The Afternoon Special
Your friend who knows just a little bit too much about pop culture. Each week, join Bobbi Miller as she takes deep dives into everything in pop culture that you never knew to ask about, but now need the answer to.
“I started The Afternoon Special as a series of videos on TikTok to keep me sane in the beginning of the pandemic. Soon, I decided to take my pop culture love to podcasts and The Afternoon Special Podcast was born,” says Bobbi Miller, host and creator of the show, which was chosen as the Apple Podcasts' Spotlight pick for March 2023.
Bobbi, who describes herself on the show as “your friend who know just a little bit too much about pop culture” takes her audience on an eclectic deep dive of topics that range from adult animation to vampires in media, and what makes the perfect holiday special.
“The main approach I have when deciding topics for the show begins with the question of ‘What’s a pop culture question that you didn’t know to ask, but now you’re dying for the answer to?’ and then the episode is born from there,” she says.
Bobbi has great ambitions for the show, but ultimately, she wants to keep it enjoyable for both herself and the audience. “I hope the show will continue to expand into other formats like listen-alongs or live shows,” she says. “No matter what, I just want to make sure the show remains fun. I hope the audience always walks away from each episode either having learned something new or just having had a good time.”
1
2000's How The Grinch Stole Christmas is a Year...
This week's episode is The Afternoon Special podcast's midseason finale and we're spending it by pleading with you for 30 minutes that you should watch 2000's How The Grinch Stole Christmas year round. Perhaps the best episode yet. See you in February 2024 for the second half of season 5! Happy New Year!
36 min
2
Snoopy: Gen Z's Animated Antidepressant
The days are getting shorter. The wind is getting a biting chill to it. Life can start feeling bleak around the holiday season and being frank, I know Seasonal Affective Disorder is kicking major ass right now. In this dark hour, we need a hero. A hero to save us all. And who know that hero would come in a little black and white mute beagle with the alias Joe Cool, or more commonly known as Snoopy. If you’ve been on any social media site, there’s been a bit of a uptick in Snoopy related content of all kinds. Merch hauls, edits, literally anything with Snoopy at the center of it. With most of us watching A Charlie Brown Christmas in the next week, I thought we’d take a deep dive into Snoopy, the world of Peanuts, and get to the core of what makes them effective depression ward offs.
27 min
3
Why May December is the Sleeper Hit of the Year
Last Friday, one of the best films of the year dropped on Netflix. From director Todd Haynes and starring Julianne Moore, Nathalie Portman, and Charles Melton, MAY DECEMBER was a film that was only somewhat on my radar and now I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. It's easily in the top 3 films of the year. This will be a spoiler review so if you’re remotely interested in seeing the film, GO WATCH IT and then come back here to listen.
56 min
4
Irony is Killing Rom Coms
This week’s episode was born out of conversation being had on Twitter. The topic at hand was around why rom coms don’t really feel like rom coms anymore with our irony obsessed culture being the main culprit. We yearn for the days of classic films like When Harry Met Sally or even newer picks like To All The Boys I've Loved Before, an earnest rom com that didn't need to wink and nod to the audience that it was rom com. And that got the wheels of my brain turning. Has irony killed our ability to enjoy an honest rom com? Is an aversion to the cinema’s take on love a sign of our own qualms with love? Were rom coms of the past in need of a fix and this is the answer? This week, we’re going to get to the bottom of this problem with the modern day rom com.
42 min
5
Scott Pilgrim is a Loser and I Can Prove It (Mi...
With the newest edition to the Scott Pilgrimverse, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, premiering on Netflix, I thought I'd finally right a wrong and watch 2010's Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (I know). This week, in a new series (that may only have one episode, you know me) that I'm calling Missed Connections, I look back on Scott Pilgrim with fresh 25 year old eyes and give you my thoughts!
34 min
6
Are The Looney Tunes Going to Save Hollywood?
