Curated by Chance

Episode 70: Broad on a Couch This week’s prompts: 1717, Arena, Titian Red Neal and Lauren kick off the post–Thanksgiving stretch with an episode powered by heating pads, sunglasses, and sheer stubbornness. Neal shows up bundled in a hood, nursing shoulder pain and a barometric-pressure headache, while Lauren juggles the last week of classes, giant waitlists, and adjunct life. Neal takes “Arena” (and a little bit of “Titian Red”) straight into The Running Man (1987), the gaudy, neon-drenched Arnold Schwarzenegger cult classic loosely based on Stephen King’s Richard Bachman novel. He breaks down how the original bleak, globe-spanning manhunt of the book got reshaped into a gladiatorial TV deathmatch; why King refused to have his real name on the movie; and how the film swaps an everyman desperate to save his sick daughter for an ultra-jacked, framed helicopter pilot with an endless supply of one-liners. From American Gladiators–style stalkers (Fireball! Sub-Zero! Dynamo in a light-up diaper!) to Richard Dawson’s inspired turn as sadistic game show host Damon Killian, Neal unpacks the casting, the chaotic production history (multiple directors, Starsky-as-director Paul Michael Glaser, and hurt feelings from Arnold), and the bizarrely prescient “deepfake” climax that confused 1980s audiences. He also looks ahead to Edgar Wright’s new, more book-faithful adaptation starring Glenn Powell — complete with a blessing from Arnold himself. Meanwhile, Lauren grabs “Titian Red” and delivers a lush, art-historical love letter to Titian, the 16th-century Venetian master whose women, fabrics, and hair basically rewired Western painting. She traces his path from Bellini workshop kid to international court painter for dukes, popes, and emperors; explains how his portrait Man with a Quilted Sleeve inspired Rembrandt; and then settles into a sensual close-reading of the Venus of Urbino. Is she a mythic goddess? A high-end courtesan? A new bride waiting in a palace bedroom while the ladies root through her dowry chest? Lauren breaks down the jewelry, the sleepy dog of fidelity, the flowers, the direct eye contact, and why a bit of strategic nudity plus a mythological fig leaf made it “okay” for a not-so-celibate cardinal-in-training to hang in his room. She closes with Titian’s late “magic impressionism,” his plague-era death, and how “Titian hair” became shorthand for rich red locks all the way to Anne of Green Gables. In between, the two take a detour into modern stardom and the Glenn Powell Industrial Complex: Tom Cruise mentorship, Hollywood’s desperate search for the next capital-M Movie Star, Roman Reigns as a wrestling parallel, and why the studio machine trying to manufacture a “relatable leading man” feels a lot more obvious in the age of Instagram, fan cams, and micro-fandoms. PLUS:🎮 The Running Man as proto–reality TV fever dream📺 Richard Dawson weaponizing his game show charm as a dystopian villain⚡ Opera-singing stalkers, flamethrowers, and the most 80s cast list imaginable🖼️ Titian’s Venus of Urbino and the long, horny history of “it’s not porn, it’s mythology”🧡 “Titian red” hair, Renaissance fashion as identity, and why jewelry makes nudes feel even more naked🌟 Glenn Powell, Tom Cruise, and Hollywood’s struggle to mint a new generation of marquee names Next week’s prompts: Goldenrod, 919, Hat Join us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/curatedbychance Check Out Lauren’s Substack:👉 https://ltlikesthis.substack.com/ Follow the show and its creators on Instagram:🎧 The Show – @curatedbychance🎨 Lauren – @paisleylo🎬 Neal – @nealefischer 📧 E-mail us: curatedbychance@gmail.com Hear Neal each week on Triviality Podcast – Subscribe now!Listen to Lauren on Miss Information Podcast – Subscribe now! 📘 Order Neal’s newest book Law & Order: SVU – Confidential (out October 14):👉 https://geni.us/HPgeZ And for more Neal in your life:🌐 www.linktr.ee/nealefischer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 69: Podcast Therapy This week’s prompts: Turquoise, 110, Watermark Neal and Lauren fight through Thanksgiving-week chaos, closet recording, AirPods audio, and a brutal Zoom delay to bring you an episode that accidentally turns into group therapy — in the best way. Lauren takes “turquoise” straight to the American Southwest by way of Wisconsin with a rich, nuanced dive into the life and work of Georgia O’Keeffe. From her early training at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Students League, to her complicated relationship with photographer and champion Alfred Stieglitz, Lauren traces how O’Keeffe moved from charcoal abstraction to monumental flowers, New York skyscrapers, and the bone-and-desert landscapes of Ghost Ranch. Along the way, she busts the “vagina flower” myth, talks about O’Keeffe’s resistance to being labeled a “woman artist,” and explains why the artist’s prickly independence still makes her feel so modern — even as her paintings disappear into private collections. Meanwhile, Neal grabs the “110” prompt and goes full pressure-cooker with Falling Down (1993), Joel Schumacher’s tense, divisive portrait of a man who absolutely should have gone to therapy instead of terrorizing Los Angeles. He walks us through Michael Douglas’s infamous D-FENS — short-sleeve shirt, flat-top, briefcase, and all — and the film’s odyssey structure, from the overpriced soda in the corner store to the legendary Whammy Burger breakfast meltdown and a horrifying detour through a neo-Nazi surplus shop. Neal digs into the film’s early-’90s LA context, its connection to American rage, economic anxiety, and white male grievance, and why the final “I’m the bad guy?” moment still hits uncomfortably hard. Then, in true Podcast Therapy fashion, the conversation swerves into real talk: male loneliness, the thin line between anger and sadness, revenge as a brain addiction, and why misery might be more contagious than we think. Lauren breaks down anger and grief as “roommates,” Neal brings in a book about the neuroscience of revenge, and together they make a compelling case that a lot of what we call “snapping” is really untreated sadness… plus a broken air conditioner. PLUS:💐 Georgia O’Keeffe’s flowers, bones, and “witch of the Southwest” era🏜️ Ghost Ranch, feminist iconography, and why she hated everyone’s interpretations🚗 Road rage, the 110, and the early-’90s LA anxiety baked into Falling Down🍔 The Whammy Burger scene and the fantasy of yelling “this doesn’t look like the picture!”