Smooch Fest - the Kissing Podcast

We’re falling into spooky season so Kiru Nwadiwe (Teacher, Booktoker) joins Lena to talk about her favorite witchy kisses from The Craft and Practical Magic. They talk about the rich tapestry of 90s witchy media and the boho whimsigoth era that defined a generation. Lena discovers that Kiru is repulsed by choreography videos. Do NOT try to woo her with those! Then they dive into 1998’s Practical Magic. Lena gets on her soapbox about why it’s GOOD this movie is so genre bending. They revisit Sandra Bullock’s kissing scenes with her late husband, Michael, and Detective Hallet. They also discuss her intense chemistry with Nicole Kidman and make predictions for Practical Magic 2. At the end of the episode, Lena teaches Kiru how to cast a love spell. Enjoy! Follow Kiru: https://www.tiktok.com/@kiru.osity4books Follow Lena: https://www.instagram.com/trolololson/ Follow Smooch Fest: https://linktr.ee/smoochfestpod Links: The Craft Kissing Scene - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUJtn_Bwm-w Practical Magic First Kiss - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWgdwOtUIEY Practical Magic Second Kiss - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NDa_R37DMg&t=10s Sky Full of Elephants Book - https://bookshop.org/p/books/sky-full-of-elephants-a-novel-cebo-campbell/7575ac25a1b625c3 You may notice an ad for a podcast called Consider This For Comfort, hosted by Eteng Ettah. It’s a super fun, nostalgic show exploring why comfort shows are so comforting. Give it a listen here: https://pod.link/1823537949

Book Agent and co-host of the Pemberley Podcast, Jillian Davis, joins Lena Olson this week to talk all things romance! They discuss the Indie French romcom, Jane Austen Wrecked My Life, and compare the kissing scenes between Agathe and her two suitors. Later, Lena asks Jillian about her life as a book agent, her favorite romance books, and her suggestions for writing a good smooch. Lena then explains how courtship customs were different in the Regency era. Follow Jillian: https://www.instagram.com/jayyydayyy235 https://www.instagram.com/thepemberley Follow The Pemberley Podcast: https://pod.link/1156737811 Follow Lena: https://www.instagram.com/trolololson/ Follow Smooch Fest: https://linktr.ee/smoochfestpod You may notice an ad for a podcast called Consider This For Comfort, hosted by Eteng Ettah. It’s a super fun, nostalgic show exploring why comfort shows are so comforting. Give it a listen here: https://pod.link/1823537949 Relevant Links: Jane Austen Wrecked My Life Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inLm4GvLQuk Article about old dating customs: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/specialfeatures/the-real-rules-of-courtship-dating-in-the-regency-era/ Book Recs: Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Canas Seven Days in June by Tia Williams Mate by Ali Hazelwood The Hating Game by Sally Thorne The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston Anything by Emily Henry

We’ve got Ashley Gharaibeh joining the pod to talk about the best smooches in animation! First, they review the new anime series “Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You”. Ashley gives Lena the lowdown on the anime scene and why this particular series is so special. They discuss age gap relationships and the underrated concept of YEARNING. Next, Ashley tells the story about her first (and unfortunately worst) kiss —it’s a doozy! Stay for the Smooch Smackdown, where Lena and Ashley rank the best kissing scenes in animation, from Disney to Nickelodeon to CGI. They acknowledge how hard it is to draw people smooching and admit that out of all cartoon characters, animals may be the best kissers… We close this episode with a smooch fact about the first same-sex kiss in a Disney movie. Enjoy! You may notice an ad for a podcast called Consider This For Comfort, hosted by Eteng Ettah. It’s a super fun, nostalgic show exploring why comfort shows are so comforting. Give it a listen here: https://pod.link/1823537949 Follow Ashley: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/itsspinachee/⁠ ⁠https://www.twitch.tv/spinachee⁠ ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@spinachee⁠ Follow Smooch Fest: ⁠https://linktr.ee/smoochfestpod⁠ Links: Smoking Behind the Supermarket With You: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ0vtP-hPq0 Lightyear kiss: https://www.out.com/film/2022/3/21/pixar-restores-same-sex-lightyear-kiss-after-it-was-cut-disney

This week, Lena Olson is joined by the hosts of But I'm A Lesbian Pod, Katlynn Beatty and Angelina Herrera! They gossip about the iconic threeway kiss between Madonna, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera at the 2003 MTV VMA Awards. Learn the crazy behind the scenes details and hear about society's reaction to it. Later, Katlynn shares a story about her first and worst kiss (Teaser: comedian Carrot Top plays a role). Last but not least, we discuss a heavy hitter, the sapphic tv show A League of Their Own (2022). We cover the hottest kisses of the season between Carson and Greta, as well as Max and Esther. Enjoy this smooch-filled episode! Follow Smooch Fest: ⁠https://linktr.ee/smoochfestpod⁠ Follow But I'm A Lesbian: https://linktr.ee/butimalesbianpod Relevant Links: Madonna Christina Britney Kiss: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jh4KUeKm8fc Rehearsal Kiss: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3gaF0lo4JU Rolling Stone article: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/2003-vmas-britney-madonna-christina-kiss-1234809755/ Carson Greta Kiss: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igWIdmEKJT4 Max and Esther Kiss: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R2NHRRpL1I Negro Baseball League article: https://time.com/6205531/a-league-of-their-own-true-story-amazon/ Maybelle Blair article: https://www.them.us/story/maybelle-blair-a-league-of-their-own-coming-out Tello Films: https://www.tellofilms.com/

For this week’s episode, we are talking about the Canadian sensation, Heated Rivalry! Lena is joined by Johan Clarke to go on a deep dive about the sensual kisses between Shane and Ilya, and Scott and Kip. This hockey romance starring Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams took the world by storm, and we dissect what made the series so special. Johan shares a touching personal story about their best AND first kiss. The two wax nostalgic about the music video for “All the Things She Said” by T.A.T.U. despite the pop duo’s complicated legacy of queerbaiting. Stick around to hear about a real kiss in women’s soccer. Follow Smooch Fest: https://linktr.ee/smoochfestpod Follow Johan’s Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/johanaclarke/ Relevant Links: All the Things She Said Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mGBaXPlri8 Shane & Ilya First Kiss (Ep 1): https://youtu.be/ADi1iextoUM?t=55 Scott & Kip (Ep 5): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHUVCDqhE4Q Kelly O’Hara Soccer Kiss: https://prosoccerwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/uswnt/2025/01/03/uswnt-defender-ohara-world-cup-kiss-with-girlfriend/77432749007/ #heatedrivalry #hudsonwilliams #connorstorrie #francoisarnaud #robbiegrahamkuntz #popcultureanalysis #romanticcomedy #datingstories #gaytv #lgbtqpodcast #queerpodcast #bisexual #wlw #gay #lgbtqromance #kissingscenes #tvpodcast #kissing #kiss #romance