When you think about Hollywood royalty, you may think about legacy studios or starlets of yesteryear, but when I think about Hollywood royalty, I think about characters and one group of characters that are the epitome of tinseltown nobility is the Looney Tunes. The Tunes of Loon have been in the news a lot recently with the shelving of the live action/animation hybrid film, Coyote vs. Acme by Warner Bros. and this week, we are taking a brief walk through the history of the Looney Tunes, why Hollywood doesn’t know what to do with them, and why they’re so important.
43 min
7
The Curious Case of Betty Boop
Betty Boop. She’s a pop culture icon. She’s recognized the world over for either her signature curls, her signature catchphrase (boop oop be doop), or the fact that she can be found on merch for almost every roadside attraction in America. No matter where from, you know Betty. But who is she? Well, she is the subject of a bit of controversy in recent years on her origins and this week, we’re going to dive into it.
32 min
8
It's Alive!: A Brief-ish History of the Movie M...
Not too long after the invention of film, filmmakers began finding ways to put common emotions to the big screen. Happiness in comedies, sadness in dramas, love in romance. And of course, fear in horror. Horror films hold an important space in film history and is a genre that oftentimes uses a disguised placed mirror to society to source scares. And one common disguise used is the movie monster. Creature features, if you will. Beasts, mummies, lab grown monsters, aliens, and vampires have been terrifying (and/or arousing) audiences for decades and this week, we’re taking a look into a brief-ish history of the movie monster. So if that sounds good to you, let’s get started.
34 min
9
A Dish Best Served Scary: A Look At How Food Ca...
A lot of what scares is centered around consumption, especially in horror movies. Zombies eating our brains. Demons eating our souls. Werewolves eating our flesh. Vampires drinking our blood. So it makes sense that food holds a really interesting place in films intended to terrify us. This week, we’re taking a look into how food is used to scare us in film. Unlike previous food episodes we’ve done, you might want to listen to this one on an empty stomach.
26 min
10
The Kids Don’t Know Their Pop Culture History
Across social media, there have been discussions of Gen Z's pop culture knowledge (or according to some, lack thereof). Thousands of videos and posts claiming that the young generation is not aware of pop culture history and this week, we're going to unpack these claims, decide if they're true, and understand where they come from. WARNING: millennial slander may be heard in episode.
33 min
11
Please Stop Asking Martin Scorsese About The MC...
Your friend who knows just a little bit too much about pop culture is back and for the season premiere, we're tackling Film Twitter's favorite discourse: Martin Scorsese vs. The MCU (or more broadly, franchises). Now before you start sharpening your pitchforks and placing a plague onto my house, this is not an episode to say whether he's right or wrong, is more so meant to provide context for what this discourse is getting at and how we can expand this conversation. Scorsese cinephiles, I come in peace.
51 min
12
Welcome to The Afternoon Special!
Bobbi Miller, your friend who know just a little bit too much about pop culture, is here to take you on your weekly pop culture deep dive. You may recognize her voice from The Afternoon Special on TikTok and Instagram, and she's so excited to continue to explore pop culture's most random topics with you and have a ton of fun along the way!
0 min
13
A message from The Afternoon Special!
This season has been my favorite thus far and I can't tell you how much I appreciate you listening along. The show will be back in the fall with the same pop culture shenanigans that you know and love. See you soon!
2 min
14
The Wonderful Wardrobe of Barbie: The Fashion H...
For the entire month of July, we’ve been covering the world of Barbie and arguably one of the most important and most visible pieces in Barbie decorated history is her impeccable style. In her tenure, Barbie has managed to straddle being styled by some of the biggest fashion houses on the planet while also slaying in simple, chic designs. This week, we’re diving into the fashion history of Barbie.
34 min
15
The Good, The Bad, and The Complicated World of...
Barbie. What a contentious doll. To one group of people she is THE representation of female empowerment. A girl boss, if you will. And to others she’s the opposite and ultimately both are true. This week, we’re diving into the good, the bad, and the complicated of Barbie and seeking to dissect our perception of her.
33 min
16
Plastic It Girl: A History of America’s Favorit...
