Podcasts about National Lampoon

VidCheck out our National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation panel from RI Comic Con 2025, featuring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Randy Quaid and Juliette Lewis! Video edit by Craig Depina@funbearablepod / funbearablepod.com / patreon.com/funbearablepod#christmasvacation #chevychase #christmas #panel #live #podcast

This week on the Long Island Tea Podcast, Sharon and Stacy recap a busy week of judging duties, share highlights from Theresa Caputo's incredible show, and welcome Amy Gibbs from USPS to give listeners essential holiday mailing and shipping tips. They also dive into festive happenings, community spotlights, and all the local news you need to know this season.#ShowUsYourLongIslanderThis week's spotlight features the Orsini family of Smithtown, who transform their home each year into an impressive National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation display complete with 25,000 lights, themed props, and a community block party that collects toys for Stony Brook Children's Hospital. Know someone making a difference? Email spillthetea@discoverlongisland.com#LongIslandLifeMilder Winters, But Long Island Stays Beautiful Year-RoundLong Island winters have warmed about 5°F since 1970, but the region's seasonal beauty and outdoor appeal remain strong year-round.Where to See Santa Before Christmas on Long IslandFrom Huntington's Holiday Spectacular to Fire Island's Flying Santa and visits at Oheka Castle, Hicks Nurseries, and Smith Haven Mall, Santa is popping up across the Island all month long.Long Island State Veterans Home Named One of the Nation's Best Nursing Homes for 2026Stony Brook's Veterans Home earned top national recognition for both short- and long-term care, placing among the highest-rated facilities in the country.USPS Spotlight on Best Practices This Holiday SeasonUSPS expert Amy Gibbs shares essential guidance on addressing, packaging, choosing shipping options, meeting deadlines, and avoiding common mailing mistakes.#ThisWeekendOnLongIslandSponsored by East End Getaway — your guide to everything happening on the East End.Friday, December 12Holiday Spirits at Sparkling Pointe3rd Annual Southold Holiday StrollThe Holiday Market at East WindSaturday, December 13The Nutcracker at Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center4th Annual Magic of Montauk Holiday Fair2nd Annual Holiday Tour of the Inns in East HamptonSunday, December 14Menorah Lightings in Sag Harbor and Greenport#CelebriTEABilly Joel Sells NYC Condo to Daughter for $4.5 MillionBilly Joel's latest real estate moves include selling his Manhattan condo to his daughter, adjusting the price of his MiddleSea estate, and purchasing a new Hamptons home, underscoring his continued ties to Long Island.#ConnectWithUsInstagram: instagram.com/longislandteapodcastYouTube: youtube.com/@DiscoverLongIslandNYTikTok: tiktok.com/@longislandteapodcastX: twitter.com/liteapodcastFacebook: facebook.com/longislandteapodcastEmail: spillthetea@discoverlongisland.comShop: shop.discoverlongisland.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Filmjitsu rings in the holidays with Mike wielding a film as a deadly weapon that nobody asked Santa for: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure. A festive disaster more off-putting than kitty kibble fruitcake, and the guys follow it up with their Bottom Five Spin-offs, a rundown of the most unnecessary cinematic continuations ever inflicted on an audience. The co-hosts then return to their year-long Dueling Double Bills stalemate, with a special surprise teased if the tie survives until the upcoming “Year in Review - 'Jitsu Awards” episode. And because holiday vengeance is a Filmjitsu tradition, Jay ensures Mike gets exactly what he deserves—extending their yuletide punishment two episodes! It's all unrwapped on this episode of Filmjitsu: Wielding films as deadly weapons—especially the ones nobody asked Santa for.

MUSICGuns N' Roses released a couple new songs yesterday. https://ultimateclassicrock.com/guns-n-roses-nothin-listen/ Original KISS members Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and Peter Criss are in Washington, D.C. to receive the Kennedy Center Honors from President Trump on Saturday, followed by a ceremony on Sunday at the Kennedy Center. https://www.instagram.com/p/DP4x74HDkRj/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=075f7f51-fc02-4cc0-86e5-43c02df4e841 George Clooney and his wife, Amal Clooney, have never fought during their 10-year relationship, he shared during his appearance on the New Heights podcast. https://people.com/travis-kelce-never-once-argument-with-taylor-swift-11860997 Let's be honest: Taylor Swift can buy anything she wants . . . including a wedding date. https://pagesix.com/2025/12/04/entertainment/taylor-swift-cut-hefty-check-to-snag-brides-wedding-date-at-posh-rhode-island-venue/ · ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante spoke about the band's upcoming record on a recent podcast, mentioning the mixing sessions at Dave Grohl's Studio 606 and working with producer Jay Ruston. https://blabbermouth.net/news/charlie-benante-says-anthrax-pushed-the-envelope-on-upcoming-album-i-think-people-will-really-be-surprised NEW ALBUM RELEASES:Infinite Coles – Sweetface Killah Depeche Mode – M (CD/DVD and CD/Blu-Ray sets), Memento Mori: Mexico City (2 CD/2 LP) Sam Fender – People Watching: Deluxe Verson Freddie Mercury – Mr. Bad Guy (vinyl reissue) Scorpions – Coming Home Live Soundtrack – Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere TV"The Masked Singer" returns for a 14th season next month, so of course that means 18 NEW costumes. These include an EGGPLANT, Pugcasso, Queen Corgi, Scarab, and The Croissants. https://ew.com/the-masked-singer-season-14-reveals-ozzy-osbourne-tribute-11861596 Choose your own nightmare … A new film called Slay Day is set to hit screens in fall 2026 -- but it isn't just a movie. It's being described as an interactive slasher film where viewers get to influence what happens next. The audience doesn't just sit back. They choose. And the horror unfolds in front of them. After a run in theaters, the plan is to release it on both traditional streaming services and gaming platforms like PlayStation, Xbox and Steam. If this thing works, it could blur the line between film and gaming -- and become a whole new sub-genre of storytelling. https://variety.com/2025/film/news/slay-day-interactive-slasher-movie-fall-2026-release-1236598489/ Ric Flair admitted he got "bad information" when he alleged that "street drugs" were responsible for Hulk Hogan's death. https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/ric-flair-admits-he-got-bad-information-about-hulk-hogans-death/ MOVING ON INTO MOVIE NEWS:IN THEATERS:"Five Nights at Freddy's 2" (PG-13) This movie takes place a year after the first film, where we learned that the animatronic mascots were all possessed by the souls of murdered children. In this one, we're introduced to a major antagonist from the video games called The Marionette after Josh Hutherson's little sister answers a call for help and attempts to reunite with her animatronic friends. "Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair" (R) Quentin Tarantino's extended cut merges Volumes 1 and 2, and adds another 25 minutes of material for a total runtime of nearly five hours. (281 minutes) The movie originally came out over 20 years ago, in 2003 and 2004. It stars Uma Thurman as "The Bride", a woman seeking revenge for being attacked on her wedding day and losing her unborn child. Keith Carradine is Bill, Michael Madsen is his brother, and Bill's team of femme fatale assassins include Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, and Daryl Hannah. Jane Seymour admitted feeling nervous about topless scene with Owen Wilson in "Wedding Crashers". https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/jane-seymour-says-wedding-crashers-nude-scene-made-owen-wilson-nervous/ AND FINALLYFavorite Christmas movies by state … A new survey asked 2000 Americans what their favorite holiday flicks are and then determined which is the absolute favorite in each state. The big winner is National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, which is the favorite in 31 states. A Christmas Story is the top choice in 10 states. And Home Alone claimed five states. So, what are the other four states watching? Arkansas loves How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Wyoming is all about Elf, Rhode Island's favorite is The Holiday, and Oklahoma picked The Santa Clause. https://pixlparade.com/what-is-the-most-popular-christmas-movie-by-state/ AND THAT IS YOUR CRAP ON CELEBRITIES!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mark interviews J.D. Barker about his writing and publishing journey and his many collaborations over the years, including with James Patterson, and the unique publishing and distribution collaboration with Simon & Schuster that combines the best of the self-publishing and the traditional publishing worlds. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update and a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK10 at checkout and save 10% off your own personalized report. In their interview, Mark and J.D. talk about: How JD was always interested in writing including a little business endeavor he had when he was youngBeing told by his mother that writing is a fantastic hobby, but you have to get a "real job" - and following her advice The main day job he had, which he hated, and coming home at night to write How the first two decades he'd been writing he did ghost writing and did book-doctor sort of work Having written six different books that hit the New York Times bestseller list but had other people's names on the cover JD's wife coming up with a plan to get him to writing for himself How putting his feet to the coals was what JD really needed What it was like writing on his own The value that JD recognizes in the 20 years of writing other peoples' books Having Asperger's which often involves mimicking other people (which JD could do on paper, continuing to write in another person's voice) How ghostwriting for celebrities/NYT Bestselling authors can be very lucrative What it was like co-authoring with James Patterson Being the only guy who has ever gotten James Patterson to "pants" a novel, but how Patterson convinced him to outline, which he now does for certain projects What a typical work-day looks like for JD Making a change in terms of what time of day JD does interviews Working with a virtual assistant and the various PR agencies JD works with Switching over to paying for PR a la carte rather than a monthly retainer Selling more than half a million copies of his first self-published book, which caught the attention of agents That "taste" of being an indie author which mean a loss of freedom Creating his own unique path within publishing that's a blend of self-publishing and traditional publishing models The imprint JD has with Simon & Schuster - Hampton Creek Press How JD has done a number of recent co-authored titles under his imprint by paying the co-authors up front in a work-for-hire manner, which removes the complexity of paying royalties The way JD can pay it forward by helping the mentor the co-authors that he is working on Why JD gave away a skid of hardcover books at Reader Nation in Vegas Advice JD has about authors who are constantly "chasing each other" The unique marketing JD created for his book SOMETHING I KEEP UPSTAIRS that involved an overnight stay in a real haunted house What James Patterson did to get his book ALONG CAME A SPIDER onto the New York Times bestseller list And more... After the interview Mark reflects on a few of the things from the conversation that have inspired him in different ways.   Links of Interest: J.D. Barker's Website EP 445 - Overcoming The Self Sabotage From Buried Trauma with Andrea Torrey Balsara Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises   J.D. Barker (Jonathan Dylan Barker) is an international bestselling American author whose work has been broadly described as suspense thrillers, often incorporating elements of horror, crime, mystery, science fiction, and the supernatural.   The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0  

