It’s the day after Memorial Day, and we reflect on our distance from military conflict and Sarah’s first podcast-related injury. After revealing our new summer looks (Nancy looks very Gwen Stefani in her lavender chiffon; Sarah’s wearing the same yellow housedress she has on every day, a la Jeff Goldblum in The Fly), we share notes on Ricky Gervais and Super Nature, comedy’s right to offend, and the concept of “punching down.”
What depresses us about Depp-Heard: Nancy on fabricating abuse, Sarah on the polarized nature of legal arguments, which reminds her of Twitter and the culture wars. What we didn’t learn much about in this trial: defamation. But what we love is our listeners, whose letters we’ll read in a future episode. Send them in!
Nancy updates us on Chesa Boudin and the Weather Underground before heading to San Francisco. Sarah’s been watching Goodfellas. Has cinema ever had a better opening? (Prove it.) Is it possible women don’t like Goodfellas (and who are those women)? Ray Liotta’s hotness, discussed. Sarah’s bid for a date with Robert De Niro, discussed. Nancy charms us with a New York mafia story from her youth, and drops the cutest accent.
Coming soon: Depp-Heard AMA, and Sarah’s long essay! Nancy’s dispatches on Chesa Boudin recall! But where you come in is those letters. We have the best listeners. Don’t stop now.
Episode notes:
We like Ricky Gervais in Super Nature okay, but have you seen him in The Office. No, not that The Office. Wait…
Ricky Gervais’ Super Nature on Rotten Tomatoes
Camille Vasquez’s closing arguments on Amber Heard’s restraining order (IG video)
Definition of Defamation (say that five times fast) on Wikipedia
The Fifth Column w/ Lara Bazelon: “This Podcast Is Violence”
Ray Liotta for Chantix (Kyle Dunnigan)
Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family by Nicholas Pileggi (Wikipedia)
“Ray Liotta, of ‘Goodfellas’ and ‘Field of Dreams,’ dies at 67,” by Neil Genzlinger (NYT)
Opening of Goodfellas is the best opening ever? Can anyone disprove it?
Goodfellas long tracking shot at New York’s Copacabana night club
Son of Sam laws (First Amendment Encyclopedia)
Sarah couldn’t find the story about women and Goodfellas she once read, but this might have been the instigator on that exchange:
“Women Are Not Capable of Understanding Goodfellas” by Kyle Smith (New York Post)
Ronin, official trailer
Jim Beaver, IMDb page
Debi Mazar (whom Sarah accidentally calls Debi Mazur, with apologies) on IMDb
The Queens of Montague Street, by Nancy Rommelmann (Amazon)
Robert De Niro is not married and 78 years old (verdict: dateable)
Outro: “Layla” (outro), Derek and the Dominoes
15. Robert De Niro Is Sexy Full Stop