Podcast appearances and mentions of Joss Whedon

Josh and Leia are joined by the Baronessah, Jennifer Howland, to talk about the first story arc in Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men run! They talk about the not-so-subtle comparisons between mutants and the gay struggle, give proper respect to Mr. Sinister and Leia learns to love Emma Frost.

“Whedon at the line….oh, no, another brick!” - Steve, on the screenplay clunkers On this week's episode, the 2025 Summer Blockbuster Extravaganza kicks off with a trip to Franchise Town as we discuss the fun, Spader-tastic sequel, Avengers: Age of Ultron! How great is James Spader with this Ultron performance? Are there too many characters in this fully-loaded movie? Should they have written mutant characters when they couldn't use the word ‘mutant' anywhere in the script? And would Ultron have been more menacing if he was given a big, mechanical mustache? PLUS: What in the world is going on with the Maximoffs' accents here? Avengers: Age of Ultron stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson, Don Cheadle, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, Anthony Mackie, Hayley Atwell, Idris Elba, Linda Cardellini, Stellan Skarsgård, Claudia Kim, Thomas Kretschman, Andy Serkis, and James Spader as Ultron; directed by noted jerk, Joss Whedon. Today's episode is brought to you in part by Huel! Get Huel today with this exclusive offer for New Customers of 15% OFF + a FREE Gift with code WHM at https://huel.com/whm (Minimum $75 purchase). And also by Rocket Money! Cancel your unwanted subscriptions and reach your financial goals faster with Rocket Money. Download the Rocket Money app and enter our show name—We Hate Movies—in the survey so they know we sent you! Don't wait! Download the Rocket Money app today and tell them you heard about them from our show! Tickets are on sale now for our three-night residency during the Oxford Comedy Festival! We'll be doing six shows over three nights from July 18 through 20, doing shows like WHM, W❤️M, The Nexus, The Gleep Glossary, and Animation Damnation! Tickets are going fast, so friends over there, snag your tix!  Throughout 2025, we'll be donating 100% of our earnings from our merch shop to the Center for Reproductive Rights. So head over and check out all these masterful designs and see what tickles your fancy! Shirts? Phone cases? Canvas prints? We got all that and more! Check it out and kick in for a good cause! Original cover art by Felipe Sobreiro.

Case and Sam are joined by DJ Nik to revivify some Xenomorphs!   Overview   In the latest episode of the Another Pass podcast, hosts Case Aiken and Sam Alicea, along with guest DJ Nik, delve into the complexities of "Alien Resurrection," the fourth installment of the renowned Alien franchise. They discuss the film's controversial elements, including its scientific plausibility, character dynamics, and Joss Whedon's unique screenplay style. The conversation highlights the film's shift towards a more campy tone and examines the visual aesthetics brought by director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, particularly the impressive underwater sequences. The hosts critique the character motivations and propose improvements, with Sam suggesting clearer intentions for the scientists and more depth for the space pirates, while Nick proposes focusing primarily on the scientists and Ripley in a more claustrophobic setting. Case adds ideas for restructuring the narrative arc to enhance suspense. The episode concludes with a tease for their next discussion covering "Highlander 2: The Quickening."   Notes Introduction to Alien Resurrection Discussion (00:00 - 10:27) Case Aiken and Sam Alicea host Another Pass podcast with guest DJ Nik They're discussing Alien Resurrection, the fourth film in the Alien franchise Nik introduces himself as a host of multiple podcasts including Whiskey and Cigarettes Case positions this film as less respected than Alien 3, which he previously defended Nick describes his love for the franchise, noting the Xenomorph as 'the greatest creature ever created' He appreciates how each film in the franchise has different directors with different visual styles Sam admits she only watched the Alien films because of the podcast, as she's 'afraid of everything' Plot Elements and Science Issues (10:27 - 20:35) The group discusses the questionable science of cloning Ripley to harvest the alien inside her The movie is set 200 years after Alien 3, with Ripley having died in the previous film Sam suggests the genetic material might have been recovered like in Jurassic Park Case notes the first three films maintained scientific plausibility while this one stretches credibility The movie explores Ripley as a superhuman hybrid, shifting the franchise toward sci-fi adventure Nick points out that Sigourney Weaver was brought back as the flagship character Case questions the scientists' motives for bringing the aliens to Earth Characters and Crew Dynamic (20:35 - 30:37) The movie features a crew of space pirates rather than soldiers or workers as in previous films Sam notes the villain motivations aren't properly established, raising questions about their plans The group questions why the aliens are kept together in cells where they can conspire to escape Nick suggests this is due to 'human hubris' and scientists wanting to study their interactions The movie has a distinct 'Joss Whedon' style, as he wrote the screenplay Case appreciates the lived-in world aesthetic consistent with previous Alien films Sam praises the film's beautiful visuals and camera work despite her criticisms Alien Sequences and Visual Elements (30:38 - 39:45) The underwater sequence with aliens swimming is praised as visually impressive Sam notes the unrealistic breath-holding duration in the underwater scene The group appreciates creative kills and set pieces in the film They discuss how director Jean-Pierre Jeunet brought a different visual style The film is described as more campy than previous entries, closer to a slasher film in space The cast is discussed, with Michael Wincott as the captain and Ron Perlman as an abrasive character Winona Ryder is described as distractingly famous for her role as the android Call The Xenomorphs and Newborn Design (39:45 - 49:46) The aliens show intelligence when escaping their cells by sacrificing one of their own The group discusses the alien queen's live birth ability instead of egg-laying Case questions how this is an 'evolutionary upgrade' when it seems painful and inefficient The newborn hybrid alien design is praised as appropriately freaky and different The theme of motherhood continues from previous films in the franchise Nick points out how the newborn looks more human than regular xenomorphs Sam simply finds the newborn 'gross' and disturbing Improving the Film - Sam's Pitch (49:46 - 01:01:06) Sam suggests clarifying the scientists' motives early in the film She proposes establishing that the main goal is creating super-soldiers like Ripley Sam recommends making the pirates more likeable so viewers care when they die She suggests giving hints about Winona Ryder's character being an android earlier Sam recommends establishing a military base on Earth as the destination for the specimens For the underwater scene, she suggests allowing characters to surface for air occasionally She would keep the film's ending but focus on fixing the first act and character development Nick's Alternative Approach (01:01:06 - 01:10:07) Nick proposes eliminating the space pirates entirely He suggests focusing on scientists, Ripley, and Call (Winona Ryder's character) He recommends a more claustrophobic setting with military presence to explore ethics Nick suggests adding communication between the space station and Earth He proposes showing how Ripley's DNA was extracted to address audience questions Nick mentions that Joss Whedon's original script featured Newt instead of Ripley He wonders how the film might have been different if directed by Danny Boyle, who was approached first Case's Restructuring Proposal (01:10:08 - 01:18:51) Case suggests making the space pirates the focus of the first act, with Winona Ryder as the viewpoint character He proposes revealing Ripley later as a surprise, during the basketball scene He recommends establishing that scientists have been successfully cloning aliens already Case suggests the aliens should have been in captivity longer to justify their escape methods He likes keeping the back half of the movie mostly intact The hosts share that Sigourney Weaver actually made the backward basketball shot in one take They conclude by mentioning their next episode will cover Highlander 2: The Quickening

Skin! It keeps your insides in! Should your family be at risk of starvation through abject poverty, you can always trade your valuable hide for food. What a boon skin really is! Hooray for skin! Today, as well as wonderful skin, we discuss napalm, autocannibalism, Pork Force, rats, bears, melons, Joss Whedon, custard, and sentient tea. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi! My name is Terry J. Aman, marking my 102nd episode of VideoFuzzy, reporting the progress I've made in cataloging thousands of VHS transfers and digital recordings. I open with a complicated correction that involves my having mixed up Rachel Nichols and Elisabeth Harnois, the shows they were involved in, their connections to Joss Whedon productions and also cross connections through "Criminal Minds." This set covers discs 1826 to 1850 in my Classic Collection. For my Fuzzy Feature, from Discs 1849 and 1850, comments on the pilot episode of Matt Nix production "The Good Guys," along with my 12th ever "VideoFuzzy the Video" posted here: https://youtu.be/aT5HIqRBS50 I also traced Cross Connections turning up in this collection for Golden Threads Michael O'Neill and Stephen Weber, plus Tahmon Penniket, William B. Davis, Gary Anthony Williams, Erica Gimpel, Ally Walker, Marion Ross, Chrisotpher Lloyd, Scott Bakula, Fred Willard, Swoosie Kurtz, Allison Janney, Terry O'Quinn, Marilyn Manson, Mitch Pileggi, Jon Waters, Bob Clendinen, Neil Patrick Harris, Molly Shannon, John Michael Higgins, Idina Menzel, Judy Greer, Kelsey Grammer, Saul Rubinek, Rachel York, Brent Sexton, Kevin "Repo" Thomas, M.C. Gainey, Kate Vernon and Wade Williams. Plus from "Mid-Century Modern" and elsewhere, I recognize my latest Golden Thread: Bruno Amato. In my Classic Collection, I encountered a few disc errors, suggesting my current DVD player may be wearing out. In the meantime, lots of high-drama season finales in this set. Comments on "Grey's Anatomy," "Fringe," "The Simpsons," "Chuck," "Breaking Bad," and a discussion on the Weeping Angels in "Doctor Who." In Old Business, I track down a musical comedy clip of Martin Short listing celebrities and other notables who refuse to appear on "The Late Show with David Letterman." I'd archived a portion of that one to disc 225 but hadn't seen the first half in perhaps ever until I found it on YouTube in a clip compilation of Martin Short appearances hosted by David Letterman and Paul Schaffer. I posted it here, cued to the 22-minute mark: https://bit.ly/3G52J9e In What I've Been Watching, comments on the Vernal Theatre's outstanding production of "Kiss Me Kate," the second season premiere of "Doctor Who" on Disney+, the first season of "Continuum" and pilot episodes of "Millennium," "Profiler" and "Mid-Century Modern." SPREADING THE WORD! "VideoFuzzy: The Video - Celebrating 100 Episodes!" is posted at https://youtu.be/eWfcCDiOZ2I. Please share as you're able to with anyone you feel might enjoy this production. For PROMOS, scroll all the way down at https://videofuzzy.libsyn.com. Also, there's a "Top Fifteen" episode guide for people looking for a quick read-in on this blog and podcast effort at: https://videofuzzy.libsyn.com/about. Enjoy!

This week we're talking about Joss Whedon's Dollhouse! We discuss a concept that just doesn't work (and is actively creepy at best) and praise the actors who managed to make the best of a crappy situation. SPOILER WARNING SEVERANCE: There are comparisons made to the TV series Severance, there is an audio warning at one point in the episode before a major spoiler for Severance.   Produced by Andrew Ivimey as part of The From Superheroes Network   Visit www.FromSuperheroes.com for more podcasts, articles, video series, web comics, and more.

This week on the Bagged And Bored Cast we bring you a Dramatic Reading! Yes, we always do that, but this week it's the Main Topic as we bring you Dramatic Reading Theatre, featuring a full read through of Astonishing X-Men #1 by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday.As always there's the regular segments with The Week In Geek, The List and a bunch of craft beer reviews. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James Hudson is the festival director of the Trans Image Trans Experience (TITE) Festival which runs in the Lighthouse from April 25th-27th. He joined Alan and Andrea to talk about the fourth film in the Aien Quadrilogy, 1997's Alien Resurrection. We talked about picking up gender clues from Ripley 8 and Coll, Tumblr RP, the Joss Whedon of it all, Vera Drew, the tragedy of the Newborn, MTV's Teen Wolf, interesting faces and so much more.James is the festival director of @TiTeFestival. You can find out more at tite.ieAlan is @alan_maguire. Juvenalia is his main thing right now but he does a bit of standup sometimes too.Andrea  @AndreaCleary_. Her other podcasts are My Favourite Album With Andrea Cleary and The Nialler9 Podcast. Her newsletter is at https://andrea-cleary.ghost.io/Thank you to Dee McDonnell for our artwork.We have a Patreon! You can get bonus episodes including our patreon-only show Started/Finished where we talk about the pop culture we started and finished recently. We also have some free lil bits of merch. It's patreon.com/juvenaliaThis episode was produced by Alan.Juvenalia is a Tall Tales podcast. Thank you Cassie.

Late Nights at BlockbusterOur newest Late Nights at Blockbuster celebrates the 10th anniversary of Avengers: Age of Ultron. We discuss why this is seen as the least of all the Avengers movies but still good in its own way. There are plenty of Stark quips to run through due to the continued presence of Joss Whedon as writer/director. We also discuss how well the it has held up by all of the movies and TV shows that build on this movie.Intro/Outro music by friend of the podcast Seth Gilbertson. Find more music at iTunes (⁠https://music.apple.com/us/artist/seth-gilbertson/1155231950⁠)and YouTube (⁠https://www.youtube.com/user/sethgilbertson/videos⁠)

We leap into a space-cowboy classic of the early 21st century, 2002's Firefly. The show barely got a chance to get started, but has maintained a strong fanbase over the last twenty-some years. So join us as we get a ragtag crew together (Jennifer Caress, Chris Ragain, Audra Stephenson and Aidan Watson) for a series of games and challenges in the Firefly fandom!Email your Firefly muses and musings to gateleapers@gmail.comSupport our PlayersGet tickets for The Pool @ The Three Leaches TheaterFollow Rickety Fidgets for info on The Shabaret!Get tickets for Fandomonium @ The Peak Improv Theater on May 24thWe are an ad and listener supported podcast, but mainly listener supported. Consider supporting our production over at patreon.com/gateleapers. All supporters get ad-free audio episodes. Premium supporters get video recordings + a bonus monthly episode.Do you have a suggestion for a fandom we've not yet covered? Are you a podcaster, creative or performer who would like to be a guest on our show? Get in touch! gateleapers@gmail.comMusic: BoucheDag by Alexander Nakarada (serpentsoundstudios.com)Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 Licensehttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/gateleapers-a-fandom-gameshow--5150861/support.

