Pretty Funny Girl Podcast

Let’s play a game. Think of three iconic teen movies from the late 90’s/ early 00’s. Got ‘em? I’d be willing to bet actress Nicole Bilderback was in one of these movies, maybe even all three. Nikki made her film debut in Clueless and went on to star in Can’t Hardly Wait and Bring it On. During our chat we talked all things 90’s teen movies, growing up as Texas girls, and that one time she was part of an international scandal. (FULL EPISODE BELOW) Clueless (1995) Nikki grew up in Dallas, but moved to LA right after graduation. Within a year, she was in the audition room for Clueless. Nikki got the role of Summer, but people don’t usually remember her character by name. “I’m the suck and blow girl. I’m known to suck and blow. That’s lovely. But it brought me a lot of success. I’m not going to complain.”   Along with the rest of the cast, Nikki had no idea how successful the movie would become. Nikki continues to meet fans of all ages and recently did a Clueless screening event for 100,000 people.  “Clueless was really the first hugely successful teen genre film in the 90’s. In the 80’s we had Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club and stuff like that. Then they went away. Clueless was the first of many, but it really started it all.” Nikki says the cast of Clueless was very close. She shared a trailer with Elisa Donovan (Amber) and became dear friends with Brittany Murphy (Tai). Also, she has no idea how Paul Rudd (Josh) looks exactly the same 22 years later. “ [Brittany] was quirky and spunky. Just all love, such a big heart. Paul Rudd is a vampire. He hasn’t aged, and it’s pissing me off.” Can’t Hardly Wait (1998) Can’t Hardly Wait is a teen movie about the ultimate graduation party. In fact, it was originally called  ‘The Party’.  Nicole has one of my favorite scenes. She’s crying on the couch because she thinks her boyfriend cheated on her. Seth Green (Kenny) tells her she’s far too fine to be crying and tries to sleep with her in the pool house. “Seth is genius in that role. He’s absolutely hysterical. I’m credited as the ‘Crying Ready to Have Sex Girl’. Mom and Dad are so proud. There’s only six leads in the film. If you look at the rest of the cast, none of us have real names.” Bring It On (2000) I couldn’t let Nicole go without discussing Bring it On and her role as Wa-Wa-Wa-Whitney. “Whitney is such a bitch right? To be honest I tend to get cast in a lot of bitch roles, but I love it. You want to hire me to be a bitch, I’m your bitch.” Being a Texas girl, Nikki was more than familiar with cheerleading. Still, a lot of working went into learning the stunts and routines for the movie. There were no stunt doubles. “Training was crazy. We had about four weeks of cheerleader bootcamp. It was eight hours a day, Monday through Friday.” As my high school’s former mascot, I called Nicole out about one of the big scenes in the movie not making any sense in cheerleader world. (You’ll have to listen the episode to find out!) “See, you’re one of those smart people. You’re absolutely right!” Nicole Bilderback thinks I’m smart. Nicole’s International Scandal “I wake up one morning and I had an email from my manager asking if I was suing IMDB. I was like, WTF?” It turns out that an Asian American actress from Texas was suing IMDB (owned by Amazon) for posting her real age on their website. Actors had being trying to change this for years, because it allows casting agents to discriminate against your age. Everyone just assumed it was Nicole. “It was on all over the internet and all over the news – ABC, NBC, international news! I was scared at first, I didn’t want it to affect my career. I was getting a lot of hate mail, but I also had producers and casting agents calling like, ‘Good for Nicole!

Do you ever wish there was a sports movie that combined the raunchiness of Rodney Dangerfield, the comedic brilliance of Jackeé, and 90’s heartthrob Jonathan Brandis…in a dress? Well, you’re in luck! It’s called Ladybugs (1992), and if you haven’t seen it – do yourself a huge favor. I recently did a Pretty Funny Girl podcast interview Jandi Swanson, the actress who played dorky but darling Penny Pester. She’s amazing and spills ALL the behind the scenes tee! (FULL PODCAST EPISODE BELOW)   When I first asked Jandi to do the show, she was minutes from walking down the aisle in her wedding dress. She took the time to tell me that she’d get back to me after her honeymoon. Who does that?! An angel of a woman, that’s who. Jandi was a very busy child star in the 80’s and 90’s. Ladybugs isn’t her only brush with cult classic fame. She also appeared on Full House, Designing Woman, and the freakin’ GOLDEN GIRLS as young Dorothy! (She shares a great story about hanging out with Betty White.) But I’ll always think of her as our darling Penny Pester. Ladybugs Summary Chester (Rodney Dangerfield) decides that the only way to get a promotion at work is to coach the company’s all girl soccer team, the Ladybugs.  The girls suck, so Chester asks his girlfriend’s son Matthew (Jonathan Brandis) to dress in drag and join the team. Comedy ensues. Here’s the original trailer for the film! Positively Perfect Penny Pester The Ladybugs are a collection of preteen misfits who know little to nothing about soccer. The stand out player is Penny Pester, the quiet girl that lacks the confidence to talk to boys. She’s got braces, glasses, and unruly hair. In other words, she’s an absolute mess. Fortunately for her, Rodney Dangerfield takes a borderline creepy interest in making sure that she feels beautiful. We see her transform from a shy mousy girl with a ponytail to a less shy mousy girl with her hair down. It’s true movie magic. Rodney Dangerfield Gets “Super Uber Creepy” The most memorable scene from Ladybugs is the sit down between Coach Chester and Penny Pester. This is his moment to show that he’s a good guy by encouraging young Penny to be confident in herself. Unfortunately it comes across like he’s hitting on little girl in a kid’s movie. Jandi had to go into Dangerfield’s dressing room to rehearse the scene with him. Somebody should have called CPS. “I’m surprised that scene ever made it into the movie, because it is super uber creepy.” Remembering Jonathan Brandis Sadly, actor/teen idol Jonathan Brandis passed away in 2003 at the age of 27. You might remember him from IT, Sidekicks, and The Neverending Story II. He was truly a talented guy. Jandi met Jonathan during the audition process for Ladybugs, and they immediately became close friends. He used to invite her visit him on set and go to his movie premieres. “I was 13 and he was 15. We were definitely friend zoned from the beginning, but I loooved him.” Jonathan’s character in Ladybugs transitions from Matthew to Martha in the film, which requires a shopping spree in the ladies clothing store. It doesn’t go well, and turns into yet another sexually suggestive scene with Rodney Dangerfield and a minor.   The Legendary Miss Jackeé Jandi is my second guest who’s had the pleasure of working with Jackeé Harry. (The first was Venus De Milo Thomas) It seems pretty unanimous – Jackeé is amazing.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory has everything you could ever want in a movie – snozzberries, oompa loompas, and a lifetime supply of chocolate. Today’s episode is with two actors from the classic film – Julie Dawn Cole (Veruca Salt) and Paris Themmen (Mike Teavee)! FULL PODCAST EPISODE BELOW!     Alamo Drafthouse did an event paying tribute to the classic film and the legendary Gene Wilder (Damn you 2016). Anyway, I was lucky enough to host it! I got the chance to hang out with Julie and Paris for a bit before we did the show. Julie’s accent makes her sound like british royalty and I felt the need to curtsy every time she said my name. Paris is a gem, has a great laugh, and looks exactly the same…except the grown ass man version. Everybody and their mama has seen this movie, so Julie and Paris were greeted by a theater full of hundreds of adoring fans of all ages. Before the movie started they told us a few bloopers to look out for. Augustus Getting Freaky with the Wall (Starts at 2:28) A  Girl Gets Smacked in the Chin  (Starts at 1:51)   We held a giant gummy bear eating contest with super two fans of the movie, Meghan and Shy. Meghan (an adult) ate the most of her 1200 calories gummy bear, but Shy (a 10 year old boy) ending up taking home the prize. You’ll find out why in the episode. It was crazy, and I’m glad I didn’t get sued!  The Q & A with Paris and Julie was amazing. They have so many wonderful stories about making this movie – seeing the Chocolate Room for the first time, the unfortunate demises of their characters, and of course – working with Gene. FUN FACT: Julie confessed that Peter Ostrum (Charlie) asked her out on a date but took Denise Nickerson (Violet) when she waited too long to respond. FUN FACT: Gene Wilder once said that he liked working with all of the kids except one. Paris admitted it was him. No judgement. I mean he was eleven.   I hope you enjoy the interview! It was such a pleasure hanging out with Julie and Paris. Doing this interview made me feel like I won my own golden ticket. *Cue sweet ass Grandpa Joe dance moves* Slugworth, holla at your girl! We Miss You Gene!    

Remember Salute Your Shorts? 7 Kids. Picked to live in a camp. See what happens when people stop being nice and start getting awful waffled. If you watched Nickelodeon in the 90’s, you’re probably no stranger to Salute Your Shorts or as I like to call it –  Real World: Camp Anawanna. Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing one of the stars of the show, Venus DeMilo Thomas. You may know her as Telly Radford.   Venus recently reunited with her fellow campers for the show’s 25th anniversary and watched the Zeke the Plumber episode with an audience of superfans. In our interview, she shares some amazing stories about making the show, seeing the old crew, and debunks some Salute Your Shorts myths.   Venus started her acting career at just six years old, and then dominated the 90’s.  In addition to Salute Your Shorts, she appeared on Family Matters, Sister, Sister, Party of Five, My So-Called Life, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch…just to name a few. (Her first on screen kiss was with Stefan Urkel!) Keep in mind these are just from her child star resume. Venus is still out there doing her thing in film and television. (You can check out the rest of her resume here.)  Plus her new commercial out with Kristen Schaal! Venus was a personal hero of mine growing up. Seeing her on television inspired me, and doing this interview with her only elevated that admiration. Talking with Venus feels like talking with an old friend. She’s so open and honest about her experiences in the industry and “the double life” she leads as both an actress and a senior coordinator at Paramount Studios. Venus’s philosophy on life seems to be simple Do what you love until the day you die – and maybe join a dodgeball league in between.   I hope you enjoy the interview and if you’d to see more of Venus you can check out her acting reel here.   Think Anawanna-wanna Speak Anawanna-wanna Live Anawanna-wanna UG!        

Another interview with a fabulous cast member from the 80’s cult classic, Just One of the Guys! This time I’m talking with Deborah Goodrich Royce, who played the role of Deborah, the level-headed love interest of most of the guys in this movie. She’s an absolute delight, and couldn’t have been sweeter and more supportive of this project.   Just One of the Guys was Deborah’s first film even though she was a very busy actress in the 80’s. Deborah can relate personally to not being taken seriously as a woman and shares a story of a director embarrassing her for “having a little too much knowledge.” Outrageous.     Deborah also talks about her life after being an actress –  raising her babies in Paris, working for Miramax, her upcoming novel, and owning an independent movie theatre that was frequented by the legendary, Gene Wilder. Deborah believes that a woman’s life is loved in chapters, and she’s lovely enough to share her chapters with us. I hope you enjoy the interview, and if you’d like to know more about The Avon, Deborah and her husband’s beautiful theater,  click here.

I know why you’re here. You’ve been watching Hollywood Medium with Tyler Henry, and you want some proof this kid is legit. I’m right there with you! So you can imagine my excitement when I found out my friend, actress/producer Lindsay Hicks, was going to be on the show with her boyfriend Moby. I begged Lindsay to do an interview about the experience and confirm once and for all – Is Tyler Henry real or a fake? (Full Podcast Episode Below!) Let me start by saying that I love Tyler Henry – the scribbling, the perfuse sweating, talking to dead people through blankets and bow ties. What’s not to love?! I want to believe in his magical powers, I really do. I lost my mother recently and Hollywood Medium with Tyler Henry has been part of my healing process. It’s comforting to know that your loved ones are never really gone, just with you in a different way. Lindsay had never heard of Tyler Henry before Moby agreed to do the show. “Mo told me he was going to see a medium and that somebody might film it. I didn’t know it was for E! I expected Tyler to be an older man, but then this child walked in.” Lindsay was even more surprised when a producer asked her if she wanted to be on the episode too. “I said no. It wasn’t really about me. Then Mo comes over and says, ‘Apparently it’s super weird if I don’t have a family member watching.’ So I did it.” Moby’s Reading with Tyler Here’s a clip from Tyler Henry’s reading with Moby. Lindsay is the pretty gorgeous blonde gasping and taking notes. “There’s a lot that didn’t make it on the show. Moby was asking him a lot of questions. ‘How did you find out you had this gift?’ ‘What’s your life like?’ ‘Are you ok?’ Tyler Henry Crazy Scribbles What stood out most to Lindsay was Tyler Henry’s scribbling process. “It was crazy. It looks like he’s scribbling nothing. Suddenly he draws a couple of lines and it’s a name. Crazy!” Does Tyler Henry Use Google? I asked Lindsay if she thought Tyler was getting help with the information. “It’s hard to say whether or not he has a team. A lot of things he said are on Google, but he was getting a real sense of these people. You can’t Google that. I think people work really hard to disprove him because it’s so heavy.” Tyler Henry Whips Out the Big Guns But then Tyler Henry said something only Lindsay and Moby would know – Moby’s mom referencing the white flowers he put on her grave. Lindsay’s jaw dropped. “Moby’s mother passed 16 years ago, and he had never visited her grave. I suggested we go, and when we got there I picked two white flowers from a tree. We put them on her grave and said a prayer. We never told anyone or talked about it again. If there were any Tyler Henry skeptics in the room, that was the turning point.” Lindsay Hicks and Moby are Tyler Henry believers, and I’m pretty sure I am too. I  guess only Tyler knows for sure. What do think? Tyler Henry – Real or Fake? Listen to Lindsay’s episode of Pretty Funny Podcast below!!!! P.S.  You can also check out Lindsay’s new web series  The List. Here’s the trailer! Lindsay’s other web series Better Half, now available on Vimeo on Demand. I hope you enjoying this season of Hollywood Medium with Tyler Henry!        

Just One of the Guys is a 80’s teen film about a girl donning a male disguise to get the respect that she deserves.  Then she whips out her boobies at prom. The film’s gender equality message is just as relevant today as it was back 1985. And boobies are more popular than ever! Today’s episode is my interview with Toni Hudson. She’s the total fox who played Denise – Terry’s witty best friend. I describe her as the sexy Ethel Mertz of this movie. For the record, she totally agrees with me. Toni was on set during the entire filming of the movie, so she has ALL the stories. Including hanging out with Bruce Springsteen when he came to visit! Toni is still friends with her castmates and she was responsible for getting everybody together to celebrate the film’s 30th anniversary. This interview goes into depths about Toni’s experiences on set and the vulnerability that comes with being a young actress in Hollywood. We also discuss all her upcoming projects (Just One of the Guys sequel?!?!)  as well as her experiences rebuilding her life from the ground up. She’s brutally honest, and I have a lot of respect for this amazing woman. I hope you enjoy the interview, and if you’d like to learn more about Toni Hudson’s impressive resume, click here.

Teen Witch is one of my favorite movies on the planet. If you’ve ever seen it, you are more than aware of the most iconic scene from the movie, Polly’s rap battle performance of “Top That”. It’s literally legendary.  I recently had the privilege of interviewing the actress who played Polly, the hilarious and wonderful Mandy Ingber.   Mandy is bold, brilliant, and brutally honest about her experiences making Teen Witch and the impact it still has on her life over 25 years later. These days Mandy is a health and wellness instructor to the stars.  She’s got a million Hollywood stories  and we play a game called 6 Degrees of Mandy Ingber to see how many celebrities we can connect her to. Towards the end of our talk, Mandy and I discuss what it feels like to deal with hardships, find your inner strength, and rebuild your life. She’s so inspiring and has all the wisdoms. In fact she’s written two books on the subject. Yogalosophy  28 Days to the Ultimate Mind-Body Makeover   Yogalosophy for Inner Strength 12 Weeks to Heal Your Heart and Embrace Joy I hope you enjoy the interview, and if you’d like to find out even more about the fabulous Mandy Inger, click here.

I’ve been wanting to do a podcast for awhile now, and I’m proud to say – it’s finally here! I’d like to thank the Lord Almighty, Steve Jobs, and Amazon prime.   Here’s  just a taste of what you can expect from Pretty Funny Girl Podcast: LIFE IN SHOWBIZ I’m going to be giving you a behind the scenes look into my life as an actress, comedian, and musician. My friends in the entertainment industry will be sharing their stories as well. Warning, we’re all nut jobs. CULT CLASSICS INTERVIEWS It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with nostalgia and I live in a time machine. That being said, I’ll be doing interviews with stars of some of my favorite films and TV shows from back in the day. (I name drop in the episode!) LIVING OUT LOUD I couldn’t possibly make a podcast without getting real. Crazy ex boyfriends.  Making your passion a priority. Spending three hours trying to get sushi for breakfast. We’re going to cover it all. Are you excited yet? You should be! Check out the first episode, and stick around!