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 2821: Jay Harrington explores how simple, heartfelt traditions, like letting kids decorate the tree with old handmade ornaments or taking family walks in the snow, can create the most lasting holiday memories. By focusing less on perfection and more on presence, families can build rituals that truly reflect what matters most. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://nosidebar.com/simple-holiday-traditions/ Quotes to ponder: "Traditions give us a sense of belonging and provide ways to express our priorities." "Don't get caught up in trying to create perfect, Pinterest-worthy family traditions." "The best moments are the small, simple ones that don't involve wrapping paper and big credit card bills." Episode references: The White Envelope Project: https://whiteenvelopeproject.org Giving 101: https://www.giving101.org National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097958/

What's up, dudes? We had a blast covering the last few movies, so we're continuing our live commentary series! This time it's National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and it's awesome! Anthony Caruso from ‘Tis the Podcast, CJ Bélanger from Rose Suchak Ladder, and I have a blast with this watch along! 'Tis the PodcastFB: @tisthepodcastTwitter: @tisthepodIG: @tisthepodcastFB Group: Tis the Podcast GroupRose Suchak LadderIG: @rosesuchakladderpodGive us a buzz! Send a text, dudes!Check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Totally Rad Christmas Mall & Arcade, Teepublic.com, or TotallyRadChristmas.com! Later, dudes!

In this festive episode, we revisit the holiday chaos of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation as Clark Griswold chases the perfect Christmas — from the desperate attempt to finally light the decorations to the inevitable, spectacular failures along the way.We break down the unforgettable tantrums, dysfunctional family moments, and nonstop mishaps that make this film a lasting holiday favorite, and explore why its wild humor still shines every season.

On this date, 36 years ago we are given a reason to drink today! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Where does our DeLorean take us this week? A flashback revisit of the Chevy Chase Christmas classic, National Lampoon's Chevy Chase classic. It's our extra long Christmas gift to our fans. All this and more before heading Back to the Future. 88 Miles Per Hour Podcast: The Podcast that travels Back in Time to revisit the movies & music we grew up with.

Get ready for the ultimate showdown in the "1989 Movie Bracket: The Battle for #1

Today's the anniversary of the release of "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation", so Sherman challenges Tingle to FINISH THE LINE!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mark interviews Meaghan Smith about the new children's book IT SNOWED that she wrote and illustrated, which was inspired by her popular holiday song of the same name. This Juno-Award winning singer-songwriter shares her many creative passions for music, writing, and art. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update and a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK10 at checkout and save 10% off your own personalized report. In their interview, Mark and Meaghan talk about: The origin of Meaghan's song "It Snowed" and how quickly it came together once the inspiration struck her on wanting a seasonal holiday song for people who might not celebrate Christmas One of Meaghan's favorite things about the snow How this song has gone on to become one of her most popular songs and now it's a picture book Studying animation at Sheridan College and the ongoing art that Meaghan has been creating all of her life The voice recording for an animation project in a studio in college that led to others recognizing her singing voice and an eventual career as a musician Meghan's experience in "if you just show up" and try something, things can have a way of working out Painting in the hotel rooms and green rooms while traveling as a musician as a way to alleviate her anxiety The additional stationery line that Meghan has which includes greeting cards How the manager of Woozles bookstore in Halifax asked Meaghan if she ever considered writing a book Getting better at accepting things without needing them to be perfect The "grumpy little cat" who is present throughout Meaghan's IT SNOWED book How snow can be such an interesting substance and the way Meaghan wanted to capture all the magic of it in her book How the book follows the lyrics of Meaghan's song, but also goes through the entire day for the kids in the story The way snow can make us all feel like kids again Meghan's current bread-and-butter writing custom songs for people  The Christmas concert Meaghan is doing Dec 19th and 20th in Halifax The second book Meaghan is working on for Nimbus based on a song she wrote for her baby when he was still inside her body How Meaghan divides up her work day and the various creative forms of expression that she exercises And more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on Meaghan's multiple creative outlets and the various ways that authors, artists, poets, musicians can give a gift to the world born from their inspiration and passion.   Links of Interest: Meaghan Smith (Website) It Snowed (Picture Book) Meaghan Smith: The Holiday Show (2025 - Halifax, NS) Friday Night Tickets (Fri Dec 19, 2025) Saturday Matinee Tickets (Sat Dec 20, 2025) Meaghan's OUR SONG "Wonder Woman" - An example of an OUR SONG written and performed by Meaghan Smith and Jason Mingo inspired by Liz Anderson Woozles Bookstore (Halifax, NS) EP 146 - Finding Yourself in Our Song by Meaghan Smith Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises   Meaghan Smith is a JUNO Award-winning musician, visual artist, and storyteller whose creative life bridges the worlds of music and fine art. Born in London, Ontario—known as The Forest City—Meaghan grew up drawing and exploring the woods and fields near her home. Her love of art led her to study classical animation at Sheridan College, later working as a storyboard artist before shifting her focus to music. That leap brought her to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she now lives with her husBand, producer and songwriter Jason Mingo, and their two sons. Over the past 20 years, Meaghan has built a multifaceted creative career. As a musician signed to Warner Brothers Records, she toured internationally, sharing stages with artists such as Sarah McLachlan, Tracy Chapman, Ron Sexsmith, and k.d. lang. Her debut album The Cricket's Orchestra earned her the 2011 JUNO Award for Best New Artist, multiple East Coast Music Awards, and a Polaris Prize nomination. Her song Mirror, from her sophomore album Have a Heart, was a semifinalist in the International Songwriting Competition. Today, Meaghan continues to release collections of music characterized by her sweetly smoky vocals and vintage pop sensibility. Her songs have appeared widely across film and television—on platforms ranging from Netflix to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Through her company Our Song, she and Jason write and produce custom songs for individuals and special occasions, helping others tell their stories through music. While her music career flourished, Meaghan also found her way back to visual art. On tour, she began painting tiny oil portraits of the forest animals she missed from home—foxes in fedoras, bears in flower crowns, fish in monocles—each one nestled in a miniature vintage frame she found in antique shops along the way. What began as a creative escape in hotel rooms and green rooms evolved into her acclaimed Miniature Art Show, with over 500 original paintings sold worldwide and exhibits in galleries such as Galerie d'Art Charlevoix in Quebec. Using oils on heavyweight paper, Meaghan's paintings capture the personality and soul of her subjects with vivid detail and a playful sense of nostalgia. Her art celebrates the small wonders of the natural world and invites viewers to see beauty in the quiet, whimsical corners of life. In addition to her paintings, Meaghan owns and operates M. Kind Papersmith, a small stationery studio based out of her home in Halifax. The line focuses on locally printed, hand-folded greeting cards designed to help people stay in touch and spread a little kindness through the mail. Each card reflects her signature warmth and attention to detail, combining her love of illustration with her belief that connection matters. Meaghan recently signed a publishing deal with Nimbus Publishing, the renowned East Coast publisher, for her holiday hit It Snowed. Having created the illustrations herself in coloured pencil, she now proudly adds published author and illustrator to her creative credits. Though she has illustrated works for other authors, It Snowed marks the first book she has both written and illustrated from her own material. Alongside her art and music, Meaghan leads Creativity Through Songwriting Workshops, coaching others to unlock their creative potential through the songwriting process. Now based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Meaghan continues to paint, write, and make music—working to incorporate creativity, family, and an ever-evolving artistic life that celebrates imagination in all its forms.   The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0  

