The Broadcast Ep. 7.25 “They Came for Candy”

Posted on January 13, 2023 by Colleen

Hello, happy Friday! The Broadcast is back with its first recorded episode of 2023. It was a fun, fast-paced, zany episode and I hope you have as much fun listening to it as we did recording it. Next week, we’ll be live for the Hangout-level Patrons and on Saturday, January 21, we’ll be recording our annual crossover episode with The Real Weird Sisters. Here’s a little video clip from the episode:

Official description:

The Broads are back from winter break and ready to take on 2023! On this week’s episode, they talk about Dry Damp January, Netflix’s new TV show Kaleidoscope, lesbian M&Ms, Gen Z’s strengths, and Correctile Dysfunction. Amanda’s almost ready to try Tik Tok! Various topics about the British Royal Family are also discussed throughout the episode, including Prince Harry, The Crown, and British Royal naming rules. Happy New Year!

Here’s a handy list of some of the platforms you can subscribe to and/or listen to The Broadcast on. If you’re searching for us on another platform or to add us to whatever app you use, you may have better luck searching for us as “The Broadcast with Amanda, Shandy, and Colleen” since there are a few other shows called The Broadcast.

Additionally, the audio from all of the Jay + Jack Productions podcasts get uploaded automatically to this YouTube channel, so if listening that way is your thing, there you go!

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TV Review: Kaleidoscope

Posted on January 11, 2023 by Colleen

This past weekend, Jay and I watched Netflix’s new show Kaleidoscope. It premiered on January 1, 2023, and had been getting some buzz over social media, so we wanted to check out what the fuss was about.

At the heart of it, Kaleidoscope is your standard heist drama complete with double-crossing, murder, revenge, FBI agents hot on the trail, ultra-rich people, and really, really, really terrible make-up that’s supposed to make its leads look younger but YIKES IT’S BAD lol. Its large ensemble cast includes Giancarlo Esposito, Paz Vega, Rufus Sewell, Niousha Noor, Tati Gabrielle, Rosaline Elbay, Peter Mark Kendall, and Jai Courtney. The story is very loosely based on a real-life heist that happened in Manhattan during Hurricane Sandy, in which $70-billion in bonds were stolen.

Kaleidoscope’s “unique” premise is that the episodes, each named after a color, can be viewed in any order for a different viewing experience. It’s quite a fun concept. You can watch the episodes in chronological order or jump around to view the show as different genres, such as a mystery story. There’s even an Orange is the New Black and a “Tarantino” order. Netflix recommends starting with “Black,” which is basically a 2-minute explanation of the concept, and saving “White,” the episode when the heist actually happens, for last.

We’re basic, so we decided to just view it chronologically. This is the order we watched Kaleidoscope in:

  1. “Violet” (24 years before the heist)
  2. “Green” (Seven years before the heist)
  3. “Yellow” (Six weeks before the heist)
  4. “Orange” (Three weeks before the heist)
  5. “Blue” (Five days before the heist)
  6. “White” (The heist)
  7. “Red” (The morning after the heist)
  8. “Pink” (Six months after the heist)

Overall, we thought Kaleidoscope was just okay. Well, I thought it was just okay. Jay didn’t like it at all and we both struggled to get through “Red” and “Pink,“ mainly because most of the characters went from tolerable to straight-up unlikable. I think we watched it in the wrong order and if we had saved “White” until last, at least there would have been some intrigue to find out how some of the characters ended up with their fates in “Red” and “Pink.“ Unlikable characters aside, the plot (in the order we watched it) and concept had so much potential to be really fun, but it just fell flat. Esposito and Vega can act their asses off but with the exception of Tati Gabrielle (from The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Uncharted), the rest of the cast wasn’t particularly strong. Other than the three actors mentioned above, the cast also didn’t have the chemistry that makes heist stories fun to watch.

Like I said above, I’m not sure that chronologically was the correct order for *us* to watch it in, but maybe others fared better than we did. If non-linear storytelling isn’t your thing, then just stick with the timeline as we did. But if you’re down with plotline time-traveling, then check out some of the orders recommended by Netflix and other viewers after the page break. I kinda wish we’d watch it in the Classic Detective Story order. Oh well.

Did you watch Kaleidoscope? If so, what order did you watch it and what did you think? Please let me know!

