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

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