Jena

Jena

Join Jena every night at 6pm, then tune in for Madison's Most Wanted Countdown at 9p!

Ep. 19: Who Should Be In the Twilight Show?

Ep. 18: What Is a TwiHard? (feat. Twilight Shitposting)

On October 24th, we're holding a New Moon Brew 'N View at the Majestic Theater in Madison! GET TICKETS: https://majesticmadison.com/events/

Despite often being the punching bag of the internet, online fandoms are powerful, precious things. They’re spaces where people can find escapism and create friendships over a shared love of something as ridiculous as the Twilight saga. Even as adults, it’s cathartic and healing to reignite our obsession and to pay homage to our younger selves that grew up kissing Edward Cullen posters.

Fae, Kayla and Taylor, three of the administrators for the hugely popular Facebook group, Twilight Shitposting, reminisce on the past and present of the Twilight fandom. Together, we remind ourselves of why we fell in love in the first place, and how we can grow with media that is–seemingly–frozen in time.

Twilight Shitposting:
-Become a ratty and join the Facebook group here.
-Follow their Instagram here.
-Follow their Twitter here.

Ep. 17: What Is It Like to Watch Twilight for the First Time? (feat. Jon Arias, Play by Play Commentator)

On October 24th, we're holding a New Moon Brew 'N View at the Majestic Theater in Madison! GET TICKETS: https://majesticmadison.com/event/brew-n-view-new-moon-twilight/

As TwiHards, we have our own jargon, discussing terms like “the blue tint” or “TITSOAK.” We talk about how the first Victoria was our favorite and sing every word when “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” comes on. But to an outsider, those references don’t land.


What happens when we challenge play-by-play commentator, Jon Arias, to watch Twilight for the first time? Can the 2008 film hold up without the nostalgia factor or is the baseball scene lackluster to fresh eyes?


Find Jon's podcast, Joncast Podcast, here.

Ep. 16: Did the Twilight Soundtracks Fall Off with Breaking Dawn Pt.1?

The first three Twilight soundtracks seemingly found the sweet spot. But as we enter the final two films, it’s clear that the saga is at its peak commercial success, which pushes the producers to find hitmakers like Bruno Mars and Christina Perri for the Breaking Dawn Pt. 1 soundtrack singles.

While Mars and Perri have some of the most iconic songs of the entire saga, we question whether or not the producers can blend these pop songs with the usual angsty rock we expect from Twilight and whether or not all of the love songs on Breaking Dawn Pt. 1 are enough for our emo hearts.

Ep. 15: Is Twilight Smut? (The Fifty Shades of Grey Episode)

WE’RE NOMINATED FOR BEST OF MADISON (again)! Vote for us here by June 30th: https://www.channel3000.com/madison-magazine/best-of-madison/best-of-madison-2023-vote-now/article_81bb44d4-9dae-11ed-8778-831b6146a870.html#//

Much like Twilight, Fifty Shades of Grey spawned a renaissance for women across the globe; except instead of plastic Halloween fangs and Edward Cullen barbies selling out on shelves, it was blindfolds, human leashes and handcuffs. Even with its Mormon backbone, Twilight somehow had enough sultry moments to inspire author EL James to create the best selling erotica of all time, additionally inspiring a new wave of conversations about kink and pleasure in the mainstream. We take on the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy and its vampy origins.

Ep. 14: Would an Outsider Like Twilight? (feat. Shawn Johnson of WPR)

In the midst of the Twilight Renaissance, we know just how saturated the internet is with quotes and memes around the widely-loved (and hated) saga. But what does this world look like to an outsider? Would someone who has never interacted with Twilight even enjoy reading it today? Can the book hold up in 2023 to fresh eyes?

We challenged Shawn Johnson, the State Capitol Bureau Chief for Wisconsin Public Radio, to take on reading the first book cover to cover to test the longevity of Twilight and determine if we can recruit even an unlikely TwiHard.

Ep. 13: Is There An Age Problem in Twilight?

Perhaps the biggest barrier for Twilight fans is reconciling the huge age gaps in the romantic relationships of the Twilight saga. How do we come to terms with Bella and Edward’s one-hundred year age gap, especially in the context of Edward being immortal? Can we ever justify Jacob and Renesmee’s epilogue romance, knowing he helped raise her? We attempt to unravel these relationships, Stephenie Meyer’s reasoning behind making them and whether there is anything redemptive from large age gap relationships.

LAST DAY TO NOMINATE US IN BEST OF MADISON: https://www.channel3000.com/madison-magazine/best-of-madison/best-of-madison-2023-nominate-now/article_81bb44d4-9dae-11ed-8778-831b6146a870.html

Ep. 12: Can the Eclipse Soundtrack Keep Up?

Released in 2010, the third musical companion of the saga is a nostalgic snapshot of the rock genre, balancing the well-known with underground oddities. Many tracks are tough to find, never having made their way past MySpace onto more modern streaming platforms, and many of the bands are MIA in 2022. We take our first front-to-back listen of the Eclipse soundtrack, which we’re deeming the ultimate underdog of the five, maybe even rivaling the beloved first two.

Ep. 11: Is Life and Death the Feminist Serve Stephenie Thinks It Is?

Stephenie Meyer wrote Life and Death, a 2015 gender-swapped retelling of Twilight, for the ten year anniversary of Twilight. Through the retelling, she also intended to prove a point about her damsel in distress main character–that the story would be the same if Bella was actually Beau. The storyline, however, lacks freshness and provides more name swap confusion than introspection into whether or not gender sways the storyline. We dive into Life and Death so you don’t have to.

Check out the Gender Forking Podcast on whatever streaming platform you use!

Ep. 10: Is Alice Cullen's Podcast Better Than Ours?

THANK YOU FOR VOTING FOR US IN BEST OF MADISON.

Twilight star, Ashley Greene, has joined the playing field, and we might be on the losing side. Her new podcast, The Twilight Effect brings a behind-the-scenes look at how the movies were made and what it was like being in the center of the universe–or just left of center. Is there enough room for the both of us, or should someone hit the road? We give you our full review of The Twilight Effect in our one-year anniversary episode.