Top Story Tonight: Jesus!

Journalists from around the Roman world descend on Jerusalem to cover the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, but then some really weird things start happening. Plus, we take a closer look at Pontius Pilate, and the podcast ends with a question.

Many actors in this podcast are not Christians--it certainly was not required! But Tanis Parenteau has a very compelling story behind her reason for not believing.

Time is running out. Jesus is arrested and goes on trial, while the women in his life defend him on talk TV. Then one disciple storms out of the "The Joe Roganus Experience," and Herod Antipas calls in.

The actors in this amazing podcast always surprise me with their adlibs. Frankly, the adlibs are the best part. I asked Sheron Bellio to play "Abby," a daytime talk host similar to Oprah who interviews "The Women of Jesus" in Easter part 3 (which posts later this week). First, though, Abby surprises her studio audience with free matzo for Passover. While reading her lines, Sheron proceeds to go off script, and I can't stop laughing at the results. Here, I pull back the curtain on working as a comedic voiceover artist by revealing the raw audio of all of her takes.

Jesus is profiled on a 1st Century version of Sports Center, while Jairus' daughter is an annoying preteen on Instagram talking about her own death. Then Mary Magdalene debates Caiaphas on cable TV, while Jesus finally grants one interview - to Nicodemus.

How does one find the right person to play Jesus? Finding actor Jason Grasl was an unusual journey, and his background surprised me. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2759625/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

A carpenter from some nowhere town up north has turned Jerusalem upside down, and no one can figure out what his deal is. A Roman soldier wants Jesus' followers to shut up, the Devil goes on pirate radio to badmouth him, while investigative reporters examine his teachings (how could anyone ever say ANYTHING good about a Samaritan?).

We are back with "BREAKING NEWS" about Jesus of Nazareth! It's Easter covered through social media and "fake news," as we meet the adult Jesus entering Jerusalem for Passover. Over four new episodes we follow developments online and on air, as conflicting reports suggest the Galilean carpenter is God, or just crazy. Mary Magdalene tries to livestream, the Devil takes to pirate radio, and Peter storms out of an ancient Joe Rogan podcast. Within a week, Jesus is dead. And then a weird thing happens...stay tuned.

Prepare yourself for something shocking. Well, it shocked me. Some biblical interpreters wonder if Mary agreed to her pregnancy, or if it happened without her consent. Here's a brief discussion, along with my own conclusion. Let me know what you think at jane@janewells.com

This is a second version of the King Herod scene with a different actor who intentionally did not do a Trump parody. I recorded it in case--God forbid--something happened to the President which would make a parody completely inappropriate. It's not nearly as funny, and I'm glad (for many reasons) that I didn't need to use it.

I never intended to create a podcast about Jesus. I was more interested in the Old Testament. Less controversial. Plus, I was told by some top podcast executives, "Nobody wants religion." So how did this podcast happen? To quote Mary in episode 1, "It's a strange and wonderful story."

A short, fun behind-the-scenes listen as veteran journalist John Beard (who plays Blandus) tries to get through his lines, but there are a lot of pages, and he only has water in his flask. John is one of my favorite people, a news man who takes the news seriously, but not himself.

As shepherds livestream angels appearing to announce good news of a King born in a stable, King Herod declares "fake news" while holding a disastrous press conference with the Magi. We also learn about mentions of Jesus outside the Bible, and the incredible life of Herod the Great.

We have breaking news coverage as Judea is on the move in the 1st Century for the great Census! TMZ hounds a pregnant teenager from Nazareth who shows up in Bethlehem, and she ends up on daytime TV facing questions about her claims that she's the mother of the Son of God.

A pregnant teenager and her fiancé travel 100 miles for a government census, and they are hounded by TMZ. Their king tweets “fake news” at 3am when told of a child king. Shepherds take to Instagram as angels appear, and what happens when Jesus of Nazareth agrees to be interviewed on a podcast hosted by Nicodemus? We cover “the greatest story ever told” as if modern media—warts and all—existed 2,000 years ago. In between our “breaking news” coverage, 21st century experts weigh in to discuss facts and faith.