National Lampoons, raising kids, thanksgiving foods, bourbon, etc.

Every November the Bros honor the late Jeopardy host Alex Trebek by playing a game of movie Jeopardy. Join them as the stakes are high, and they also revisit some recent watches. Stuff discussed in this episode includes My father the BTK Killer, The Princess Bride, The Chair Company, I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025), A Very Jonas Christmas Movie, Roofman, National Lampoon's Christmas VacationKeep up with the Bros at: https://broforcesquad.com/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCJML5XTKJl2OzGW5HWrJhwhttps://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bro-force-squad/id1158546516?mt=2https://twitter.com/BroForceSquad

In this episode Mark interviews Andrea Torrey Balsara about her writing, her passion in inspiring joy through storytelling and energy healing, trauma, creativity and much more. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a brief personal update and a word about this episode's sponsor. I THINK IT'S A SIGN THAT THE PUN ALSO RISES is available now in hardcover, mass market sized paperback, and audiobook. In the interview Mark and Andrea talk about: The very serious and troubling trauma Andrea had been living with for most of her life without realizing it and how it prevented her from trying to focus and work on The sabotage that kept creeping up from her subconscious Being told the importance of writing her own stories, which led to taking some writing classes How writing became a way for Andrea to express things that she was not otherwise able to express and the way it led her into a space where she could become fully creative When the memory of the terrible trauma came back to Andrea and struggling with wondering if it really truly happened How it's almost easiest to allow yourself to go crazy than to think that you "were evil" or just making this all up Not avoiding the darkness in her Young Adult books The love that Andrea has for the teenage girl that she was How hard it is for a person hurting and going through such trauma just taking that next step Finding herself within the character of a story of hope and finding the light in the darkness Recognizing that yes, horrible things happen in this world, but many gifts are also given to help get through it The "heroes journey" of making one's life satisfying saying "this is not where my story ends" Andrea's novel THE GREAT AND THE SMALL and how it explores what it takes to enable the rise of dictatorship via very small personal compromises that a person can make along the way The value in looking for the light, looking for the hope, and the importance of people being the change in Andrea's novel Believing in the capacity and the necessity to unite, and that the search for truth is a human right and responsibility that lies within each of us The "10 Steps to Inner Peace" that helped Andrea through the darkness (and which is available for anyone to read via a download on her website How evil itself isn't a thing, it's the absence of love The way that we can be that "leaven" in the bread The studies that have shown that sending love to a plant can help it thrive (and vice-versa when sending negative energy) And more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on a few elements of the Andrea's message that resonated with him.     Links of Interest: Andrea Torrey Balsara's Website Instagram Link to Andrea's TEN STEPS TO INNER PEACE PDF download   Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises   Andrea Torrey Balsara is an award-winning children's and young adult author/illustrator, as well as an energy medicine practitioner and mental wellness and creativity coach. Her passion is to inspire joy through storytelling and energy healing, helping people-of-all-ages to walk "the Hero's Journey" in real life. She writes and illustrates for young children under her full name, Andrea Torrey Balsara, and for young adults under A.T. Balsara. Andrea is also a painter, an avid amateur explorer of quantum physics, and a keen environmentalist. She advocates for the humane treatment of animals and regularly volunteers at a donkey sanctuary where she uses energy medicine to help previously neglected and abused animals regain their health and vitality.   The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0      

With Jaws now an official film franchise, Universal and its producers still wanted more. But they then did an unforeseen, seemingly desperate move of producing a script done by John Hughes and the rest of the National Lampoon clan called Jaws 3 People Nothing. Original producers Richard Zanuck and Robert Brown were allegedly onboard to do the film. But supposedly, original director Steven Spielberg came in and said that if the script was made, he was going to leave Universal forever. So, Brown and Zanuck sold their rights to Alan Greenspan, who then got author and frequent Twilight Zone scribe Richard Matheson to come in and once again bring terrorizing sharks back to the beaches. But Greenspan got desperate after Matheson turned in a supposed unfilmable script and once again brought in Carl Gottlieb in and spice it up. What was eventually come up with was filmed and brought forth before audiences by longtime Jaws 2nd unit director Joe Alves in the 3D wrought Jaws 3D. How did the film eventually go 3D? How much coke was star Dennis Quaid on during filming? What the hell is recent Oscar winner Lou Gossett Jr doing here? And what did Garrett hold this one up as his favorite Jaws film while growing up? Soooo many questions, as well as what first time viewer Adam thinks of the film, are answered on this week's Three Men and a Retrospective Podcast! Next week, Jaws The Revenge!!

With Jaws now an official film franchise, Universal and its producers still wanted more. But they then did an unforeseen, seemingly desperate move of producing a script done by John Hughes and the rest of the National Lampoon clan called Jaws 3 People Nothing. Original producers Richard Zanuck and Robert Brown were allegedly onboard to do the film. But supposedly, original director Steven Spielberg came in and said that if the script was made, he was going to leave Universal forever. So, Brown and Zanuck sold their rights to Alan Greenspan, who then got author and frequent Twilight Zone scribe Richard Matheson to come in and once again bring terrorizing sharks back to the beaches. But Greenspan got desperate after Matheson turned in a supposed unfilmable script and once again brought in Carl Gottlieb in and spice it up. What was eventually come up with was filmed and brought forth before audiences by longtime Jaws 2nd unit director Joe Alves in the 3D wrought Jaws 3D. How did the film eventually go 3D? How much coke was star Dennis Quaid on during filming? What the hell is recent Oscar winner Lou Gossett Jr doing here? And what did Garrett hold this one up as his favorite Jaws film while growing up? Soooo many questions, as well as what first time viewer Adam thinks of the film, are answered on this week's Three Men and a Retrospective Podcast! Next week, Jaws The Revenge!!

Mark interviews Florin Bulgarov, co-founder of Manuscript Report.  Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update, and a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK10 at checkout and save 10% off your own personalized report. In their interview, Mark and Florin talk about: Florin's background with a PhD in A.I. and how he ended up evolving into creating the toolset of Manuscript Report How Manuscript Report was initially created as an assessment tool for publishers when going through their slush piles What assets Manuscript Report offers for authors to use in their marketing strategy approaches The additional assets from the reports including the visual pie-chart of the genre split/breakdown as well as the themes and the tropes associated from the manuscript The social media posts, blog posts, and book bible assets that authors can request in a higher level report The fact that Manuscript Report does not store the manuscript and does not train any AI on their manuscript. Within 30 days all traces of the author's manuscript is deleted from their servers How the system is optimized to run for one book at a time and the 1 million word limit on manuscripts run into Manuscript Report The "Narrative Crossroads" suggestions that an author might be able to use in a quick pitch/log line for the book An author who did A/B testing with her own written ads and the Manuscript Report ads and was able to reduce her cost by half and increase her sales by 60% An example of a report using Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray How Manuscript Report is a Swiss Army Knife for marketing And more... Links of Interest: YouTube Video of Interview (with visual walk-thru) EP 443 - Strategies for Short Fiction EP 442 - Writer You Still Need to Quit with Becca Syme EP 441 - A Bookstore for Indie Authors with Donovan Scherer EP 438 - A Personal Conversation with Malorie Cooper EP 437 - Nerding Out Over History, Science, and Maps with Malorie Cooper EP 429 - A Post-Mortem on Co-Hosting the 2025 Aurora Awards with Liz May Anderson Draft2Digital Self-Publishing Insiders: What to Quit, What to Keep, and What to Question with Becca Syme (YouTube) Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation   The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