🧠 Anger vs. sadness, revenge circuitry, and why men will literally shoot up Los Angeles instead of going to therapy Next week’s prompts: 1717, Arena, Titian Red Join us Patreon: www.Patreon.com/curatedbychance Check Out Lauren’s Substack:👉 https://ltlikesthis.substack.com/ Follow the show and its creators on Instagram:🎧 The Show – @curatedbychance🎨 Lauren – @paisleylo🎬 Neal – @nealefischer 📧 E-mail us: curatedbychance@gmail.com Hear Neal each week on Triviality Podcast – Subscribe now!Listen to Lauren on Miss Information Podcast – Subscribe now! 📘 Order Neal’s newest book Law & Order: SVU – Confidential (out October 14):👉 https://geni.us/HPgeZ And for more Neal in your life:🌐 www.linktr.ee/nealefischer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 68: Maybe It’s Ghibelline This week’s prompts: Charcoal, Record, 1265, Story Neal and Lauren dive into political chaos, medieval poetry beef, and paranoid thrillers for an episode that swings from 13th-century Florence to 1980s Philadelphia. Lauren takes the year 1265 and spins it into a fiery tour through Dante Alighieri’s life, exile, enemies, and the giant, cosmic fanfiction we now call The Divine Comedy. She breaks down the Guelphs vs. Ghibellines feud (and then the even pettier White vs. Black Guelph split), how Dante wrote in Italian instead of Latin to reshape an entire language, and why Beatrice lives rent-free in the author’s imagination. From the nine circles of Hell to that iconic three-part afterlife road trip with Virgil as tour guide, Lauren untangles how one poet turned politics, heartbreak, and theology into the most influential self-insert narrative in history. Meanwhile, Neal takes “Record” literally with Brian De Palma’s Blow Out (1981) — the sound-obsessed, paranoia-drenched thriller where John Travolta accidentally captures audio evidence of an assassination. Neal digs into De Palma’s cinematic lineage, how Blow Out riffs on Blow-Up and The Conversation, why the film basically invented its own genre of political dread, and the glorious insanity of the director’s beloved split-diopter shots. Expect Travolta love, Nancy Allen appreciation, Lithgow creepiness, and a crash-course in De Palma’s entire filmmaking DNA. PLUS:🔥 Dante’s exile and the pettiest political grudges of medieval Italy📚 Why The Divine Comedy shaped the afterlife in Western art🎙️ Blow Out and the conspiracy thriller hall of fame🔪 John Lithgow doing John Lithgow things🎥 Split diopters, deep focus, and De Palma’s visual mischief BLOW OUT FULL FILM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z20y1YqCc0Y SPLIT DIOPTER SHORT EXPLANATION:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6HkQvH5QvM Next week’s prompts: Turquoise, 110, Watermark Join us on Patreon: www.Patreon.com/curatedbychance Check Out Lauren’s Substack:👉 https://ltlikesthis.substack.com/ Follow the show and its creators on Instagram:🎧 The Show – @curatedbychance🎨 Lauren – @paisleylo🎬 Neal – @nealefischer 📧 E-mail us: curatedbychance@gmail.com Hear Neal each week on Triviality Podcast – Subscribe now!Listen to Lauren on Miss Information Podcast – Subscribe now! 📘 Pre-Order Neal’s newest book Law & Order: SVU – Confidential (out October 14):👉 https://geni.us/HPgeZ And for more Neal in your life:🌐 www.linktr.ee/nealefischer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 67: Sisyphean Endeavor This week’s prompts: Automatic, Peach, 88 Neal and Lauren brave snow, slush, and Sisyphean car scraping for a cozy winter episode filled with musicals, surrealism, and just the right amount of existential dread. Neal kicks things off by greasing the wheels of nostalgia with Grease (1978) — the leather-clad, pop-perfect, Chicago-born musical that became a worldwide phenomenon. He dives into the scrappy origins of the stage show at Kingston Mines, its wild Broadway success, and the unlikely road to Hollywood superstardom. You’ll learn how Travolta stole a solo, how Olivia Newton-John got sewn into her pants, and why half the cast was pushing thirty while pretending to be in homeroom. From the palm-tree fights to the palm-sweat dance scenes, Neal proves that Grease remains the slickest high school fantasy ever committed to film. Meanwhile, Lauren spotlights British surrealist Eithel Colquhoun, a painter, writer, and practicing occultist who turned the mystical and macabre into fine art. She explores Colquhoun’s lifelong obsession with alchemy, magic, and androgyny; her expulsion from the British Surrealist Group for being “too into the occult”; and the recent Tate St. Ives retrospective that finally gave her due. From her saturated pastels and coral-toned dreamscapes to her fascination with the body as landscape, Colquhoun emerges as a forgotten visionary who painted femininity as both spiritual and subversive. PLUS: 🩰 Why Grease began in a Chicago trolley barn 🎤 The hickeys, heartbreak, and heat exhaustion behind Rydell High 🎨 Surrealist spellcraft and the art of “automatic” painting 🔮 Eithel Colquhoun’s occult feminism and androgynous visions 🕯️ When artists are literally too witchy for the art world Next week’s prompts: Charcoal, Record, 1265, Story Check Out Lauren’s Substack: 👉 https://ltlikesthis.substack.com/ Join The Curated By Chance Music League (Round 4 Sign Up): 👉 https://app.musicleague.com/l/6704df400ff1429186ef8bb85e56a488/ Follow the show and its creators on Instagram: 🎧 The Show – @curatedbychance 🎨 Lauren – @paisleylo 🎬 Neal – @nealefischer 📧 E-mail us: curatedbychance@gmail.com Hear Neal each week on Triviality Podcast – Subscribe now! Listen to Lauren on Miss Information Podcast – Subscribe now! 