TJ Unfiltered

by TJ

Personal Journals

Season 1

The Debrief #3: Ed Sheeran's Double Apology, Channing Tatum's "Burner," and the AI Love Song That Went Viral in Court

This week on The Debrief: a tribute to Dolly and the legacy she leaves behind, the royal family's latest privacy drama with Harry back in town and Charles Spencer's tell-all book, Channing Tatum's very unconvincing "not my burner" account, why SNL UK's season 2 comeback is hitting different, Ed Sheeran's Macklemore fallout and double apology (plus that ironic cancelled Kraft stadium show), and the viral courtroom moment where a murder suspect's AI-generated love songs for his mistress had the whole room holding back laughter. Segments: • Remembering Dolly • Royal Family Drama • Channing Tatum's "Burner" Account • SNL UK Is Smashing It • Ed Sheeran Needs to Grow a Backbone • The AI Love Song in Court

Spiral #2: Comfort Shows on Mute

A rambly one this week: what actually happens when you rewatch the same shows on loop, and whether it's comfort or something the algorithm built for you. In this episode: • The moment it started — rewatching Gilmore Girls on mute as background noise • My comfort rotation: The Office, Parks and Rec, Brooklyn 99, Grey's Anatomy, Gilmore Girls, New Girl, Private Practice, Station 19 • Being honest about when rewatching did help (predictability during a rough mental health stretch) vs. now, when it's just autopilot • The old "it's just like rewatching my DVDs" excuse — and why that logic aged badly • What psychology says: comfort, reduced uncertainty, and "social snacking" with familiar characters • The 2024 Netflix study on choice overload and decision paralysis • Why subscriptions change the psychology — "I'm paying for this, I should use it" — and the research on platforms building psychological ownership • The content overabundance paradox: more choice, less satisfaction • "Volitional reconsumption" — the academic term for deliberately rewatching, and how streaming made it effortless • A quick history detour: 24-hour news (CNN, 1980) → internet → smartphones → why screens stacked instead of replacing each other • Where I've landed: not quitting rewatches, just aiming for balance over the long timeline Mentioned: • Dr. Chivonna Childs, Cleveland Clinic (comfort viewing and anxiety) • TIME's concept of "social snacking" • 2024 Netflix choice-overload study • 2026 study, Electronic Commerce Research and Applications (psychological ownership & subscriptions) • Longo & Baiyere on content overabundance • 2026 review, Choosing to Re-Experience Movies and TV Episodes • UK ONS screen-time data (2000–2015) • Brasel & Gips (2011) media multitasking study • Nielsen simultaneous TV/internet use data (2008–2009) Got a comfort show you can't quit? Send it my way — want to hear the rotation.

The Debrief #2: Culture Vultures, Comebacks & a Corrupted File

In this episode: • Raygun documentary: what it showed about cultural appropriation, criticism and taking accountability • The Lindsay Clancy mistrial and that 11-1 split • Spice Girls: limited edition CDs and a big disappointment • Sydney Sweeney and the betting company ad • Ed Sheeran, Macklemore, Ms Rachel and Zara Larsson • The folding iPhone, the iPhone 18 and curbing my spending • Celine Dion's return to the stage • Law Roach, Tyler Perry and the spirit tunnel Follow, subscribe and tell me what you think. Where do you land on Tyler Perry? Everything here is my opinion, and I'd love to hear yours.

August Rewind: Curry Goat, Courtrooms & a Housewives Spiral

This month on The Rewind: I’m back from a grounding week in Jamaica with family, deep in a Dungeon Crawler book series I can’t put down, and fully spiraling into the Real Housewives Cinematic Universe (send help, or don’t — I’m having a great time). I get into what’s been living rent-free in my head with the Lindsey Clancy case, why curry goat will always be my last-meal pick, and the small morning routine I’m trying to actually stick to. Books, basketball hoops, lion’s mane coffee, and the WNBA playoff run — it’s all in here. In this episode: • 📚 Read: Helen of Nowhere, Dungeon Crawler, Fever in the Heartland • 🍽️ Eating: curry goat, chicken patties, buldak noodles, salmon bowls • 🎮 Playing: Lego, indoor basketball, gym habit-building • 🔍 Obsessed: the Lindsey Clancy case • 📺 Recommend: Real Housewives (Salt Lake, NY, Rhode Island, London, Ultimate Girls Trip), Top Chef • 🎁 Treated: new watch strap, 10 notebooks, coffee machine, lion’s mane coffee • ✨ Extras: a week home in Jamaica, getting health-conscious, WNBA playoffs, building a morning routine

Spiral #1: ADHD, Dyslexia, and the Polyglot Brain

• The multilingual celebrities with ADHD — Trevor Noah, Zoe Saldaña, Shakira, Michelle Rodriguez, and will.i.am • Why there’s no scientific link between ADHD and polyglot-ism — but a lot of overlap in the traits • The upside: hyperfocus, novelty-seeking, and pattern recognition • The downside: the intermediate plateau, working memory struggles, and my own mix of dyslexia and speaking perfectionism • A practical system for learning languages with an ADHD brain — language rotation, the “Lego” method, dopamine hacks, and outsmarting executive dysfunction Welcome to the Spiral.

The Debrief -1: Housewives, Spider-Man & The Cases Everyone’s Watching

Welcome to the very first Debrief on TJ Unfiltered — no filter, no script, just me talking through the week’s news, drama, and whatever’s living rent-free in my head. This episode: • 🔍 Revisiting the Lindsay Clancy case — why my first take doesn’t hold up anymore, and where the evidence actually seems to point • 💔 Hayden’s death — the entertainment industry angle, and an unsettling detail that surfaced days later • 🍸 Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip — Lisa appreciation hour (I don’t make the rules, I just love her) • 🕷️ Spider-Man — wow, wow, wow. The best Tom Holland film yet, with one thing that pulled me out of it • 🐆 Toronto Tempo’s new mascots — could they rival Ellie? • 📰 The Jason Ardley fiasco — and the press pattern that keeps repeating Come find me and tell me where you land on any of it. New episodes drop weekly.

Episode 1 — Welcome to TJ Unfiltered Welcome

Welcome to TJ Unfiltered — a new home for the rambles that usually only my friends get to hear. I’m TJ: a Black, masc lesbian with ADHD and dyslexia, obsessed with all things pop culture. This is my tiny space in the internet void, and I’m kicking things off by introducing the show and myself. In this episode: • Who I am and why this podcast exists • The three types of episodes to expect going forward: • 🗣️ The Debrief — takes on the latest pop culture news • 🌀 The Spiral — a deep dive down whatever rabbit hole has hooked me lately • 🔁 The Rewind — what I’ve been reading, eating, playing, obsessing over, recommending, and treating myself to New episodes weekly. Thanks for being here from the start — more to come soon. Follow along for future episodes. Got something you want me to Debrief or Spiral on? Send it my way.