This bonus episode of the Stark Reflections Podcast is a recording of a Nov 10, 2025 live chat that Mark did with Matty Dalrymple and Angelique Fawns talking about strategies for short fiction. The conversation was based on content from Mark and Matty's 2nd Edition release of Taking the Short Tack: Creating Income & Connecting with Readers Using Short Fiction and Angelique's Writing and Selling Short Stories with Angelique Fawns Substack.   Links of Interest: Strategies for Short Fiction (YouTube) Author Level Up - Michael La Ronn's YouTube Channel EP 440 - Behind the Scenes of the Podcast Guest Playbook with Matty Dalrymple EP 382 - From Page to Platform with Matty Dalrymple and M.L. Ronn EP 306 - Finding Short Fiction Markets with Angelique Fawns Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation   The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Guest: Diane Smith This holiday season, the Paramount Theatre invites the community to celebrate in a way that's fun, festive, and meaningful with Holiday Movies at the Paramount, presented by David Maier and Matthew McGrane. Guests can enjoy two classic holiday films — National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation on Saturday, November 29, and Elf on Tuesday, ... Read more

Mark interviews Becca Syme about her latest project, about the journey she has been on since she launched her first Dear Writer, You Need to Quit book, and the various fiction titles she has written. Prior to the interview, Mark explains that he is at Author Nation in Vegas and that his introduction and post interview reflection were generated by ElevenLabs. Then his digital voice clone from ElevenLabs shares a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK5 at checkout and save $5.00 off your own personalized report. In their interview, Mark and Becca talk about: How it has been an extremely long year since Becca was last on the Stark Reflections Podcast Becca's long-time aversion to marketing and how she has decided to approach it The Kickstarter that Becca has launched and the various prizes she is offering for each of the tour stops The prize that Stark Reflections listeners can win just by listening and entering their name How Becca is trying to make each stop on the podcast guest tour different by focusing on different tips and ideas with every episode Mark's idea on how he deals with Kickstarters where international shipping isn't an option The limited number of vinyl albums that will be available through Becca's Kickstarter How the publishing industry has changed dramatically since 2017 when Becca's first "Dear Writer, You Need to Quit" book came out The cheeky thought that Becca was considering for her latest book with using the popular F-word expletive How long Becca's Kickstarter will be running Trying to spend more time on her fiction writing, but struggling with how much she loves collaborating with and helping other writers The positive impact of dating another writer where they can motivate one another to get more writing done How Becca had never intended to build a business as a coach and a non-fiction writer The two other pen names that Becca writes under for different series and genres. Mystery written as R.L. Syme. Paranormal Romance (written with a co-author) written as Cameron Reece. Urban fantasy under the name: Macy Dixon The recent "work vacation" that Becca took which helped enable some solid research for her writing Becca's reminder that under different pen names and genres, a writer will usually have a uniquely different voice The specific playlists that Becca has for each one of her pen names and genres and the very separate personas she embraces when writing each The comment Mark made that led Becca over to checking out his Clifton Strengths to confirm her suspicion How Becca is a real "sense of place" writer who connects emotionally with the physical space and the connection to the earth, the mountains, etc After the interview, Mark reflects on the idea of wanting to help writers, and how that often leads to one's own writing taking a back seat.   Links of Interest: Becca Syme's Better-Faster Academy Better-Faster Academcy LINKS Better Faster Academy TOUR STOP GAME - Enter that you listened to Becca's interview on the Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing Podcast Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation   Becca Syme (MATL) is a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach and has individually coached more than 6000 authors at all levels. She is the author of the Quitbooks for Writers series and the popular Write Better-Faster course, and the host of the Quitcast for Writers podcast and YouTube channel. She also writes mystery novels and lives on one of the thousand lakes in Minnesota. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0    

The Bama Geeks welcome legendary Alabama Theatre house organist Gary W. Jones to talk about the magic of the 2025 Holiday Film Series—a beloved Birmingham tradition featuring classics like "White Christmas," "Elf," "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," "Die Hard," and "The Polar Express." Buy tickets: https://alabamatheatre.com/events ---------- Website: http://bamageeks.com Become a Bama Geeks supporter: http://www.bamageeks.com/join Available on Apple Podcasts (iTunes), Amazon, Spotify, and YouTube. Come sit a spell on the Bama Geeks Front Porch: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bamageeksfrontporch Check out and follow our socials! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bamageeks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bamageeks X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/bamageeks YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@BamaGeeks TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@BamaGeeks

pWotD Episode 3107: Diane Ladd Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 259,554 views on Monday, 3 November 2025 our article of the day is Diane Ladd.Rose Diane Ladd (née Ladner; November 29, 1935 – November 3, 2025) was an American actress. With a career spanning over 70 years, she appeared in over 200 films and television shows, receiving three Academy Award nominations for her roles in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), Wild at Heart (1990), and Rambling Rose (1991), the first of which won her a BAFTA Award. She was also nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards, winning one for her role in the sitcom Alice (1980–1981).Ladd's other film appearances include Chinatown (1974), National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989), Ghosts of Mississippi (1996), Primary Colors (1998), 28 Days (2000), and Joy (2015). She was the mother of actress Laura Dern, with her ex-husband, actor Bruce Dern.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 03:15 UTC on Tuesday, 4 November 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Diane Ladd on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Raveena.

Mark interviews artist, author, and indie bookstore owner Donovan Scherer about his writing, his art, and his store in downtown Kenosha, Wisconsin. Prior to the interview, Mark welcomes new patrons, shares recent comments, a personal update and a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK5 at checkout and save $5.00 off your own personalized report. In their interview, Mark and Donovan talk about: Donovan background as an illustrator creating various characters, and then eventually moving on to writing middle grade chapter books Never really learning about how to sell books online, but rather through in person events like comic book conventions The popularity of the ZomBeans (zombies) Donovan has drawn, including unique caricatures of his patrons The idea of working on a "talking flowchart" to help understand what people gravitate towards How Donovan has been doing local markets for 15 years -- since 2010 The regular festivals Donovan has started running in the parking lot across the street from his store Acquiring the Studio Moonfall 400 square foot store in 2019 What Donovan carries in his store How Donovan acquired ten pallets of books from a library that was wanting to move them Half of what Donovan sells in his own store being his own work -- meaning that his average margin is much higher than most other bookstores The CUT THE LINE promo where authors can get their books featured in the store and via the store's socials by providing 8 copies of their book to Studio Moonfall And more...   After the interview Mark reflects on the incredible effort and unique approach to creating his own store in order to ensure his work was available in a brick and mortar space. He also talks about the various margins that are typical for bookstores and how Donovan has navigated that with some ingenius moves. Mark also shares a special offer for patrons related to the CUT THE LINE promotion Donovan has in place.   Links of Interest: Donovan Scherer: Adventures in Art & Madness Studio Moonfall Author Submissions Page EP 440 - Behind the Scenes of the Podcast Guest Playbook with Matty Dalrymple Mark's Substack Article: When the Math for an Author Event Doesn't Add Up Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation   Donovan Scherer is an author and illustrator creating worlds of adventure with a sense of humor and a little bit of dread that everything will go terribly, terribly wrong. In 2009, he started the Fear & Sunshine series of middle-grade illustrated novels and began his work in book publishing. Along with developing more of his own series across novels, comics, video games, and animation, he also works with independent authors to help bring their stories to life. In 2019, he opened the Studio Moonfall in downtown Kenosha, Wisconsin - an art studio and bookstore featuring his endlessly increasing body of work and highlighting other local and independent authors and artists. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this episode Mark talks with Matty Dalrymple, co-author of the book The Podcast Guest Playbook which was released earlier in 2025. Prior to the interview, Mark shares recent comments, a brief personal update and a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK5 at checkout and save $5.00 off your own personalized report. In their interview, Mark and Matty talk about: Something that Stark Reflections listeners might not know about Matty related to getting her private pilot license Having worked aviation into at least two of her novels The phrase that goes along with the very intentional passing of the manuscript from one co-author to another How long Matty has been running The Indy Author Podcast The genesis of the book PODCASTING GUEST PLAYBOOK that Matty and Mark co-authored The underlying importance of connections that can happen through direct conversation between two people, but also among people who listen to that conversation (such as in a podcast) An anecdote from meeting an author at ALA (American Library Association) who thought they'd met Mark in person before because they'd heard him as a guest on someone else's podcast Wanting it to be a mutually beneficial relationship when making those connections A reminder about the old Storygraph tool that showed a visual representation of how books were linked (Back in 2007 this was a visual search tool where book covers appeared as thumbnails and “connections” between books (via “customers who bought this also bought this”) were drawn as lines. Some of the unique connections that happened when both Mark and Matty were at ALA in Philadelphia in the summer of 2025 An example of how Damon Courtney of Bookfunnel is a great podcast guest who is more interested in providing value to all listeners rather than someone who is solely trying to sell his product How indirect opportunities can be better than a sudden spike in book sales The offer that Matty has for authors to help do a short interview for them to demonstrate their skills as a interview guest A special offer for patrons of the Stark Reflections Podcast to get a free coaching session from Matty with her pod-pro coaching An example of a guest who was very reluctant to provide valuable information in an interview (ie, being far more interested in selling something) The value of having a service mindset over a selling mindset Making sure that you're pitching to the right podcast in the right way at the right time Advice Matty would offer to authors And more . . .   After the interview Mark reflects on a few different things, including the rise of the sophistication of the spammy author connection and service requests that arrive in his email a half dozen times a day.   Links of Interest: The Indy Author The Podcast Guest Playbook Matty's POD PRO Consulting (Patron link to access offer) EP 439 - Rambling Reflections from the Road to Can-Con Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation   The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0    

