I'm Natalie Moore. I fell in love with soap operas when I was just five years old, and I still

watch them. Their television's longest scripted series and have zero reruns. Now let me tell you,

soap operas aren't just some silly art form. They are significant. In this season of making,

Stories Without End from WB EZ Chicago.

Join me as I share how the genre began, their social impact, and why these stories endure.

Listen wherever you get your podcast.

From WBEZ Chicago, this is Nerdette.

I'm Greta Johnson. We did it. We made it to another weekend. Coming up, I talk with Grace Bonnie about her lovely new book, collective wisdom.

There's just no one way to do something. There's just lots of different ways. And I think the key is to surround yourself with people who remind you that you are enough exactly as you are.

But first, let's take a minute to talk about what people have been talking about this week.

With us today, our two excellent panelists, we have Travelle Anderson.

They're an entertainment journalist.

Travelle, hello.

Hi, glad to be back.

Thank you.

And Jared Hill, he's a journalist and writer. Jared and Trevelle together host

the Fanteau podcast. Hey, Jared. Hey there. Thanks for having us back. Oh, delighted to have you.

Okay. So as usual, a lot of COVID news this week. The CDC has changed its recommendation,

saying that all adults should get a booster shot. The FDA is close to approving the Pfizer booster for 16 and 17-year-olds, and there is a whole new variant.

The World Health Organization is calling it a variant of concern.

There are still a lot of unknowns about it, including apparently how to pronounce it.

A new, highly contagious variant, the Omicrom variant, is called the Omnicron. Omicron.

...