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So I Tried Pure Barre Align

Posted on January 10, 2023 by Colleen

On Wednesday, January 4, Pure Barre launched its newest class format, Pure Barre Align. It’s billed as a low-impact, full-body workout focused on flexibility and balance training. I took its inaugural class at my local studio in Raleigh.

Quick backstory: I’ve been taking Pure Barre classes since July 2011. I’ve seen how the OG Classic workout has evolved – and remained the same – over the years. I remember when Classic was 55 minutes and when they added the velcro tubes to it sometime circa 2014-2015. I remember when they branched out in 2016 with Pure Barre Platform (remember that whole confusing double-tap mess?) to compete with cardio workouts such as Soul Cycle. Both of those classes evolved into current class formats. Only level-4 teachers were able to teach the velcro straps class, so it kinda fizzled quickly before adding sliders and re-emerging as Pure Barre Reform in 2018. Platform, which also flamed out, invited wrist weights to the party and became the much better Pure Barre Empower in 2017.

I could be mistaken, but I believe Align evolved out of their stretching/restore Intensive class. Intensives are 30-60 minute classes that focus on one thing and are not a part of the weekly schedule but rather plugged into different time slots a couple of times a month. I’ve actually really enjoyed the few Intensives I’ve taken, particularly a fantastic one I took in July 2021 that was a Classic/Empower/Reform hybrid.

So, what’s the deal with Pure Barre Align? Well, if Platform/Empower was created as a cardio option and Reform for core and resistance, Align strikes me as a Pure Barre/yoga hybrid. (I know it’s probably a legal thing, but I always find it funny when Pure Barre borrows from other workout genres and tries to put their own spin on it, like we don’t know that piking our hips up to stretch is just downward dog lol.) Cheekiness aside, the first half of the class focuses more on strength and balance, including some Pure Barre-ized yoga poses (basic ones like warrior 1, tree, etc.) and gentle ab work. The second half of the class concentrated on stretching. I like yoga, especially hot yoga, but I definitely enjoyed the second half of class more than the first half. Maybe that’s because I don’t stretch as much as I should stretch and when you commit to it, stretching does feel really good. The first half of class wasn’t bad, I just liked the second half better.

The Align class I took was taught by one of my favorite instructors and she did a great job. My Apple Watch showed I burned way more calories than I expected to after a class where I didn’t break a sweat, so that was pretty neat. Overall, however, at this time, I don’t think Align will be a part of my regular Pure Barre routine. I generally buy the class packs, and since I only have a finite amount of classes I can take, I am going to stick to the classes that are more of a workout because that’s what I (personally) go to Pure Barre for. Even if I did do the 8-class per month membership, I absolutely would only use those 2 classes a week to take one of the other formats. If I had an unlimited class pack, I think I would supplement with it on a somewhat regular basis because I liked Align. But for now, I’ll stick to one of the other three class formats and save Align for when I’m really sore and need that specific type of class.

If you’ve taken Pure Barre Align, let me know what you thought!

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Broadcast Bloopers & Lots of Links to Listen!

Posted on January 9, 2023 by Colleen

Hello, Happy New Year! In keeping with years of tradition, The Broadcast’s bi-annual bloopers show kicked off the new year. It contains all of the bloopers and outtakes from season 7, episodes 1 – 23. I hope you give it a listen and laugh along with us!

Listen to “Ep. 7.24 “Bloopers & Outtakes 9″” on Spreaker.

A quick catch-up on our final couple of episodes in 2022 that I haven’t featured on here yet:

      • Ep. 7.22 “You Just Got Christmas Caroled!”
        Good afternoon! Let’s discuss some holiday movies! But before we do, Colleen has a life hack for avoiding the flu, and Shandy performed in a choir! The movies discussed this year are: Falling for Christmas, Spirited, Christmas With You, A Christmas Story Christmas, A Muppet Family Christmas, Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas Special, A Christmas Catch, Violent Night, Your Christmas Or Mine?, and more. **The timestamp for Spirited is 52:00 – 1:04 (give or take for commercials).** 
      • Ep. 7.23 “Good Afternoon, 2022”
        Happy The Whole Shebang! Amanda, Shandy, and Colleen are joined live over Zoom for their last new episode of 2022! They talk about The Muppets’ Christmas Carol v Mickey’s Christmas Carol, the World Cup final match, and the Sister Swap movies. Kayla’s Holiday Movie Trivia is back! Do you want the moon, Mary? The Broads and listeners give their 2023 New year’s resolutions as Gott learns this is an explicit podcast.

Since it’s a new year, here’s a handy list of some of the platforms you can subscribe to and/or listen to The Broadcast on. I’ll post this in list form to make it easier to skim. If you’re searching for us on another platform or to add us to whatever app you use, you may have better luck searching for us as “The Broadcast with Amanda, Shandy, and Colleen” since there are a few other shows called The Broadcast.

Additionally, the audio from all of the Jay + Jack Productions podcasts get uploaded automatically to this YouTube channel, so if listening that way is your thing, there you go!

Let me know if you want me to add us to something else and I’ll do my best to do so! Otherwise, cheers! Happy 2023!

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Santa, Not Satan.

Posted on December 10, 2022 by Colleen

I found this ornament while searching for Wordle-related swag on Etsy. It’s a bold choice to make the word above SANTA clearly be SATAN.

(I posted this on Twitter last week, but it’s delighted me enough that in the event that Twitter really does ever go down [TWSS], I wanted to share it here as well.)

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The Broadcast Ep. 7.21 “One Kitten of Christmas”

Posted on December 9, 2022 by Colleen

Episode 7.21 of The Broadcast came out this morning! On this episode, Shandy introduces us to the newest member of her family, her little kitten Lina. Picture above! This episode was short and sweet and a lot of fun to record.

Next week’s episode is dedicated to talking about holiday movies. This is one of my favorite episodes of the year! This year, some of the movies we’re talking about will be Spirited, A Christmas Story Christmas, Christmas With You, A Muppet Family Christmas, and, of course, Lindsay Lohan’s Falling for Christmas. I’m also going to talk about the Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas special.

Official description:

On this week’s episode, Shandy introduces the newest member of her family, Lina, and learns about Whamageddon while Amanda did a new form of adulting, and Colleen shares Buzzfeed stories about the biggest high school scandals.

You can listen to the latest episode below or via jayandjack.com, iTunes, Spreaker, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, etc. You may have better luck searching for us as “The Broadcast with Amanda, Shandy, and Colleen” since there are a few other shows called The Broadcast.

Listen to “Ep. 7.21 “One Kitten of Christmas”” on Spreaker.

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Big Mac Sloppy Joes!!

Posted on December 8, 2022 by Colleen

Last week, we decided to try a recipe for Big Mac Sloppy Joes. I LOVE Sloppy Joes of all kinds. I’ve tried a Pinterest-inspired Sloppy Joe Grilled Cheese before and we still make a BBQ Sloppy Joe recipe that we got from Blue Apron back in 2016.

This was easy to make and absolutely delicious. It got a rare two thumbs up from all four members of our household. Jay & I made them together (he browned the meat and I put all of the ingredients together) and I wanna say it took us maybe 30-35 minutes from start to finish because we moved a bit slowly trying to make sure we had all of the ingredients measured and mixed correctly.

We made both the double-decker and single-layer versions. I wanted to try it in all of its glory, but Jay and the kids were good with a smaller-sized burger, haha. There were leftovers so when I made myself one on a following night, I only did one layer.

Anyways, here’s the recipe. Happy Eating!

Ingredients:

    • 1lb of ground beef (85/15)
    • 1/2 finely chopped yellow onion
    • 1/4 cup of chopped hamburger pickles
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground pepper
    • 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce

Ingredients for McDonald’s Secret Sauce:

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Movie Review: The Menu

Posted on December 6, 2022 by Colleen

A couple of weeks ago, Jay and I saw the movie, “The Menu,” with Ralph Finnes, Anya Taylor Joy, and Nicholas Holt. We didn’t know much about it going into it other than the trailer:

I’m glad we went in fairly blindly. This movie is not at all what we expected it to be – and for once, that was a good thing. It’s dark, funny, and even though you strongly suspect midway through how it will end, it still wraps up in a profound, unexpected way. The ending – and the entire movie in general – really made me think about it, too. I liked it a lot.

I don’t want to say too much more about the plot other than that because I don’t want to spoil the fun for anyone, but here is the general premise: An world-famous chef hosts these elaborate, exclusive, multi-course dinners for the elite on a remote island. Getting tickets is basically a status symbol. One weekend, a young couple (Joy and Hoult) manage to score a table. Other diners include a wealthy couple, a bunch of hedge fund bros, a famous food critic, and an actor and his assistant. Let’s just say the evening does not go as planned for anyone. Mild spoiler: There are a few scenes that are graphic in terms of violence and – more importantly – *Trigger Warning for on-screen suicide.*

As I said above, I really liked The Menu and am glad I didn’t know the plot beforehand because if I did, I don’t know if I’d have gone to see it. The writing was clever, suspenseful and humorous and acting was great. I cannot see anyone other than Ralph Fiennes playing Chef. Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult were both great in their respective roles. I also need to go a shout out to Hong Chau (Lady Trieu from Watchmen), who plays the head server in Chef’s restaurant. She’s absolutely fantastic.

Okay! I’ll say no more. If you saw The Menu, let me know what you thought in the comments!

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#GlatSquared Took Some Pictures

Posted on November 24, 2022 by Colleen

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American friends who are celebrating today! And Happy Thursday to everyone else out there. 🙂

It’s cliché but I have a lot to be thankful for this year, starting with my wonderful little family, whom I love and live for every single day. Zach and Alex are the absolute best and it’s just incredible getting to watch them grow up. I hit the partner jackpot with Jay, who somehow still loves and supports me despite all of my many flaws and struggles. I am a lot to live with and barely get by some days, yet he puts up with my Shit-Show Energy and embraces it in ways that I cannot. Thank you. <3

I’ve been wanting to take family pictures for ages and this year, we finally made it happen. The woman who took our pictures, Alyssa, was Zachary’s daycare teacher when he was a year old. She is absolutely wonderful and did such a great job. If you are in the Raleigh, NC area, I will happily give you her contact info if you’d like it. She was a badass when Zach was in her class back in 2015 and she’s still a badass now.

I love how they came out so much. I had picked out my dress thinking we were doing a fall colors shoot and found out two days ahead of time that there were sunflowers! It was an added bonus because I have long wanted to do sunflower pictures but thought that “sunflower season” in NC ended in August. Here are my favorite ones out of the 160 she sent us. I can’t post all of them on social media, so I figured I’d put them here for my own reference in the future.

Happy Thanksgiving, all. I’ll leave you with this mindfuck of a fact that I saw in a meme today: “2023 is just 41 days away and you’re still processing 2019, which is about to be four years ago.” Ahhhhh, so true! Have a great weekend!

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Book Review: Wrong Place, Wrong Time

Posted on November 23, 2022 by Colleen

Last month, I read Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister. I was intrigued after reading a quick blurb about its premise on another website and even though I had/have a stack of books sitting on my dresser waiting to be read, I made an impulse buy and moved it to the top of my list.

I am so glad that I did. It’s a GREAT book. From start to finish, I could not put it down. There were twists that I did not see coming and turns that I spotted from a mile away. I loved it and was sad when I finished it.

Before I get too ahead of myself, the premise of the story is this: a woman, Jen, witnesses her otherwise nerdy, harmless son, Todd, commit a murder just after midnight on October 30, and goes to bed distraught with her husband, Kelly. When she wakes up the next morning, it’s October 29 again. She continues to wake up in reverse, needing to put together the clues that she missed in order to prevent the murder from happening in the future. It’s basically a reverse Russian Doll, which the author mentions in her acknowledgments as the inspiration behind the story.

It’s woven together fantastically from start to finish. You’re along for the ride as Jen uncovers clues that she both lived through the first time around without realizing their significance and discovers for the first time by changing her original actions. She also re-lives important moments that she’d missed out on the first time around. Jen sometimes manages to convince other characters what’s going on with her only to have them forget when she wakes up in an earlier point in the timeline, as they have yet to live that day like she has. It’s just a really great, well-executed concept.

Like I said above, there are plot twists that I definitely did not see coming, which tends to be rare nowadays (#humblebrag). There were also storylines that I saw coming from the moment a character or situation was introduced, haha, though it did not hinder my enjoyment of the novel at all. The side characters and plots are equally engaging and it all weaves together quite nicely in the end. I definitely recommend this book. I’m not sure what other type of books Gillian McAllister writes but I keep meaning to check them out. If you have any suggestions of books by McAllister or similar novels by other authors, please let me know in the comments!

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