Get ready for the ultimate throwback. In this special four-part series, Knox and Jamie revisit the iconic films of John Hughes—Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, and National Lampoon's Vacation. Each episode is packed with nostalgia, sharp observations, tender appreciation, and the kind of side-eye only Knox and Jamie can deliver. This brand new collection is now available at knoxandjamie.shop! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On his drive to Ottawa, Ontario for the annual Can-Con (Ottawa's Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Literature Convention), Mark reflects on his experience with that conference from it's initial inception in the early 1990s along with its evolution. He also reflects on the importance of CanCon in general (Canadian Content regulations) and how it has played and continues to play an important role for Canadian musicians, artists, performers, and writers. This episode is sponsored by the 2nd Edition of the book TAKING THE SHORT TACK: Creating Income and Connecting with Readers Using Short Fiction which is co-authored by Mark and Matty Dalrymple and was released this week in October 2025 Links of Interest: Can-Con (Ottawa Conference) Terry Fallis Website EP 328 - Reflections on A New Season with Terry Fallis EP 029 - Terry Fallis on Writing With Authenticity, Humor, and Passion The Littlest Hobo Mr. Dressup The Polka Dot Door Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation   The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

I happen to catch the "I like me" documentary about #JohnCandy on Netflix, directed by Colin Hanks.  It's a wonderful trip down memory lane.  In my case, I studied at Second City in Chicago (took classes for a semester) before I moved to LA.  I joined a group of improv actors in the Harvey Lembeck workshop, but was an avid fan of SCTV during my years at Boston University and beyond. Charles Grodin and I had that in common - he loved Johnny LaRue (John Candy) and all the other characters, and late in life, Chuck would make DVD copies of his favorite bits and send them to his pals. I have a dozen or so.  As a film director I got to meet a bunch of people... and in this interview with John - you'll hear that I don't say the last name of the actors that I'm referring to, because it's more fun if Jennifer gets them accurately. And she does (once I let her know who we're talking to.) I had just watched the documentary, so the people in it are #SteveMartin (who needs to lighten up on the sobriety), #MartyShort (get your heart checked), Dave Thomas, Andrea Martin (who never changes),  Joe Flaherty, #EugeneLevy (the skeptical one) #CatherineOHara (the dreamer he's visited) Harold Ramis... #BillMurray, #DanAykroyd, #JohnBelushi, #TomHanks... I remembered to mention his lovely wife Rosemary and his two children, both whom are very touching in the doc.  (Sorry I didn't mention his brother in case he views this.)  I asked these questions without Jennifer knowing who I was talking about (except she saw Tom Hanks and saw Bill Murray when I said their first names.  That happens.   So this is an extreme yet excellent example of what we've been doing for  every week for over ten years.  See the film HACKING THE AFTERLIFE on Gaia or Amazon prime for examples.  Jennifer doesn't know anything about the doc about John's life, doesn't know anything about John Candy's life - and I made some errors, like giving Harold Ramis credit for directing Stripes which he cowrote (Ivan Reitman directed it) Harold directed him in Caddyshack, National Lampoon's Vacation.  (A movie that John Hughes told me in person he hated the film but clearly he like John in the film).  As noted, I went to high school with John Hughes, and he was pals with my brother, and super close friends with his wife - who was close to both John and Nancy.   My brother was also pals with Bill Murray in high school, and although I didn't say it in the podcast, I'll say it here - Bill Murray gave me - a brother of his high school pal - free tickets to the dress rehearsal at SNL for years.  I mean - for years -I took friends, including Luana Anders to the show.  And once, had the chutzpa to wait to see him after the show, give him a bottle of wine, and introduce him to Luana...  It was funny because he really didn't know me - I was just there to thank him for leaving tickets for "Elvis Martini" for all those years, and I think he was miffed I'd stuck around to thank him. Little did he know that the Luana he met - the very same Luana - is the moderator of our podcast from the flipside. If I was going to point to one show that demonstrates the ability of Jennifer talking to people offstage - it's this one. She works with members of the FBI, NYPD, LAPD on missing person cases, works pro bono a third of her practice, has been doing this for a long time, and indeed, they're making a show about her on Fox as we speak. I've written 13 books about the flipside, I do offer guided meditations, and Jennifer does these "wine and spirits" evenings in Manhattan beach that anyone can attend and isn't expensive, or they can book her directly. She works with members of Steve Jobs and Kobe Bryant's families - and they've given her permission to say so. So sit back, watch her talk to John Candy about all his pals onstage and off, mock Tom Hanks, tease Steve Martin, make fun of Bill Murray's golf game - all of it is not coming from me or Jennifer. I don't know how else to say it - have been filming people talking to their loved ones for over 15 years via hypnotherapy, guided meditation or mediums like Jennifer.  The story never changes. They aren't gone; they just aren't here.  Enjoy. 

Mark has a personal conversation with Malorie Cooper. In this episode they talk about: The reason she and her family moved from Boston, MA and back to Canada The uniqueness of New England compared to the rest of the United States How Canada is one of the hardest countries to emigrate into Not having ever gotten American citizenship The oppression and fear of being a queer transgender person, particularly in the US How it's virtually impossible for people who aren't oppressed to understand what it's like Losing half her fan base and friends when she transitioned into the person she was always born to be How when you life authentically and vulnerably, people will actually be attracted to you Living in a judgement-free zone/bubble Feeling unsafe for the first time after she came out as Malorie How coming out as trans is likely the hardest thing a person will ever do -- but, in addition to having a child, one of the most rewarding things Mal ever did The recurring theme of "found family" in Mal's novels And more...   After the conversation Mark reflects on the idea of priviledge he has in not having to be fearful when walking alone outside after dark (for example) about "found family" and the importance of connecting with others who understand you where you are. Links of Interest: Malorie Cooper / M.D. Cooper Website The Writing Wives Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation   Malorie Cooper is a science fiction author and creator of the Aeon 14 universe. She has written over one hundred books and plans to write another hundred more (at least). Having built her career using advertising to spread awareness of her books, she's shifted focus to helping other authors get a leg up through paid ads on a variety of platforms, as well as optimizing their product page with a focus on increasing conversions. She and her wife now run The Writing Wives, which helps dozens of authors a month reach their marketing goals. In addition to storytelling and writing, Malorie loves playing games of any sort, gardening, and woodworking. She shares her home with a wife who also writes, an entrepreneurial teenaged daughter, and far more cats than are strictly necessary.   The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0  

