You Can’t Make This Up

In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, we are talking about the Netflix documentary series "Web of Make Believe: Death Lies and the Internet" out now on Netflix. Host Rebecca Lavoie interviews director Brian Knappenberger.The Internet connects friends and strangers like never before. But that ease of communication, and the ability to mask your identity or location, can make the digital world a hunting ground: Spreading hate or disinformation. Extorting the innocent. Ripping off the unsuspecting.  “Web of Make Believe” goes beyond the crimes of bad actors to explore the unseen ripple effects of their digital deeds. Whether they can damage an individual’s self-esteem, violate a community’s privacy, or even lead to death. 

In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, we are talking about the Netflix documentary series "Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey" out now on Netflix. Host Rebecca Lavoie interviews director Rachel Dretzin.Through personal accounts, "Keep Sweet" reveals the incredible events leading to the 2011 life sentence of Warren Jeffs, the self-professed prophet of The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In a dramatic raid at the Yearning for Zion Ranch, which generated headlines around the world, law enforcement and Child Protective Service agents uncovered stunning evidence of systemic sexual, physical and psychological abuse.SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched "Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey" yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on.

Next up on You Can't Make This Up, we are talking about the Netflix documentary series "Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey." From forced underage marriage and pregnancy - to a complete unraveling of the oppressive criminal cult of Fundamentalist Mormons under Warren Jeffs’ rule - the story uncovers extraordinary bravery battling tyrannical control in modern America.In our next episode, host Rebecca Lavoie interviews the director and executive producer of "Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey" Rachel Dretzin. If you haven't watched the series yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before our next episode that releases next week. Stay Tuned!

In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, we are talking about the Netflix documentary series "Meltdown: Three Mile Island" out now on Netflix. Host Rebecca Lavoie interviews director Kief Davidson.In 1979, crews at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania were stunned when a series of malfunctions led to a partial core meltdown. Though plant operators said the situation was under control and no radiation had leaked, government officials questioned their honesty and debated whether a wide scale evacuation was necessary.  Even after the largest nuclear accident on American soil had been contained, undetected dangers to the nation remained.SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched "Meltdown: Three Mile Island" yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on.

On this special bonus, we’re going to hear an episode of the podcast "Factually! with Adam Conover" as Adam talks about his new Netflix series, “The G Word.” Love it or hate it, the government plays a huge role in our lives. Adam explores its triumphs, failures and how we might be able to change it.  In this podcast, The Fifth Risk author Michael Lewis turns the tables on Adam, interviewing him about how made the show.

In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, we are again talking about the Netflix documentary "Our Father" out now on Netflix. Host Rebecca Lavoie interviews director Lucie Jourdan.For decades, Dr. Donald Cline was a respected physician in fertility medicine. With the growing availability of home DNA-testing, many of the adult-children conceived at his clinic began to search for relatives of their sperm donor. It didn’t take too much digging to see many of these children were all the offspring of Dr. Cline himself. SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched "Our Father" yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on.Please note that this episode contains material some listeners may find challenging. Please listen at your own discretion.

In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, we are talking about the Netflix documentary "Our Father" out now on Netflix. Host Rebecca Lavoie interviews documentary subject Jacoba Ballard.Jacoba’s mother became pregnant with the help of an Indiana fertility clinic and donor sperm. When she used a home DNA kit to find possible half-siblings, she found more people than would be conceived by an average donor. Jacoba and the others realized their shared relative was the clinic’s doctor, Donald Cline.  SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched "Our Father" yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on.Please note that this episode contains material some listeners may find challenging. Please listen at your own discretion.

In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, we are talking about the Netflix documentary "The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe" out now on Netflix. Host Rebecca Lavoie interviews director Emma Cooper.Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe's tragic death spawned conspiracies and rumors leading all the way to the White House and which Hollywood legends are made of, securing her unique place in history. By piecing together her final weeks, days and hours through previously unheard recordings of those who knew her best, this feature illuminates more of her glamorous, complicated life, and offers a new perspective on that fateful night.SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched "The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe" yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on.

Next up on You Can't Make This Up, we are talking about "The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes."  She was Hollywood's biggest star and her 1962 overdose rocked the nation. Hear directly from those who knew her work, her personal life, and secrets about her death.In our next episode, host Rebecca Lavoie interviews the director of "The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe," Emma Cooper. If you haven't watched the film yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before our next episode that releases next week. Stay Tuned!

In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, we are talking about the Netflix documentary "White Hot: The Rise and Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch" out now on Netflix. Host Rebecca Lavoie interviews director Alison Klayman.The clothing store Abercrombie & Fitch conquered malls in the late ‘90s with gorgeous models at the door, pulsing dance beats from inside, and a fierce scent all over. It had the aura of a popular nightclub where only the cool kids could get in.  But while the brand was running white hot, its popular “all-American” image began burning out.  SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched "White Hot" yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on.