Hi, {{first_name | friend}}!
Welcome back to Insider Pix, where we uncover what entertainment and culture insiders are watching, reaching, and listening to! Next up:
Meredith Lavergne
Meredith Lavergne is the Managing Editor at Pix Media and has been covering TV, movies, podcasts, and books for over 8 years. What does someone who recommends entertainment for a living actually watch, read, and listen to? Keep scrolling to find out.
Worth the Chat
As the most chronically online person at Pix Media, Meredith’s new newsletter Worth the Chat—a part of the Pix Plus subscription bundle that launched this week—goes deep on the week’s biggest moments at the intersection of pop culture and entertainment. From the latest reality TV scandal to the movies and books making waves, Meredith’s gonna chat about it.
Meredith’s 5 Picks
Best TV show you’ve watched recently?
I’ve been on a light-hearted horror kick this year, which is so unlike me. But I’m really having fun with Widow’s Bay each week. It’s so unserious, but well written, well acted, and there isn’t anything else like it on TV right now.
Also, yes, obviously Summer House. There is nothing like a reality TV scandal to unite the masses. With a lot of uncanny foresight, I rewatched the show in January (from Season 3, I’m not an animal!) and was abnormally prepared to analyze Amanda v. Ciara. I can’t stop yapping about it in Worth the Chat if you’re curious for more.
Hidden gem you wish more people knew about?
Color Theories by Julio Torres is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I just love the way his brain works, and I don’t know if there’s a better compliment than that. It’s a blend of pure genius, pure comedy, and pure whimsy.
5-star-worthy book you’d recommend to anyone?
My favorite style of writing is epistolary, and Shark Heart by Emily Habeck blew me away with her beautiful prose about grief and love told through screenplays, poems, and lists.
My go-to rec for any road trip is the Daisy Jones & The Six audiobook. The fictional story of a Fleetwood Mac-esque rock band is narrated as documentary interviews by familiar voices including Judy Greer and Benjamin Bratt.
And most recently, The Correspondent by Virginia Evans which is written exclusively through letters. I was in a serious reading rut and flew through this one. I may or may not have splurged on new stationary after reading, so let this be your warning.
Best movie you saw in theaters recently?
The Invite. It was my first time seeing a film projected on 35mm, and it was a crackling treat. The movie feels like a high-wire act that is buzzing with life, the entire movie is set in an apartment over the course of one night, and it’s genuinely funny. Check out John’s exclusive interview with director and star Olivia Wilde from the Seattle International Film Festival!
Go-to weekly podcast?
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang. I found them during lockdown (divine timing) and I’ve never missed an episode since. I’d recommend to anyone who wants thoughtful and hilarious analysis on pop culture. Plus, their guests have seriously leveled up over the years from Lady Gaga to Nicole Kidman, and beyond.
Pix: What shows do you credit as your pop culture awakening?
ML: E! True Hollywood Story—this is when being an E! News anchor was every millennial’s dream job. Except I didn't want to be Giuliana Rancic, I wanted to be narrator Phil Crowley. I was glued to the screen learning about Hollywood’s most glamorous and tragic figures.
And as a young girl named Meredith living outside of Seattle, I was obviously absorbed with Grey’s Anatomy and delusionally convinced I, too, would go to Dartmouth and become a world-class surgeon. Thankfully for all of you, I did not. But I stand by Seasons 1-3 being some of the best of TV. ABC’s TGIT lineup was truly a time to be alive.
Pix: What’s your hottest take?
ML: Give me weekly episodes over a full-season drop every time. I know, I know, controversial, but I miss appointment television. Half the fun of watching Bravo isn't just the shows themselves; it's the group chats, the reunion watch parties, and collectively losing our minds over the latest RHORI drama together every week. A binge-watch can't create that kind of community. It’s why I wanted to write Worth the Chat, a place to brain dump my biggest passion with a community of readers who love pop culture as much as I do!