Enjoy Stuff sinks its teeth into horror comedies this week as Jay and Shua look back at Once Bitten and Transylvania 6-5000, both celebrating 40 years. From misunderstood monsters to awkward vampires, these films prove that sometimes the best way to survive the night is to laugh at it. Pull up your coffin, grab a stake (or at least a waffle), and join us as we talk monsters, misfits, and midnight movie madness. News A new Simpsons movie is coming in 2027. Eggo has teamed up with Stranger Things for a limited-edition waffle giveaway    Check out our TeePublic store for some enjoyable swag and all the latest fashion trends What we're Enjoying Shua dove into the new book in the Old Man's War series called The Shattering Peace by John Scalzi. It's a good continuation of a saga that Scalzi has been working on for years. Jay picked up replicas of Action Comics #1, Superman #1, and Batman #1 which are truly  golden treasures of comic book history. And they even have the cool ads in them.      Sci-Fi Saturdays -  Sci-Fi Saturdays is currently on hiatus. But Jay continues his 31 Days of Horror at RetroZap.com, a month-long celebration of scary cinema that will keep you up all night! Here's a list of this week's lineup: Mon: Children of the Corn (1984)  Tue: Dead of Night (1946)  Wed: Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (1991)  Thu: The Premature Burial (1962)  Fri: Urban Legend (1998) Sat: Pandorum (2009) Sun: Near Dark (1987)    Enjoy Funny Vampires!  This week we're celebrating the 40th anniversaries of two horror comedies: Transylvania 6-5000 and Once Bitten.   Transylvania 6-5000 (1985) puts Jeff Goldblum and Ed Begley Jr. in the middle of a monster mash that plays like an Abbott & Costello routine with Geena Davis, Michael Richards, Carol Kane, and more. We appreciate its goofy charm and almost hysterical jokes.    Once Bitten (1985) gave Jim Carrey an early lead role as a teenager targeted by a 400-year-old vampire (Lauren Hutton) who needs his blood to stay young. With Karen Koppins as the girlfriend and a Halloween dance number that steals the show, this comedy is pure ‘80s fun. (even though some of it hasn't aged well.    We also sink our teeth into other horror parodies of the decade, including Student Bodies (1981), Saturday the 14th (1981), Wacko (1982), Pandemonium (1982), and National Lampoon's Class Reunion (1982). Which of these comedy horror movies did you enjoy? How many times have you been bitten? Let us know! First person that emails me with the subject line, “I want to suck your blood” will get a special mention on the show.  Let us know. Come talk to us in the Discord channel or send us an email to EnjoyStuff@RetroZap.com   

ROAD MOVIES: Stories that move us (literally).What makes a road movie work? Dave, Cody, and guest Andy Acker break down the secret sauce — the motion that transforms the characters, the odd couples who can't escape each other, the maps that never lead where they think, and the soundtracks that make it all feel alive.They swap their own road-trip stories (buses, bison, and breakdowns included), revisit classics like Planes, Trains and Automobiles, National Lampoon's Vacation, Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Little Miss Sunshine, Tommy Boy, and The Muppet Movie, and explore why these journeys still hit so hard — because sometimes, getting lost is the only way to find your people.Bonus detour: A quick look at the bizarre rise of “stay-at-home sons.”https://linktr.ee/PopCulturePastorPod

Mark interviews Malorie Cooper, who writes under the name M.D. Cooper, about the various things that fascinate and inspire her writing. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a brief personal update and a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK5 at checkout and save $5.00 off your own personalized report. In their interview, Mark and Malorie talk about: Meeting up in New Brunswick in the spring at a writer's conference Mal's passion about writing science-fiction and nerding out about science and history concepts Mal working with her wife Jill on The Writing Wives - designed to help authors better market their books Some misperceptions that authors have, such as "I'm not good at Facebook Ads" Mal always being curious about everything, and getting story inspiration from looking at maps How her fascination with maps led to mapping software for space maps, and an evolution into a sci-fi writer Malorie's introduction to science fiction through the books of Anne McCaffrey How maps can inform and inspire science fiction stories The various struggles that Mal likes to tackle in stories she writes Passion for history and looking at the US Naval build immediately after Pearl Harbor The frustration Mal often has in much of science-fiction and fantasy where the world's aren't "big" enough How Mal writes without having a story bible about the universes she has created and writes in The way Malorie divides her time up between writing and working with authors for The Writing Wives The long pause in writing new science fiction stories that happened shortly after 2020 Thinking back to 2016 when Mal's writing really started to take off (how the money being earned from that was better than the full-time employment work as a software developer) The time when Mal was writing for about 14 to 16 hours a day, with her wife Jill creating a "protective bubble" around her so she could focus on writing The experience of having two people on Patreon who have, for eight years, given Mal $50 a month The power (and sense of accomplishment) that comes when you get to "the end" Advice Mal would give to other writers And more... After the interview Mark reflects on the challenge of moving from part-time to full-time writer, as well as the heart-warming fact that there are those out there who resonate with a creator's works and step up to support them in heart-warming ways. Links of Interest: Malorie Cooper / M.D. Cooper Website The Writing Wives Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation   Malorie Cooper is a science fiction author and creator of the Aeon 14 universe. She has written over one hundred books and plans to write another hundred more (at least). Having built her career using advertising to spread awareness of her books, she's shifted focus to helping other authors get a leg up through paid ads on a variety of platforms, as well as optimizing their product page with a focus on increasing conversions. She and her wife now run The Writing Wives, which helps dozens of authors a month reach their marketing goals. In addition to storytelling and writing, Malorie loves playing games of any sort, gardening, and woodworking. She shares her home with a wife who also writes, an entrepreneurial teenaged daughter, and far more cats than are strictly necessary.   The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0    

Jimmy gathers once more at Threes Brewing in Gowanus, Brooklyn. This time with Author- Peter Kaminsky and Chef/Restaurateur- Alex Raij. Our guests share with us their backgrounds and long-time friendships while dining on local tacos and discussing cooking, fly fishing, and more. Alex Raij is a first generation Argentine-American who grew up in the Midwest, attended culinary school, and lived in Milan and the Pacific Northwest before falling in love with Basque chef Eder Montero. Together, they have opened five restaurants. Alex distinguishes herself by creating dishes that capture a sense of place without giving up a sense of personal intimacy. What emerges are stories of connection and intersection across landscapes and timelines that are delicious, inimitable, and authentic on all levels. Peter Kaminsky's writing career began at National Lampoon where he was managing editor in the mid 1970's. As a food author and journalist, he is a frequent contributor to Food and Wine magazine. He wrote Underground Gourmet for New York Magazine for 4 years and his culinary work has appeared in the Food section of the New York Times over the last 25 years. He has co-authored 20 cookbooks including 7 Fires with Francis Mallmann, The Elements of Taste with Gray Kunz, Ultimate Tailgating with John Madden and, due in 2026, On Goose Cove: Recipes From The Heart of Maine with Devin Finigan. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode Mark interviews Joshua Smyser and Alex Hale of Blue Feathered Quill Publishing. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, welcome a new patron (S.K. Randolph), offers a personal update, and a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode's sponsor: This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK5 at checkout and save $5.00 off your own personalized report. In their interview, Mark, Alex, and Joshua talk about: Alex's background growing up an avid reader and someone who wrote music and stories, and then going back to school for linguistics in 2020, then later, the Masters of Publishing program at Western Colorado University Being a fan of writing poetry as well as poetry put to music Coming to the realization that he enjoyed helping other writers with getting their work ready for publication more than he enjoyed writing The first book that Blue Feathered Quill published (a sweet-romance with a darker twist): Eth: A Novel Joshua also having a background in music (taking mandolin lessons) as well as being an avid reader as a young person as well as pursuing the writing/publishing route when he was a youth Getting a degree in education and starting a teaching career, and then returning to thinking about the world of books and publishing Joining up with Alex on BFQ as a way to move into publishing and learning more about editing and cover design The story Josh sold to the "Cupids" anthology that was published by Western Colorado University The origin of the publishing name Blue Feathered Quill The cross-country trip with a life-long friend that Alex made several years back The idea of building a publishing company with a cohort of writers, editors, and other creative people who could help one another out in different ways A look at the process they take when an author approaches them The second book that they released on April 29, 2025: THE TALE OF JIRAIYA THE GALLANT (a classic Japanese story from the 1800's which is a bit of a precursor to Manga) and Joshua's passion for bringing this book into existance How well their first book was already selling when it was first released in the spring of 2025 How authors who are interested in working with BFQ can reach out to them Advice that Alex and Josh would like to relay to authors as well as those thinking of starting a publishing company And more...   After the interview Mark reflects on how they are running this company with passion and integrity, with a goal to work collaboratively with authors.   Links of Interest: Blue Feathered Quill Publishing Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0  

