On today’s episode, Variety reporter Selome Hailu details her cover story on Rachel Senate, the multihyphenate behind HBO’s new comedy “I Love L.A.” Marc Malkin has a Red Carpet Rundown with Sarah Michelle Gellar dishing about Hulu’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” reboot. And reporter Giana Levy explains what superfans see Netflix’s “Love Is Blind.”
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Welcome to Daily Variety, your daily dose of news and
analysis for entertainment industry insiders. It's Friday, October twenty fourth,
twenty twenty five. I'm your host, Cynthia Littleton. I am
co editor in chief of Variety alongside Ramin Setuda. I'm
in La. He's in New York, and Variety has reporters
around the world covering the business of entertainment. Today's episode
(00:32):
is a bonus Friday episode for Daily Variety. It's been
a super busy week and we had too much good
material to hold back. We'll talk with Variety reporter Salome
Heilu about her cover story profile on Rachel Senate, the
multi hyphenate behind HBO's new comedy I Love La. We'll
have a just for Variety red carpet rundown with Mark Malkin.
(00:55):
Sarah Michelle Geller is talking about the Buffy the Vampire
Slayer reboot, and we'll hear from reporter Gianna Levy, who
explains the enduring appeal of one of her favorite reality shows,
Netflix's Love Is Blind. Before we get to that, here
are a few headlines just in this morning that you
need to know. Warner Brothers, Warner Brothers, Warner Brothers. I'm
(01:16):
in Silicon Valley today taking part in the Pailey Center
for Media's annual International Media Council event. It's a heady
environment of business and creative leaders, and all anyone can
talk about is the fate of Warner Brothers and HBO.
Can David Zaslov really command as much as thirty dollars
a share for the company unless your name is Ellison.
(01:38):
Nobody knows much of anything at this point, but there
is a consensus among the CEO set that this auction
process won't be quick. It's likely to drag on through
the holidays and into next year. Meanwhile, the Writer's Guild
of America has weighed in with the warning about a
Warner Brother's sale, and the writers don't mince words. The
(02:00):
Guild predicts consolidation with Paramount or another major studio will
be quote a disaster end quote for writers. The WGA
vows to try to fight to block any such sale.
All of these stories and so much more can be
found on Variety dot com. Right now, now we turn
(02:23):
to conversations with Variety journalists about news and trends in
show business. So Lomehilu, a Variety reporter focusing on TV
and film, explains how Rachel Senate has emerged as the
salty and saucy voice of her twenty somethingter generation. Here's
a sample of Rachel's rapid fire conversational style from Variety's
(02:43):
cover story video. She explains the essential bicoastal tension for
gen Z that lies at the heart of I Love LA.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Basically like when I moved to LA, I sort of
had this whole crisis of like, wait are my friends
saying New York are saying in LA? And like I
think I'm someone who I've worked to become more independent
in my decisions and like be able to be like
I'm here other people are doing their own thing.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
It's okay.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
I really struggled with that still so little, but like,
I think I had this whole moment where I was
like to my friend group, like, guys, where are we living?
Who is marrying the person that they're with right now?
When are we having babies? Can everyone let me know?
Like I just got so scared to be alone. And
of course I'll always love New York.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Salome Hilu, thank you for joining me, Hi, Cynthia, you
are one of our terrific writers, and you really excel
at profiles and it is so perfectly you that you
would have a fantastic look at an artist of the moment,
Rachel Senate. You have helped me pronounce her name properly.
Thank you for that. She has a new show coming
(03:53):
up on HBO called I Love La. So my first
question for you, Salome is how did Rachel Senate come
on your radar?
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Well, first, thank you for the kind words.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
I've been aware of Rachel's work for a little more
than five years now. The show is so based in LA,
and our conversation was all about her journey between LA
and New York, because, as you know, I just moved
from LA to New York. But my journey with her
started in Austin when I was in college at UT
I had plans to attend South By Southwestern twenty twenty,
(04:25):
which was of course one of the first big events
to get canceled and signal to the world that the
pandemic was real. Shiva Baby, this movie that she starred
in and made with Ella Seligman as director, was the
movie I was most excited to see that the fight
all that year and I do.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
I have to point out that Austin is in fact
your hometown, so there's a hometown theme here.
Speaker 5 (04:47):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
So I finally got to watch the movie, and I
watched it on my laptop in bed while quarantinang Men.
Absolutely loved it and I started following her on social
media during that time as well, which was how she
really first started getting an audience. And her following on
social media was a big part of why should The
Baby manage to get so much industry attention despite being
(05:09):
this micro budget movie made by a bunch of young
people without a major studio attached to it. It was
really a sensation in a time when it was kind
of impossible.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
To make an indie movie a sensation.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
Am I right in thinking that she has evolved into
truly a tourists. She's a writer and she's a shaper
of the show. I love La definitely.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
She is the creator, She's the star. She makes her
directorial debut with the season one finale, executive producers as
well and service as co showrunner with Emma Barry the showrunner.
Aspect of her role on the show I think is
most impressive. She led the writer's room with Emma Barry
now Parkens back to Lena Dunham co show running Girls
(05:52):
when she was in her mid twenties, just a little
bit younger than Ben Rachel is now.
Speaker 6 (05:56):
Right.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
I'm looking forward to seeing the full series, and I
appreciate that it is not putting a gloss. This is
not like palm trees and movie stars. It is La
of twenty twenty five going into twenty twenty six, which
is a difficult place. I don't want to steal all
the stuff in your story, but I'm curious what in
talking with her, what kind of perspective did you get
(06:18):
from her in terms of her experience living in LA,
the cultural, the socioeconomic, political cross currents that LA reflects.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
It really is a show about transplants.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
So I related quite heavily to that.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
She pulls a bit from her own life in that
it follows a group of late twenty some things who
went to college together in New York, then moved to
LA to make it and enter entertainment careers. So in
my conversation with her, we talked a lot about her
experience as an East Coast native who's now lived in
LA for about five years and how difficult that was
(06:54):
for her. She also moved to LA in twenty twenty
at the height of the pandemic, and so no, it
was a hard time for everybody. So a lot of
what she spoke about was that all of the internal
turmoil she was feeling, and about the world sucking and
life being hard. She was kind of placing on LA
and telling herself that, oh, maybe if I moved back
(07:14):
to New York, all my problems will be solved, and
then realizing that you just have to grow up and
push through the heart things.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
I also noticed that the photos listeners go to Variety
dot com, you won't be able to miss it. She's playful,
a bit provocative, playing with her own sexuality.
Speaker 4 (07:31):
She's very intentional about her image. Every Rachel Senate shoot
is always interesting, though I think Varieties is the best.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
You know, there's a lot of that when you look
through the media that she's done, and we taught about
that in our conversation. She had this experience of constantly
going viral online and building a platform on social media,
especially on Twitter, that preceded her career.
Speaker 4 (07:55):
And that was what she leveraged to get meetings with
executives and to get stand up gigs and to really
establish herself before she had real inroads to the industry,
and you know, a way to do that online and
to get that attention is my playing with your sexuality.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
And so we talked a bit about this push and pull.
She felt of having fun with that and being true
to herself with.
Speaker 4 (08:19):
That, but then also feeling that people were projecting onto
her or thinking that they knew her more deeply than
they did. And so eventually she got off social media
and that really.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
Helped soothe those feelings. She's been for the last several
years been putting all of these thoughts that are conflicting
and exciting about the sexuality the young woman in particular
into the work. You see it and Shi a baby,
you see it in bottoms and you really see it.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
And I love La so other than I love La,
which I'm sure she would love to see picked up
for a season two. Is there anything else that we
should watch out for? She has a lot in the works. Actually,
she said that a lot of her.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
Process of growing up is like realizing you can't say
yes to every opportunity. So she's the co creator, along
with shitz Creek star Dan Leeby, of Big Mistakes, which
is a show that's coming to Netflix, I believe next year.
So she co created that and co wrote the pilot
with Dan Levy, but didn't get to be in the
writer's room and didn't star in it because she had
so much else going on. She also co wrote a
(09:21):
biopic of Heidi Flice and was supposed to play Flies,
but couldn't do it because of I Love La, and
so Abert Plaza is now playing that role.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Thank you for shining a light on a talent that
I'm pretty sure we're going to be writing a lot
in the pages of Variety in the coming years. Thanks
for having me. And now here's Mark Malcolm with the
Just for Variety Red Carpet rundown.
Speaker 6 (09:46):
Thanks Cynthia. Christmas came early in Hollywood on Tuesday night,
when Nieman Marcus hosted It's twenty twenty five Fantasy Gifts
Party at Barmarmont, I caught up with Sarah Michelle Geller
on the red carpet to talk about the Hulu reboo
of Buffiva Vampire Slayer. Geller played the title character on
the original series for seven seasons before the show ended
(10:07):
in two thousand and three, and she told me she
never thought she'd reprise the role.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
This is why you never say never.
Speaker 5 (10:13):
And I'm sure I said never many times and I've
learned my lesson because I'm sure someday you're going to
go back and find all the time. As I said today,
over whenever I'm too old, I'll be Buffy.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
With the Walker.
Speaker 6 (10:22):
SMG recently wrapped work on the reboots pilot. Ryan Kira
Armstrong stars as a new Slayer, with Geller appearing in
a recurring role as Buffy. Geller said it was director
and executive producer Chloe Joao who convinced her to sign on.
She also said you don't necessarily have to watch the
original series to understand the reboot.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
Well, there will always be Easter eggs.
Speaker 5 (10:43):
Because there was Easter eggs the original, they'll be Easter
eggs in this one. But we also want to introduce
it to a whole new people that maybe haven't seen
in the show.
Speaker 6 (10:50):
To watch and read more of my chat with Geller,
check out my column Jes for Variety at Variety dot com.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Now, we turned to a conversation with reporter Gianna Levy,
looking for just the right super fan of Love is
Blind to explain the appeal of this particular dating show,
and after hearing her talk about the events of the
season nine finale, I knew in Gianna I'd found the
right person. Deanna Levy, thanks so much for joining me.
Speaker 7 (11:17):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
Let me start by asking you, what is it about
Love is Blind? And this concept that you think is
so addictive.
Speaker 7 (11:25):
I think the concept of it just trying to answer
the basic question that people have been asking from the
dawna time, is love truely blind? So to have this
show where it actually tests that theory on a question
that people have been trying to figure out since forever,
I think that is really the captivating part that really
(11:47):
pulls people in, especially with the first phase of it
starting off with people in the pods who can't see
each other and are strictly talking to each other through
a wall and getting to know each other there in
that way. That is what brings us viewers and fans
back for every single season, and what really keeps us
(12:09):
there is the stories that we hear from the contestants
as they open up to each other.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Do you remember how you first heard of it?
Speaker 7 (12:17):
I've always been a fan of reality TV. Oh Love
is bline is probably the first dating show that I
ever watched. I'm used to watch in the Real House Lives.
The concept of love is blind. It just really interested
me because I myself have asked the question is love blind?
I wondered that, and so I'm like, Okay, I see
(12:37):
other people test it out and see if I can get.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
By question answered. For the uninitiated, talk us through. You
start out with a group of people, men and women,
and they live in different pods, and then gradually they
get to a point where they pair off, but they
still don't see each other until quite a long time.
Speaker 7 (12:55):
It starts off they're separated. The men and women are separated,
and they start off with pie. We see them just
dating each other. We see people visit the same person
more than once, and that kind of just gives us
a hint that maybe they are the most compatible right now,
or they have some type of chemistry in the moment.
And so while they're in the pots, they're asking those questions,
(13:16):
those getting to know each other questions, and so that
really it starts there, and it leads into the point
where a couple decides that they want to commit to
each other, and we start to see engagements and so
once people start proposing to each other. That's when we
get the big reveal and they're able to see what
(13:39):
each other finally looks like. And that's always the best
part because you could see right then and there is
love truly blind based off their reactions.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
And I just want to say, love is Blind comes
from a company called Kinetic Content that is run by
one Chris Colin, somebody I knew many years ago in
a different incarnation when he was a UTA agents selling
reality shows and at some point he went on to
produce them himself.
Speaker 7 (14:05):
So after the big revealed, then they have like a
group trip and so that's when they're finally able to
get someone on one time in person, and you get
to see like how the dynamics are and how they
interact with each other. It's also the first time where
all the engaged couple see each other for the first time,
like all together in a group setting, which is always
(14:26):
interesting and that's where a lot of drama happens because
some of them might have dated each other. So it's
always interesting to see that part with some close quarters there.
And would you say the people that are around these couples,
are there people going are you crazy? You're gonna get married?
Speaker 1 (14:41):
Or are the people basically kind of supportive of the
experiment of it all.
Speaker 7 (14:46):
I would say it's a mixture of both for sure.
I've seen both reactions. People that are like, oh my gosh,
I can't believe that you're actually going to do with this.
I support you in whatever you decide.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
To do as you move into the finale, what are
the key things that you're watching for?
Speaker 7 (15:01):
Is this couple actually ready for a commitment like this,
Because yes, it's a show, but once the camera's cut off,
that's your real life. It's already a real life. But
once we're not watching anymore, you have to deal with that.
So I'm really trying to see if people are actually
committed to the experiment and the journey that they're about
(15:22):
to embark on once the cameras stopped rowling.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Have you followed the fate of couples if they actually
did get hitched or got unhitched pretty quick.
Speaker 7 (15:31):
It's not a lot of couples who have stayed together
since the show, But there is one couple who I
love and endore so much. They were in season one
of Love is Blind and they actually just had a baby,
their first child together, Lauren and Cameron. They're in season
one of Love is Blind, and they really have been
such a solid example of the experiment actually working the
(15:52):
way that they've been able to build a family since then,
they're my favorite couple.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Gianna, you told me that something that has never happened
before happened at the end of this season. This was
season nine, Is that right?
Speaker 7 (16:03):
Yes, So, just when you think the show can't surprise
you anymore, this is the first time in the show's
history where no couples got married, which is surprising and
definitely unexpected, but honestly probably for the best to give
it this cast month. Thing I have noticed I now
crossed open to the international versions of Love is Blind,
(16:24):
and honestly I enjoy the international versions better than Love
is Blind. The American version. I really enjoy Love is
Blind UK. That's the only one that I've watched right now.
But I have friends who have recommended Love is Blind
friends and they said they really loved it. So I
just found it interesting that a lot of people are
talking more about the international versions, at least between me
(16:46):
and my friends, and just watching the UK version, I'm like, Wow,
this is a better view and experience like. It has
its drama, of course, but I find myself rooting for
more couples on there than I have in the recent
years of the American version.
Speaker 1 (16:59):
Gianna, thanks so much, Thank you. There's pretty much one
thing that all A Variety is watching out for next
week other than news on Warner Brothers. It's almost Power
of Women time. Variety will host its annual celebration of
entertainment industry, women power and philanthropy on the evening of
(17:21):
October twenty ninth in Beverly Hills. You won't be able
to miss all of the Power of Women content and
live coverage of the event on Variety dot com. Our
honorees this year are Jamie Lee Curtis, Kate Hudson, Nicole Scherzinger,
Sidney Sweeney, and Wanda Sykes, plus several dozen accomplished industry
leaders who made our impact lists this year. Before we go,
(17:45):
I'm sending out an early Happy Birthday greeting to my sister,
Leslie Lyttleton. She took me to see The Clash in
nineteen eighty two. What more could a little sister ask?
Love you less? Thanks for listening. This episode was written
and reported by me Hey Cynthia Littleton, with contributions from
Salome Heilu, Mark Malkin, and Gianna Levy sticks Nick's hick picks.
(18:07):
Please leave us a review with the podcast platform of
your choice, and please tune in Monday for another episode
of Daily Variety
Welcome to Daily Variety, your daily dose of news and
analysis for entertainment industry insiders. It's Friday, October twenty fourth,
twenty twenty five. I'm your host, Cynthia Littleton. I am
co editor in chief of Variety alongside Ramin Setuda. I'm
in La. He's in New York, and Variety has reporters
around the world covering the business of entertainment. Today's episode
(00:32):
is a bonus Friday episode for Daily Variety. It's been
a super busy week and we had too much good
material to hold back. We'll talk with Variety reporter Salome
Heilu about her cover story profile on Rachel Senate, the
multi hyphenate behind HBO's new comedy I Love La. We'll
have a just for Variety red carpet rundown with Mark Malkin.
(00:55):
Sarah Michelle Geller is talking about the Buffy the Vampire
Slayer reboot, and we'll hear from reporter Gianna Levy, who
explains the enduring appeal of one of her favorite reality shows,
Netflix's Love Is Blind. Before we get to that, here
are a few headlines just in this morning that you
need to know. Warner Brothers, Warner Brothers, Warner Brothers. I'm
(01:16):
in Silicon Valley today taking part in the Pailey Center
for Media's annual International Media Council event. It's a heady
environment of business and creative leaders, and all anyone can
talk about is the fate of Warner Brothers and HBO.
Can David Zaslov really command as much as thirty dollars
a share for the company unless your name is Ellison.
(01:38):
Nobody knows much of anything at this point, but there
is a consensus among the CEO set that this auction
process won't be quick. It's likely to drag on through
the holidays and into next year. Meanwhile, the Writer's Guild
of America has weighed in with the warning about a
Warner Brother's sale, and the writers don't mince words. The
(02:00):
Guild predicts consolidation with Paramount or another major studio will
be quote a disaster end quote for writers. The WGA
vows to try to fight to block any such sale.
All of these stories and so much more can be
found on Variety dot com. Right now, now we turn
(02:23):
to conversations with Variety journalists about news and trends in
show business. So Lomehilu, a Variety reporter focusing on TV
and film, explains how Rachel Senate has emerged as the
salty and saucy voice of her twenty somethingter generation. Here's
a sample of Rachel's rapid fire conversational style from Variety's
(02:43):
cover story video. She explains the essential bicoastal tension for
gen Z that lies at the heart of I Love LA.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Basically like when I moved to LA, I sort of
had this whole crisis of like, wait are my friends
saying New York are saying in LA? And like I
think I'm someone who I've worked to become more independent
in my decisions and like be able to be like
I'm here other people are doing their own thing.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
It's okay.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
I really struggled with that still so little, but like,
I think I had this whole moment where I was
like to my friend group, like, guys, where are we living?
Who is marrying the person that they're with right now?
When are we having babies? Can everyone let me know?
Like I just got so scared to be alone. And
of course I'll always love New York.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Salome Hilu, thank you for joining me, Hi, Cynthia, you
are one of our terrific writers, and you really excel
at profiles and it is so perfectly you that you
would have a fantastic look at an artist of the moment,
Rachel Senate. You have helped me pronounce her name properly.
Thank you for that. She has a new show coming
(03:53):
up on HBO called I Love La. So my first
question for you, Salome is how did Rachel Senate come
on your radar?
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Well, first, thank you for the kind words.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
I've been aware of Rachel's work for a little more
than five years now. The show is so based in LA,
and our conversation was all about her journey between LA
and New York, because, as you know, I just moved
from LA to New York. But my journey with her
started in Austin when I was in college at UT
I had plans to attend South By Southwestern twenty twenty,
(04:25):
which was of course one of the first big events
to get canceled and signal to the world that the
pandemic was real. Shiva Baby, this movie that she starred
in and made with Ella Seligman as director, was the
movie I was most excited to see that the fight
all that year and I do.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
I have to point out that Austin is in fact
your hometown, so there's a hometown theme here.
Speaker 5 (04:47):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
So I finally got to watch the movie, and I
watched it on my laptop in bed while quarantinang Men.
Absolutely loved it and I started following her on social
media during that time as well, which was how she
really first started getting an audience. And her following on
social media was a big part of why should The
Baby manage to get so much industry attention despite being
(05:09):
this micro budget movie made by a bunch of young
people without a major studio attached to it. It was
really a sensation in a time when it was kind
of impossible.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
To make an indie movie a sensation.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
Am I right in thinking that she has evolved into
truly a tourists. She's a writer and she's a shaper
of the show. I love La definitely.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
She is the creator, She's the star. She makes her
directorial debut with the season one finale, executive producers as
well and service as co showrunner with Emma Barry the showrunner.
Aspect of her role on the show I think is
most impressive. She led the writer's room with Emma Barry
now Parkens back to Lena Dunham co show running Girls
(05:52):
when she was in her mid twenties, just a little
bit younger than Ben Rachel is now.
Speaker 6 (05:56):
Right.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
I'm looking forward to seeing the full series, and I
appreciate that it is not putting a gloss. This is
not like palm trees and movie stars. It is La
of twenty twenty five going into twenty twenty six, which
is a difficult place. I don't want to steal all
the stuff in your story, but I'm curious what in
talking with her, what kind of perspective did you get
(06:18):
from her in terms of her experience living in LA,
the cultural, the socioeconomic, political cross currents that LA reflects.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
It really is a show about transplants.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
So I related quite heavily to that.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
She pulls a bit from her own life in that
it follows a group of late twenty some things who
went to college together in New York, then moved to
LA to make it and enter entertainment careers. So in
my conversation with her, we talked a lot about her
experience as an East Coast native who's now lived in
LA for about five years and how difficult that was
(06:54):
for her. She also moved to LA in twenty twenty
at the height of the pandemic, and so no, it
was a hard time for everybody. So a lot of
what she spoke about was that all of the internal
turmoil she was feeling, and about the world sucking and
life being hard. She was kind of placing on LA
and telling herself that, oh, maybe if I moved back
(07:14):
to New York, all my problems will be solved, and
then realizing that you just have to grow up and
push through the heart things.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
I also noticed that the photos listeners go to Variety
dot com, you won't be able to miss it. She's playful,
a bit provocative, playing with her own sexuality.
Speaker 4 (07:31):
She's very intentional about her image. Every Rachel Senate shoot
is always interesting, though I think Varieties is the best.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
You know, there's a lot of that when you look
through the media that she's done, and we taught about
that in our conversation. She had this experience of constantly
going viral online and building a platform on social media,
especially on Twitter, that preceded her career.
Speaker 4 (07:55):
And that was what she leveraged to get meetings with
executives and to get stand up gigs and to really
establish herself before she had real inroads to the industry,
and you know, a way to do that online and
to get that attention is my playing with your sexuality.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
And so we talked a bit about this push and pull.
She felt of having fun with that and being true
to herself with.
Speaker 4 (08:19):
That, but then also feeling that people were projecting onto
her or thinking that they knew her more deeply than
they did. And so eventually she got off social media
and that really.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
Helped soothe those feelings. She's been for the last several
years been putting all of these thoughts that are conflicting
and exciting about the sexuality the young woman in particular
into the work. You see it and Shi a baby,
you see it in bottoms and you really see it.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
And I love La so other than I love La,
which I'm sure she would love to see picked up
for a season two. Is there anything else that we
should watch out for? She has a lot in the works. Actually,
she said that a lot of her.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
Process of growing up is like realizing you can't say
yes to every opportunity. So she's the co creator, along
with shitz Creek star Dan Leeby, of Big Mistakes, which
is a show that's coming to Netflix, I believe next year.
So she co created that and co wrote the pilot
with Dan Levy, but didn't get to be in the
writer's room and didn't star in it because she had
so much else going on. She also co wrote a
(09:21):
biopic of Heidi Flice and was supposed to play Flies,
but couldn't do it because of I Love La, and
so Abert Plaza is now playing that role.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Thank you for shining a light on a talent that
I'm pretty sure we're going to be writing a lot
in the pages of Variety in the coming years. Thanks
for having me. And now here's Mark Malcolm with the
Just for Variety Red Carpet rundown.
Speaker 6 (09:46):
Thanks Cynthia. Christmas came early in Hollywood on Tuesday night,
when Nieman Marcus hosted It's twenty twenty five Fantasy Gifts
Party at Barmarmont, I caught up with Sarah Michelle Geller
on the red carpet to talk about the Hulu reboo
of Buffiva Vampire Slayer. Geller played the title character on
the original series for seven seasons before the show ended
(10:07):
in two thousand and three, and she told me she
never thought she'd reprise the role.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
This is why you never say never.
Speaker 5 (10:13):
And I'm sure I said never many times and I've
learned my lesson because I'm sure someday you're going to
go back and find all the time. As I said today,
over whenever I'm too old, I'll be Buffy.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
With the Walker.
Speaker 6 (10:22):
SMG recently wrapped work on the reboots pilot. Ryan Kira
Armstrong stars as a new Slayer, with Geller appearing in
a recurring role as Buffy. Geller said it was director
and executive producer Chloe Joao who convinced her to sign on.
She also said you don't necessarily have to watch the
original series to understand the reboot.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
Well, there will always be Easter eggs.
Speaker 5 (10:43):
Because there was Easter eggs the original, they'll be Easter
eggs in this one. But we also want to introduce
it to a whole new people that maybe haven't seen
in the show.
Speaker 6 (10:50):
To watch and read more of my chat with Geller,
check out my column Jes for Variety at Variety dot com.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Now, we turned to a conversation with reporter Gianna Levy,
looking for just the right super fan of Love is
Blind to explain the appeal of this particular dating show,
and after hearing her talk about the events of the
season nine finale, I knew in Gianna I'd found the
right person. Deanna Levy, thanks so much for joining me.
Speaker 7 (11:17):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
Let me start by asking you, what is it about
Love is Blind? And this concept that you think is
so addictive.
Speaker 7 (11:25):
I think the concept of it just trying to answer
the basic question that people have been asking from the
dawna time, is love truely blind? So to have this
show where it actually tests that theory on a question
that people have been trying to figure out since forever,
I think that is really the captivating part that really
(11:47):
pulls people in, especially with the first phase of it
starting off with people in the pods who can't see
each other and are strictly talking to each other through
a wall and getting to know each other there in
that way. That is what brings us viewers and fans
back for every single season, and what really keeps us
(12:09):
there is the stories that we hear from the contestants
as they open up to each other.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Do you remember how you first heard of it?
Speaker 7 (12:17):
I've always been a fan of reality TV. Oh Love
is bline is probably the first dating show that I
ever watched. I'm used to watch in the Real House Lives.
The concept of love is blind. It just really interested
me because I myself have asked the question is love blind?
I wondered that, and so I'm like, Okay, I see
(12:37):
other people test it out and see if I can get.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
By question answered. For the uninitiated, talk us through. You
start out with a group of people, men and women,
and they live in different pods, and then gradually they
get to a point where they pair off, but they
still don't see each other until quite a long time.
Speaker 7 (12:55):
It starts off they're separated. The men and women are separated,
and they start off with pie. We see them just
dating each other. We see people visit the same person
more than once, and that kind of just gives us
a hint that maybe they are the most compatible right now,
or they have some type of chemistry in the moment.
And so while they're in the pots, they're asking those questions,
(13:16):
those getting to know each other questions, and so that
really it starts there, and it leads into the point
where a couple decides that they want to commit to
each other, and we start to see engagements and so
once people start proposing to each other. That's when we
get the big reveal and they're able to see what
(13:39):
each other finally looks like. And that's always the best
part because you could see right then and there is
love truly blind based off their reactions.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
And I just want to say, love is Blind comes
from a company called Kinetic Content that is run by
one Chris Colin, somebody I knew many years ago in
a different incarnation when he was a UTA agents selling
reality shows and at some point he went on to
produce them himself.
Speaker 7 (14:05):
So after the big revealed, then they have like a
group trip and so that's when they're finally able to
get someone on one time in person, and you get
to see like how the dynamics are and how they
interact with each other. It's also the first time where
all the engaged couple see each other for the first time,
like all together in a group setting, which is always
(14:26):
interesting and that's where a lot of drama happens because
some of them might have dated each other. So it's
always interesting to see that part with some close quarters there.
And would you say the people that are around these couples,
are there people going are you crazy? You're gonna get married?
Speaker 1 (14:41):
Or are the people basically kind of supportive of the
experiment of it all.
Speaker 7 (14:46):
I would say it's a mixture of both for sure.
I've seen both reactions. People that are like, oh my gosh,
I can't believe that you're actually going to do with this.
I support you in whatever you decide.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
To do as you move into the finale, what are
the key things that you're watching for?
Speaker 7 (15:01):
Is this couple actually ready for a commitment like this,
Because yes, it's a show, but once the camera's cut off,
that's your real life. It's already a real life. But
once we're not watching anymore, you have to deal with that.
So I'm really trying to see if people are actually
committed to the experiment and the journey that they're about
(15:22):
to embark on once the cameras stopped rowling.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Have you followed the fate of couples if they actually
did get hitched or got unhitched pretty quick.
Speaker 7 (15:31):
It's not a lot of couples who have stayed together
since the show, But there is one couple who I
love and endore so much. They were in season one
of Love is Blind and they actually just had a baby,
their first child together, Lauren and Cameron. They're in season
one of Love is Blind, and they really have been
such a solid example of the experiment actually working the
(15:52):
way that they've been able to build a family since then,
they're my favorite couple.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Gianna, you told me that something that has never happened
before happened at the end of this season. This was
season nine, Is that right?
Speaker 7 (16:03):
Yes, So, just when you think the show can't surprise
you anymore, this is the first time in the show's
history where no couples got married, which is surprising and
definitely unexpected, but honestly probably for the best to give
it this cast month. Thing I have noticed I now
crossed open to the international versions of Love is Blind,
(16:24):
and honestly I enjoy the international versions better than Love
is Blind. The American version. I really enjoy Love is
Blind UK. That's the only one that I've watched right now.
But I have friends who have recommended Love is Blind
friends and they said they really loved it. So I
just found it interesting that a lot of people are
talking more about the international versions, at least between me
(16:46):
and my friends, and just watching the UK version, I'm like, Wow,
this is a better view and experience like. It has
its drama, of course, but I find myself rooting for
more couples on there than I have in the recent
years of the American version.
Speaker 1 (16:59):
Gianna, thanks so much, Thank you. There's pretty much one
thing that all A Variety is watching out for next
week other than news on Warner Brothers. It's almost Power
of Women time. Variety will host its annual celebration of
entertainment industry, women power and philanthropy on the evening of
(17:21):
October twenty ninth in Beverly Hills. You won't be able
to miss all of the Power of Women content and
live coverage of the event on Variety dot com. Our
honorees this year are Jamie Lee Curtis, Kate Hudson, Nicole Scherzinger,
Sidney Sweeney, and Wanda Sykes, plus several dozen accomplished industry
leaders who made our impact lists this year. Before we go,
(17:45):
I'm sending out an early Happy Birthday greeting to my sister,
Leslie Lyttleton. She took me to see The Clash in
nineteen eighty two. What more could a little sister ask?
Love you less? Thanks for listening. This episode was written
and reported by me Hey Cynthia Littleton, with contributions from
Salome Heilu, Mark Malkin, and Gianna Levy sticks Nick's hick picks.
(18:07):
Please leave us a review with the podcast platform of
your choice, and please tune in Monday for another episode
of Daily Variety
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