Soixante-et-unième numéro du podcast Pourquoi Buffy c'est génial. Podcast complètement exceptionnel avec Sarthman, Riley, Malaurie, et Xavier à la technique ainsi qu'un invitée incroyable : Nabla Leviste ! (www.facebook.com/nabla.leviste/) Nous analysons ensemble le sexième épisode de la troisième saison : Doppelgangland (Les deux visages)Écrit et réalisé par Joss Whedon il fut diffusé pour la première fois le 23 février 1999.Nous vous proposons de revivre avec nous cet épisode sous forme de commentaires audio un peu particuliers dans lesquels nous tenterons d'analyser l'écriture, les personnages, la réalisation… Tout ce qui fait de Buffy une série si particulière et tellement sous estimée en France. A travers Doppelgangland, nous aborderons la dualité, les doubles, l'affirmation de soi, la magie, la mise en scène, Willow...Toutes les infos du podcast ici : pourquoibuffycestgenial.wordpress.com, discord.gg/feWftHmNous parlerons également :de cascades : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCX6c6nLa0E. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex9_pANdH4Ide théâtre d'improvisationde Kung Fu Panda (https://youtu.be/PXi3Mv6KMzY?si=FUbSO_yu95rWbcAL)du jeu vidéo Immortality (https://youtu.be/d8NHtOIz6fU?si=_xVq6VHb2p--t9ni)et du savon Buffy contre les peaux mortes ! (https://www.lush.com/fr/fr/p/buffy-body-butter)Des gros bisous à Miwa creation (https://miwa-creation.sumupstore.com/), Poppins, shapour59, alex b, aelin, charlene, charly, la famille polonaise de Nabla et Tout Cracovie, Camille, les fans de Buffy croisés à la convention Geek N cheese et moonyhill.Bon épisode.

Griffin and Mark return to discuss the highs and lows of Joss Whedon's "Firefly", this week the boys are looking "Jayne's Town", and Mark has a depressing revelation. 

Hang on to your harness, nerds! We're hitting the outer rings of the galaxy with Firefly! The number one answer for sci fi fans “which show should have never been cancelled?” Well here's something you might not have known, our nerdlings, the pilot we watched was unaired and for good reason!So enjoy us breaking down a painful 90 minute pilot with the kinks not even remotely worked out! We discuss your favorites, Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Ron Glass, the 2002 Anaheim Angels, Owl City, Jack Bauer, JarJar Binks and SPACE HORSES!HostsGeoff KerbisMax SingerRich InmanAlan Tudyk, subbing for his brother Rich Inman

Dana and Tom with returning guest and 5x Club Member, Allyson Techmeier (sister of Tom, daughter of Dana) discuss the revolutionary animated film, Toy Story (1995): directed by John Lasseter, written by Joss Whedon, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen, and Alec Sokolow, music by Randy Newman, starring Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Annie Potts, Wallace Shawn, and John Ratzenberger.Plot Summary: Toy Story is an animated film about a group of toys that come to life when their owner, Andy, is not around. The story centers on Woody, a cowboy doll, and Buzz Lightyear, a space ranger action figure. When Buzz arrives and threatens Woody's status as Andy's favorite toy, Woody is overcome with jealousy. However, after an accident, the two must work together after getting lost in the chaos of a move, leading to an unlikely friendship and a heartwarming adventure.The film explores themes of friendship, identity, and the changing nature of relationships as children grow up. The story is heartwarming, humorous, and full of adventure, with memorable characters and groundbreaking animation that set a new standard for animated films.Guest:Allyson Techmeier5x Club Member - My Fair Lady (1964), Mary Poppins (1964), 12 Years a Slave (2013), Batman Begins (2005), Casablanca (1943) Re-RevisitChapters:00:00 Introduction and Welcome to Allyson Techmeier01:49 Cast and Background for Toy Story04:07 Relationship(s) to Toy Story06:53 What is Toy Story About?07:41 Significance of Toy Story in Animation History16:27 Plot Summary for Toy Story17:28 Did You Know?19:18 First Break20:07 Best Performance(s)29:29 Best/Favorite/Indelible Scene(s)38:30 Second Break39:59 In Memoriam40:55 Best/Funniest Lines43:42 The Stanley Rubric - Legacy49:18 The Stanley Rubric - Impact/Significance59:20 The Stanley Rubric - Novelty01:03:50 The Stanley Rubric - Classicness01:10:34 The Stanley Rubric - Rewatchability01:14:20 The Stanley Rubric - Audience Score and Final Total01:17:47 Remaining Questions01:24:21 Thank You to Allyson and Final Thoughts01:27:28 CreditsYou can also find this episode in full video on YouTube.You can now follow us on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, or TikTok (@gmoatpodcast).For more on the episode, go to: https://www.ronnyduncanstudios.com/post/toy-story-1995-ft-allyson-duncanFor the entire rankings list so far, go to:

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is an action-packed series that delves into the covert operations of S.H.I.E.L.D., an agency dedicated to protecting the world from extraordinary threats. Set within the expansive Marvel Cinematic Universe, the show explores the aftermath of major MCU events and introduces new characters while intertwining with the franchise's larger narrative. Created by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen, it features an ensemble cast led by Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson, along with Ming-Na Wen, Chloe Bennet, and Brett Dalton. The series spans seven seasons of espionage, heroism, and mystery, and is available to stream on Disney+. Love In The Time of Hydra, hosted by Jamie Jirak and Tony Pauletto, is the ultimate podcast for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. fans. Each episode dives into the show's intricate storylines, rich characters, and behind-the-scenes details. Jamie also shares insights about this podcast in a clip from Mostly Superheroes, where she chats with Logan Janis and The Giggler about all things Marvel. Whether you're exploring Hydra secrets or laughing along, you can listen to Love In The Time of Hydra and Mostly Superheroes on your favorite podcast platforms. Don't miss out! https://mostlysuperheroes.com/posts/agents-of-shield-mcu  ©2025 Carrogan Ventures, LLC

Steve Berg is an actor and improviser who just finished work on Tim Kasher's film Who's Watching, and is currently working on the film The Dink, produced by Ben Stiller. Recently, Steve can also be seen in Olivia Wilde's new film Don't Worry Darling, and the feature film Snack Shack.He's also been obsessed with UFOs, the paranormal, the occult and all things weird his entire life. He hosts a podcast called Hi, Strangeness, that covers these topics he's so passionate about.You can find Steve's fantastic HI, STRANGENESS show on most podcast platforms, and the video version is available on Youtube, here:https://www.youtube.com/@histrangeness77Whenever he has the opportunity Steve lectures about Weird Nebraska at conferences and events. He can also be seen in New Line's comedy feature Tag starring Jon Hamm and Rashida Jones.His credits also include recurring roles on NBC's The Good Place, ABC's The Goldbergs, Comedy Central's Idiotsitter, and BET's The Comedy Get Down. He has appeared in two features for director Joe Swanberg -- the Netflix Original Win It All and the indie Digging For Fire which premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. Other credits include Mike White's directorial debut Year of the Dog, Jared Hess' Gentlemen Broncos, and Joss Whedon's digital series Dr. Horrible's Sing Along-Along Blog.Berg has been a drunk narrator multiple times on Comedy Central's Drunk History and was a series regular in the Fox Television pilot WTF America produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer. He is originally from Omaha, Nebraska.Steve visits with Talking Weird to chat about UFOs and high strangeness, regale us with tales about Weird Nebraska, as well as to fill us in on a 1970s flying saucer case that he has been investigating.Anyine familiar with Steve knows this is going to be fun, fast-moving, blast of a show.

Written and directed by Joss Whedon, this episode originally aired February 4, 2002. EXTRA BITSTrevor is currently working on creating an art piece for every single episode of Buffy and you can find everything that's been released so far here. You can also find many of his fun Lego animations all over the internet!Kristin co-hosts another show called "So...I'm Watching This Show" with Wil Brooks. You can check them out here.Please rate, review and subscribe! Help us get those fancy numbers :)

How awful is your favorite author?  Did you once love the works of a film director and the ideals they expressed, but, to your dismay, they turned out to be a lout? How does their badness change their art? Do texts belong to the author once they're released into the world? In this episode, Doc and Mike talk with the Co-Director of the Center for Monsters Studies, Renee Fox, about the concept of the "death of the author" and how texts and art can take on their own life, beyond the creator's intentions or control, long after publishing. They discuss complicated artists, Dickens, JK Rowling, Harry Potter, fandom and more!   Renee Fox is the UC Santa Cruz Associate Professor and Jordan-Stern Presidential Chair for Dickens and Nineteenth-Century Studies, Co-Director of The Dickens Project and Co-Director of The Center for Monster Studies.   About this podcast: MONSTERS! They haunt our days and chill our dreaming nights, to paraphrase Emily Dickinson. There's not a population on earth that does not have its own unique monster stories to tell to frighten, but also to instruct on the nature of good and evil, right and wrong. But what happens when monsters get out of control, when the monstrous imagination starts to bleed over into the real world? What are the effects of monsters on real people's real lives? This podcast examines the histories and mysteries of some of our favorite monsters to unlock their secrets and expose their influence on our lives.   About the hosts: Michael Chemers (MFA, PhD) is a Professor of Dramatic Literature in the Department of Theater Arts at UC Santa Cruz. His work on monsters includes The Monster in Theatre History: This Thing of Darkness (London, UK: Routledge 2018). Dr. Chemers is the Founding Director of The Center for Monster Studies. Formerly the Founding Director of the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dramaturgy Program at Carnegie Mellon University, he joined the faculty of UCSC in 2012. He is also the author of Ghost Light: An Introductory Handbook for Dramaturgy (Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 2010) and Staging Stigma: A Critical Examination of the American Freak Show (New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2007). Dr. Chemers is also an actor, a juggler, and a writer of drama. Mike Halekakis is an entrepreneur, business owner, internet marketer, software engineer, writer, musician, podcaster, and hardcore situational enthusiast. He is the co-founder of What We Learned, a company that specializes in compassionate training courses on complex adult subjects such as caregiving for people who are sick, planning for death, and administering after the loss of a loved one. He is also the CEO of Moneyfingers Inc., a company that trains people on how to successfully create, market, and sell products on the internet. When not burning the candle at both ends with a blowtorch, Mike loves video games, outdoor festivals, reading comics and novels, role-playing, writing and playing music, hanging out with the world's best cats, and spending time with his amazing wife and their collective worldwide friend-group.

Griffin returns to protect his sky from the jaded old man Mark who hates dancing, and teenagers and slang, by watching and discussing "Shindig" from Joss Whedon's "Firefly".

It's time for the Comic Talk Headlines with Generally Nerdy! Killswitch Engage is all over the music sectionNetEase is confusingDC/Marvel biggest crossover in 20 yearsPrime has an answer to Star TrekDune 3 non-spoilerClayface rumorsAnd so much more...Plus, don't forget to subscribe for more fresh content.  Music Follow-ups/CorrectionsBilly Corgan- The Pumpkins' vocalist has clarified his performance at Ozzy's final show. He will be playing with Tom Morello and Adam Jones from Tool. https://loudwire.com/billy-corgan-playing-ozzy-black-sabbath-show/ Black Dahlia Murder- Guitarist Brandon Ellis has left the band, forcing them to reschedule the remaining date on their current tour.https://metalinjection.net/news/breakups/brandon-ellis-quits-the-black-dahlia-murder  New Music/VideoSwitchfoot- Last Man Standing feat Buddy Guy https://youtu.be/r6Rz5PvPUjATOTALLY not what I was expecting. More Buddy Guy than Switchfoot, and all the better for it.Killswitch Engage- Collusion https://youtu.be/PoApILhc7YcThis new record might just e KsE in its most unhinged in YEARS.Disturbed- I Will Not Break https://youtu.be/9YICpjeGsbETheir guitar player said they were trying to recapture the feel of their earlier records. Well the intro sounds like it was ripped right from an earlier song. Production is pretty good, a little drum heavy for me. Not bad, but not earth moving.Bhad Bhabie- Ms. Whitman https://youtu.be/yo7_px4vXYQApparently a diss track against another “rapper” Alabama. First Drake and Kendrick, now this? LOL Bhabie also jabs at Travis Barker… because reasons. (Alabama is Barker's daughter apparently…?) performance-wise… not terrible like I anticipated, but absolutely not something to waste your time on.https://youtu.be/y1M8Ea46MgU- Alabama's last diss.Ghost Bath- Rose Thorn Necklace https://youtu.be/zN6EHnfS6MgOn Nuclear Blast. Slow-ish (?) death/black metal with melody? Yeah this is interesting. Tours/FestivalsRocklahoma- Aug 29, 30, 31 (fri, sat, sun) at Rockin Red Dirt Ranch Festival Grounds in Pryor, OK. Shinedown, 5FDP, Breaking Benjamin, Marilyn Manson, Knocked Loose, Flyleaf. Full weekend passes are $200. Prices go up from there.https://blabbermouth.net/news/shinedown-five-finger-death-punch-breaking-benjamin-three-days-grace-and-many-more-set-for-rocklahoma-2025 Summer of Loud- KsE, Beartooth, I Prevail, Parkway Drive, The Devil Wears Prada, and others. June 21 in West Palm Beach FL, through July 27 in Charlotte NC. Presale is Feb 26.https://blabbermouth.net/news/beartooth-i-prevail-killswitch-engage-and-parkway-drive-to-team-up-for-summer-of-loud-2025-tour Pantera- Touring with Amon Amarth WHILE  also doing those Metallica shows. The Amon Amarth shows will announce an opener soon. Tickets on sale now. Starts July 15 in Burgettstown PA through Sept 13 in West Palm Beach FL.https://blabbermouth.net/news/pantera-announces-summer-2025-u-s-tour-with-support-from-amon-amarth Punk in the Park, Denver- Bad Religion, Descendents, Dropkick Murphys, Streetlight Manifesto, Circle Jerks, The Adicts, The AQUABATS, Strung Out, Voodoo Glow Skulls, and MORE. July 18-20 in the National Western Stockyards.https://www.punkinthepark.com/  Reg ‘ol NewsBrian May- New 12 string guitar from Gibson. Brian May SJ-200. Only 100 of them have been made. https://blabbermouth.net/news/queens-brian-may-partners-with-gibson-to-release-12-string-acoustic-guitar Fyre 2.0- May 30 - June 2 in Isla Mujeres, near Cancun Mexico. The organizers are really doing their best to assure people that this time they're serious. Tickets are $1400 and only 2000 will be sold. Or you can buy a $25000 VIP ticket and meet the as-yet unannounced artists, along with other perks and accommodations. https://youtu.be/uZ0KNVU2fV0 https://www.billboard.com/pro/fyre-fest-2-dates-location-ticketing-partner-announced/ President- Mysterious new band added to Download festival this year. No music, no following, slot on one of the biggest festival dates in the world. Speculation has tried to tie this to Sleep Token and Ghost and Deftones, and even Slipknot. At the very least it has been confirmed that they have nothing to do with Sleep Token or Ghost.https://loudwire.com/president-mystery-band-2025-download-festival/ Placebo- Vocalist/frontman Brian Molko is being charged with defamation of the Prime Minister of Italy, because of comments made on stage at a recent concert. Molko allegedly called Meloni a "piece of shit, fascist, racist" and a "Nazi." At Italy's Sonic Park Festival.https://loudwire.com/placebo-brian-molko-defamation-charge/ SNL 50 Homecoming Concert- Streaming on Peacock. Lonely Island medley was great, Eddie Vedder covering Tom Petty was kind of amazing, Nirvana with Post Malone was impressive to a point. Overall a pretty fun collection of performances.The Mars Volta- Played an unreleased album live… CRAZY! https://youtu.be/_N6aVhKi384 https://metalinjection.net/video/the-mars-volta-just-played-a-whole-new-currently-unannounced-album-live  SuggestsKillswitch Engage- This Consequence new album out last week. Gaming/Tech Follow-ups/CorrectionsStar Wars Eclipse/NetEase- The NetEase situation just seems to keep getting stickier. Star Wars Eclipse, the highly anticipated video game from Quantic Dream, might be facing the end of its journey. Reports suggest that its parent company, NetEase, is pulling back from overseas ventures and looking to offload studios, including Quantic Dream. Rumors of trouble aren't new for Eclipse— whispers of cancellation first popped up in 2022— but this latest move by NetEase has fans on edge. If confirmed, it'd join a growing list of scrapped Star Wars titles like Battlefront 3 and Star Wars 1313. No official word yet, so stay tuned for updates.~UPDATE~ Quantic Dream IS apparently unaffected by the restructuring at NetEase.https://cosmicbook.news/star-wars-eclipse-canceled-netease Marvel Rivals- First, to address the NetEase releasing of the development team last week… according to one of the producers the team was more in charge of logistics and  HR type issues more than anything creative. “They were entitled, lazy, and woke.”  But the new update is those leaked characters are “real.” Meaning that all of those character you may or may not have heard about, are in SOME level of development, but that doesn't mean they will make it to playable status.https://boundingintocomics.com/video-games/video-game-news/marvel-rivals-devs-confirms-roster-leaks-are-real-but-cautions-fans-that-datamined-characters-may-appear-or-may-not-appear-in-our-future-plans/ Fable- Delayed into 2026 by Microsoft.WB Games- WB has closed Monolith Productions, Player First Games, and WB San Diego. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/warner-bros-reportedly-shuttering-monolith-productions-player-first-games-and-warner-bros-san-diego  TrailersMortal Kombat 1- https://youtu.be/rRlNmFDHQw4?si=G-ddMgYIEC9vqn0nGlacius… I mean T-1000 trailer. Killer Instinct is going to have somethings to say.~ALSO~ MK Pro Tournament Mexico happened. Javier took 4th. Nicolas 3rd, his twin ScorpionProcs 2nd SonicFox 1st.Tekken 8 - Anna Williams https://youtu.be/b6hYwWoOrDkMarch 31 early access. Rocket Launcher, PLUS  new moveset includes using that as a melee weapon as well as a ranged weapon. Reg ‘ol NewsMouthwashing- Indie horror game that has been QUICKLY gaining popularity, will now be jumping over to console. Not only will there be the obvious digital release, but the console releases (all current gen… even Switch 1…) will eventually get a physical release as well.https://www.engadget.com/gaming/horror-game-mouthwashing-will-land-on-consoles-later-this-year-204817692.html NVidia- 5070Ti launches and the supply issue persists. But the reviews seem to be luke warm at best.https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/nvidia-geforce-5070-ti-review-a-sensible-4k-powerhouse-for-749-140023082.html Apple V  - In an unprecedented move, Apple has completely disabled their ADP (Advanced Data Protection) in the UK. UK users no longer can encrypt their data using Apple's iCloud services. iMessage, passwords, health data, and other information Apple handles, will still be able to use end-to-end encryption. Users will have to turn their ADP off themselves in order to keep their iCloud accounts, due to the nature of end-to-end encryption, but will be allowed an unspecified “grace period.”https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-disables-iclouds-advanced-data-protection-feature-in-the-uk-173016447.html  SuggestsThioJoe- YT channel that has helped me in more than a few pinches. Comic Books/Books Reg ‘ol NewsBatman relaunch- September will see ANOTHER Batman reboot. This time headed by the team of Matt Fraction (W) and Jorge Jimenez (A). Jimenez has talked about the work he is putting in on the feel of the city of Gotham. Some of the preview art feels like the Penguin a bit.https://cosmicbook.news/batman-new-costume-dc-comics-relaunch DC/Marvel Crossover- the Amalgam reprint event is, in fact leading to ANOTHER crossover event. Not a return of the Amalgam universe it would seem. Instead it will be a couple one-shot books, one called Marvel/DC and the other DC/Marvel obviously, to be released later this year. Any more details are being held very close to the chest.https://boundingintocomics.com/comic-books/comic-book-news/for-first-time-in-over-20-years-dc-and-marvel-comics-to-crossover-once-again-in-upcoming-pair-of-one-shots/ Wicked- New GN based on the original book that the stage production and subsequent movie is based on. Part 1 will be out on March 11. https://comicbook.com/comics/news/wicked-graphic-novel-first-look/ Pooluminati- New series, alongside the current Cody Ziglar run, written by Zac Gorman, Alexis Quasarano, with art from Enid Balm and Todd Nauck. Issue 1 goes on sale March 26.Deadpool and his daughter Ellie embark on an inter-dimensional adventure to prove they're worthy of joining the prestigious ranks of the Pooluminati. But what dark secrets will they unearth in the process? ~ALSO~All through March Marvel will be doing April Pool's Day variant covers for other books.https://comicbook.com/comics/news/marvel-deadpool-pooluminati-series-multiversal-deadpool-variants/ Krypto- Superman's superdog is getting his own book. A 5-issue series called Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton. First issue on shelves June 18. Ryan North (W) and Mike Norton (A).A heartfelt and moving view of humanity, good and bad, through the empathetic eyes of the ultimate outsider: a poor, lost dog, who just happens to have superpowers https://comicbook.com/comics/news/dc-krypto-the-superdog-getting-his-own-series/  SuggestsFoundation- science fiction novel by American writer Isaac Asimov. It is the first book in the Foundation Trilogy (which later expanded into the Foundation series). Foundation is a cycle of five interrelated short stories, first published as a single book by Gnome Press in 1951. Collectively they tell the early story of the Foundation, an institute founded by psychohistorian Hari Seldon to preserve the best of galactic civilization after the collapse of the Galactic Empire. TV Shows Follow-ups/CorrectionsMoon Knight- Marvel's head of TV, Brad Winderbaum, has confirmed that the series will not be moving forward. https://cosmicbook.news/marvel-confirms-no-moon-knight-season-2 SAG Awards- Happened… Colin Ferrel won best actor for Penguin, and David Duchovney and Gillian Anderson reunited to present an award… that's all you need to know.Foundation- season 4 is happening. Though no word on when season 3 will premiere even though it is reportedly finished. https://deadline.com/2025/02/foundation-season-4-showrunner-ian-goldberg-writers-room-1236301501/  TrailersWalking Dead: Dead City- season 2 May 4 https://youtu.be/ewSY2KWW9t4  Reg ‘ol NewsMichelle Trachtenburg - Passed away this morning. She was 39. Not much is known yet, aside from the fact that she recently has a liver transplant, though it is not clear if that is connected in anyway.Avatar: Seven Havens- New Avatar animated series from Nickelodeon set to take place after the Legend of Korra series. The announcement comes on the heels of the 20th anniversary of the original series. ALSO, Nickelodeon will be producing Avatar shorts content on YT, a new season of their podcast Braving the Elements that focuses on the Korra story, releasing Book 2 Earth soundtrack, a live concert tour, with other live and in person content planned for SDCC, AS WELL AS new toys, books, and a mobile game titled Avatar Legends: Realms Collide.https://cosmicbook.news/avatar-seven-havens-nickelodeon-sequel-legend-of-korra Culture- Amazon has bought the rights for a book adaptation of the same name. From the sounds of it this will likely become Amazon's response to Star Trek.https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/new-amazon-sci-fi-series-anti-star-trek-marvel-director-involved-consider-phlebas/  SuggestsBuffy the Vampire Slayeris an American supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the 1992 film, also written by Whedon, although they are separate and unrelated productions.[12] Whedon served as executive producer and showrunner of the series under his production tag Mutant Enemy Productions. It premiered on March 10, 1997, on The WB and concluded on May 20, 2003, on UPN.STREAMING ON TUBI, DISNEY+,HULUMovies Follow-ups/CorrectionsConstantine 2- Keanu Reeves has confirmed in an interview that Gunn seems to have accepted the pitch and they are ready to move into the writing stage of the production. This will reteam Reeves with original Director Francis Lawrence. The pitch is for a direct sequel with the same Elseworlds version of the character, only darker.https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/constantine-2-keanu-reeves-script Kathleen Kennedy- OFFICIALLY STEPPING DOWN! Retiring by the end of 2025. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/star-wars-kathleen-kennedy-lucasfilm-1235282440/ Dune 3- Jason Momoa will return for the third installment… to the surprise of no one who read the books.Punisher- “Special Presentation” on Disney+. Not a new series as was assumed. https://comicbook.com/movies/news/marvel-punisher-disney-plus-special-presentation/  TrailersThunderbolts- IMAX trailer leaked onto X over the weekend. There are some clear “course correction” elements here. Not the least of which being the focus on Bucky. The only issue, potentially is how will this team of super soldiers take on a legitimate Avengers Level Threat in the Void (Evil Sentry)? Will this also be an answer to the Marvel issue of killing off their villains?https://t.co/xblEvBpor0 Batman Ninja VS Yakuza League- The sequel to one of the craziest Batman animated movies you have ever seen just got a release date and a trailer. And this one looks like it is going to be even bigger and wilder than the first. Digital release is March 18 and physical is April 15.https://youtu.be/QleeDtH_WWE Fear Street: Prom Queen- https://youtu.be/pDvUEuZZM04?si=Bi7shjdJYmv74EssWelcome back to Shadyside. In this next installment of the blood-soaked Fear Street franchise, prom season at Shadyside High is underway and the school's wolfpack of It Girls is busy with its usual sweet and vicious campaigns for the crown. But when a gutsy outsider puts herself in the running, and the other girls start mysteriously disappearing, the class of '88 is suddenly in for one hell of a prom night.May 23 Reg ‘ol NewsBarney- A24 is making the big purple dinosaur into a live-action movie. Yes, A24 is doing a Barney movie. Actor Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out) has been developing the story for years, and now has the backing of Mattel Films, and a partner in A24. So far the actor is only attached as producer, but is in talks to act in the film as well. No solid details on production or release date windows yet.https://comicbook.com/movies/news/barney-live-action-movie-updates-daniel-kaluuya-ayo-edebiri-a24/  SuggestsFear Street- Netflix series of American horror films based on R. L. Stine's book series of the same name. Involving slasher and supernatural elements, the films' overall story revolves around teenagers who work to break the curse that has been over their town for hundreds of years. The first three installments were directed by Leigh Janiak from scripts and stories she co-wrote with other contributors Rumor Mill Confirmations/RefutationsKathleen Kennedy- But does this one really count? New SourcesStar Wars- Kevin Feige is once again being rumored to step in as the head of Lucasfilm now that Kennedy is stepping down.Avengers- New sources are elaborating on the “evil doppelgangers” rumors. Now it is said that the doppelgangers will be agents of Doom, and will not APPEAR as evil. Instead they will look just like their 616 counterparts, and hilarity will ensue… or something. New RumorsHancock 2- To feature Michael B Jordan and Zendaya? Is also happening?Marvel- Nova, Strange Academy, and Terror inc all on hold.Agatha- Now there are rumors for a second season… X-Men- First movie post Avengers Secret Wars. Won't be an origin story for the team. Will also have a Disney+ live-action show tie in.You can support this show by visiting our merch store, or by leaving us an Apple Podcasts review.

It's time for the Comic Talk Headlines with Generally Nerdy! Killswitch Engage is all over the music sectionNetEase is confusingDC/Marvel biggest crossover in 20 yearsPrime has an answer to Star TrekDune 3 non-spoilerClayface rumorsAnd so much more...Plus, don't forget to subscribe for more fresh content.  Music Follow-ups/CorrectionsBilly Corgan- The Pumpkins' vocalist has clarified his performance at Ozzy's final show. He will be playing with Tom Morello and Adam Jones from Tool. https://loudwire.com/billy-corgan-playing-ozzy-black-sabbath-show/ Black Dahlia Murder- Guitarist Brandon Ellis has left the band, forcing them to reschedule the remaining date on their current tour.https://metalinjection.net/news/breakups/brandon-ellis-quits-the-black-dahlia-murder  New Music/VideoSwitchfoot- Last Man Standing feat Buddy Guy https://youtu.be/r6Rz5PvPUjATOTALLY not what I was expecting. More Buddy Guy than Switchfoot, and all the better for it.Killswitch Engage- Collusion https://youtu.be/PoApILhc7YcThis new record might just e KsE in its most unhinged in YEARS.Disturbed- I Will Not Break https://youtu.be/9YICpjeGsbETheir guitar player said they were trying to recapture the feel of their earlier records. Well the intro sounds like it was ripped right from an earlier song. Production is pretty good, a little drum heavy for me. Not bad, but not earth moving.Bhad Bhabie- Ms. Whitman https://youtu.be/yo7_px4vXYQApparently a diss track against another “rapper” Alabama. First Drake and Kendrick, now this? LOL Bhabie also jabs at Travis Barker… because reasons. (Alabama is Barker's daughter apparently…?) performance-wise… not terrible like I anticipated, but absolutely not something to waste your time on.https://youtu.be/y1M8Ea46MgU- Alabama's last diss.Ghost Bath- Rose Thorn Necklace https://youtu.be/zN6EHnfS6MgOn Nuclear Blast. Slow-ish (?) death/black metal with melody? Yeah this is interesting. Tours/FestivalsRocklahoma- Aug 29, 30, 31 (fri, sat, sun) at Rockin Red Dirt Ranch Festival Grounds in Pryor, OK. Shinedown, 5FDP, Breaking Benjamin, Marilyn Manson, Knocked Loose, Flyleaf. Full weekend passes are $200. Prices go up from there.https://blabbermouth.net/news/shinedown-five-finger-death-punch-breaking-benjamin-three-days-grace-and-many-more-set-for-rocklahoma-2025 Summer of Loud- KsE, Beartooth, I Prevail, Parkway Drive, The Devil Wears Prada, and others. June 21 in West Palm Beach FL, through July 27 in Charlotte NC. Presale is Feb 26.https://blabbermouth.net/news/beartooth-i-prevail-killswitch-engage-and-parkway-drive-to-team-up-for-summer-of-loud-2025-tour Pantera- Touring with Amon Amarth WHILE  also doing those Metallica shows. The Amon Amarth shows will announce an opener soon. Tickets on sale now. Starts July 15 in Burgettstown PA through Sept 13 in West Palm Beach FL.https://blabbermouth.net/news/pantera-announces-summer-2025-u-s-tour-with-support-from-amon-amarth Punk in the Park, Denver- Bad Religion, Descendents, Dropkick Murphys, Streetlight Manifesto, Circle Jerks, The Adicts, The AQUABATS, Strung Out, Voodoo Glow Skulls, and MORE. July 18-20 in the National Western Stockyards.https://www.punkinthepark.com/  Reg ‘ol NewsBrian May- New 12 string guitar from Gibson. Brian May SJ-200. Only 100 of them have been made. https://blabbermouth.net/news/queens-brian-may-partners-with-gibson-to-release-12-string-acoustic-guitar Fyre 2.0- May 30 - June 2 in Isla Mujeres, near Cancun Mexico. The organizers are really doing their best to assure people that this time they're serious. Tickets are $1400 and only 2000 will be sold. Or you can buy a $25000 VIP ticket and meet the as-yet unannounced artists, along with other perks and accommodations. https://youtu.be/uZ0KNVU2fV0 https://www.billboard.com/pro/fyre-fest-2-dates-location-ticketing-partner-announced/ President- Mysterious new band added to Download festival this year. No music, no following, slot on one of the biggest festival dates in the world. Speculation has tried to tie this to Sleep Token and Ghost and Deftones, and even Slipknot. At the very least it has been confirmed that they have nothing to do with Sleep Token or Ghost.https://loudwire.com/president-mystery-band-2025-download-festival/ Placebo- Vocalist/frontman Brian Molko is being charged with defamation of the Prime Minister of Italy, because of comments made on stage at a recent concert. Molko allegedly called Meloni a "piece of shit, fascist, racist" and a "Nazi." At Italy's Sonic Park Festival.https://loudwire.com/placebo-brian-molko-defamation-charge/ SNL 50 Homecoming Concert- Streaming on Peacock. Lonely Island medley was great, Eddie Vedder covering Tom Petty was kind of amazing, Nirvana with Post Malone was impressive to a point. Overall a pretty fun collection of performances.The Mars Volta- Played an unreleased album live… CRAZY! https://youtu.be/_N6aVhKi384 https://metalinjection.net/video/the-mars-volta-just-played-a-whole-new-currently-unannounced-album-live  SuggestsKillswitch Engage- This Consequence new album out last week. Gaming/Tech Follow-ups/CorrectionsStar Wars Eclipse/NetEase- The NetEase situation just seems to keep getting stickier. Star Wars Eclipse, the highly anticipated video game from Quantic Dream, might be facing the end of its journey. Reports suggest that its parent company, NetEase, is pulling back from overseas ventures and looking to offload studios, including Quantic Dream. Rumors of trouble aren't new for Eclipse— whispers of cancellation first popped up in 2022— but this latest move by NetEase has fans on edge. If confirmed, it'd join a growing list of scrapped Star Wars titles like Battlefront 3 and Star Wars 1313. No official word yet, so stay tuned for updates.~UPDATE~ Quantic Dream IS apparently unaffected by the restructuring at NetEase.https://cosmicbook.news/star-wars-eclipse-canceled-netease Marvel Rivals- First, to address the NetEase releasing of the development team last week… according to one of the producers the team was more in charge of logistics and  HR type issues more than anything creative. “They were entitled, lazy, and woke.”  But the new update is those leaked characters are “real.” Meaning that all of those character you may or may not have heard about, are in SOME level of development, but that doesn't mean they will make it to playable status.https://boundingintocomics.com/video-games/video-game-news/marvel-rivals-devs-confirms-roster-leaks-are-real-but-cautions-fans-that-datamined-characters-may-appear-or-may-not-appear-in-our-future-plans/ Fable- Delayed into 2026 by Microsoft.WB Games- WB has closed Monolith Productions, Player First Games, and WB San Diego. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/warner-bros-reportedly-shuttering-monolith-productions-player-first-games-and-warner-bros-san-diego  TrailersMortal Kombat 1- https://youtu.be/rRlNmFDHQw4?si=G-ddMgYIEC9vqn0nGlacius… I mean T-1000 trailer. Killer Instinct is going to have somethings to say.~ALSO~ MK Pro Tournament Mexico happened. Javier took 4th. Nicolas 3rd, his twin ScorpionProcs 2nd SonicFox 1st.Tekken 8 - Anna Williams https://youtu.be/b6hYwWoOrDkMarch 31 early access. Rocket Launcher, PLUS  new moveset includes using that as a melee weapon as well as a ranged weapon. Reg ‘ol NewsMouthwashing- Indie horror game that has been QUICKLY gaining popularity, will now be jumping over to console. Not only will there be the obvious digital release, but the console releases (all current gen… even Switch 1…) will eventually get a physical release as well.https://www.engadget.com/gaming/horror-game-mouthwashing-will-land-on-consoles-later-this-year-204817692.html NVidia- 5070Ti launches and the supply issue persists. But the reviews seem to be luke warm at best.https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/nvidia-geforce-5070-ti-review-a-sensible-4k-powerhouse-for-749-140023082.html Apple V  - In an unprecedented move, Apple has completely disabled their ADP (Advanced Data Protection) in the UK. UK users no longer can encrypt their data using Apple's iCloud services. iMessage, passwords, health data, and other information Apple handles, will still be able to use end-to-end encryption. Users will have to turn their ADP off themselves in order to keep their iCloud accounts, due to the nature of end-to-end encryption, but will be allowed an unspecified “grace period.”https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-disables-iclouds-advanced-data-protection-feature-in-the-uk-173016447.html  SuggestsThioJoe- YT channel that has helped me in more than a few pinches. Comic Books/Books Reg ‘ol NewsBatman relaunch- September will see ANOTHER Batman reboot. This time headed by the team of Matt Fraction (W) and Jorge Jimenez (A). Jimenez has talked about the work he is putting in on the feel of the city of Gotham. Some of the preview art feels like the Penguin a bit.https://cosmicbook.news/batman-new-costume-dc-comics-relaunch DC/Marvel Crossover- the Amalgam reprint event is, in fact leading to ANOTHER crossover event. Not a return of the Amalgam universe it would seem. Instead it will be a couple one-shot books, one called Marvel/DC and the other DC/Marvel obviously, to be released later this year. Any more details are being held very close to the chest.https://boundingintocomics.com/comic-books/comic-book-news/for-first-time-in-over-20-years-dc-and-marvel-comics-to-crossover-once-again-in-upcoming-pair-of-one-shots/ Wicked- New GN based on the original book that the stage production and subsequent movie is based on. Part 1 will be out on March 11. https://comicbook.com/comics/news/wicked-graphic-novel-first-look/ Pooluminati- New series, alongside the current Cody Ziglar run, written by Zac Gorman, Alexis Quasarano, with art from Enid Balm and Todd Nauck. Issue 1 goes on sale March 26.Deadpool and his daughter Ellie embark on an inter-dimensional adventure to prove they're worthy of joining the prestigious ranks of the Pooluminati. But what dark secrets will they unearth in the process? ~ALSO~All through March Marvel will be doing April Pool's Day variant covers for other books.https://comicbook.com/comics/news/marvel-deadpool-pooluminati-series-multiversal-deadpool-variants/ Krypto- Superman's superdog is getting his own book. A 5-issue series called Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton. First issue on shelves June 18. Ryan North (W) and Mike Norton (A).A heartfelt and moving view of humanity, good and bad, through the empathetic eyes of the ultimate outsider: a poor, lost dog, who just happens to have superpowers https://comicbook.com/comics/news/dc-krypto-the-superdog-getting-his-own-series/  SuggestsFoundation- science fiction novel by American writer Isaac Asimov. It is the first book in the Foundation Trilogy (which later expanded into the Foundation series). Foundation is a cycle of five interrelated short stories, first published as a single book by Gnome Press in 1951. Collectively they tell the early story of the Foundation, an institute founded by psychohistorian Hari Seldon to preserve the best of galactic civilization after the collapse of the Galactic Empire. TV Shows Follow-ups/CorrectionsMoon Knight- Marvel's head of TV, Brad Winderbaum, has confirmed that the series will not be moving forward. https://cosmicbook.news/marvel-confirms-no-moon-knight-season-2 SAG Awards- Happened… Colin Ferrel won best actor for Penguin, and David Duchovney and Gillian Anderson reunited to present an award… that's all you need to know.Foundation- season 4 is happening. Though no word on when season 3 will premiere even though it is reportedly finished. https://deadline.com/2025/02/foundation-season-4-showrunner-ian-goldberg-writers-room-1236301501/  TrailersWalking Dead: Dead City- season 2 May 4 https://youtu.be/ewSY2KWW9t4  Reg ‘ol NewsMichelle Trachtenburg - Passed away this morning. She was 39. Not much is known yet, aside from the fact that she recently has a liver transplant, though it is not clear if that is connected in anyway.Avatar: Seven Havens- New Avatar animated series from Nickelodeon set to take place after the Legend of Korra series. The announcement comes on the heels of the 20th anniversary of the original series. ALSO, Nickelodeon will be producing Avatar shorts content on YT, a new season of their podcast Braving the Elements that focuses on the Korra story, releasing Book 2 Earth soundtrack, a live concert tour, with other live and in person content planned for SDCC, AS WELL AS new toys, books, and a mobile game titled Avatar Legends: Realms Collide.https://cosmicbook.news/avatar-seven-havens-nickelodeon-sequel-legend-of-korra Culture- Amazon has bought the rights for a book adaptation of the same name. From the sounds of it this will likely become Amazon's response to Star Trek.https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/new-amazon-sci-fi-series-anti-star-trek-marvel-director-involved-consider-phlebas/  SuggestsBuffy the Vampire Slayeris an American supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the 1992 film, also written by Whedon, although they are separate and unrelated productions.[12] Whedon served as executive producer and showrunner of the series under his production tag Mutant Enemy Productions. It premiered on March 10, 1997, on The WB and concluded on May 20, 2003, on UPN.STREAMING ON TUBI, DISNEY+,HULUMovies Follow-ups/CorrectionsConstantine 2- Keanu Reeves has confirmed in an interview that Gunn seems to have accepted the pitch and they are ready to move into the writing stage of the production. This will reteam Reeves with original Director Francis Lawrence. The pitch is for a direct sequel with the same Elseworlds version of the character, only darker.https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/constantine-2-keanu-reeves-script Kathleen Kennedy- OFFICIALLY STEPPING DOWN! Retiring by the end of 2025. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/star-wars-kathleen-kennedy-lucasfilm-1235282440/ Dune 3- Jason Momoa will return for the third installment… to the surprise of no one who read the books.Punisher- “Special Presentation” on Disney+. Not a new series as was assumed. https://comicbook.com/movies/news/marvel-punisher-disney-plus-special-presentation/  TrailersThunderbolts- IMAX trailer leaked onto X over the weekend. There are some clear “course correction” elements here. Not the least of which being the focus on Bucky. The only issue, potentially is how will this team of super soldiers take on a legitimate Avengers Level Threat in the Void (Evil Sentry)? Will this also be an answer to the Marvel issue of killing off their villains?https://t.co/xblEvBpor0 Batman Ninja VS Yakuza League- The sequel to one of the craziest Batman animated movies you have ever seen just got a release date and a trailer. And this one looks like it is going to be even bigger and wilder than the first. Digital release is March 18 and physical is April 15.https://youtu.be/QleeDtH_WWE Fear Street: Prom Queen- https://youtu.be/pDvUEuZZM04?si=Bi7shjdJYmv74EssWelcome back to Shadyside. In this next installment of the blood-soaked Fear Street franchise, prom season at Shadyside High is underway and the school's wolfpack of It Girls is busy with its usual sweet and vicious campaigns for the crown. But when a gutsy outsider puts herself in the running, and the other girls start mysteriously disappearing, the class of '88 is suddenly in for one hell of a prom night.May 23 Reg ‘ol NewsBarney- A24 is making the big purple dinosaur into a live-action movie. Yes, A24 is doing a Barney movie. Actor Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out) has been developing the story for years, and now has the backing of Mattel Films, and a partner in A24. So far the actor is only attached as producer, but is in talks to act in the film as well. No solid details on production or release date windows yet.https://comicbook.com/movies/news/barney-live-action-movie-updates-daniel-kaluuya-ayo-edebiri-a24/  SuggestsFear Street- Netflix series of American horror films based on R. L. Stine's book series of the same name. Involving slasher and supernatural elements, the films' overall story revolves around teenagers who work to break the curse that has been over their town for hundreds of years. The first three installments were directed by Leigh Janiak from scripts and stories she co-wrote with other contributors Rumor Mill Confirmations/RefutationsKathleen Kennedy- But does this one really count? New SourcesStar Wars- Kevin Feige is once again being rumored to step in as the head of Lucasfilm now that Kennedy is stepping down.Avengers- New sources are elaborating on the “evil doppelgangers” rumors. Now it is said that the doppelgangers will be agents of Doom, and will not APPEAR as evil. Instead they will look just like their 616 counterparts, and hilarity will ensue… or something. New RumorsHancock 2- To feature Michael B Jordan and Zendaya? Is also happening?Marvel- Nova, Strange Academy, and Terror inc all on hold.Agatha- Now there are rumors for a second season… X-Men- First movie post Avengers Secret Wars. Won't be an origin story for the team. Will also have a Disney+ live-action show tie in.You can support this show by visiting our merch store, or by leaving us an Apple Podcasts review.

A day in the life of rural Hungary.By FinalStand. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels.'Here be Dragons' wasn't always a tourist gimmick."I didn't say you could have a drink," the Vizsla commented."Oh, my apologies," I shrugged. I put the stein on a nearby table and waited."Have a seat," she directed. I came up to her table and examined the three empty chairs. I held back until she pointed to the chair opposite her. I sat down, but didn't make eye contact. Instead, I examined the various paintings and photographs on the walls. It was an old place."You killed Matthias, even though you knew he worked for me," she uttered."I can confirm that information to be correct," I looked her way. That, wasn't what she expected."Why?""Why what?" I countered. There was a method to my madness; this was going to be a lesson in competence, and what happens when you don't respect it."Why did you kill Matthias?""I needed a reason?" I tried to look pensive. "Maybe I didn't like the cut of his facial hair?""Do you think this is a joke?" she replied dryly. "The Black Hand always avenge our own.""Damn," I looked perplexed. "No one told me that when I arrived. Can we call Matthias's extermination a 50/50 bad call, both ways?""Matthias was my cousin," the Vizsla continued."My condolences," I sighed. "The next Black Hand douche-bag the Amazons waste, I'll have them ask if he's related to you first. How's that?""You are so not likely to have that opportunity," she pointed out."Oh," I laughed, "you are so wrong about that.""You are far stupider than I had been informed," the Vizsla's eyes narrowed."Nope. You and your cast of 'Dumb and Dumber' have been treating us like idiots since we touched down at Ferenc Liszt International, so I'm pretending to be that simpleton sock-puppet just for you, Vizsla. You've added to that by heaping disrespect and derision on my people," I grinned."You tried to have me and my entourage murdered and Matthias paid the price for that. Everyone knows I'm here. And after your bungled attempt to have me killed, no one is going to believe you did anything but murder me, if I don't show up eventually. Now do you prefer the stupid me, or the brighter than normal me?""If you think acting like a smart-ass is somehow endearing, you are mistaken," she let me know."Whatever," I shrugged. "You called this meeting. What do you want?""Beyond killing one of my lieutenants, I wanted to know what you are doing here?" she studied me."I would like to leave now. I'm wasting my time here," I responded."I want answers," she pressed."You have been given the answers to both your talking points, Matthias died because of your orders and I am here looking for three lost Amazon bloodlines," I replied."That seems bizarre," the Vizsla expressed her doubts."Bizarre? You are talking to the sole male Amazon House Head in three thousand years," I reminded her. "Besides, you only just now finished telling me how the Black Hand look after their own. The Amazons are the same way; we have lost kin who need to be made aware of their background.""What do we do about Matthias?" the Vizsla asked."In all honesty, had he not personally threatened to stab a member of my team, I would have settled for kicking the crap out of him. He put a knife to Ms. Martin's throat. That assured his death sentence. I think the Host will be willing to accept my hypothesis that Matthias was acting on his own initiative, which should settle the matter."And just like that, the expediency of the Black Hand shown forth. The truth of the matter was that he had acted on the Vizsla's orders. Unfortunately, that would have meant my side would have come after the Vizsla and she would have had to avenge his death, lots of needless bloodshed. So Matthias posthumously became a rabid dog gone rogue and one who ended up crossing the wrong people. No vengeance required by anyone. We could get back to business."That is settled. So, what do you want from your new allies?" the Vizsla inquired. A certain level of cold-blooded ruthlessness had been required to achieve her spot in the Black Hand. Likewise, honesty was the best policy when dealing with casually lethal people. They didn't like self-important asses wasting their time."I need to find an individual named 'Branko'. He has kidnapped a young lady who is one of our lost Amazons. We don't require any aid, but if you could leave Selena with us, it would be appreciated," I requested."What are you going to do when you catch up with this 'Branko'?" she questioned."I'd like to say I am going to buy her back, but I think we both know that is a pipe-dream. He's not going to like me interfering in his business, so I'm going to kill him, and any other bastards who are in close proximity," I confessed. She studied me for over a minute."Do you wish a piece of advice?" the Vizsla said."Of course," I nodded. It cost me nothing to acknowledge her vastly superior experience."Take a step back," she advised. Seeing that I didn't understand, "If you recall every single death by your hand, you will go mad. You don't possess the detachment of a true killer, Cáel. Not every member of the Black Hand is an assassin.Your driver, Josef, is from a long line of Black Hand members. He doesn't have what it takes to get close and personal in order to kill a human being, so he drives and provides security. He still matters and serves a necessary function." That was almost nice of her. The advice was based on her decision to keep me around as a useful tool. Going nuts would derail that."There is the life we wish to lead, and the life we must lead, Vizsla," I recalled. There was so much there, whirling around in my skull, it took me all this time to find the link I was looking for. Recall every single death by my hand, "On January 26th, 1847, the Black Hand Chapter House of the Wolf in Verona was wiped out, there were no survivors.""If you say so," she regarded me oddly."Yeah, look into it. Then come back to me when you have the right questions," I stood up. "And 'Branko'?""I will relay information on this individual to Selena. We should have something by the time you get back to Buda," she got out before one of the bodyguards came running our way.He had his H and K MP5 out and was in deep conversation with his ear piece."Our two spotters failed to respond correctly," he told the Vizsla in Hungarian. She gave me another quick once over."My people?" I rose slowly.The Vizsla gave the man a subtle hand gesture. Seconds later, pushing Alkonyka ahead of them, Pamela, Selena and Josef came running through the door. Pamela and Selena had our duffels. Two more Black Hand materialized from a back room.The Black Hand was actually a small outfit. Each Chapter had two or three houses, each with four or five true assassins and maybe six times that in support personnel/recruits in each location. That meant the entire Black Hand organization numbered less than 1000. They had several thousand peripheral contacts across their sphere of Europe and they could purchase some sort of private security given time. But their best protection was their hidden nature and small size. That also meant what we had was what we had. There was no Black Hand SWAT team on the way.Working with hand gestures alone, the Vizsla was directing us to a trap door behind the bar. Josef's phone rang. He hesitantly answered."It is for you," he offered it to our host. She took it. Halfway through the caller's diatribe, she shot me a suspicious look."Why don't you ask him?" she stated, then handed me the phone."Hello Nyilas. Do you know who this is?" the man on the other end stated, in Mycenean Greek."Yes, I do. What do you want? I'm kind of busy here?" I grinned. It was laughing at death all over again."I can relieve you of your pressing schedule. You and the other Amazon step outside and I'll make it quick.""No can-do Studly," I smirked. "If I go out there, it is going to take a while.""I sincerely doubt that.""Don't sell yourself short," I jibed. "I figure clipping off those bull-sized testicles of yours is going to take some work. But I do promise that after I make you a eunuch, I'll use a condom when I bend you over and make you my bitch too. Was there anything else you wanted to know?""No. I think we have a mutual understanding," he laughed. "I'll be seeing you soon." He hung up."Who was that?" Vizsla inquired. She wasn't alone in her curiosity."Ajax," I beamed confidence. I was confident my tenure on this Earth was ending real soon."I think we should be leaving," Vizsla suggested."Selena, help Alkonyka get her sister back," I requested. "I'll catch up when I can. Pamela, you do what you feel you need to do. Vizsla, they are after me, so I'm going to keep them busy while you get away," I explained.No useless 'you don't have to do this' nonsense. She knew the score, I wasn't a member of her outfit and she wanted to live. She did do me one favor. She gave another hand movement. Selena slit Josef's throat in a surprise motion.He didn't die right away. Selena's slash made bleeding out inevitable, but he'd be a while in dying. Odds were, that only Vizsla and Josef knew in advance where we were meeting. Whatever payoff the Condottieri had put in his bank account wasn't going to do him any good. Selena bent over his still-thrashing body and removed his pistol."I will bring you Angyalka Lovasz," Selena pledged. Pamela and I were gearing up. Ajax and his buddies were going to be coming for me any second now. Alkonyka gave me one more worried look before she vanished into the secret basement. "Don't be late," was the last thing Selena said before going down into the darkness. Pamela made sure the trap door was covered up.Lust and Bullets"We've used Butch and Sundance," Pamela checked her L42 Enfield Sniper Rifle. It was the weapon Pamela had trained with and used for longer than I'd been alive, old yet very effective even today."Heat?" I offered up. "You can be De Niro and I can be Kilmer.""Nice. Michael Mann really had a way of killing people," Pamela grinned, then pumped her eyebrows. "Too bad I end up dead in this one.""We'll avoid airports, you should be safe," I joked. Three explosions rocked the building, shooting glass throughout the place. Fortunately, Pamela and I were hiding behind the bar."Let's go," she whispered over the din. Charging out the front door seemed pretty suicidal to me, but Pamela's copious battle lore was something I had the utmost faith in. I respected her judgment and followed along. There was a method to her madness. Two 40 mm grenades had taken out the two cars parked in front. A third launched grenade had blown open the door.The petrol in the cars equated to flaming wreckage and a huge smoke screen. It was broad daylight, no night vision goggles. The flames made IR useless and the smoke temporarily obscured regular vision. The machineguns going off around us scared the crap out of me. It was my old buddy, suppression fire: they weren't shooting directly at us.Metaphysically, Ishara was dueling with Ares. There was a low stone wall, a little over a meter high, that separated an adjacent field from the inn's gravel parking lot. Right as we got to our side of it, three of Ajax's boys came up on the other. Pamela and I remained perfectly still, crouching tightly against our shelter.Two knelt and fired several bursts from their H and K HK416 (Wow! Germany's newest killing machine, they looked slick) into the closest open windows while the third one fired a grenade in. Again, we remained perfectly still. We were about two meters from those three. The drab color of our hastily donned dusters, the congested air and our stillness combined to save us from their notice.The second after that grenade went off, the three vaulted the wall and rushed the building. From the cacophony of the battle, they were storming the building from several directions at once."Quick, go find that guy with the machinegun," Pamela whispered over a feral grin. How was I going to do that?The old fashioned way, I leapt over the wall and ran away from all the flames, explosions and the continuous widespread fusillade of assault weapons fire. I was partially bent over as I ran. I'm still a big guy though. The machine gunner was in a shallow dip in the meadow 30 meters away, on the edge of the woods.He saw me, shifted his MG4 (fuck Ajax and his crew for having the best Bang-Bangs) minutely and unleashed hell my way. In hindsight, the 1st round flattened against my duster as it impacted my upper left thigh. Round #2 hit the duster again, coming below my vest, but hitting my belt (every bit of leather helps).The #3 556 mm slug hit my vest due south of my belly button (Fuck!), # 4 landed a few centimeters up and to the right, taking in both the duster and my ballistic vest. The #5 round clipped my lower side of my right ribcage. The resulting force sent me spinning back and to my right.Honestly, as I landed hard on my back (no rolling with the blow this time), I thought a midget mule team had kicked me in the guts. Apparently, I made a convincing mortally wounded human being. He stopped shooting and Pamela got pissed.I learned a few things at that moment: you do not get used to being shot; you can never appreciate the value of good body amour enough; you can never understand the true value of a sniper until your life is totally in their hands; and damn, Pamela was exceptional. Pamela put a bullet through his nasal cavity in that split second between him exposing himself with his muzzle flashes and deciding to put a few more bullets into my prone form.Pain dictated that I lie where I was. Survival instincts overrode that. I went to my side, pushed up and resumed my crouched stance. Then I was running once more until I could throw myself beside his corpse. I was stunningly calm. Machineguns, snipers, I had to cover Pamela's run across the meadow. I didn't stay by the dead gunner.I grabbed his weapon, some spare ammo and quick-stepped it to the wood line. I rapidly assessed the best spot that could provide cover from each flank. That was where I went down, cradled the device and started shooting at any muzzle flash I could see. The moment I opened fire, Pamela began her own sprint.Unlike my mad dash, Pamela took evasive maneuvers, serpentine, which worked out well when one sniper figured out she wasn't one of them. He/she had two shots at her before she dove past me. Her mien was one of intense, emptiness? She gave me a quick pat-down to make sure I wasn't gushing blood, took a deep breath and then smirked."Come on, Dummy!" she laughed. "We still have a shot at a sequel.""Shot, sequel, you are a laugh riot," I wheezed as I stood, abandoned the MG4 and joined her as we both ran deeper into the woods. A few shots zinged past us before Ajax's crew realized we were in full-on flight mode. They weren't going to waste the bullets.This was the point where archaic and modern warfare diverged. In the olden (pre-Pamela, ow! How did she know what I was thinking?) days, when your enemy broke and ran, it was relatively easy to run them down and slaughter them in their panic. If a few men tried to stem the tide, they would be quickly overwhelmed.After the invention of rapid-fire rifles, that changed. Suddenly, headlong pursuit could be incredibly costly. All it took was a small, resolute band to find some sort of hard cover and they could buy minutes, or even hours, for their retreating brethren. Sure, if you were willing to pay the butcher's bill, you could storm their position.But you had to understand, each defender could fire and work the bolt action in under three seconds. You reloaded your magazine with a prepared clip ~ maybe five more seconds. Ten men could put 150 bullets down range per minute as long as their ammo held out. Sending men into that kind of firepower was murder; very few troops could sustain their attack under those conditions.Ajax's resurrected Mycenaean's were tough enough to do it. Ajax's problem was their finite number. Despite catching Ajax off-guard with Pamela's mad plan, her ungodly skills and a great deal of my pain, we had only managed to kill one so far. The great unknowns were terrain (we didn't know where we were,) and my luck.As Pamela and I ran through the forest at a good clip, we began to make out a specific background noise. It was a river. Not a creek, stream, waterfall, or dam, a river."Did you pack your jet ski?" Pamela snorted."I left it in the car. You said it was so '1990's'," I panted back. A few more footsteps and,

Happy Friday Creek Talkers!

Mark and Griffin return to that Joss Whedon science fiction classic, Firefly to discuss the second episode, "The Train Job", in an effort to show Mark what a jaded jerk he is about this beloved property.   

Toy Story y la revolución animada, 30 años ¿En qué momento pasaron 30 años del estreno de Toy Story al día de hoy? Hace 10 950 días (más o menos) una empresa llamada Pixar colocaba en los cines su primer largometraje que es, al mismo tiempo, el primer largo en la historia completamente animado por computadora. La mesa estaba servida para pasar a la historia. Pero además Pixar, con esta película dirigida por John Lasseter y escrita por él mismo, Joss Whedon, Joel Cohen y Alex Sokolow, entregó un producto cálido y humano… A pesar de no contar entre sus protagonistas a nadie cálido y mucho menos humano. Ocho premios en los Annie Awards son suficientes para dar constancia de su calidad, pero su permanencia en la memoria del público cinéfilo a pesar del paso del tiempo y los avances tecnológicos son, probablemente, su mayor sello de garantía. En 2025 Toy Story cumple 30 años de haber revolucionado el mundo del cine y para celebrarlo invitamos a este podcast a Eduardo Limón, cuentista, entrevistador, cronista, locutor, cinéfilo y testigo del paso del tiempo. Felices 30 Toy Story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Originally Broadcast 2025/02/03: Sean and friend of the show Celeste join Casual Trek to recap a quarter each of this "film", and give their own pitches for a Section 31 film. To celebrate, Charlie and Miles have formed a ragtag band of bantering ne'er do wells including Cele from Celeste is Best and Sean from Famicom Dojo. They carry out a four-person relay recap, pitch their own versions of a Section 31 movie and try to say something good about it! 00:03:19 What Non-Star Trek Thing We've Been Enjoying: 00:09:18 Introduction to Section 31 00:18:51 Section 31 Recap 00:33:30 Section 31 Review 01:16:22 Saying something nice about Section 31 01:21:24 Miles' Pitch 01:29:08 Cele's Pitch 01:36:52 Sean's Pitch 01:43:41 Charlie's Pitch 01:57:52 Cele's Wife's Pitch Talking points include: Borderlands (video game), Guardians of the Galaxy, Creature Commandos, a nice Americano, scone and a book, Macross, Silo (film & books), Midnight Suns, The original Section 31 predicted how the Patriot Act would go down, SHIELD in the War on Terror Era, Babylon 5, Mass Effect 2, Battlestar Galactica, The Culture, X-Force (Cyclops' and Wolverine's), Hunger Games, 90's Animated Cyclops, ‘meh' should never be said in a Star Trek, “We have Tendi at home”, everyone looks like budget ‘someone else', if this was on HBO Max then Zaslav would have killed it, The Drazi's religious war, The Big Outdoor Fight, Rebel Moon, British versions of successful American sci-fi, is there anything original? Starbucks supervisor energy, an Oirish accent, a Pacey from Dawson's Creek haircut, Agent for Harm, MST3K, Rogue One, Making Georgiou into Spike, referencing Lorca's most unfortunate line in Discovery, Fifth Element, the sins of Joss Whedon's writing, Dr Who, Suicide Squad, Torchwood, Celeste's Harsh Truths™, The Franchise, Jessie Gender, this is a Roger Corman movie if he was an idiot as well as a thief, choking on a Manta Force, Garth of Izar, Gundam references, . Oh, and occasionally Star Trek. Pedant's Corner: Silo came out in 2011, Fallout came out in 1997, A Boy and His Dog first appeared in 1969 Marvel's Midnight Sons actually consisted of: Danny Ketch, Johnny Blaze, Blade, Frank Drake, Hannibal King, Morbius, Vengeance, Sam Buchanan, Victoria Montessi, Louise Hastings, Modred the Mystic and Jinx. In retrospect I can see why they went more mainstream. Amarie in Unification had four arms William Sadler is alive at time of editing Casual Trek is by Charlie Etheridge-Nunn and Miles Reid-Lobatto. Music by Alfred Etheridge-Nunn. https://ko-fi.com/casualtrek Casual Trek is a part of the Nerd & Tie Network

Monia, the Exiled Fan, returns for a discussion on Angel: The Series. This episode covers seasons one and two. We discuss the show, our reactions to it, and why people might dislike Joss Whedon's work. This is part one of a two part series.

The final appearances of Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno in the roles of David Banner and the Hulk,The Death of the Incredible Hulk (1990) marks the conclusion of the trilogy of made-for-television movies which resurrected the beloved series (which ran from 1977-1982).We also have the original love story between Banner and the Black Widow, which Joss Whedon would later rip off in Avengers: Age of Ultron (no, we can't prove it!).

It's finally here! The Section 31 movie, wanted by almost no one and quietly put out onto Paramount Plus looking like a bad attempt to be a Guardians of the Galaxy, Suicide Squad (the bad one) and Borderlands: The Movie. To celebrate, Charlie and Miles have formed a ragtag band of bantering ne'er do wells including Cele from Celeste is Best and Sean from Famicom Dojo. They carry out a four-person relay recap, pitch their own versions of a Section 31 movie and try to say something good about it! 00:03:19 What Non-Star Trek Thing We've Been Enjoying:  00:09:18 Introduction to Section 31 00:18:51 Section 31 Recap 00:33:30 Section 31 Review  01:16:22 Saying something nice about Section 31 01:21:24 Miles' Pitch  01:29:08 Cele's Pitch  01:36:52 Sean's Pitch 01:43:41 Charlie's Pitch  01:57:52 Cele's Wife's Pitch Talking points include: Borderlands (video game), Guardians of the Galaxy, Creature Commandos, a nice Americano, scone and a book, Macross, Silo (film & books), Midnight Suns, The original Section 31 predicted how the Patriot Act would go down, SHIELD in the War on Terror Era, Babylon 5, Mass Effect 2, Battlestar Galactica, The Culture, X-Force (Cyclops' and Wolverine's), Hunger Games, 90's Animated Cyclops, ‘meh' should never be said in a Star Trek, “We have Tendi at home”, everyone looks like budget ‘someone else', if this was on HBO Max then Zaslav would have killed it, The Drazi's religious war, The Big Outdoor Fight, Rebel Moon, British versions of successful American sci-fi, is there anything original? Starbucks supervisor energy, an Oirish accent, a Pacey from Dawson's Creek haircut, Agent for Harm, MST3K, Rogue One, Making Georgiou into Spike, referencing Lorca's most unfortunate line in Discovery, Fifth Element, the sins of Joss Whedon's writing, Dr Who, Suicide Squad, Torchwood, Celeste's Harsh Truths™, The Franchise, Jessie Gender, this is a Roger Corman movie if he was an idiot as well as a thief, choking on a Manta Force, Garth of Izar, Gundam references, . Oh, and occasionally Star Trek. Pedant's Corner: Silo came out in 2011, Fallout came out in 1997, A Boy and His Dog first appeared in 1969 Marvel's Midnight Sons actually consisted of: Danny Ketch, Johnny Blaze, Blade, Frank Drake, Hannibal King, Morbius, Vengeance, Sam Buchanan, Victoria Montessi, Louise Hastings, Modred the Mystic and Jinx. In retrospect I can see why they went more mainstream. Amarie in Unification had four arms William Sadler is alive at time of editing Casual Trek is by Charlie Etheridge-Nunn and Miles Reid-Lobatto Music by Alfred Etheridge-Nunn Casual Trek is a part of the Nerd & Tie Network https://ko-fi.com/casualtrek Celeste is Best YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@NickIzumi  Cele's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CelesteIsBest  Famicom Dojo: https://famicomdojo.tv/ Famicom Dojo YouTube: https://youtube.com/@famicomdojolive  Miles' blog: http://www.mareidlobatto.wordpress.com  Charlie's blog: http://www.fakedtales.com 

Marvel and Joss Whedon were faced with the difficult task of delivering a sequel to the massively successful first Avengers. Age of Ultron was a huge hit but is generally seen as inferior to its predecessor. Why wasn't it better? Is it actually underrated? Guest Garret Ohringer returns for our Season Seven premiere to share his thoughts. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wwib_official Twitter: https://twitter.com/WWIBpodcast Subscribe! Rate! Review! Tell a friend!

Beauty and the Beastsep 304Aired October 20, 1998IMDB SummaryOz becomes the prime suspect when a series of animal-like attacks occur in Sunnydale.Directed by James Whitmore, Jr. Written by Joss Whedon, Marti Noxon, Jane EspensonConnect with us: Instagram www.instagram.com/themistergordo_pod Tik Tok @themistergordopodcastEmail themistergordopod@gmail.com

In this special episode, I sit down with Dani Gossip Girl to spill all the tea on my recent success: the Lila Shapiro article that exposed Enty Lawyer , The Man Who Gossiped Too Much, making #3 on Vulture's Top 20 Online Articles of the Year. We dive into the emotional whirlwind of being interviewed for hours, the vulnerability of sharing my truth, and what it means to have my story resonate with so many readers. Dani brings her sharp wit and keen perspective as we dissect the impact of Lila Shapiro's storytelling (and her knack for epic exposés—looking at you, Joss Whedon). Tune in for behind-the-scenes details, heartfelt reflections, and a celebration of turning personal challenges into public triumphs. This is one you don't want to miss!

Season 4 series nerding is on the 2009-2010 television series Dollhouse starring Eliza Dushku. Enter the sci-fi mind-wiping universe from Joss Whedon with the NERDS. Analese knows there's a guy on our team that dresses like a pirate and Rob wishes he could mind-wipe his rewatch to keep the fond memories of this show fonder. Also in this episode: Snarling Badger Studios, The Great Goblin Hargle-Bargle, OnlyGames.co, psychedelic therapy, the Whedonverse, mini games, Final Girl series 3. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we're exploring the art and power of words and how they shape our stories and bring our characters to life. Cohosts Chris Ryan and Alex Simmons have been writing for over 30 years, and today, they're sharing insights on everything from detective tales to sci-fi adventures. We'll discuss the meticulous process of crafting dialogue and ensuring each character has a unique voice, inspired by the greats like Joss Whedon. We also share valuable editing tips from the renowned Art Taylor and humorous anecdotes—like a mishap with macaroni and cheese—that remind us all of the spice that life—and words—bring to our storytelling. Join us as we walk through the essential stages of drafting, from getting that rough first draft done to polishing your fourth draft for publication. We'll explore the importance of avoiding word repetition, making the most of sensory details, and drawing from real-life experiences to enrich your narratives. Whether you are an aspiring writer or a seasoned storyteller, this episode is packed with practical advice and inspiration to fuel your creative journey. Have any questions, comments, or suggestions? Then please leave them in the Comments Section. Write: TTDSOnAir@gmail.com And follow us on ... ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Tell The Damn Story⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ www.TellTheDamnStory.com www.Facebook.com/Tell The Damn Story⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Youtube.com/ Tell The Damn Story⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you're enjoying these episodes, please take a moment to help wet our whistle by clicking on the link to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy Me A Coffee⁠⁠⁠⁠!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Written and directed by Joss Whedon, this episode originally aired November 6, 2001. EXTRA BITSTrevor is currently working on creating an art piece for every single episode of Buffy and you can find everything that's been released so far here.Kristin also co-hosts another show called "So...I'm Watching This Show" with Wil Brooks. You can check them out here.Trevor runs another podcast as well called "Trevor Loves Everything." You can check that out here.Also, Trevor and Kristin (she's also mostly here) are pretty active on the Twitter.Please rate, review and subscribe! Help us get those fancy numbers :)

Becoming Part 2 episode 222Aired May 19th, 1998IMDB SummarySpike strikes an unlikely alliance with Buffy to keep Angel from destroying the world.Directed by Joss WhedonWritten by Joss Whedon, Dan Batali, Rob DesHotelConnect with usInsta www.instagram.com/themistergordo_podtiktok @themistergordopodcastEmail themistergordopod@gmail.com

Episode 22 of Matt and Mike (and Melissa) Read Comics dives into Joss Whedon's run on Astonishing X-Men. On the heels of Grant Morrison's bizarre, confusing, and often downright boring run on New X-Men, the camp and straightforward superhero storytelling of Joss Whedon was a true breath of fresh air. The classic yellow-and-blue themed suits are back. A new team is formed. A new villain arrives from another planet with a cryptic message about the power of a mutant destroying their homeworld. And on top of all of that, a “cure” for mutants. And…AND in a stroke of brilliant storytelling Whedon pulls off a move that has since been so reused that it almost feels stale, but when this book came out it was a truly remarkable comic moment - the return of Colossus. A character that had been dead in comics for years makes a stunning and cinematic return in Astonishing X-Men. Whedon and the late John Cassady craft one of the best X-Men storylines in the 21st century with Astonishing X-Men and you all should be reading this.

Becoming Part 1 Ep 221 Episode aired May 12, 1998IMDB Summary Angel plots to revive an ancient demon bent on sweeping everything on earth into hell itself.Directed by Joss WhedonWritten by Joss Whedon, Rob DesHotel, Dean BataliConnect with us Insta www.instagram.com/themistergordo_podtiktok @themistergordopodcastEmail themistergordopod@gmail.com

Go Fish ep 220Aired May 5th, 1998IMDB Summary:Members of the Sunnydale swim team are killed by a gill monster of unknown origins.Directed by David Semel Written by Joss Whedon, David Fury, Elin HamptonConnect with us:Insta www.instagram.com/themistergordo_podTikTok @themistergordopodcastEmail themistergordopod@gmail.com

I Only Have Eyes for Youep 219Aired April 21, 1998IMDB SummarySunnydale High School is haunted by the ghosts of a former student and teacher who reenact their tragic romance through the bodies of the school's current inhabitants.Directed by James Whitmore, Jr. Written by Joss Whedon, Marti Noxon, Rob DesHotelConnect with us Insta www.instagram.com/themistergordo_podTiktok @themistergordopodcastEmail themistergordopod@gmail.com

This week, Nathan and Gita are joined by special guest LB Hunktears, formerly of Fanbyte and Blaseball fame, who is now working on a reality show queer romance horror comedy game called Fledgling Manor. We discuss the reality TV shows that inspired it, as well as the strange lack of games about reality TV, given just how game-y those shows' structures tend to be. We also rank every season of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, a show that has aged like a fine wine if the bottle contained a tiny man named Joss Whedon who you kept learning new terrible things about, and who you had to nudge aside every time you wanted to take a sip. Then we talk about Twitch's recent string of gaffes involving Israel, including its “inadvertent” failure to re-enable sign ups in Israel and Palestine for a whole year, as well as its very advertent decision to ban several Arab streamers for a month following spurious claims of antisemitism. Lastly, we discuss the best fall flavors and conclude that apple beats the shit out of pumpkin spice. Sorry, but it's not even close.    Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Gita Jackson, and special guest LB Hunktears - Subscribe to Aftermath!   About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that's too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris' frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don't know what else to tell you; it's a great time. Simply by reading this description, you're already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.

¡Vótame en los Premios iVoox 2024! Programa lleno de contrastes, donde realizamos un experimento particular: Nos propusimos grabar para nuestra Videoteca Lode el análisis de una película que ninguno de los contertulios había visto anteriormente. Un film coreano recomendado encarecidamente, original y sangriento: ENCONTRÉ AL DIABLO. Gran éxito en Corea y película de culto en Occidente, interpretado por Min-Sik Choi (protagonista de Old Boy, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, Nameless gangster), Byung-Hun Lee (G.I. Joe: Retaliation , Red 2, El Bueno, el Malo y Raro) y dirigida por Kim Jee-Woon. Su título internacional es I Saw the Devil, y su título coreano, Akmareul Boatda. ¿Nos habrá gustado? No haremos spoilers excesivos, y la analizaremos lo más concienzudamente posible. Abraham Hithorso y Antonio Runa sacarán punta a este impactante film del que, hasta el momento, sólo habían oído hablar. Luego, junto a PR-17, llegará ASTONISHING X-MEN a nuestra sección de cómics Entre Viñetas. Concretamente, la etapa guionizada por el exitoso director Joss Whedon, dibujada por John Cassaday. En estos cuatro arcos argumentales, los X-Men tienen que empezar de nuevo, tras una etapa de inflexión. El director de la película Los Vengadores nos muestra las mejores y más refrescantes relaciones entre los mutantes, así como un desarrollo de personajes sin parangón, diálogos chispeantes y mucha acción y épica, en lo que para muchos es y siempre será una época de la Patrulla X inolvidable. Entre medias del programa, haremos un recordatorio de lo que en La Órbita de Endor se hizo exactamente por estas fechas en años anteriores. Cómo cambia el mundo. Ahora disponte a estremecerte con Encontré al Diablo y emocionarte con Astonishing X-Men de Joss Whedon: Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

By Walt HickeyWelcome to the Numlock Sunday edition.This week, I spoke to Joanna Robinson and Dave Gonzales, coauthors of the book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, out in paperback this week.I really loved the book, it dives into what is the main flywheel of mainstream entertainment, for better or for worse, and dives into the fascinating history of the MCU. Whether you're a fan of Marvel movies or just someone living in a world dominated by them, the book is a really interesting look into contemporary filmmaking and the pressures and economics and just simply human scale of these massive operations.We spoke about Marvel's journey from underdog to cultural icon, how its moviemaking process has changed over time, and what it was like covering a narrative that was developing in real time.Robinson and Gonzales can both be found on the podcast Trial by Content, and the book can be found wherever books are sold.This interview has been condensed and edited. Dave and Joanna, thank you so much for coming on.GONZALES: Absolutely.ROBINSON: Thanks for having us.I really, really love this book. So happy to see it out in paperback. I guess I'll just kick it off with an easy one: What were each of your first experiences with Marvel? How'd you get into this?ROBINSON: As in the comic books or the films?Anything.ROBINSON: Anything at all. Gosh, I think X-Men: The Animated Series was my introduction, back in my infancy. It really got into the world they created, the various characters, their character sets, the trading cards, and then everything spirals out from there. That was my introduction.GONZALES: Mine was probably with the comics. I might have had some X-Men: The Animated Series in there, but I got much more into the comics around late 1993, early '94, when I happened to buy a Spider-Man issue that was part of “The Trial of Peter Parker.” Suddenly I had questions: Why was Peter Parker on trial? How many different Spider-Man books were there? Because I bought an issue of The Spectacular Spider-Man, but the next part of “The Trial of Peter Parker” was The Amazing Spider-Man.That led me to get a cubby at my local comic book shop in Louisville, Colorado, which was Time Warp Comics at the time. That was my way in, just being a comic book fan. I also jumped in on one of the longest and mostly considered worst Spider-Man arcs, but loved it. So imagine how good “good” Spider-Man was to me as a child, because I got weaned in on “bad” Spider-Man.Amazing. One reason I really dug the book is that it's about the MCU, but it's also about Marvel, the history of this entire company, and its very different evolution over time, from the '60s to the period of the '90s. What was it like trying to cover not just a film series, but a big franchise with a lot of moving parts as part of an even bigger company with even more moving parts?ROBINSON: A good question we asked ourselves was both where to start and where to end, and where to end was a constant, ongoing question mark. I'll let Dave address that. But in terms of where to start, there were certain things we felt we had to backdate, because there were players involved in the major “How did Marvel Studios come to be?” question and you had to know who they were, why they were important, how did we get here and what were the stakes? Being able to loosely explain who's Stan Lee, who's Perlmutter, who's Avi Arad, who are all these people, helped us tell that story without losing the audience entirely by throwing a bunch of new names at them. Dave, what about ending the book?GONZALES: Oh, ending the book. That was super fun. We started right as Avengers: Endgame was in theaters. I remember seeing Endgame and knowing that Joanna and I were going to work on this, so we started off thinking, what a fantastic hill that Marvel climbed, this interconnected universe with three phases. Everything surely was planned out from the beginning and could only go up from here. The book was originally “The Rise of Marvel Studios,” because we thought surely this was just up and up and up.Then the pandemic hit — which was very good for us, having to write the book and just sit down and figure out what it was. It also gave us and a lot of sources a pause to regain our footing. As Marvel started rolling out, we tried to peg an end date. I wanted it to be Blade to Blade when we started, but Mahershala Ali's project has still not come out, so that became an impossibility. Then WandaVision premiered and suddenly there was this whole other aspect to the story we were trying to tell. So we wanted to do that and just tried to report things as they went along.We were blessed and cursed by the year that we published the hardcover, October 2023. As we were turning in the final part of the book in January and February, a whole bunch of Marvel news started breaking. Ike Perlmutter left Disney; Victoria Alonso, who was a big mover and shaker in Marvel Studios, was let go, so we had to report that out; Jonathan Majors went on trial.It was only in a panic over all those things that I really ended up appreciating what we had done just by thinking of all these topics so thoroughly for several years. Even though we were tacking new endings on, it wasn't that hard to make it feel like it was a whole arc because we were kind of working there anyway. I wouldn't say I'd've enjoyed releasing the first version of this book in one of Marvel's worst financial years and most critical years ever, but I do think it provided an interesting little tie-off or a fascinating ellipses that allowed us to be relevant and, more importantly, in the year 2024, look like we knew exactly what we were talking about in Marvel's rebounds.That's a really good point. When I met you on tour, a key thing you were getting at was that the idea that Marvel has not had a slump before is naive, and also ahistorical. A fun thing about the book is that you go through all these different eras, and sure, there's an easier story and probably a more polished, corporate story that's ever upward, toward Excelsior, all that crap.But you really do cover the pits and troughs of this. There was Iron Man 2; there was Thor: The Dark World; there was that period of time between the assorted Spider-Mans. What was that perspective like, particularly as it was coming out and as you were able to talk about the issues in 2023?ROBINSON: It was important for us, just on a basic journalistic level, to try to tell as much of the story as possible. We're fans of Marvel, of the movies, but as long as I've known Dave, both of us have been people who don't like to feel like we're not being told the whole story. We don't want the PR version of something — we want to know all the messy details as well. And it's not to knock Marvel or have any kind of “gotcha” moment. It's to say, “Okay, they had these various pitfalls, these various problematic people that they were working with, X, Y and Z. Look what they accomplished anyway.” That's the story in broad strokes. It was important for us to be able to acknowledge the stumbles along the way.When we found ourselves in a 2023 space where everyone was saying Marvel is cooked, or Marvel used to know exactly what it was doing from the beginning and now they're just making it up — no, they were always making it up. They just did it so well, you didn't notice. That gave us a better perspective to be able to say, let's just slow down. We were looking ahead to 2024, saying they're only putting out one movie and two shows next year. If those hit, then you'll start to hear that Marvel's back, baby. Then Deadpool & Wolverine makes a gajillion dollars and Agatha All Along is a pretty solid hit for them.So I think that “Marvel is over” narrative that was so prevalent a year ago is now the question, “Is Marvel back?” Looking even further forward at the next couple of big projects coming, I think Captain America: Brave New World is going to be a tough one for them. I don't know if that's going to hit the way a lot of people want it to. I think Thunderbolts is going to be hit for them, and I think The Fantastic Four: First Steps is going to be hit for them. They're still getting their bearings, but to your point, it was a bit naive to say they've been nothing but successful and now they've run off a cliff. Dave, what do you think?GONZALES: It was just a less interesting narrative, ultimately. I actually found myself getting less adversarial the more we learned, especially being a fan when all this started around 2008. There was this idea that Joanna was talking about, which is even a fan perspective today, that if something doesn't work out it's because we've been denied something at some creative step. Like, you know what, screw those guys; we want to do Harrison Ford as Red Hulk instead, or something like that.But it's not that at all. There are a whole bunch of different drama and production and business problems, and all these things come together to make these gigantic machines of a movie work. It was really important for us to drill down on Marvel Studios and get into those ups and downs, because a lot of times you can try to compare Marvel Studios to something through contrast, through Warner Brothers trying to do it with DC back in the early 2010s. Everybody started trying to launch an interconnected universe from the first movie, but all you could really say is that Marvel's worked and these others didn't. The details of the alchemy are in the tiny stories and little conflicts. That's why I think they were so important to track, be they how movie stars look or how we use CGI to make movie stars look. Tracking that over at Marvel Studios was just as important as how many movies Tony Stark was going to be in.Can you speak more to how much of this was on the fly? One of my big takeaways from your book was just how much things aren't necessarily set in stone during the production of a movie, and how sometimes one person's smart idea, regardless of where it comes from, can drastically alter what a lot of folks think was written in stone in 2007.ROBINSON: That idea of “best idea wins” — without ego; best idea from whomsoever — was a prevailing concept at Marvel. Kevin Feige was also this really interesting figure that has no comparison at any other studio. He's head of the studio, a creative producer, a storyteller in his own right and someone who wanted to make movies as a kid and thought he would be a director. He wound up an executive, but he has that storytelling sense. When Marvel was putting out fewer films and TV shows — or no TV shows at all and just a few films a year — the process was, “Go shoot your movie. Bring me, Kevin Feige, back the pieces and I'll tell you what you're missing.” They had this built-in reshoot window where you could go and add scenes where he felt like you hadn't really nailed this character, or cut this action out to bump up the action over here a bit more. They had this rough-drafting process with the master editor being Kevin Feige himself. There's no system like that at any other studio.That works so well for them, and in doing so, they're able to cement over the cracks and make it all feel like one smooth story that they're telling, because that refining process is built into their filmmaking process. Once the mandate comes from Disney, from Iger on his way out the door, from Chapek in his seat for a while, that they need to compete with Netflix and all these other streaming services, that they need more and more content — then the pace becomes untenable for that revision process that made them so solid in the first place.You talk about Feige not having an analog. I was really shocked reading the book because there's not even anything recent. You have to go back to Cecil B. DeMille for someone who has that producer, authorial presence. He's really a fascinating figure, and it's a key takeaway from the book that I loved. It really highlights the people who make these movies, not just the corporation. It's actual human beings who do this kind of stuff, often with long continuities. Do you want to speak about some of that?GONZALES: Definitely. Actually, while you were talking, I was wondering if part of the chip on Zack Snyder's shoulder was because someone at some point told him he was going to be a Kevin Feige and he's been chasing that ever since.A lot of the Marvel continuity that's been going on is still going on, even after our new chapter. It's been interesting to see how it's developed. It could be that the best idea wins, but then they also have that old school, in-house process where the starting team is very often the same people and has been since phase one. You put together a bullpen of concept artists, so you're constantly using concept art. Not only is that smart from a design standpoint for making a movie, but then you can have those things scanned and it goes directly into making toys. So at the beginning, there's no fight about bringing on these design creatives super early on.Where we start to see the wear and tear is, as Joanna was saying, with this output increase. All of the pressure starts being put on post-production, which is the place where you can't make more time. The solution is to hire more people, and because of that, the job of keeping things consistent falls to Victoria Alonso.She does a pretty good job considering that she's working a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week work schedule because the industry is so messed up. It was never built to do stuff like this. In a lot of ways, the way the VFX industry is structured is still from the '90s turn of the century, when you would bid on a number of shots to do and get money for that number of shots. You'd have to work those shots until they get approved by the director. There isn't an extra budget, and there isn't an overtime, which was a fine way to do it when there were three or four VFX shots in every movie. But now that we're in the 200s or some such, there's a natural strain put on that, and it's impossible to budget on the VFX side. They have to underbid because there's a limited amount of work. If Marvel decides they don't like you, as much as a third of your entire year's work can just not come to your company.As Marvel ages into it, we get a lot of people who are able to make their careers there, from Kevin Feige to Mary Livanos, who's doing great things on Agatha and seems really close to being ascendant. We have Brad Winderbaum, who's been made head of streaming now to take some of that pressure off Kevin. You have all these great continuities. You're less likely to see continuities in visual effects artists, just because of how they're going recently. When Joanna and I were interviewing people like ILM for Hulk, occasionally we'd do a person that was in three or four movies. Now, like for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, there was a team of about 12 people at Framestore who make animals look good. They just come in for that movie to make animals look incredibly good. They did it the whole time, but they're not as legacy as other parts of the Marvel development studios — which I hope will change, because there are some people who are really good at making Hulks. And if you've made Hulks for 20 years, shouldn't those be the people that are making Hulks in Brave New World? We'll have to see.ROBINSON: I love that you mentioned Cecil B. DeMille. As we were putting this whole story together and realizing that they bring all these teams in-house, Dave and our coauthor Gavin and I, we are to varying degrees students of old Hollywood history, and we had this realization that it's just the old Hollywood studio system. You're putting actors under contract for nine movies, all this other stuff, and we felt so smart. Then I was talking to someone who worked at Marvel and they were like, “Oh yeah, Kevin says that all the time.” I was like, oh, I thought we really put something together. But at least we were right! We were consciously doing this.I think that industrial element of it is really interesting. A key thing that changed the way I see the film industry was realizing that every movie is basically a corporation that briefly exists. Every movie is an entire apparatus, with a CEO operation and departments and all that. Then it folds and you move on to the next one.With Marvel, though, the circus never closes; it's just onto the next city. It was really interesting to see its place in the industry. Like Dave was saying, the limiting reactant for some of this is just the number of animators on the earth who are capable of making this kind of stuff. It's so cool to get a look inside this apparatus through the book.ROBINSON: Thank you.GONZALES: What an apparatus. It's really interesting to me, even now, as we are pending the return of the Russo brothers, who are just able to find this and also find the emotion in it.In Endgame, the Tony Stark “I am Iron Man” moment was the last insert. They had to go to dinner with Robert Downey Jr. and Joel Silver and have Silver be like, “You'd be dumb not to do it, Robert,” because Downey didn't want to go back there. He's a weird dude, but for him, it felt like in order to get to what he needed to do, he had to take off a scab that had formed and get back into the character. Whereas the Russo brothers are like, we built a workout system and we have our smoothies and every day is trying to make the machine work. Somehow, through the alchemy of those two things, the machine works, and occasionally we get these story moments that feel like they were created individually for that movie.That, I think, is the mystery that the book is trying to unravel. At the beginning, it's untapped storytelling potential. Everyone's like, if you don't have the X-Men, if you don't have Spider-Man, what do you have? There's so much in just proving that you have good stories. Now that you're the biggest game in town, that idea of, “Are you going to make me feel anything?” is so much different than what the initial promise was, that they're going to bring Thanos to the screen and you're going to understand who he is and what he wants. That was the big lift. Now there's a whole simultaneous saving of the industry, and bestowing status on different actors. There's just so much more mixed up in it now. It's amazing we got where we did.The book is also a really interesting look at the transition from being a super underdog. As you describe in the earliest chapters of the book, Marvel was bankrupt, and all the executives were folks who fell out of the toy industry or Revlon. The folks who were in charge came to it in the manner of somebody accidentally having to join a carnival, and then eventually it becomes the hegemonic juggernaut of everything, in many ways the thing that people stand against. In the book, watching the perception around it change and then internally having to adapt to that change in perception was a really cool tension.ROBINSON: My favorite indicator of that underdog status versus top-of-the-world status versus wherever we are now is the making of the first Iron Man movie. Marvel Entertainment in New York — who was, to your point, chiefly concerned with merchandising and toys — had the attitude, “Okay, go make your cute little movie. If it doesn't cost us any money, you can go do your little cinematic experiment in Hollywood and we don't really care that much. Just make sure you don't spend any of our money. Other than that, go have fun.”And they make Iron Man, and Iron Man is a massive, smash hit, and all of a sudden the people in New York are like, we're forming something called the Creative Committee. We would like a lot of intake. We want to be part of this. This is the big shiny thing, and everyone wants to weigh in on it. So it's really interesting to track this going from a weird little project they were doing out in Los Angeles to The Thing for Marvel. You can track it by who needs to have an opinion about what and when they start to care.GONZALES: One of my favorite moments — it's after the book chapter “Marvel vs. the Creative Committee” — is when Kevin Feige gets on stage himself to unveil the entirety of phase three, which includes Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War and everything. That is such a telling moment for me. He had just won his battles with these behind the scenes. He's fully in full control. Black Panther is coming. Joss Whedon is in the edits for Avengers: Age of Ultron, in the audience, but they already know he's not coming back.There was a version of a chapter in the book that was just me going through that and being like, here's why each one of these announcements is like Kevin Feige spiking a football in the face of someone that told him he couldn't do it. That's still the purest creative energy I've seen. “We could finally do it!” burst out of Marvel. I think they've been more reserved since, even with some big announcements, but I like to go back and look at that just to see the pivot point when Marvel was the underdog. It was like, we want Black Panther, we want Captain Marvel, but the studio won't let us do it. Then Kevin Feige gets up and goes, “Here are the next 10 years of your life.” It's just such a joyous moment.ROBINSON: We love that moment. We talked to people behind the scenes who were working at Marvel at the time about it, and there's a reason that whole presentation wasn't at a Comic-Con. It wasn't at D23. It was its own thing at the El Capitan Theater in Los Angeles, and internally, they jokingly called it Kevin-Con. It was this whole thing, and part of it was that they weren't ready to announce certain things at Comic-Con.But part of it was this moment for Feige who fought various personalities across the various companies to get control of the narrative. And I agree, Endgame is of course in all of history going to be looked at as the pinnacle of achievement at Marvel. But I actually think it might be Kevin-Con at the El Capitan Theater, when Chadwick Boseman comes out and Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans are there to anoint him as the future of the franchise. That, of course, comes with its own terrible poignancy. We were really lucky to talk to Chadwick Boseman for the book before he passed away. These were things that happened while we were writing the book. History was constantly happening as we were trying to frame this entire narrative.If there's a protagonist in the book, it feels like it's Kevin, even in the earliest days when he was advising on the Fox products. Having read the book and then seen Deadpool & Wolverine — which, as you mentioned, went on to become a phenomenal financial success — it was really cool to come away with a little more admiration for the role that Kevin had in some of the Fox properties. Seeing that manifest in the MCU was just really nice.ROBINSON: I love that he got to have his Wolverine story, given that it all starts with him in a trailer with Hugh Jackman saying it needs to be bigger, it needs to be bigger, it needs to be bigger. I love that.GONZALES: I don't even know if it's still called that, but Joanna used to call that the “Feige fix-it.” Instead of developing these things by always going forward and introducing younger Avengers, he's actually much more interested in reaching back. There were good things there. Or, I guess the generous way to think about it is rewarding the fans that were around before it was the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Like, “You didn't waste your time with X-Men: The Last Stand. I know it might have felt like that occasionally, but here's this. Or Andrew Garfield. Yeah, maybe we treated him badly, but don't worry. You didn't waste your time with that because boom, here it is paying off in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”Initially there was some hesitancy about Marvel homework. Do I need to have seen these things to do these things? But ultimately, if we're just talking dollars and cents, the nostalgia play has made them a billion dollars so many times that it doesn't surprise me that Deadpool & Wolverine is a huge hit just by being a swan song for the Fox movies.ROBINSON: I was personally incredibly gratified to finally get Channing Tatum as Gambit. That was a very important moment for me.My favorite version of the Feige fix-it was putting the storyline from Thor: The Dark World into Endgame and making Thor: The Dark World, the most universally mocked and reviled MCU film, an integral part of their biggest triumph. All of a sudden that's wrapped into the larger tapestry in a way so you can't just toss it in the garbage and say, oh, don't bother watching Thor: The Dark World — now you have to watch it to understand everything you're seeing in Endgame, which is certainly not a movie you're ever going to skip.It's a magic trick that really works and almost shouldn't work as well as it does. But even how they were able to get the Infinity Stones, almost taking elements of the first couple films that were dropped or introduced somewhat randomly and then doing that. It's a trick that they keep on pulling.GONZALES: Kevin Feige will say this, but we're coming up on 80 years of comic book history, and if there's one thing that comic books do more than any other medium, it's just use the same story. How could you have another angle on this story? They have so much A/B testing on what we like about this character, or what we'll buy about a certain character, it's interesting to see Marvel adapt that along with what sort of story you like on the Hollywood side of it.But yeah, we're going to see Captain America: Brave New World and finally see that Celestial that came out of the ocean in Eternals. Every Marvel property contributes something, we're told. Except the Inhumans; that never happens.The book is MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, and it's a fascinating look at the intersection of the humanity behind these movies and the technology of these movies. And if there's one figure that reminds me of that in particular, obviously, one of the most central people in the Marvel universe is Green Steve. Let's talk a little about him before we wrap this one up.ROBINSON: He's my favorite! Green Steve, a Chippendales dancer that was painted green in order to make sure they understood how the green light on skin would be captured accurately for the Hulk. Green Steve was one of my favorite anecdotes we got, and it was out of the book for a while before we worked it back in. Dave, what do you want to say about Green Steve?GONZALES: I love Green Steve. I love that this bodybuilder from Long Island can technically say he played the Hulk in a sort of way. In theory, because it's a whole CGI character, he might have played the Hulk close to how much Mark Ruffalo played the Hulk in that first movie. I love that story.Pretty early on, we brought in Gavin Edwards, our third author, to help us do a book, since Joanna and I had never done a book before. We were starting to put together the notes and I was like, can we please have a mid-credits scene? Can we just have a chapter in the middle of the notes?ROBINSON: That was Dave.GONZALES: I held onto that for as long as possible. I remember in one of the final meetings after we turned in the draft, we pitched it up to the editor and they were like, “That's really fun,” and I thought, oh thank god. That was a really early idea, and Green Steve fits that perfectly; it's a super interesting story that doesn't really belong anywhere else, but will stick in your mind as, Marvel literally tried everything to make the best Hulk. So I'm very happy that it's the mid-credits chapter — and remains the mid-credits chapter! Even when we added another chapter in, we were like, where does this go? Not before Green Steve.ROBINSON: He's got the final word for sure.Amazing. The book's out of paperback now. Where can folks find it? Where can they find you? And what's next?ROBINSON: “All good and evil news agents.” That's what the Empire Magazine folks say. All good and evil bookstores or any online book purveyor is where you can find our book. Dave does a tremendous podcast called Fighting in the War Room, which I love to listen to, so you should listen to that. And together we do a podcast called Trial by Content that y'all should listen to.GONZALES: Joanna's on a fantastic podcast called the House of R with Mallory Rubin over on The Ringer, where she covers lots of cool pop culture things. If you want to go to a bookstore and don't know exactly which one to go to, you could head to theMCUbook.com. That will forward you to our publisher's website, which has links to your Barnes and Nobles, your Amazons, your Bookshops.org, and will help you track down the book near you. And look for us in a couple more years with something similar.Thanks for coming on.ROBINSON: Thanks, Walt.GONZALES: Thank you.Edited by Susie Stark.If you have anything you'd like to see in this Sunday special, shoot me an email. Comment below! Thanks for reading, and thanks so much for supporting Numlock.Thank you so much for becoming a paid subscriber! Send links to me on Twitter at @WaltHickey or email me with numbers, tips or feedback at walt@numlock.news.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.numlock.com/subscribe

It's high time we send you back to the pit of the damned where all vampires spawn from, the San Fernando Valley oooOOOoooOO! That's right it's BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, the high school Van Nuys Van Helsing with a name fit for a paper towel mascot. We're tackling the beloved franchise adopted by Joss Whedon. Break out star Sarah Michelle Gellar brings Buffy to life with a core cast of Alyson Hannigan as Willow, David Boreanaz as Angel, Nicholas Brendon, Charisma Carpenter, and Anthony Head. Before I stake you in the heart, did you do the algebra homework? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pilotslicense/support

The Mikes are waking up the Ancient Ones with Chris Hemsworth on this week's episode of Forgotten Horror VI as they discuss the 2012 (but really 2009) Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard film, The Cabin in the Woods.Listen in as Mike Butler and Mike Field discuss how this film dissects and uses classic horror movie tropes against itself in this film as well as how some of the movie's self reference and self-indulgence might have been the very thing that led to it's being forgotten. So, grab your flashlights, please notice the cryptids to the left and right of you and settle down for Forgotten Horror. Join our FC community on Patreon, it's free to join! www.patreon.com/forgottencinema. If you'd like to support us further, we've also got a merch shop at www.etsy.com/shop/ForgottenCinemaShopSpecial thanks to our Patreon supporters who make this show possible.Stock Media provided by BluesideMusic / Pond50:00 - Introduction2:46 - Film Facts8:50 - Film Discussion33:21 - Critic Reviews41:09 - Who Would You Recommend This To?43:45 - Why Is This Forgotten?51:10 - Plugs

Buckle up, Dear Listeners, we're headed to Sunnydale for our first (but certainly not last) official episode on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The conversation explores what the show means to Kate and Amy, living through big moments of change, working to offer others the grace we've received, and managing the oppositional truths that arise when something you love was written by a real asshole.

This week we've got guest mage Felicia Day and resident director Michael Fell on the show to talk about what it was like to onboard our first star, the joy of live theatre, collaborative story telling, piles of treats, and murdering NPCs. Felicia Day has appeared in numerous television shows and films such as “Supernatural”, “Eureka” and “The Magicians”. However, Felicia is best known for her work in the web video world. She co-starred in Joss Whedon's Internet musical “Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog,” which won an Emmy in 2009. She also created and starred in the seminal web series “The Guild” which ran for six seasons and won numerous awards for web video excellence. Felicia expanded the brand into numerous directions, including a hit comic book series with Dark Horse Comics. Recently, her outfit from the show was added to the Smithsonian American History collection as an example of early web media pioneering. In 2012 Felicia created a production company called Geek & Sundry. The channel garnered over 2 million subscribers on YouTube in three years and created such gaming hits as Wil Wheaton's “Tabletop” and the RPG sensation “Critical Role”. The company was sold to Legendary Entertainment. Felicia produced content there until 2018. Felicia currently works as an actor, producer, writer and streamer. She's written two New York Times bestselling books and recently wrote the hit Audible Original “Third Eye“. She streams on Twitch weekly, has two podcasts, Felicitations! and Undressing with Tom Lenk, and writes a monthly newsletter, “Felicitations!” Want to Adventure with us??? Get Tickets to the Show Here! Join the Discord! Follow us on Instagram Follow us on TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the upcoming issue of The Comic Section Podcast, we begin by paying our heartfelt condolences to four legends: James Earl Jones, the iconic EGOT-winning actor known for Star Wars, Field of Dreams, and The Lion King; Peter Renaday, the beloved voice of Splinter in the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series; John Cassaday, the brilliant artist behind Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men and co-creator of Planetary; and R&B icon Frankie Beverly of Frankie Beverly and Maze. We dive into breaking news, including Amazon offering Jared Leto the role of Skeletor in the upcoming Masters of the Universe film, and Josh Brolin's decision to pass on the role of Hal Jordan in HBO's Green Lantern series. Also, Judd Apatow is set to direct, with Steven Spielberg producing, Cola Wars for Sony, chronicling Pepsi's battle to dethrone Coca-Cola. We also touch on director Gary Dauberman's remarks about Stephen King's crucial role in ensuring the release of Salem's Lot, which finally arrives on Max after multiple delays. In our "Coming Soon/Preview" segment, we take a look at trailers for Wolf Man, The Radleys, and Venom 3. Lastly, Ant reviews the cult classic Hell Comes to Frogtown, and Shawn delivers a "Hot Take" he's been eager to share. Tune in for a jam-packed episode of news, previews, and heartfelt tributes!

  Sean and Parker are back with the conclusion of the Summer Alien Extravaganza!! Shaking things up this week, the boys review "Alien: Resurrection" in the first segment. The 1996 film sees Ripley brought back as a clone to fight more aliens. Jean-Pierre Jeunet directed it and Joss Whedon wrote it. In the final segment, the boys canonically rank the mainline Alien movies. The Ridley Scott OG through Resurrection and including Romulus. But none of that AVP or Prometheus shit. All this plus voicemails, heat chat and so many traditional revelations! Direct Donloyd here. Go listen to the Bookhouse Boys after this!

Subscriber-only episodeWell, well, well... guess Season 1 wasn't as wrapped up, as everyone thought it was. Veronica really narrows things down once she learns prime suspect is a brown-haired, medium-sized guy in a t-shirt. The antiquated technology of the week includes aol.com, early aughts Photoshop, and phone cards! And this show might as well be called Abandoned Little Rich Boys. Featuring very special guest star, Joss Whedon! Plus this is the 8th appearance of Cliff McCormack, Public Defender, so we were both kinda right.Subscribe to our Patreon to access the video version, our Discord community, plus all of our other bonus content.Send us a Text Message.