This week's theme is Tradition. Bob & Robb recommend six movies that get passed down to future generations.  Bob — Midsommar (17:50), Meet the Parents (39:26), Baraka (55:12)  Robb — Dazed and Confused (5:06), Bottoms (30:50), National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (46:35)  Follow —>  Rewind Video: https://rewindvideopod.substack.com/p/follow-rewind-video  Bob: https://letterboxd.com/rgdjr/  Robb: http://robbwitmer.info   

Meg welcomes Guy Richards Smit to the podcast and recounts the antics and offenses of Imus in the Morning. Guy recalls the perks of being a kid in the city: the practice rooms, the museums, and a grandmother who took him to R rated movies.Please check out our website, follow us on Instagram, on Facebook, and...WRITE US A REVIEW HEREWe'd LOVE to hear from you! Let us know if you have any ideas for stories HEREThank you for listening!Love,Meg and Jessica

On a Tuesday Drive, Josh tells why it's getting ugly for Dave Doeren and NC State, explains why the Carolina Panthers season depends on the next three games, WD goes to the movies to review "National Lampoon's Vacation", Josh reveals his experience seeing Leo Dicaprio in "One Battle After Another", and Joe Giglio, of the O+G Podcast, joins the show to tell whether or not Dave Doeren can make it to the end of the season with NC State and what the future of Wolfpack football will look like.

This week we have Skyler Holzman BACK. We talk comedy, his awesome show "Leg Day Comedy", and more!Great EX Drinking Buddy stories this week: Skyler takes us through his European Vacation! It was if National Lampoon meets Beerfest! Skyler has stories from Dublin, Amsterdam, and Berlin! He also went to Copenhagen, but as the last stop they were running on fumes.Follow Skyler on INSTAGRAM and check out his comedy show in NYC "Leg Day Comedy"Get tickets to the upcoming shows, merch, and everything else for ME through the LINKTREE

Kimberly Atkins Stohr hosts #SistersInLaw to lay out the insanity of the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, decry the politics of revenge, and look at whether the claims have any merit.  Then, the #Sisters explain what ‘AntiFa' refers to, and why the term has become such a flash point in the age of democratic decline and help us understand the historical framework of domestic terrorism under the law.  They also look at the allegations against Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, regarding his acceptance of $50,000 in cash and explain the challenges of holding people in the administration to account. Get the brand new ReSIStance T-Shirt & Mini Tote at politicon.com/merch Additional #SistersInLaw Shows & Content Are Here! Check out Jill's New Politicon YouTube Show: Just The Facts Check out Kim's Newsletter: The Gavel  Books & Upcoming Tour Events From The #Sisters Joyce's new book, Giving Up Is Unforgivable, is now available for pre-order!  Not only that, for a limited time, you have the exclusive opportunity to order a signed copy here! Get Barb's book, Attack From Within, now in paperback! And, don't miss her ongoing tour!  You can buy tickets at barbaramcquade.com for all upcoming shows. Add the #Sisters & your other favorite Politicon podcast hosts on Bluesky WEBSITE & TRANSCRIPT Email: SISTERSINLAW@POLITICON.COM or Thread to @sistersInLaw.podcast Get text updates from #SistersInLaw and Politicon.  From The #Sisters Barb on Pam Bondi & Hate Speech Support This Week's Sponsors Quince: Fall fashion season is here!  Get 365-day returns and free shipping on high-quality, stylish, and affordable clothing you'll wear for years to come when you go to quince.com/sisters Gusto: Gusto is your all-in-one online payroll and benefits software built for small businesses.  It's remote-friendly and incredibly easy to use.  Try Gusto today at gusto.com/SISTERS and get three months free when you run your first payroll! Wild Grain:  Get $30 off and free croissants in every box when you start your subscription to delicious quick-bake artisanal pastries, pasta, and bread at wildgrain.com/sisters with promo code: SISTERS Laundry Sauce: Get 20% off your entire order @LaundrySauce with code SISTERS at https://laundrysauce.com/SISTERS #laundrysaucepod Lola Blankets: Get 35% off your entire order at Lolablankets.com by using code SISTERS at checkout.  Experience the world's #1 blanket with Lola Blankets. Get More From The #SistersInLaw Joyce Vance: Bluesky | Twitter | University of Alabama Law | Civil Discourse Substack | MSNBC | Author of “Giving Up Is Unforgiveable” Jill Wine-Banks: Bluesky | Twitter | Facebook | Website | Author of The Watergate Girl: My Fight For Truth & Justice Against A Criminal President | Just The Facts YouTube Kimberly Atkins Stohr: Bluesky | Twitter | Boston Globe | WBUR | The Gavel Newsletter | Justice By Design Podcast Barb McQuade: Bluesky | Twitter | University of Michigan Law | Just Security | MSNBC | Attack From Within: How Disinformation Is Sabotaging America

In this solo episode, Mark reflects on the power that writers bring to a divided world. Prior to the reflection, Mark shares a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode's sponsor: This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK5 at checkout and save $5.00 off your own personalized report.   Links of Interest: Mark's Listing for FanX Salt Lake City Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation   The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Whether Christopher Guest is creating characters, writing scripted comedy or doing long form improv, it's all music to him. Christopher talks with Marc about his musical background, jazz clubs, the British comedy revue Beyond the Fringe, the National Lampoon, Lily Tomlin and other building blocks that paved the way for his work on This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind and more. They also talk about Christopher's longtime collaborations with Michael McKean and Eugene Levy, as well as his daily routine involving guitars, newspapers and fly fishing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, artist Mike Sudal runs out of gas on his way to Italian mystery tuna, we miss our shot at a huge marble trout because our kid wants a new Transformer, nearly get sucked over the dam because our bathing suit is too tight, and forget to close our snap swivel in a moment of heat stroke-induced panic