Unless you’ve been sleeping under a rock, you’ll know that one of the year’s most anticipated films, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie starring Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Issa Rae, and dozens more, releases this month in theatres. And needless to say, the world is tickled pink with excitement. With the excitement of the movie, all of our eyes are on the doll herself, Barbie. Full name Barbara Millicent Roberts. Now if you can tell from the fact that I just casually dropped Barbie’s government name or if you follow me on any social media platform, you know that I’m something of an amateur Barbie expert and this month, I’ll be taking you on a deep dive into the world of Barbie.
42 min
17
The Afternoon Special News Hour - Superman: Leg...
In the very first edition of The Afternoon Special News Hour, we're covering all the biggest pop culture stories from this week, including a major casting announcement for DC's Superman: Legacy, all the details on how you can stay at Ken and Barbie's real life Malibu Dreamhouse, and the letter signed over 1000 A-List actors to SAG-AFTRA and what it means for the ongoing WGA strike. Later in the episode, we say goodbye to Riverdale and Bobbi shares a potentially damning revelation on her experience watching Dune.
35 min
18
A Special Announcement from The Afternoon Speci...
No new normal episode this week but, join me on Friday for the first edition of The Afternoon Special News Hour! This will be the perfect way to kick off your weekend by recapping all of pop culture's biggest moments from this week.
1 min
19
Top 5 Best Spider-Man Films (with Emily Uribe!)
Our celebration of all things Spider-Man continues this week with what I’m calling a definitive and absolute correct ranking of top 5 best Spider-Man movies as decided by me and my very special guest this week. My guest is actress, fashion icon in the making, and TikTok extraordinaire, Emily Uribe.
87 min
20
The Greatest Comic Book Movie Ever Is Full of S...
This month, we’re doing a little mini series on our favorite masked web slinger, Spider-Man! However, unlike most months where we start with a history lesson, we’re starting this month with a review. I had the privilege of attending the premiere for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse and I would be remiss if I didn’t kick this series off gushing about one of the most important films released in recent history. (And don't worry, this is a spoiler AND non-spoiler review!)
33 min
21
The Afternoon Special Movie Club Episode 1: Jur...
We're kicking off the inaugural episode of The Afternoon Special Movie Club with an absolute classic, Jurassic Park! This is a full listen along/watch along episode with Bobbi's commentary (and general nonsense), that's perfect to throw on while you celebrate the 30th anniversary watching the 1993 film.
121 min
22
A Special Announcement from The Afternoon Speci...
No new normal episode this week but, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of a cinematic classic and one of my favorite films of all time, Jurassic Park, we’ll be doing a special listen-along style episode where you can watch the movie along with me. So, it may not be the best episode for a commute, but it’s the perfect episode if you’re looking for some plans this weekend and you don’t mind watching a movie with someone who is a chronic fun fact sharer (AKA Bobbi). Listen-along episode will be up on Friday, June 9th!
1 min
23
Disney Princess Tournament (with Cinema Joe!)
To cap off a fun month of waxing poetic about Disney Princesses, we're bringing in the host of the House of Cinema podcast and friend of the show, Joe to engage in a hilarious Disney Princess tournament!
91 min
24
In Defense and Opposition of Disney Princesses
When talking about Disney Princess for the last few weeks, I’ve highlighted briefly how complex they are. Depending on who you ask, they can be beacons for female representation and the power of dreaming or they are anti-women figures used only to hock Disney merchandise at young impressionable viewers. This week, in our penultimate episode on a month long deep dive into the world of Disney Princesses, we’re assessing the good, the bad, and the misunderstood about them.
34 min
25
The Story of The (little) Mermaid Who Saved Disney
For the past few weeks, we’ve been exploring the history and music of the Disney Princess and we discovered that at many key points in history, they have been the guiding light for Disney. However, you’ll also remember that for a time, Disney was in a really bad place as a studio and a company in general. The studio needed something new and who do you turn to? A mermaid, of course. This week, we're taking a look at the production history of 1989's The Little Mermaid.
44 min