Hot and Bothered is all about the power of romance culture. We analyze romance novels and movies to better imagine our own happy endings. Episodes release weekly on Tuesdays.
CURRENT SEASON: Hot and Bothered (Movie Edition)
We make Hot and Bothered because we are interested in the way that love stories have impacted our lives and culture. For our fifth season of the show, we’re turning our attention to romantic films. Vanessa and Hannah McGregor dig into the canon of romantic films, from Titanic to Twilight to When Harry Met Sally, (just to name a few). Every other week they do a close scene analysis of how each movie ends, always asking the question ‘what does this movie believe about love?’
SEASON 4: Live from Pemberley
In Live from Pemberley, we continue our deep-dive into the classic texts of romance literature. This season we take a close look at the most famous Romance novel of all time: Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Every episode, Vanessa Zoltan and Lauren Sandler read through the book, talk with experts, and ask themselves the question ‘is this still a story for our time?’
SEASON 3: On Eyre
Vanessa Zoltan and journalist Lauren Sandler embark on the English class you always deserved, diving deep into Jane Eyre through the themes of power and desire. Discussions range from ideas of class and colonialism to sex and gender as Lauren and Vanessa explore the roles of oppression and inequality, empowerment and rebellion in the text. Major “Eyreheads” and first-time readers alike are invited into Lauren and Vanessa’s conversation as they grapple with this complicated work—and as they try to figure out if Jane Eyre is a book they want to pass on to their daughters, and to future generations.
SEASON 2: Twilight in Quarantine
You may remember BFFs Vanessa & Julia from their all-star advice giving in Hot and Bothered Season 1. In this season they’re sheltering in place in different cities, but they’re getting on the phone three times a week to read and talk about Twilight. On Twilight in Quarantine, they work their way through the Twilight saga one chapter at a time, giving brilliant well-informed advice to Stephenie Meyer’s characters along the way. Advice like: “have you considered talking to each other about your feelings?” and “maybe you shouldn’t kidnap people.”
SEASON 1: Writing Romance
Season one of Hot and Bothered follows ten first-time romance writers as they try to write their own romance novels. Each episode explores a particular romance trope and why we love it so much. Along the way, Julia Quinn, writer of the Bridgerton series, gives weekly assignments so listeners can follow along in the process. Season one was made in collaboration with Spoke Media.
Hot & Bothered is produced by Not Sorry Productions, a feminist organization that produces podcasts, educational content, live shows, and immersive experiences with the explicit goal of addressing the spiritual needs of its participants. Through community, rigor, and ritual, we treat traditionally secular things as if they were sacred. To learn more about what we do, visit https://notsorryworks.com/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hot and Bothered is all about the power of romance culture. We analyze romance novels and movies to better imagine our own happy endings. Episodes release weekly on Tuesdays.
CURRENT SEASON: Hot and Bothered (Movie Edition)
We make Hot and Bothered because we are interested in the way that love stories have impacted our lives and culture. For our fifth season of the show, we’re turning our attention to romantic films. Vanessa and Hannah McGregor dig into the canon of romantic films, from Titanic to Twilight to When Harry Met Sally, (just to name a few). Every other week they do a close scene analysis of how each movie ends, always asking the question ‘what does this movie believe about love?’
SEASON 4: Live from Pemberley
In Live from Pemberley, we continue our deep-dive into the classic texts of romance literature. This season we take a close look at the most famous Romance novel of all time: Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Every episode, Vanessa Zoltan and Lauren Sandler read through the book, talk with experts, and ask themselves the question ‘is this still a story for our time?’
SEASON 3: On Eyre
Vanessa Zoltan and journalist Lauren Sandler embark on the English class you always deserved, diving deep into Jane Eyre through the themes of power and desire. Discussions range from ideas of class and colonialism to sex and gender as Lauren and Vanessa explore the roles of oppression and inequality, empowerment and rebellion in the text. Major “Eyreheads” and first-time readers alike are invited into Lauren and Vanessa’s conversation as they grapple with this complicated work—and as they try to figure out if Jane Eyre is a book they want to pass on to their daughters, and to future generations.
SEASON 2: Twilight in Quarantine
You may remember BFFs Vanessa & Julia from their all-star advice giving in Hot and Bothered Season 1. In this season they’re sheltering in place in different cities, but they’re getting on the phone three times a week to read and talk about Twilight. On Twilight in Quarantine, they work their way through the Twilight saga one chapter at a time, giving brilliant well-informed advice to Stephenie Meyer’s characters along the way. Advice like: “have you considered talking to each other about your feelings?” and “maybe you shouldn’t kidnap people.”
SEASON 1: Writing Romance
Season one of Hot and Bothered follows ten first-time romance writers as they try to write their own romance novels. Each episode explores a particular romance trope and why we love it so much. Along the way, Julia Quinn, writer of the Bridgerton series, gives weekly assignments so listeners can follow along in the process. Season one was made in collaboration with Spoke Media.
Hot & Bothered is produced by Not Sorry Productions, a feminist organization that produces podcasts, educational content, live shows, and immersive experiences with the explicit goal of addressing the spiritual needs of its participants. Through community, rigor, and ritual, we treat traditionally secular things as if they were sacred. To learn more about what we do, visit https://notsorryworks.com/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Vanessa Zoltan and Hannah McGregor meet-up at an outdoor movie in Golden Gate Park to record this week’s episode of Hot and Bothered, all about The Wedding Planner.
This week we discuss the leading man's declaration of love, anxieties particular to the early 2000s, and Lauren Berlant's concept of Cruel Optimism. We finish the episode by calling Karen Dunak to talk to us about wedding ceremonies.
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Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry Production
Find us at our website | Follow us on Instagram
If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon we have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis with Hannah and Vanessa.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
For this week’s bi-weekly scene study, Vanessa and Hannah analyze the ending of My Best Friend's Wedding. They interrogate the constraints of monogamy and introduce a new segment to the show where they ask 'does this movie hate women?'
Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry Production
Find us at our website | Follow us on Instagram
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If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon we have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis of My Best Friend's Wedding with Vanessa and Hannah.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It's time for our next mini-series of Hot and Bothered, all about The Wedding Industrial Complex. Vanessa Zoltan and Hannah McGregor meet-up on a Chicago River tour to record this week’s episode of Hot and Bothered, all about My Best Friend's Wedding.
This week we return to our on-going conversation about post-feminism – can a woman in the 90s truly have it all? We finish the episode by calling Zoe Hendon to talk to us about royal wedding dresses.
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Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry Production
Find us at our website | Follow us on Instagram
If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon we have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis with Hannah and Vanessa.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Co-founder of Not Sorry, Ariana Nedelman, has a new podcast project out today!
When We All Get to Heaven is a 10-episode series that tells the story of one of the first gay-positive churches, the Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco, and how it faced the personal, social, and political trials of the AIDS epidemic, including the deaths of hundreds of its members.
The series is releasing over on Slate's Outward podcast and the second episode is already out.
Subscribe to Outward to hear the whole series!
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Before we dive into our Wedding Industrial Complex mini-series, we're spending some time with the woman who popularized the marriage plot – Jane Austen. In honor of Austen's 250th birthday, we're dropping a joint episode with our friends at Pod and Prejudice all about Becoming Jane.
Vanessa, Molly, and Becca blend formats to bring you the ultimate movie deep-dive. What does this movie believe about love? What was the best line? Why did they insist on getting the facts of Austen's life SO WRONG?
We finish the episode by calling Julia Argy to talk about our upcoming Jane Austen class, which launches tomorrow at notsorryworks.com.
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Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry Production
Find us at our website | Follow us on Instagram
If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon we have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis with Vanessa and Daniel.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
For this week’s bi-weekly scene study, Vanessa and Hannah analyze the ending of Brokeback Mountain. They continue to explore the forces of poverty and underlying violence in the film.
Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry Production
Find us at our website | Follow us on Instagram
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If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon we have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis of Love Simon with Vanessa and Hannah.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Vanessa Zoltan and Hannah McGregor meet-up in moody mountains to record this week’s episode of Hot and Bothered, all about Brokeback Mountain.
This week we discuss the underlying threat of violence in this movie, the western genre, and the impact of casting heterosexual stars as gay men. We finish the episode by calling Guy Foster to talk about gay romance written by women.
If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! We're currently running a campaign to try to reach 100 new paid patrons by the end of September. If we hit our goal, all patrons will get to attend a special virtual live-recording with Vanessa and Hannah.
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Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry Production
Find us at our website | Follow us on Instagram
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
For this week’s bi-weekly scene study, Vanessa and Hannah analyze the ending of Love Simon. They discuss the concept of 'tolerance', Simon's bravery, and realistic depictions of teenage coffee orders.
Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry Production
Find us at our website | Follow us on Instagram
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If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon we have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis of Love Simon with Vanessa and Hannah.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Vanessa Zoltan and Hannah McGregor meet-up on a school confession board to record this week’s episode of Hot and Bothered, all about Love Simon.
This week we discuss homonormativity, the narrative chokehold of 'coming-out', and the bizarre 'cool' parents in this movie. We finish the episode by calling Joseph Reagle to talk about anonymity online.
If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! We're currently running a campaign to try to reach 100 new paid patrons by the end of September. If we hit our goal, all patrons will get to attend a special virtual live-recording with Vanessa and Hannah.
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Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry Production
Find us at our website | Follow us on Instagram
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
For this week’s bi-weekly scene study, Vanessa and Daniel Schroeder analyze the ending of Bros. They discuss Aaron's chocolatier ambitions, musical numbers, and rom-com endings in general.
Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry Production
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If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon we have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis of Bros with Vanessa and Daniel
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Vanessa Zoltan and Daniel Schroeder meet at New York's LGBTQ+ Museum to record this week’s episode of Hot and Bothered, all about Bros.
This week we discuss the political messaging of the movie, it's promotion and marketing strategy, and whether a rom-com can truly be queered. We finish the episode by calling Joseph Gamble to talk to us about reading historical figures as queer.
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Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry Production
Find us at our website | Follow us on Instagram
If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon we have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis with Vanessa and Daniel.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
For this week’s bi-weekly scene study, Vanessa, Hannah, and Marcelle Kosman analyze the ending of Kissing Jessica Stein. They discuss curly hair, how friendship and romance intersect, and Jessica's unresolved sexuality.
We finish the episode by calling Kirsten Fermaglish, author of A Rosenberg by Any Other Name: A History of Jewish Name Changing in America, to talk to us about Jewish last names.
Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry Production
Find us at our website | Follow us on Instagram
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If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon we have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis of Kissing Jessica Stein with Hannah and Marcelle
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Vanessa Zoltan and Hannah McGregor are joined by Marcelle Kosman in a literary New York apartment to record this week’s episode of Hot and Bothered, all about Kissing Jessica Stein.
This week we discuss sex drives, compulsive heterosexuality, and what compromises you can make in partnership.
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Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry Production
Find us at our website | Follow us on Instagram
If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon we have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis with Hannah and Marcelle.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
For this week’s bi-weekly scene study, Vanessa and Hannah analyze the ending of But I'm a Cheerleader. They discuss Graham's courage and Megan's passion for cheerleading.
Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry Production
Find us at our website | Follow us on Instagram
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If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon we have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis of But I'm a Cheerleader with Vanessa and Hannah
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Vanessa Zoltan and Hannah McGregor meet-up at True Directions to record this week’s episode of Hot and Bothered, all about But I'm a Cheerleader.
This week we discuss heteronormativity and the film's mise-en-scène, and revisit the idea of 'camp'. We finish the episode by calling Lynne Gerber to talk to us about the ex-gay organization, Exodus International.
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Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry Production
Find us at our website | Follow us on Instagram
If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon we have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis with Hannah and Vanessa.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
While we're between mini-seasons, we wanted to bring you this special conversation with Kathy Tu. Kathy is the co-creator of the queer podcast Nancy and the Executive Producer of 99% Invisible. She's also obsessed with reading WLW romance novels. We brought her on to reflect on queer romance, spread the gospel, and give us some recommendations.
Books mentioned:
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Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry Production
Find us at our website | Follow us on Instagram
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For this week’s bi-weekly scene study, Vanessa and Avery Trufelman analyze the ending of The Devil Wears Prada. They discuss the film's relationship to the time-space continuum and whether Andy should get back together with Nate.
Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry Production
Find us at our website | Follow us on Instagram
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If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon we have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis of Sex and the City with Vanessa and Helen
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Vanessa Zoltan and special guest Avery Trufelman meet at Paris Fashion Week to record this week’s episode of Hot and Bothered, all about The Devil Wears Prada.
This week we defend Miranda Priestly, learn about the truths and fictions of the fashion industry, and analyze Andy's makeover. We finish the episode by talking to Deborah Jermyn about Meryl Streep and aging women in Hollywood.
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Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry Production
Find us at our website | Follow us on Instagram
If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon we have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis with Vanessa and Avery.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We started our mini-season on 2008 with a question: why were chick-flicks so popular that year? To close out our season, we’re calling up one of our favorite cultural critics, Stephen Metcalf, to get some answers.
Stephen Metcalf is the host of What Rough Beast and Slate’s Culture Gabfest. He talks to us today about the economic and idealogical forces at play in 2008.
Hot and Bothered is a Not Sorry Production
Find us at our website | Follow us on Instagram
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If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