Mark interviews John Gaspard about his book HELD OVER: HAROLD AND MAUDE AT THE WESTGATE THEATER. Prior to the interview Mark shares a personal update and a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode's sponsor: This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK5 at checkout and save $5.00 off your own personalized report. In the interview, Mark and John talk about: John's appreciation for the honesty of the podcast and one of his favorite episodes, and why he liked it John's background and the two different cozy mystery series that he has written and published The Eli Mark's "Behind the Page" podcast that John uses to share behind-the-scenes and brilliantly market the books in audio and other formats A person with a PhD in "shuffling cards" who was a guest on John's podcast How John approached his deep love and affection for the 1971 movie HAROLD AND MAUDE The Minneapolis theatre (Westgate) that helped make this movie a cult classic How John couldn't have written this book 20 years ago John's Popcorn Principals books The book HELD OVER: HAROLD AND MAUDE AT THE WESTGATE THEATER John's philosophy of "I'm writing for me." A bit of the history of the Westgate Theater The approach to his writing and recognizing that most of the books are likely not to earn much more than making back the initial money invested into them Deciding which researched bits made it into the book How Scrivener was a helpful tool in the writing of the book and various research elements The design company that John worked with on this book The Kickstarter that John ran related to this book and what it did for him (beyond earning a bit of up front money to help with funding the expensive project Working with Bookvault on the production of this book Advice John would offer to writers who haven't yet pursued that passion project And more... After the interview Mark reflects on passion projects, networking and connecting with other writers, and the advice to pause/hesitate   Links of Interest: John Gaspard's Website EP 218 - John Gaspard on Business, Writing, and Magic Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation   John Gaspard is author of the Eli Marks mystery series and the Como Lake Players mystery series. He also has several other stand-alone novels, including “The Greyhound of the Baskervilles,” “A Christmas Carl,” “The Sword & Mr. Stone” and “The Ripperologists.” He hosts: "Behind the Page: The Eli Marks Podcast." In real life, John's not a magician, but he has directed six low-budget features that cost very little and made even less - that's no small trick. He's also written multiple books on the subject of low-budget filmmaking. Ironically, those books made more than the films. John lives in Minnesota and shares his home with his lovely wife, several greyhounds, a few cats and a handful of pet allergies.   The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this episode Mark interviews Phil Marshall, the author of the recently released science fiction novel Taming the Perilous Skies and the founder of Spoken, a platform that removes numerous audiobook production barriers for indie authors and small publishers. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments, a personal update, and a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by ScribeCount (affiliate link). Spend less time logging in to multiple platforms and crunching numbers, and more time writing and marketing your books thanks to ScribeCount's handy all-in-one interface. In the interview, Mark and Phil talk about: Phil's background with Conversa Being trained as a surgeon and then switching to product development and technology The novel (TAMING THE PERILOUS SKIES) that was baking in his head since 2021 Distributing 130 copies of his novel to early readers at a recent WorldCon The market info of "Dan Brown meets Andy Weir" How the novel and Spoken itself were both inspired by the same thing An explanation of what Spoken is and how it addresses Phil's desire for multi-cast narration Multi-voice narration being a speciality of Spoken Why Phil is releasing the novel in multi-cast narration via Spoken for free in chapter by chapter installments Spoken having just completed a full year of beta release and is now available as a fully available product A bit of a walk-thru of how Spoken breaks out different character voices in an automated manner How ElevenLabs and Hume are the two partners Spoken uses for their character and narrator voices The costs involved in producing these audio books How there is no cost for listeners who want to check out how things sound on Spoken Phil's message to authors who are nervous/anxious about A.I. And more... After the interview Mark reflects on a couple of things related to the conversation. Links of Interest: Spoken Phil Marshall's Website Phil's Book: Taming the Perilous Skies EP 432 - Creativity, Connection, and Community with Police Officer and Author A.L. Wahdel EP 056 - Balance and Counterbalance with Katie Cross Kobo Writing Life Podcast EP 78 (March 2017) - Katie Cross: From Full-Time Author to Full-Time Mom SPA Girls Podcast Episode 517 (with Mark) YouTube Main Podcast Link Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation   Phil Marshall Bio: I build technologies, organizations, and stories that imagine a fantastic future. From my theory of persistence, which sits at the heart of my sci-fi writing, to pioneering conversational AI that transformed the relationships between doctors and patients, to creating groundbreaking tools that are transforming the relationship between authors and their readers, I thrive at the intersection of imagination and execution. My current project is Spoken, bringing authors and readers together around great audio stories that are made possible by technology. Before Spoken, I co-founded Conversa, a platform that connected patients and care teams using conversational AI.  Along the way, I've built technologies that span personalization (WebMD), collaborative movie-making (JumperCut), ontology-driven knowledge graphs (OntoLogic.ai), and concept-based health record threading (WellMed).   The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0      

This week on Totally 80s and 90s Recall, Dave, Rob, and Kurt are joined by special guests Brad and Sean to dive into the wild world of 1980s comedy movies with a March Madness–style 16-team bracket. From slapstick to satire, the guys break down some of the funniest and most quotable films of the decade, pitting classics head-to-head until only two comedies reigns supreme. Each matchup sparks laughs, heated debate, and plenty of nostalgia as the crew tries to decide which flick really captured the comedic spirit of the 80s. The bracket is stacked with heavy-hitters like National Lampoon's Vacation, Stripes, and Coming to America, each bringing its own brand of outrageous humor and iconic performances. But the competition doesn't stop there—parody powerhouses like Spaceballs square off against teen comedy staples such as Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The panel wrestles with tough questions: does a cult classic deserve to topple a box office giant? Should quotability matter more than critical acclaim? And just how much does nostalgia play into picking a true champion? With Brad and Sean stirring the pot and adding their own favorites into the mix, the bracket becomes a hilarious walk down memory lane. Whether it's Chevy Chase bumbling his way through family road trips, Eddie Murphy redefining comedy stardom, or Matthew Broderick convincing us to skip school in style, this episode is packed with laughter, debate, and plenty of “you had to be there” 80s moments. It's the ultimate comedy showdown, and only two films can survive the bracket madness! Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/totally-80s-and-90s-recall/PC:1001051135    Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/totally-80s-and-90s-recall/id1662282694    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/11dk5TUoLUk4euD1Te1EYG?si=b37496eb6e784408    Contact Us: Website: https://totally80s90srecall.podbean.com/  Email: 80s90srecall@gmail.com LinkTree:https://linktr.ee/80s90srecall 

Mark interviews A.L. Wahdel, a crime thriller writer brings Toronto's soul to life in his fiction. They talk about his new book TOO DARK FOR THE LIGHT, about his writing, about police work, and about the importance of community, connection, and creativity. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update and a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode's sponsor: This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK5 at checkout and save $5.00 off your own personalized report. In the interview, Mark and Lance talk about: Lance's 20 years of experience in the police force and how he had planned on a completely different career path by studying media arts and graphic design How people usually ask police officers if they're seen any crazy stuff, but rarely ask if they've seen amazing things The power of community and connecting and communicating with people "Always be in a constant state of create." A philosophy that drives Lance in his life and writing How any time a person creates something it's a gift to the world and the universe Lance's earliest experience writing lyrics and music Being a huge comic fan, Batman in particular The revelation of "write what you know" in creating his first novel TO DARK FOR THE LIGHT Finding his writing community via numerous podcasts, YouTube, and other online resources Establishing a virtual "mastermind" from the shared writing resources Deciding to set his novel in Toronto, Ontario, Canada instead of choosing a "more popular" major US city Using Toronto's iconic skyline on the cover to ensure the setting for the book was clear Debating over whether or not to begin with Water Kascade's origin story The tricky balance of writing an authentic police procedural novel (ie, ignoring those tedious long boring periods of time in the day to day life of law enforcement) The training of always being alert and aware as a police officer and how that benefits Lance as a writer Some of the things that authors get wrong related to police work The integrity involved in releasing the book under the pseudonym A.L. Wahdel so as not to take advantage of his role and employer Advice Lance would offer to other authors And more . . . After the interview Mark shares a few reflections about the desire to help others and the value of creativity in giving to the world. Links of Interest: A.L. Wahdel's Website A.L. Wahdel on Substack: A Constant State of Create Catching up with Dale L. Roberts (Draft2Digital Self-Publishing Insiders) Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections EP 430 - Rambling Reflections from a Lemons to Lemonade Road Trip Mark's YouTube channel Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation   A.L. Wahdel is an exciting new storyteller in the crime thriller genre, blending gripping suspense with a powerful narrative. A.L. Wahdel writes with energy about the city that shaped his identity. With an unwavering love for its style and complexity, he brings Toronto's soul to life in every story. Choosing his birthplace as the canvas for his crime series was an intentional act—to honour its essence, celebrate its dynamism, and share the stories that only a true Torontonian writer could tell   The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0      

This week we get together to watch comedic gold with National Lampoon's Senior Trip   To embarrass his rival, a scheming senator uses nitwit Ohio teens who are invited to a Washington gathering on educational failure.

Jim Hill and Eric Hersey return with the latest from Universal Parks and the unbelievable story of how Jaws 3 nearly became a full-blown comedy. From Spielberg's pivot to Close Encounters to the moment Universal almost partnered with National Lampoon, this episode unpacks the sequel that nearly torpedoed the franchise before it began. This week's highlights include: • Wicked: Part Two gets a primetime concert special and early merch leaks• Jimmy Buffett's plane, the Hemisphere Dancer, returns to CityWalk• Starfall Racers responds to guest feedback with roomier seats• Monster Makeup Experience signage gets an eerie refresh• Steven Spielberg chose aliens over sharks, turning down Jaws 2• Universal's near-miss with Jaws 3: People Nothing, a spoof that almost happened From deleted scenes and shark pups to Hollywood rewrites and parody panic, this one's packed with trivia, hindsight, and a few "what ifs" that might've changed blockbuster history. Unlocked Magic Unlocked Magic, powered by DVC Rental Store and DVC Resale Market, offers exclusive Disney & Universal ticket savings with TRUSTED service and authenticity. With over $10 MILLION in ticket sales, use Unlocked Magic to get the BIGGEST SAVINGS. Learn More Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices