic heavy metal art collective, as told by the humans who have fought to keep it alive for over thirty years. The feature documentary includes interviews with the band members, both past and present, and other artists, including Weird Al Yankovic, Thomas Lennon, Alex Winter, Bam Margera and Ethan Embry, including never-before-seen footage of legendary GWAR front man Dave Brockie (Oderus Urungus).".

Brett is back to cover another episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark?. As always on this podcast its still Halloween :) Ian Matthews arrives in the legendary town of Sleepy Hollow where he meets a new girlfriend, the tough guy and the notorious Headless horseman

Happy Friday the 13th. As Zach Heltzel once said, "this film is fundamentally misguided in so many ways". Zoogers, get ready to laugh as I force one of my best friends Herjot (who HATED this movie) to watch this faux DCOM! It stars Amy Jo Johnson AKA the pink ranger, its secretly a sports movie and it has the classic little sister is a hacker DCOM trope. My guest may not have enjoyed this episode, but I know I sure did :) Teenager Susie Q dies 1955; in 1995, Zach moves into a haunted house with his mom and kid sister, and Susie Q's ghost asks him for help. Susie Q and her boyfriend were on their way to a dance one night in 1955 when they got into a car crash and fell off a bridge. Years later in 1995, teenager Zach Sands, recovering from his father's death, moves into Susie Q's old house with his mother and sister Penny. One night, Zach discovers that he can see Susie Q's ghost. Susie Q attempts to help Zach's family and sparks a romance along the way

Brett is back to review another episode of DARK. A young French immigrant having trouble at her new school, uncovers a mystery about a girl, the former occupant of her school locker, who died in 1968. I need more SNICK in my life and so do you. Let's start the weekend off right with a review of this nostalgic tale! 

This week I'm joined by my friend Ty (stomping_on_cp_with_tylia) to break down season 5 episode 4 of Dawsons Creek, The Long Goodbye. This is the episode where Dawson has to deal with the fall out of his father Mitch's death. Dawson's Dad Mitch died in a car crash, and Dawson is struggling to come to terms with his death. Tylia and I LOVE Dawsons Creek and all of its corny banter, this was a great episode to review and at times felt very personal. We officially have decided we need to start reviewing every episode of Dawson's Creek and that pod is already in the works! Any excuse to talk about Joshua Jackson am I right? I hope you all enjoy this episode as much as I did. #TeamPacey 

You know I wouldn't leave you hanging on St.Patricks day! What a great excuse to have Alison pf Past Foot Forward and DCOM expert on the podcast to chat about The Luck of the Irish! I am in love with Ryan Merriman, and this was a fun rewatch. We go over lots of topics including heaven gate, enjoy!A teenager must battle for a gold charm to keep his family from being controlled by an evil leprechaun.

We have to talk about what is happening in the Aaron Carter universe. Some of you may only remember him as a child star "heart throb" and younger brother of Backstreet boy Nick Carter or maybe your more familiar with his recent alarming interviews and Instagram lives. Either way there is something very fascinating happening with the para social relationships within his community and the systematic abuse of child stars that is worth looking at. This isn't a deep dive episode, but I do want to do a quick update about the current affairs at the LMG mansion and the recent alleged assault of his child's mother Melanie Martin.  Trigger warning for SA/DV

My older brother Kyle and fellow podcaster (Behind the Bots) joins me to talk at length about Pump Up the Volume or as I would prefer it to be called, Talk Hard. Mark (Christian Slater) runs a pirate radio station and causes an uproar when he speaks his mind and enthralls fellow teens. We get into an array of subject like River Phoenix and his tragic death, the broken school systems of the US and Canada but most notably for me was towards the end when we discussed Bob Saget, as we had recorded this many months ago before his passing. I hope you all love this episode as much as I loved recording it. And remember kids, TALK HARD! 

Today Scott Barber (director of The Orange Years doc) is back for a very fun review of Salute Your Shorts! It was such a treat to have a nostalgia expert join me for this review and get an insider's look at camp Anawanna! For me this is one of the most memorable episodes of the series and we even get to talk about censorship and licensing issues that surround Nickelodeon, and Paramount and Viacom at large. We cover Season 1 Episode 7 The Radio Call in Contest. Sponge discovers a radio trivia contest hosted by DJ Giant Jim, but may need his friends' help to win the $1000 prize. Sponge discovers a radio trivia contest hosted by DJ Giant Jim, but may need his friends' help to win the $1000 prize.

Ali (Notable Nostalgia/ Dungeons and Decades) is back to talk cults with me! In this very special episode Shawn joins a cult. Corey and the others try to snap him out of it. But it's not until Jonathan's in the hospital that Shawn sees clearly. Most importantly we take the time to break down Christy Carlson Romano's infamous cult YouTube video. We ask the important questions like what ever happened to Mr. Turner, do we even care, is the Centre Cult so bad, when will Mr. Feeny die and probably most importantly WHERE CAN WE FIND PETE AND PETE VALETINES DAY CARDS? 

Max from Measuring Flicks is back to chat with me about Disney's So weird! This is probably my favorite Disney show of all time? If anything, So Weird is fascinating as a children's program and I'm still learning about the rich writing staff and of course seedy history of the all-star cast. How does Danny Masterson play into this? Let's find out! So Weird Season 1 Episode 7 Jack befriends a beautiful girl, Gabe, who is concealing her leukemia from everyone except her dad and a guardian angel.

The man the myth the legend Zach Heltzel joins me on this New Year's Eve to talk about the best DCOM of all time, Brink! We get into the roots of this tale that is actually based on a book called Hans Brinker OR the Silver Skates that was later developed into several plays and movies. For some reason we talk a lot about evolution and Kirk Cameron, capitalistic dread, transphobia, racism, and of course wonder if show business is ethical in any way. We had fun reviewing this epic DCOM and I hope you all love and remember it as much as I do!