📘 Pre-Order Neal’s newest book Law & Order: SVU – Confidential (out October 14): 👉 https://geni.us/HPgeZ And for more Neal in your life: 🌐 www.linktr.ee/nealefischer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 66: One Night at Pita Pit This week’s prompts: Bear, Five, German Lauren takes us deep into the strange and hypnotic world of Grizzly Man (2005), Werner Herzog’s haunting documentary about Timothy Treadwell, the self-proclaimed bear protector who lived — and died — among Alaska’s brown bears. She explores Herzog’s icy narration, the infamous unseen audio tape, and the way the director blurs the line between empathy and existential dread. Along the way, we get side trips through Burden of Dreams, My Best Fiend, and a Herzog TikTok rabbit hole that proves the director might just be one long performance piece. Meanwhile, Neal celebrates the strange majesty of German cinema — from the Expressionist shadows of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari to Karl Freund, the cinematographer who quite literally unchained the camera and later revolutionized sitcoms with I Love Lucy. He traces how Weimar–era innovations birthed horror classics like Dracula and The Mummy, and why every three-camera comedy owes a debt to one very determined German technician. PLUS:🐻 The doomed devotion of Grizzly Man🎥 When Herzog promised to eat his shoe — and did🧛 How Nosferatu inspired Hollywood horror📺 The German who lit I Love Lucy (and every sitcom since)💀 Werner Herzog: philosopher, filmmaker, and accidental meme lord Next week’s prompts: Automatic, Peach, 88 Join our Patreon (New Tiers): www.patreon.com/curatedbychance Check Out Lauren’s Substack:👉 https://ltlikesthis.substack.com/ Join The Curated By Chance Music League (Round 4 Sign Up):👉 https://app.musicleague.com/l/6704df400ff1429186ef8bb85e56a488/ Follow the show and its creators on Instagram:🎧 The Show – @curatedbychance🎨 Lauren – @paisleylo🎬 Neal – @nealefischer 📧 E-mail us: curatedbychance@gmail.com Hear Neal each week on Triviality Podcast – Subscribe now!Listen to Lauren on Miss Information Podcast – Subscribe now! 📘 Order Neal’s newest book Law & Order: SVU – Confidential:👉 https://geni.us/HPgeZ And for more Neal in your life:🌐 www.linktr.ee/nealefischer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 65: Inherent Vice... but not the movie Prompts: 1220, Sage, Newspaper We’re back to our regularly scheduled programming! After a mini panic involving corrupted files and cloud sleuthing, Neal and Lauren are reunited in glorious audio form. Thank you, Riverside, and thank you, listeners, for your patience! In this episode, Neal grabs the morning edition and dives deep into His Girl Friday (1940) — Howard Hawks’s screwball masterpiece that forever changed Hollywood dialogue. You’ll hear about Cary Grant’s rapid-fire wit, Rosalind Russell’s secret joke writer, the gender-flipped origin story from The Front Page, and why the movie’s 191-page script clocks in at over 300 words a minute. Neal breaks down Hawks’s deceptively simple directing style, the film’s public-domain afterlife, and how His Girl Friday helped shape everything from Gilmore Girls to Aaron Sorkin. Then Lauren turns the page to fine art and unpacks the life and legacy of Jasper Johns — the still-living legend of postwar American art. From flags and targets to encaustic wax and found newspapers, she traces how Johns blurred the line between abstraction and realism, pioneered “things the mind already knows,” and shared a creative (and romantic) spark with Robert Rauschenberg. Expect lessons in preservation, a crash course in art movements, and the revelation that Johns plans to turn his Connecticut estate into a creative haven after his death. Also this week:📬 A new patron joins the Curated by Chance family.📚 Book Club updates (and a few reader confessions).🪶 A porch-side dad review! Join us on Patreon to help the show!: www.patreon.com/curatedbychance Next week’s prompts have been drawn: Bear, 5, and German. What could possibly go wrong? Check Out Lauren’s Substack:👉 https://ltlikesthis.substack.com/ Join The Curated by Chance Music League (Round 4 Sign Up):👉 https://app.musicleague.com/l/6704df400ff1429186ef8bb85e56a488/ Follow the show and its creators on Instagram:🎧 The Show – @curatedbychance🎨 Lauren – @paisleylo🎬 Neal – @nealefischer 📧 E-mail us: curatedbychance@gmail.com Hear Neal each week on Triviality Podcast – subscribe now!Listen to Lauren on Miss Information Podcast – subscribe now! 📘 Pickup Neal's newest book Law & Order: SVU – Confidential (out October 14):👉 https://geni.us/HPgeZ 🌐 For more Neal in your life: www.linktr.ee/nealefischer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 64: It Go Up Prompts: Crimson, 1514, Scream Part two of our first-ever split episode experiment! Last week, Lauren took us deep into Raphael, the Renaissance bromance, and a corrupted file fiasco. This week, Neal takes the mic to resurrect horror—literally. Neal dives into Scream (1996), the Wes Craven–directed, Kevin Williamson–penned meta-slasher that saved an entire genre. From the true-crime story that inspired it to the 12-year-old who convinced Craven to direct, this one’s packed with the behind-the-scenes chaos that made Scream a cult legend. You’ll hear how Drew Barrymore changed horror history, how the Weinsteins nearly fired Wes Craven over the dailies, and how a random Halloween store mask became Ghostface. Plus:🎬 The voice actor who turned “What’s your favorite scary movie?” into an icon📺 Why Scream led to Dawson’s Creek💀 The NC-17 fight, the infamous Santa Rosa school board snub, and why “Faster, better, more blood” became the mantra on set Lauren gets her dad’s porch-side review (spoiler: “No likey”), and the curators debate couple costumes, haunted house plans, and the perfect fall shower window breeze. Let us know if you’re liking our new “one topic per curator” format—it’s an experiment, but we’re here for it! Join us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/curatedbychance Check Out Lauren’s Substack:👉 ltlikesthis.substack.com Join The Curated By Chance Music League (Round 4 Sign Up):👉 https://app.musicleague.com/l/6704df400ff1429186ef8bb85e56a488/ Follow the show and its creators on Instagram:🎧 The Show – @curatedbychance🎨 Lauren – @paisleylo🎬 Neal – @nealefischer 📧 E-mail us: curatedbychance@gmail.com Hear Neal each week on Triviality Podcast – Subscribe now!Listen to Lauren on Miss Information Podcast – Subscribe now! 📘 Purchase Neal’s newest book Law & Order: SVU – Confidential (out October 14):👉 https://geni.us/HPgeZ And for more Neal in your life:🌐 www.linktr.ee/nealefischer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 63: Warrior Pope Prompts: Crimson, 1514, Scream First of all curators, thank you for your patience! We recorded a great episode and ALL our files were corrupted! We lost basically 90 minutes of great content. We dug deep, and were able to get a backup of a backup of a backup from our recording program. It might be slightly lesser quality, but it's preserved! In this episode, Lauren tackles one of the holy trinity of renaissance painters, Raphael, and some of his artworks and relationship with Michelangelo! It truly sounds like they could have had a buddy cop movie relationship. Then... Surprise! Since Lauren gave us a really interesting and exhaustive look at Raphael, and the file conundrum, we decided to split our topics into two episodes. So you'll hear Neal talk about his topic, in-depth, next week. Let us know how you like this format. I.e. one of us talks about a topic for the 45-60 minutes which might open up some more conversational aspects. It's an experiment and we're here for it! Have no fear, next week is Neal's topic, and then we'll go back to regularly scheduled programming unless you like this format and we can experiment more! Huzzah! Join us on Patreon (New Tiers!) https://www.patreon.com/curatedbychance Check Out Lauren’s Substack:👉 ⁠https://ltlikesthis.substack.com/⁠ Join The Curated By Chance Music League (Round 4 Sign Up):👉 ⁠https://app.musicleague.com/l/6704df400ff1429186ef8bb85e56a488/⁠ Follow the show and its creators on Instagram:🎧 The Show – ⁠@curatedbychance⁠🎨 Lauren – ⁠@paisleylo⁠🎬 Neal – ⁠@nealefischer⁠ 📧 E-mail us: ⁠curatedbychance@gmail.com⁠ Hear Neal each week on Triviality Podcast – Subscribe now!Listen to Lauren on Miss Information Podcast – Subscribe now! 📘 Purchase Neal’s newest book Law & Order: SVU – Confidential (out October 14):👉 ⁠https://geni.us/HPgeZ⁠ And for more Neal in your life:🌐 ⁠www.linktr.ee/nealefischer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 62: Dad Reviews from the Porch This week’s prompts: Justice, 79, Platinum It’s the Curated by Chance new year, and Neal and Lauren celebrate their “paper” anniversary with horses, hats, and ghost directors. Neal saddles up for Tombstone (1993), the cult Western classic that survived chaos, cast shakeups, and a ghost director—literally. He dives into Kurt Russell’s secret takeover, Val Kilmer’s ice-cold commitment as Doc Holliday, and how Tombstone beat Kevin Costner’s rival Wyatt Earp to the draw. You’ll learn about on-set meltdowns, 134-degree wool suits, and why even Bob Dylan couldn’t stop quoting the film. Meanwhile, Lauren unpacks the sugar-coated genius (and controversy) of artist Kara Walker’s 2014 installation A Subtlety, a massive sphinx made of sugar inside Brooklyn’s Domino Sugar Factory. From its towering form and commentary on race and labor to its uneasy reception among largely white audiences, Lauren explores how Walker uses beauty, history, and shock to confront viewers with America’s racist past. Plus: an accidental detour into equine photography, museum insight, and how an artist can lose control of their own work once it’s released into the world. PLUS:🤠 The twin-film showdown of Tombstone vs. Wyatt Earp🍬 Kara Walker’s sugar sphinx and the art world’s sticky double standards🐴 The accidental discovery of horse photographer Carol Walker🩸 Val Kilmer’s bed of ice and the hottest costumes in Western history Join us on Patreon (Stickers, Book Clubs, Film Clubs, Oh My!) https://www.patreon.com/curatedbychance Next week’s prompts: Crimson, 1514, Scream Check Out Lauren’s Substack:https://ltlikesthis.substack.com/ Join The Curated By Chance Music League (Round 4 Sign Up):https://app.musicleague.com/l/6704df400ff1429186ef8bb85e56a488/ Follow the show and its creators on Instagram:The Show – @curatedbychanceLauren – @paisleyloNeal – @nealefischer E-mail us: curatedbychance@gmail.com Hear Neal each week on Triviality Podcast. Subscribe now! Listen to Lauren on Miss Information Podcast! Subscribe now! Pre-Order Neal’s newest book Law & Order: SVU – Confidential (out October 14):https://geni.us/HPgeZ And for more Neal in your life:www.linktr.ee/nealefischer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 61: Dave Bautista in a Wig This week’s prompts: Dice, Aubergine, 150 Lauren returns from France with baguette-fueled stories of business class decadence, wine-fueled tears at the Musée d’Orsay, and a new appreciation for Patrick, the most patient flight attendant in the skies. Somewhere between Bridgemix, focaccia, and a Luther Vandross doc, she finds time to catch The Last Showgirl (2024). Pamela Anderson trades Baywatch red for rhinestones and vulnerability in Gia Coppola’s indie portrait of a Vegas showgirl past her prime, with scene-stealing turns from Jamie Lee Curtis and Dave Bautista (in a wig, no less). Lauren unpacks the film’s vérité style, its bittersweet beats, and how Anderson nearly missed the role thanks to her own agent. Meanwhile, Neal heads to Reno (cinematically) with Hard Eight (1996), Paul Thomas Anderson’s little-seen debut. From Sundance labs to studio battles over the title (Sydney vs. Hard Eight), Neal dives into how PTA fought for his cut, drew powerhouse performances from Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Samuel L. Jackson, and laid the groundwork for Boogie Nights and beyond. It’s a story of craps, character studies, and a director learning how to lose battles but win the war. PLUS:🍷 Lauren’s business-class champagne strategy (spoiler: drink it all)🎭 Pamela Anderson’s comeback and Jamie Lee Curtis going full frosty-lipstick brassy🎲 Casino scams, improvised Philip Seymour Hoffman, and PTA vs. the studios📼 Why The Last Showgirl is Pamela’s The Wrestler Next week’s prompts: Justice, 79, Platinum Support the show on Patreon: www.patreon.com/curatedbychance Check Out Lauren’s Substack:https://ltlikesthis.substack.com/ Join The Curated By Chance Music League (Round 4 Sign Up):https://app.musicleague.com/l/6704df400ff1429186ef8bb85e56a488/ Follow the show and its creators on Instagram:The Show - @curatedbychanceLauren - @paisleyloNeal - @nealefischer E-mail us: curatedbychance@gmail.com Hear Neal each week on Triviality Podcast. Subscribe now! Listen to Lauren on Miss Information Podcast! Subscribe now! Pre-Order Neal’s newest book on Law & Order: SVU coming out October 14th:https://geni.us/HPgeZ And for more Neal in your life:www.linktr.ee/nealefischer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 60: Où sont les toilettes? (AD-FREE) This week’s prompts: Worm, White, 22 Lauren over-caffeinates and contemplates French survival phrases, while Neal unpacks Cold War musicals and desert planets. Together, it’s part history lesson, part space opera geek-out. First, Neal dives into Chess (1986), the Cold War musical born from Tim Rice and the songwriters of ABBA. From concept album origins to a notorious Broadway flop, Neal traces how a story of spies, romance, and rival grandmasters gave us both “One Night in Bangkok” and one of theater’s most beloved cult scores. You’ll hear about Michael Bennett’s abandoned vision, Trevor Nunn’s rewrites, Frank Rich’s brutal review, and why Josh Groban and Idina Menzel helped rescue Chess in concert form. Plus: the upcoming Broadway revival with Aaron Tveit, Lea Michele, and Danny Strong’s new book. Then, Lauren goes full space nerd with Dune (2021/2024), Denis Villeneuve’s sweeping adaptation of Frank Herbert’s saga. From Timothée Chalamet’s brooding Paul to Zendaya’s scene-stealing Chani, Lauren breaks down Bene Gesserit politics, spice-addled blue eyes, sandworm rides, and Stellan Skarsgård’s terrifying Baron Harkonnen. She also explains why Austin Butler’s eyebrow-free Feyd-Rautha might haunt your dreams, and how Villeneuve used infrared cinematography to make Giedi Prime look like a silver gelatin nightmare. PLUS:♟️ How Tim Rice swapped the Cuban Missile Crisis for a chessboard musical🎶 “One Night in Bangkok” climbing to #3 on the Billboard charts🌌 Zendaya > Timmy: Chani finally gets her due🪱 Sandworms, spice, and the practical goo bath you won’t forget Next week’s prompts: Dice, Aubergine, 150 Support us on Patreon (New Tiers!) www.patreon.com/curatedbychance Check Out Lauren’s Substack:https://ltlikesthis.substack.com/ Look out for another round of Music League next week! Follow the show and its creators on Instagram:The Show - @curatedbychanceLauren - @paisleyloNeal - @nealefischer E-mail us: curatedbychance@gmail.com Hear Neal each week on Triviality Podcast. Subscribe now! Listen to Lauren on Miss Information Podcast! Subscribe now! Pre-Order Neal’s newest book on Law & Order: SVU coming out October 14th below:https://geni.us/HPgeZ And for more Neal in your life, click here:www.linktr.ee/nealefischer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 59: We All Should Be as Horny as Sabrina Carpenter This week’s prompts: Reckless, Silver, Hobby, 393 Lauren paints outside the lines with an American icon, while Neal curates four films that span from gritty New York streets to a Bronx stoop. Together, it’s an embarrassment of riches — with a side of erotic bike dancing. First, Lauren dives into the messy brilliance of Jackson Pollock, the volatile pioneer of Abstract Expressionism. From his drip technique and Jungian therapy to CIA-backed exhibitions and fractal analysis, Pollock was as reckless as he was revolutionary. Along the way, Lauren restores credit to overlooked influences like Janet Sobel and Lee Krasner, and explains why Pollock’s chaotic canvases weren’t random splatters but nature itself, repeating in fractal form. Then, Neal takes on all four prompts with a film for each: Reckless → Kids (1995), Larry Clark’s raw indie debut that shocked audiences with its unflinching portrait of New York teens and launched Rosario Dawson’s career. Silver → Quicksilver (1986), Kevin Bacon’s flop-turned-cult curiosity about a stockbroker-turned-bike-messenger, complete with surreal bike dance sequences and a soundtrack by Roger Daltrey, Genesis’ Tony Banks, and Rod Stewart. Hobby → Scrapper (2023), Charlotte Regan’s magical realist gem about a father-daughter bond, pastel dreams, and a scrapyard fort in East London. 393 → A Bronx Tale (1993), Robert De Niro’s heartfelt directorial debut based on Chazz Palminteri’s one-man play, balancing loyalty, family, and mob life in 1960s New York. PLUS:🎨 Fractals, drip paintings, and the Pollock-Shepard CIA connection🚲 Kevin Bacon’s subway poster scavenger hunt (and his bike’s cameo in Brooklyn)📺 Scrapper’s blend of realism and whimsy that wowed Sundance🕶 “Now yous can’t leave”: the most famous barroom lock-in in cinema Next week’s prompts: Worm, White, 22 Help Support The Show on Patreon (New Tiers!) www.Patreon.com/curatedbychance Check Out Lauren’s Substack:https://ltlikesthis.substack.com/ Music League starting up again soon! Follow the show and its creators on Instagram:The Show - @curatedbychanceLauren - @paisleyloNeal - @nealefischer E-mail us: curatedbychance@gmail.com Hear Neal each week on Triviality Podcast. Subscribe now! Listen to Lauren on Miss Information Podcast! Subscribe now! Pre-Order Neal’s newest book on Law & Order: SVU coming out October 14th below:https://geni.us/HPgeZ And for more Neal in your life, click here:www.linktr.ee/nealefischer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 58: Neal's Secret Pop Girlies This week’s prompts: 96, Sphinx, Olive Neal waves the flag for blockbusters, while Lauren summons a Sphinx of her own. Along the way, there’s a detour into pop girlies, concert confessions, and 23 cats. First, Neal revisits Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day (1996), the mega-hit that turned Will Smith into a global star and made us all salute Bill Pullman. From script origins on a Mexican vacation to Fox nearly calling it Doomsday, Neal traces how a scrappy “what if” became a $817 million juggernaut. You’ll hear about Will Smith’s casting fight, Vivica A. Fox’s six auditions, Randy Quaid’s crop-duster redo, and why the White House model only got one glorious explosion. Plus: the Shakespearean roots of that iconic speech, Goldblum improv, KY jelly aliens, and Neal’s very own Bill Pullman connection. Then, Lauren spotlights Leonor Fini, the Argentine-Italian artist, rebel, and self-described Sphinx who defied surrealism’s boys’ club. Raised in disguise, exiled from Catholic schools, and fiercely independent, Fini blurred the line between painter, costume designer, and living artwork. Her haunting portraits, gender-bending sphinxes, and polyamorous household (with two men and 23 cats) cemented her reputation as one of Europe’s most uncompromising 20th-century artists. She refused labels, scorned Breton, dressed as a cardinal, and made art that still electrifies auction houses today. PLUS: 👽 The White House explosion that cost $50,000 (and one take) 🎭 Bill Pullman’s Shakespeare prep and surprise Chicago shoutout 🐈‍⬛ 23 cats, one dinner table, and a lot of attitude 🖼 The 2021 $2.3 million self-portrait that finally gave Fini her flowers Next week’s prompts: Reckless, Silver, Hobby, 393 Help Support The Show On Patreon! (New Tiers!) www.patreon.com/curatedbychance Check Out Lauren’s Substack https://ltlikesthis.substack.com/  Join The Curated By Chance Music League (new round coming next week) Follow the show and its creators on Instagram: The Show - @curatedbychance Lauren - @paisleylo Neal - @nealefischer E-mail us: curatedbychance@gmail.com Hear Neal each week on Triviality Podcast. Subscribe now! Listen to Lauren on Miss Information Podcast! Subscribe now! Pre-Order Neal’s newest book on Law & Order: SVU coming out October 14th below:  https://geni.us/HPgeZ And for more Neal in your life, click here: www.linktr.ee/nealefischer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 57: Two Out of Three Ain't Bad Prompts: Bulb, 37, Mahogany Lauren goes local and Neal goes cult classic. Together, they hit two out of three prompts—and that ain’t bad. First, Lauren spotlights Wendell Castle, the Kansas-born sculptor and furniture designer who became a pillar of 20th-century American craft in Rochester, NY. Known for his stack-laminated mahogany sculptures and trompe l’oeil wooden “tablecloths,” Castle blurred the lines between art and craft, raising everyday objects into fine art. You’ll hear about his teaching at RIT, his collaborations with his wife Nancy Jurs, and why Castle’s chairs, clocks, and blanket chests belong in museums (and maybe your living room). Then, Neal dives into Foxy Brown (1974), Pam Grier’s iconic turn as the fierce, afro-crowned avenger of the Blaxploitation era. From undercover revenge plots to weaponized fashion, Grier reshaped what an action hero could be. Neal traces the film’s roots through director Jack Hill, Roger Corman’s drive-in empire, and the rise (and fall) of Blaxploitation as both empowerment and exploitation. Plus: Isaac Hayes, Blackula, Tarantino, and Neal’s near-arrest while working with Robert Z’Dar and Eddie Munster. PLUS:🪑 Why Wendell Castle’s furniture is both functional and fantastical🎬 The rise and crash of Blaxploitation cinema, from Sweet Sweetback to Superfly🎶 Shaft, Superfly, and the soundtracks that outlived the movies📚 The Curated by Chance Book Club kicks off with Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi Next week’s prompts: 96, Sphinx, Olive Help Support The Show On Patreon! (New Tiers!) www.patreon.com/curatedbychance Check Out Lauren’s Substack https://ltlikesthis.substack.com/  Join The Curated By Chance Music League (RD 2): bit.ly/4iSDSmx Follow the show and its creators on Instagram: The Show - @curatedbychance Lauren - @paisleylo Neal - @nealefischer E-mail us: curatedbychance@gmail.com Hear Neal each week on Triviality Podcast. Subscribe now! Listen to Lauren on Miss Information Podcast! Subscribe now! Pre-Order Neal’s newest book on Law & Order: SVU coming out October 14th below:  https://geni.us/HPgeZ And for more Neal in your life, click here: www.linktr.ee/nealefischer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 56: Living in a Breast Apartment This week’s prompts: 2002, Butter, Fedora Lauren bakes a shepherd’s pie. Neal's been making videos. Everything’s cooking—sometimes literally. This week's episode is a quick fire in the pan trip to two very different destinations. First, Neal dives into Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can (2002), the breezy con-man classic starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks (and Hanks’ very FBI fedora). You’ll hear who almost got the part, how Christopher Walken churned up an Oscar nom with a very relevant speech to today's prompts, and what DP Janusz Kaminski did to achieve the classic look of the film. Plus: Amy Adams’ breakout role, 147 shooting locations in 52 days, and one of John Williams’ jazziest scores. Then, Lauren spotlights the extraordinary life and work of Niki de Saint Phalle, the French-American artist, model, and activist who blurred boundaries between pop, politics, and play. From her bullet-ridden “shooting paintings” to her massive Tarot Garden in Tuscany, her bright, zaftig sculptures masked a turbulent personal life and a fierce commitment to feminism, AIDS awareness, and radical joy. Come for the butter-yellow Nanas, stay for the story of who once called her “the first free woman I have ever seen.” PLUS:🎬 Spielberg’s obsession with two-movie years (2002 was a banger: Minority Report + Catch Me If You Can)🍷 Gin, sacred trees, and other on-set superstitions👩‍🎨 Why Steinem, Yves Saint Laurent, and the Flaming Lips all drew inspiration from Niki de Saint Phalle📚 The Curated by Chance Book Club has officially launched—Lauren's first pick Sept 1! Next week’s prompts: Bulb, 37, Mahogany Help Support Our Show on Patreon: www.Patreon.com/curatedbychance Check Out Lauren’s Substack:https://ltlikesthis.substack.com/ Join The Curated By Chance Music League (RD 2):bit.ly/4iSDSmx Follow the show and its creators on Instagram:The Show - @curatedbychanceLauren - @paisleyloNeal - @nealefischer E-mail us: curatedbychance@gmail.com Hear Neal each week on Triviality Podcast. Subscribe now! Listen to Lauren on Miss Information Podcast! Subscribe now! Pre-Order Neal’s newest book on Law & Order: SVU coming out October 14th below:https://geni.us/HPgeZ And for more Neal in your life, click here:www.linktr.ee/nealefischer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 55: Que Seurat, SeuratThis week’s prompts: Chair, Pews, 1886 Lauren debates pest control theology. Neal is mid-migraine and back pain. Business as usual. From pointillist pixels to loincloths and jungle epics, this episode stretches across art history and ‘80s Hollywood with wildly different (but equally nerdy) results. First, Lauren goes deep into Georges Seurat’s Models (1886), a painting-within-a-painting that doubles as a defiant response to critics. You’ll learn why Seurat’s figures were accused of looking like mannequins, how his dots anticipated both Cubism and CMYK printing, and why Ferris Bueller’s Day Off accidentally made him a household name. Along the way: nudes, parasols, Seurat’s tragic early death, and the tech-meets-art debate that still rages today (yes, even about AI). Then, Neal swings vine-first into Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984), the “highbrow Tarzan” you didn’t know existed. From Robert Towne’s 170-page opus (with a wild Hollywood fact about credit) to Rick Baker’s painstaking ape suits, this is Tarzan like you’ve never seen him—part Merchant Ivory, part monkey business. And one sensual dinner scene that will change how you think about soup forever. PLUS:🎨 Why Seurat might be the unwitting godfather of Photoshop🐒 Glenn Close’s first Tarzan role (and not the one you’re thinking of)🖼️ Photography, AI, and the “is it art?” debate that never dies🍲 Tarzan’s orgasmic soup etiquette📚 The Curated by Chance Book Club has officially launched—Lauren picks the first read September 1st. Next week’s prompts: 2002, Butter, Fedora SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR CHIEF CURATORS ON PATREON! Nate Booster Madeleine Garvey Jennifer Pence Join our Patreon (New Tiers!) www.patreon.com/curatedbychance Check Out Lauren’s Substack https://ltlikesthis.substack.com/  Join The Curated By Chance Music League (RD 2): bit.ly/4iSDSmx Follow the show and its creators on Instagram: The Show - @curatedbychance Lauren - @paisleylo Neal - @nealefischer E-mail us: curatedbychance@gmail.com Hear Neal each week on Triviality Podcast. Subscribe now! Listen to Lauren on Miss Information Podcast! Subscribe now! Pre-Order Neal’s newest book on Law & Order: SVU coming out October 14th below:  https://geni.us/HPgeZ And for more Neal in your life, click here: www.linktr.ee/nealefischer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 54: Jennifer Lopez and The Existential Crisis This week’s prompts: 1519, Lavender, Washer Neal forgets his mic. Lauren triggers an existential crisis. So, basically, everything’s normal. From rom-coms to laudanum-soaked painters, this episode spans centuries and sensibilities as our hosts dig into their latest trio of prompts with very different (but equally fascinating) results. First, Neal breaks down the 2002 J.Lo classic Maid in Manhattan, including the OG Cinderella plot, the Ralph Fiennes miscast magic, and a wardrobe change worthy of Bob Mackie and Harry Winston. You'll learn why John Hughes took his name off the script (and used an Edmond Dantès pseudonym), how the paparazzi derailed filming, and how Ralph Fiennes was used as a decoy during the birth of Bennifer. Plus: a side trip into The Long Good Friday, Stanley Tucci’s excellent angry faces, and why Jennifer Lopez is (maybe) finally choosing herself. Then, Lauren unveils the dark, dreamy world of Symbolist Art, a philosophical, aesthetic, and extremely pervy movement born in the late 19th century. From Edvard Munch's tortured screamers to Redon’s soft pastel cyclops, Klimt’s spiraling mosaic of death and life, and Gustave Moreau’s overwrought divine tragedy, this is your new favorite art history crash course. Come for the lavender, stay for the vampires, nude dreamers, femme fatales, and incomprehensible pig-walking metaphors. Check out the J.LO humbling moment here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1f858q7ON6Q PLUS:🎨 What Symbolism has in common with surrealism, Satanism, and the death of the artist👗 Bob Mackie’s most glam moment not involving Cher💎 48.80 carats of chaos📚 A new $10 Patreon Book Club tier is live—Lauren picks the first read for September🎧 Music League is back and growing💬 Listener love, DMs, and recommendations welcome! Next week’s prompts: Chair, Puce, 1886 Help Support The Show On Patreon! (New Tiers!) www.patreon.com/curatedbychance Check Out Lauren’s Substack https://ltlikesthis.substack.com/  Join The Curated By Chance Music League (RD 2): bit.ly/4iSDSmx Follow the show and its creators on Instagram: The Show - @curatedbychance Lauren - @paisleylo Neal - @nealefischer E-mail us: curatedbychance@gmail.com Hear Neal each week on Triviality Podcast. Subscribe now! Listen to Lauren on Miss Information Podcast! Subscribe now! Pre-Order Neal’s newest book on Law & Order: SVU coming out October 14th below:  https://geni.us/HPgeZ And for more Neal in your life, click here: www.linktr.ee/nealefischer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EPISODE 53: Ninja Leslie Nielsen Summer’s in full swing, the bats are (mostly) gone, and Neal’s first attempt at mowing the lawn was almost a Disney nature documentary—minus the narrator and with a lot more screaming. Lauren’s on bat patrol until “The Batman” (the wildlife kind) cometh, and Patreon member Guy Carter weighs in with a skeleton-running-away-worthy comment. From spiders to baby rabbits to birdhouse injuries, it’s a wild week in the great outdoors… which just confirms that Neal and Colleen are officially indoor kids. But then we get to the good stuff—this week’s prompts (“Chrome, 834, Surfboard”) lead to two very different film deep dives. Lauren revs up for a passionate ode to George Miller’s Mad Max franchise, covering everything from dystopian deserts and practical effects to Jenny Beavan’s award-winning costumes and the legendary Doof Warrior. Neal counterbalances with a trip back to 1993 for the gloriously goofy Surf Ninjas—a martial arts/surf comedy hybrid with Ernie Reyes Jr., Leslie Nielsen as a cyborg villain, Rob Schneider playing a “teenager,” and a prophetic Sega Game Gear. Yes, really. Plus:🎬 The unlikely link between Mad Max and Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris🎮 Why Surf Ninjas’ video game dropped before the movie📚 A new Patreon $10 “Book Club” tier announcement—fiction, nonfiction, and maybe a cozy murder mystery or two🎵 Music League updates and possible future “Movie of the Month” club🦇 Listener bat solidarity stories Prompts for next episode: 1519, Lavender, Washer. Send us your takes, your movie recommendations, and—if you dare—your Surf Ninjas VHS nostalgia. Help Support The Show On Patreon! www.patreon.com/curatedbychance Check Out Lauren’s Substack https://ltlikesthis.substack.com/  Join The Curated By Chance Music League (RD 3): https://app.musicleague.com/l/ccc4372077de4a7da5bf41459e0e497e/ Follow the show and its creators on Instagram: The Show - @curatedbychance Lauren - @paisleylo Neal - @nealefischer E-mail us: curatedbychance@gmail.com Hear Neal each week on Triviality Podcast. Subscribe now! Listen to Lauren on Miss Information Podcast! Subscribe now! Check out Neal's newest book on MrBeast and his other books available now and for pre-order! www.linktr.ee/nealefischer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 52: Bat Babies in My Ear (AD-FREE) This week’s prompts: World War II, Forest Green, 77 If last week was chaos, this week... still chaos. Lauren is podcasting under a blanket like it’s her last line of defense. Welcome to another wildly unpredictable episode of Curated by Chance—complete with dramatic retellings, wartime art dives, and a little Spielberg in between. First up, Neal takes us on a tour of underseen World War II films—including the gritty suspense of The Train (1964), the postwar pain of The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), and the harrowing psychological horror of Come and See (1985). Along the way, we detour through Schindler’s List trivia (Robin Williams was Spielberg’s emotional support system??), Oscar history, and heroic art-saving curators. Then Lauren dives into the art and radical politics of William Gropper. From his gestural murals to his cartoonish critiques of capitalism, Gropper’s work is full of energy, empathy, and Bruegel-esque wit. We cover tragic fires, heroic moms, acrobatic circus comics, Soviet trips, and why being deeply American and deeply critical aren’t mutually exclusive. Also in this episode:– The return of Music League (Volume III launches Friday! Two days! Link below!)– A new prompt pull: Chrome, 834, Surfboard– And why Lauren’s bat was basically Batman Forever-level huge Plus:– Who was almost cast in Schindler’s List (brace yourself)– Why The Train needed a Ferrari to get made– And what happens when your house is 125 years old and full of feelings Help Support Us On Patreon! www.Patreon.com/TrivialityPodcast Check Out Lauren’s Substack https://ltlikesthis.substack.com/  Join The Curated By Chance Music League (RD 3): https://app.musicleague.com/l/ccc4372077de4a7da5bf41459e0e497e/ Follow the show and its creators on Instagram: The Show - @curatedbychance Lauren - @paisleylo Neal - @nealefischer E-mail us: curatedbychance@gmail.com Hear Neal each week on Triviality Podcast. Subscribe now! Listen to Lauren on Miss Information Podcast! Subscribe now! Check out Neal's newest book on MrBeast and his other books available now and for pre-order! www.linktr.ee/nealefischer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 51: Monet, Manet, and a Gentleman Thief This week’s prompts: Parisian, Crown, 540, Fuschia What do you get when a birthday party is interrupted by a hostage situation with a grenade landing in your neighborhood? You get Lauren’s summer. In this episode, Lauren and Neal return with updates from the chaos of everyday life—and a seriously rich deep dive into art history, revolutionary brushstrokes, and one very cranky artist. Lauren breaks down The Judgment of Paris by Ross King, a nonfiction ride through the 1860s that pits old-school battle painter Ernest Meissonier against the boundary-pushing Édouard Manet. From nude scandals to Prussian sieges, the book—and this episode—certainly have it all. Then, Neal takes us on a whirlwind tour through the origins and legacy of gentleman thief Arsène Lupin. Learn about the character’s creation by Maurice Leblanc, his rivalry with Sherlock Holmes and how this French antihero has inspired stage plays, films, anime, and of course, the Netflix hit Lupin. Bonus: a theory about Mr. Peanut you won’t be able to unsee. We talk salons (the French kind), shockingly radical water lilies, and the fight to define what counts as “real” art. Also: a surprise detour into Whistler’s rage issues and a cozy mystery connection you didn’t see coming. Plus:– What happens when your street gets blocked by bomb squads?– Why were 19th-century Frenchmen smacking paintings with riding crops?– And did Lupin inspire Father Brown’s Flambeau? And don’t miss:– A new Patreon idea brewing… book club anyone?– Music League Volume III dropping soon! Check Out Lauren’s Substack https://ltlikesthis.substack.com/  Follow the show and its creators on Instagram: The Show - @curatedbychance Lauren - @paisleylo Neal - @nealefischer E-mail us: curatedbychance@gmail.com Hear Neal each week on Triviality Podcast. Subscribe now! Listen to Lauren on Miss Information Podcast! Subscribe now! Check out Neal's newest book on MrBeast and his other books available now and for pre-order! www.linktr.ee/nealefischer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices