Get ready to go back in time…
The year is 1998. The City? New York City… duh! Listen in as Val, Izzy, and Natalie make a vow to each other that’ll change their whole lives – and not for the reasons they’re expecting.
It all starts in Washington Heights, where Valentina Flores is just about ready to ditch her family’s floral shop and their Dominican roots for the petty promises of her private prep school social status. Izzy keeps it fre$h 2 death, as the crew’s resident tough girl // nerd, ya heard? – and Natalie has that uptown upper crust, as the daughter of two world-renowned artists with a legacy to live up to.
Eager to outgrow their underclassman identities and take their place among high school royalty, the girls–er, ladies–vow to lose their virginities before the end of this, their sophomore summer. It’s Clueless meets American Pie set against the backdrop of the greatest city in the world!
And there are six (6!) parts coming every 👏 single👏 day next week! Part 1 of That Summer: 1998 drops Monday, January 25th. Click here to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, so you don’t miss a beat!
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📝 Writer Spotlight: The Lazour Brothers 🕺🕺
Did you catch all the drama in this week’s new musical-theater inspired series, Extracurricular? One of Meet Cute’s most creative writing duos (see: Paula and the Visigoth if you missed it), Patrick and Daniel Lazour have a day job writing actual musicals… can you imagine? For the newsletter this week, Meet Cute caught up on all the backstage gossip that went into Extracurricular! Tune in to Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 now.
Meet Cute: What was it like writing a "mini-musical" for this series?
Patrick Lazour: Sticking to the time limit was actually pretty hard. Usually our songs run pretty long, so writing tunes around 45 seconds was a challenge! At the same time, we could really focus on ear-worm ditties, which had its beauty.
Daniel Lazour: Yes! The 45 second songs were tricky! You just had to go with your gut and, as Patrick says, focus on the really sticky melodies. I also just loved the idea of characters who are minor in one series becoming the central characters in another.
MC: How did you come up with the musical-within-a-rom-com idea? Did you draw on any drama club experience?
PL: I never performed in high school musicals, but I was part of the stage crew oftentimes, so I could really observe the drama (on and offstage) without being too involved.
DL: I was in every play I could manage to get cast in! Favorite role was Sancho Panza, complete with fat suit. High school drama generally is the most colorful thing ever. It's sort of beautiful how high the stakes feel, and it really is where you learn what theater is, for better and for worse.
MC: Which of the characters in Extracurricular do you relate to most?
PL: Esperanza! She's kind of a teenage nihilist, which is definitely my vibe!
DL: Well, in high school I feel like I was a Euan, who just thinks he has everything figured out. I'd like to believe I've matured past that!
Thanks to the Lazour Brothers for their candid answers and their candied melodies! Follow them on Instagram @frereslazour – and be sure to check out their upcoming album, Flap My Wings: Songs from We Live in Cairo! Look for it on Monday, January 25th!
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🎬 A Meet Cute Moment 🎞
In the spirit of sexy, sweet romances set in New York City, take a look at this first meeting between Amy Schumer’s magazine writer AMY meeting Bill Hader’s pro surgeon AARON to write a profile of him and his work with major league athletes. Spoiler alert: she’s not fluent in Sports-lish. And the resulting riff? Hilarious.
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Love Meet Cute? Need a new mug for your Throat Coat tea?
We’re trying something new! If you love Meet Cute, do us a favor and tell your friends about us. As a special thank you, if you share the podcast, we’ll send you a free Meet Cute coffee thermos. Sign up here!
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🎧 TUNE IN 🎧
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