Podcasts about shakespearean

Producer/Director - Jeremy McCarter, Sound Designer - Misha Fiksel Making its World Premiere at the venerable Tribeca Festival and featured on Apple Podcasts, MakeBelieve's revelatory new take on Shakespeare's iconic tragedy drops you inside the fractured mind of the prince.  Produced and directed by Jeremy McCarter and with breathtaking binaural sound design by Tony-Award winner Mikhail "Misha" Fiksel, this is Hamlet as you've never heard it before. JEREMY McCARTER Jeremy is the founder and executive producer of Make-Believe Association, a nonprofit audio production company. Prior to Hamlet, he co-created, co-wrote, and executive produced Lake Song, the acclaimed audio-drama series that was an Official Selection of the Tribeca Festival, a Webby Award nominee, and the winner of three Signal Awards. He also co-wrote (with Natalie Moore) and executive-produced City on Fire: Chicago Race Riot 1919, an audio docudrama about the summer that ravaged and remade the city. It was co-produced by Make-Believe Association and WBEZ, and won the Headliner Award for Best in Show for radio broadcasts in 2019. Prior to founding Make-Believe, he spent five years on the artistic staff of the Public Theater in New York, where he created and ran the Public Forum series. These performances and conversations featured many of America's leading actors, writers, activists, and community leaders, exploring the intersection of arts and society. MISHA FIKSEL Initially a theatrical artist, Fiksel pursued his curiosity and appreciation of the screen, both as a composer and a sound designer. He has scored several independent feature films, including “Glitch” and “The Wise Kids” as well several shorts such as “Alien Queens”, “Both/And” and “The Learning Curve” (a short film inspired by an acclaimed immersive theatrical production exploring the high school experience). Misha has worked on several trailers and promotional videos for various corporate and non-for-profit clients and expanding on his collaboration with Albany Park Theatre Project, he worked with documentary director Dan Andries, scoring several film adaptions of APTP's stage plays, including “Feast” which received the 2018 Emmy (Midwest) for Direction.   The Credits Listen to MakeBelieve's Hamlet here Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube

Send us a textWelcome to another killer episode of Hallmark Mysteries and More! Andrea and Eric dig deep into Mystery 101: An Education in Murder — the film that finally gives fans the long-awaited first kiss between Amy and Travis… but also serves up academic scandal, edge-of-your-seat twists, and maybe the best red herrings in the series.Is Steve Bacic the villain—or just another wrongly accused professor caught in the crosshairs? Was Travis's loyalty to Amy the highlight of the movie? And what literary Easter eggs did writer John Christian Plummer sneak in to reveal the killer before the final act?We also unpack:

In this episode of Welcome to Cloudlandia, we explore the shifting landscape of expertise in the digital age. Our discussion starts by examining the sheer volume of digital content and how it challenges traditional learning and expertise. With AI playing a significant role, we consider how this technology might disrupt long-established institutions like universities, allowing individuals to gain expertise in new ways. We then take a historical journey back to the invention of the printing press, drawing parallels between past and present innovations. Using AI tools like ChatGPT, we uncover details about Gutenberg's early legal challenges, showcasing how AI can offer new insights into historical events. This approach highlights how asking the right questions can transform previously unknown areas into fields of expertise. Next, we discuss the changing role of creativity in an AI-driven world. AI democratizes access to information, enabling more people to create and innovate without needing institutional support. We emphasize that while AI makes information readily available, the challenge of capturing attention remains. By using AI creatively, we can enhance our understanding and potentially redefine what it means to be an expert. Finally, we consider the impact of rapid technological advancements on daily life. With AI making expertise more accessible, we reflect on its implications for traditional expert roles. From home renovation advice to navigating tech mishaps, AI is reshaping how we approach problems and solutions. Through these discussions, we gain a fresh perspective on the evolving landscape of expertise and innovation. SHOW HIGHLIGHTS We discuss the overwhelming volume of digital content and how it challenges the utility and comprehension of information in the modern age. Dean talks about the potential impact of artificial intelligence on traditional educational institutions, like Harvard, and how AI might reshape our understanding of expertise. Dan describes the intersection of historical innovation and modern technology, using the invention of the printing press and its early legal battles as a case study. We explore how AI democratizes access to information, enabling individuals to quickly gather and utilize knowledge, potentially reducing the role of traditional experts. Dean shares humorous thought experiments about technological advancements, such as the fictional disruption of electric cars by the combustion engine, highlighting the societal impacts of innovation. Dan critically examines energy policies, specifically in New York, and reflects on creative problem-solving strategies used by figures like Donald Trump and Elon Musk. We reflect on the evolving landscape of expertise, noting how AI can enhance creativity and transform previously unexplored historical events into newfound knowledge. Links: WelcomeToCloudlandia.com StrategicCoach.com DeanJackson.com ListingAgentLifestyle.com TRANSCRIPT (AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors) Dean: Mr Sullivan. Dan: But who's going to listen to all the transcriptions? That's what I want to know. Who's going to read them yeah, but what are they going to do with them? I don't know, I think it's going to confuse them actually. Dean: They're on to us. They're on to us. They're on to us and we're on to them. Dan: Yeah but it's a problem. You know, after a while, when you've overheard or listened to 3 million different podcasts, what are you doing with it? I know, is it going anywhere? Is it producing any results? You know, I just don't know that's really. Dean: It's funny that you say that right. Like there's, I and you have thousands of hours of recorded content in all of the podcasts. Like between you know, podcasting is your love language. How many five or seven podcasts going on at all time. And I've got quite a few myself. Dan: I have eight series. Dean: You've got eight series going on regularly 160 a year times, probably 13 years. Yeah, exactly. Dan: Let's say but there's 1,600. Let's say there's 1,600 and it adds up. Dean: Let's call that. We each have thousands of hours of on the record, on the record, on your permanent record in there. Yeah, because so many people have said uh you know, you think about how much people uh talk, you think about how much people talk without there being any record of it. So that body of work. I've really been trying to come to terms with this mountain of content that's being added to every day. Like it was really kind of startling and I think I mentioned it a few episodes ago that the right now, even just on YouTube, 500 hours a minute uploaded to YouTube into piling onto a mountain of over a billion available hours. Dan: It's more than you can. It's really more than you can get to. Dean: And that's when you put it in the context of you know, a billion. I heard somebody talk about. The difference between a million and a billion is that if you had,1 a second each second, for if you ran out, if you're spending that $1 a second, you would run out if you had a million dollars in 11 and a half days, or something like that and if you had a? billion dollars, it would be 30 be 11 000, 32 years, and so you think about if you've got a million hours of content it would take you know it's so long to consume it. Dan: You know it's funny. I was thinking about that because you know there's a conflict between the US government and Harvard University. I don't know if you follow this at all. No, government and Harvard University. I don't know if you follow this at all. Because no? Yeah, because they get about. You know they get I don't know the exact number, but it's in the billions of dollars every year from the US government, harvard does you know? Harvard does you? know, and and. But they, you know they've got some political, the DEI diversity, and the US basically is saying if you're, if you have a DEI program which favors one race over another, we're not going to give. We're not going to give you any more money, we're just not going to give you any more money. I mean unless it's if you favor one racial group over another, you don't get the. You don't get US tax money. So they were saying that Harvard has $53 billion endowment. And people say, well, they can live off their endowment, but actually, when you look more closely at it, they can't, because that endowment is gifts from individuals, but it's got a specific purpose for every. It's not a general fund, it's not like you know. We're giving you a billion dollars and you can spend it any way you want Actually it's very highly specified so they can't actually run their annual costs by taking, you know, taking a percentage, I think their annual cost is seven or eight billion dollars to run the whole place billion to run the whole place. So if the US government were to take away all their funding in eight, years they would go bankrupt. The college would go, the university would just go bankrupt, and my sense is that Trump is up to that. The president who took down Harvard. The president who took down Harvard. It wouldn't get you on Mount Rushmore, but there's probably as many people for it as there are against it. Dean: Well, you never know, by the end it might be Mount Trump. We've already got the gulf of america who named it? Dan: anyway, yeah it's so, it's, yeah, it's so funny because, um you know, this was a religious college at one time. You know, harvard, harvard college was once you know, I I'm not sure entirely which religion it was, but it was a college. But it's really interesting, these institutions who become. You say, well, you know they're just permanent, you know there will never be. But you know, if a college like a university, which probably, if you took all the universities in the world and said which is the most famous, which is the most prominent, harvard would you know, along with Cambridge and Oxford, would probably be probably be up and you know what's going to take it down. It is not a president of the United States, but I think AI might take down these universities. I'm thinking more and more, and it has to do with being an expert. You know, like Harvard probably has a reputation because it has over, you know, 100 years, anyway has hundreds of experts, and my sense is that anybody with an AI program that goes deep with a subject and keeps using AI starts acquiring a kind of an expertise which is kind of remarkable, kind of an expertise which is kind of remarkable. You know, like I'm, I'm beginning that expert expertise as we've known it before november of 2022 is probably an ancient artifact, and I think that that being an expert like that is going to be known as an expert, is probably going to disappear within the next 20 years. I would say 20 years from now 2045,. The whole notion of expert is going to disappear. Dean: What do you? Think I mean you think, I think yeah, I have been thinking about this a lot. Dan: You'll always be the expert. You'll always be the expert of the nine-word email. That's true, forever, I mean on the. Mount Rushmore of great marketing breakthroughs. Your visage will be featured prominently. That's great. I've cemented my place in this prominently. Dean: That's great. I've cemented my place. Yeah, that's right. Part of that is, I think, dan, that what I am concerned about. Dan: That would be the highest mountain in Florida, that's right, oh, that's right. Oh, that's funny, you'd have to look at it from above. Dean: That's right. The thing that I see, though, is exactly that that nobody is doing the work. I think that everybody is kind of now assuming and riding on the iterations of what's already been known, because that's what that's really what AI is now the large? Language. That's exactly it's taking everything we know so far, and it's almost like the intellectual equivalent of the guy who famously said at the patent office that everything that can be invented has been invented. Right, that's kind of that's what it feels like. Is that? Yeah, uh, that the people are not doing original work? I think it's going to become more and more rare that people are doing original thinking, because it's all iterative. It's so funny. We talk often, dan, about the difference between what I call books authorship that there's a difference between a book report and a field report is going to be perfect for creating and compiling and researching and creating work, organizing all the known knowledge into a narrative kind of thing. You can create a unique narrative out of what's already known, but the body of creating field reports where people are forging new ground or breaking new territory, that's I think it's going to be out of. Dan: I think we're moving out of that, I'm going to give you a project. Okay, I'm going to give you a project to see if you still think this is true, and you're going to use Charlotte as a project manager. You're going to use Charlotte your. Ai project manager and you ask it a question tell me ten things about a subject, okay, and that's your, that's your baseline. It could be anything you want and then ask it ten consecutive questions that occur to you as it, and I had that by the 10th, 10th question. Dean: You've created something brand new hmm, and Then so ask so if I say Tell me, charlie, tell me 10 things about this particular topic. Okay, let's do it, let's, let's create this life. So okay, if I say, charlotte, tell me 10 things about the 25 years after Gutenberg released the press, what were the top 10 things that you can tell me about that period of time? Dan: Yeah. Okay, and then Charlotte gets back to you and gives you a thing, and then it occurs to you. Now here's where it gets unpredictable, because I don't know what your first question is going to be when that comes back. Dean: Yeah, so what would the Okay? Dan: and then Charlotte goes out and answers, charlotte gets the answer to that question and then you have another question, but I can't predict. So you're going to have 10 unpredictable questions in a row and you can't predict what those 10 questions are because you don't even know what the first one is until Charlotte gets back with information and I'm saying, by the time you've asked, you've gotten your answer to the 10th question. You've created an entirely new body of knowledge that nobody in history has ever created. Dean: That's interesting, right? Yeah, you know. That's so funny that you know there was a comedian, george Carlin, in the 70s and 80s, I know George. George Carlin had a very famous bit where he was talking about words and how we all use the same words and you would think that everything that people say, well, everything has already been said. But, ladies and and gentlemen, you're going to hear things tonight that have never been spoken in the history of the world. We're breaking, we're making history tonight. He said, for instance, nobody has ever said hey, mary, as soon as I finish shoving this hot poker in my eye, I'm gonna go grill up some steaks. He said you just witnessed history tonight, right here. Dan: Yeah yeah, that's funny, right yeah yeah, yeah and uh, you have the explanation for a lot of foolish things that people do. Dean: Exactly. Dan: And I think that's that all the things have been created in the history of the world are a very, very small percentage of what is going to be created. Dean: This is interesting. So while we were talking I just typed into chat GPT. We're going to create history right here on the podcast. Dan:So I just said. Dean: What are 10 things that happened in the first 25 years after Gutenberg released the printing press and she typed back. Here are 10 key things that happened in the first 25 years, roughly 1450 to 1475. Number one the Gutenberg Bible was printed and she describes that the 42-line Bible became the first major book printed using movable type. Two, printing spread to other cities. Within a decade. Printing presses began appearing outside mains, starting with Strasbourg, cologne and Venice. By 1475, over a dozen European cities had active presses. Then, number three Johann First sues Gutenberg. First, who had financially backed Gutenberg sued him and won control of his equipment. Fust and Gutenberg's assistant went on to become successful printers in Mainz, the first printed Psalter, whatever, p-s-a-l-t-e-r in Latin, the first book to bear a printed date and a printer's mark. That's interesting. So the property, the first kind of copyright, I guess right. Or the first printer's mark and the first color initials. Emergence of the print Trade was another one Printed Law and Medical Texts, latin Grammar by Donatus D-O-N-A-T-U-S. Mass produced in the 1460s. The first printed Greek and Hebrew. First books using Greek were typed print in 1476. Printing in Italy begins and the rise of the Incanobula era, the Enoch group was well underway. Dan: Yeah, Now ask a question about that number 10. Dean: Yeah, so that's interesting. So if I said what happened with the lawsuit, yeah, what happened with the Fust lawsuit? Dan: Yeah, now here's the thing Now, here's the thing that until you got the answers back from the first prompt from the first query. You had no idea what your next question was going to be. Right, because I didn't know, and so this is almost like a didn't know, and so this is almost like a uh and what I'm saying. If you tracked, if you were to do this, you know, after our, maybe during, maybe during our podcast, but uh, certainly after you know, let's say, by five o'clock this afternoon you would, you would ask 10 questions that's an original, that's an original body of knowledge. That no one else previous to you has put together. Dean: Wow, so the lawsuit? So Gutenberg? It went in detail about Gutenberg's partnership with John. Dan: Tell me 10 things about the lawsuit. Dean: Yeah, well, that's what essentially she's done here. Yeah, the lawsuit was filed five years later, 1450. Gutenberg needed funding to develop his movable pipe. He borrowed 1,600 guilders a significant sum a wealthy financier. The loan was formalized as a business agreement Fust would invest and Gutenberg would develop the technology and handle production. Lawsuit filed in 1455. 1455, after several years, fust sued Gutenberg, claiming misuse of funds and lack of returns. The outcome the court ruled in favor of Fust. Gutenberg lost control of his printing equipment. First, fust partnered with Gutenberg's former assistant, peter Schofer, and the two continued printing successfully. Fust and Schofer became one of the first successful commercial printing firms in Europe. Gutenberg, though innovator and inventor, died in relative obscurity and financial hardship in 1468. The lawsuit reflects the tension between innovation and commercialization. Gutenberg had the vision, but Fust had the capital and, eventually, the press. Let me know if you want a dramatized version of the court case. It's got all the ingredients money betrayal and world changing technology oh my goodness yeah yeah, yeah, and you know, and, and so what I'm thinking here? Dan: is that by the end of the five o'clock this afternoon, let's say you follow through on this. You're a great. You're a greater expert on this particular subject than has ever lived. Dean: Yeah, Dan, you just that. It's almost like doing a triple play. I mean, yeah, it's three layers deep or whatever. Right, or yeah, or whatever you know, but just the layers. Dan: But it's all original because no one could possibly duplicate separate from you. Like today somebody's out there and they're duplicating, and they're duplicating the first 10 answers, the second 10 answers, the third 10 answers. Nobody could possibly duplicate that, you know. Dean: Because, it's up to me what the follow-up questions are. Dan: Yeah, and it doesn't occur to you until you're presented with the say oh that's a really interesting thing, but nobody else could. Possibly. They might follow you on one thing, but they wouldn't follow you on two things. And each further step towards 10 questions, it's just impossible to know what someone else would do, and my statement is that that represents complete originality and it also, by the end of it, it represents complete um expertise that was done in a period. That was done in a period of about five or six hours yeah I mean, that's what we were doing it. Dean: I said, yes, that would be fun. Please do that. She created this, dramatized the People vs Johannes Gutenberg, and it was called the. Trial of the Century Act. Dan:One the Pack. Dean: A candlelit workshop in Maine. The smell of ink and ambition fills the air I mean this is ridiculous. And then at the end, so outline the thing. And then it says, uh, would you like this adapted into a short stage play script or animated storyboard? Next I said, let's. So I think this would be funny to do it. Please do a stage play in Shakespearean pentameter or whatever. What do you call it? Dan: What's that? Dean: What's the style of Shakespeare in Shakespearean? How do you call that? Well, it's a play, yeah, yeah, but I mean, what's the phrasing called in Shakespearean? Dan: Oh, you mean the language. Dean: Yeah, yeah, yeah, the language structure. Dan: Yeah, yeah, iambic pentameter In Shakespearean. Dean: I'm going to say Shakespearean pentameter yeah. Dan: Pentameter is 10 syllables Da-da, da-da, da-da, da-da, da-da. That's the Shakespearean. He didn't create it. It was just a style of the day, but he got good at it. Dean: Damn, I am big, oh man so the opening scene is, to wit, a man of trade, johan by name, doth bring forth charge against one, johannes G, that he, with borrowed coin, did break his bond and spend the gold on ventures not agreed I mean yes, there you go completely, completely original, completely original. Oh, dan you, just now. This is the amazing thing is that we could take this script and create a video like using Shakespearean you know, costumed actors with British accents? Dan: Oh they'd have to be British, they'd have to be. British. Dean: Oh man, this is amazing. I think you're on to something here. Dan: My feeling is that what we've known as expertise up until now will just fade away, that anybody who's interested in anything will be an original expert. Yeah, and that this whole topic came about because that's been the preserve of higher education, and my sense is that higher education as we've known it in 20 years will disappear. Sense is that higher education as we've known it in 20 years will disappear yeah, what we're going to have is deeper education, and it'll just be. Individuals with a relationship with ai will go deeper and deeper and deeper, and they can go endlessly deep because of the large language models. Dean: Oh, this is I mean, yeah, this is amazing, dan, it's really so. I look at it that where I've really been thinking a lot about this distinction that I mentioned a few episodes ago about capability and ability, episodes ago about capability and ability, that, mm-hmm, you know this is that AI is a capability that everybody has equal access to. The capability of AI yep, but it's the ability of what to how to direct that that is going to. Dan: That's where the origins, because in the us, uh, at least over the last 40 or 50 years, higher education has been associated with the um, the political left. Uh, the um um, you know, it's the left left of the democratic party, basically in can Canada it's basically the Liberals and the NDP. And the interesting thing is that the political left, because they're not very good at earning a living in a normal way, have earned a living by taking over institutions like the university, communications media, government bureaucracies, government bureaucracies corporate bureaucracies, culture you know culture, theater, you know literature, movies they've taken over all that you know, literature, movies, they've taken over all that, but it's been based on a notion of expertise. It's um that these are the people who know things and uh and uh and, of course, um. But my feeling is that what's happening very quickly, and it's as big a revolution as gutenberg, and I mean you can say he lost the court, but we don't remember the people who beat him. We remember Gutenberg because he was the innovator. You know, I mean, did you know those names before? Dean: No I never heard of the two people and. I never heard of the lawsuit. You know it's interesting right, yeah, yeah. Dan: And it probably won't go between our country. It won't go further than our right right today, but gutenberg is well known because somebody had to be known for it and he, he ended up being the person. And my sense, my sense, is that you're having a lot of really weird things happening politically. Right now I'm just watching the states. For example, this guy, who's essentially a communist, won the Democratic primary to become mayor of New York. Dean: I saw that Ma'am Donnie. Dan: And he's a complete idiot. I mean, he's just a total wacko idiot. But he won and the reason is that that whole way of living, that whole expertise way of living, of knowing theories and everything, is disappearing. It's going to disappear in the next 20 years. There's just going to be new things you can do with ai. That's, that's all there's going to exist. 20 years from now and uh, and nobody can be the gatekeeper to this, nobody can say well you can't do that with ai. Anybody can do it with ai and um and you. There's going to be people who do something and it just becomes very popular. You know and there's no predicting beforehand who the someone or the something is going to be. That becomes really popular. But it's not going to be controlled by experts. Dean: Yeah. Dan: I think. Ai is the end of expertise as we've known it. Dean: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think that's really I mean a little bit. I think that's been a big shift. I'd never thought about it like that. That that's where the if we just look at it as a capability, it's just an accelerator, in a way. Information prior to November 22, prior to chat, gpt all of this information was available in the world. You could have done deep dive research to find what they're accessing, to uncover the lawsuit and the. You know all of that, that stuff. But it would require very specialized knowledge of how to mine the internet for all of this stuff where to find it how to summarize it. 0:32:24 - Dan: Well, not only that, but the funding of it would have been really hard you know you'd have to fund somebody's time, somebody who would give you know their total commitment to they, would give their total attention to a subject for 10 years you know, and they'd probably have to be in some sort of institution that would have to be funded to do this and you know it would require an enormous amount of connection, patronage and everything to get somebody to do this. And now somebody with AI can do it really really cheaply. I mean, you know, really really quickly, really cheaply. I mean you know really really quickly, really cheaply and wouldn't have to suck up. Dean: Yeah. I mean this is wild, this is just crazy. Dan: Yeah, that sounds like a yeah, you should take that at a level higher. That sounds like an interesting play. Dean: I mean, it's really, it is. I've just, my eyes have been opened in a way. Dan: Now, now. Now have somebody you know. Just ask them to do it in a Shakespearean British accent, right. Just ask someone to do it. I bet. Dean: Yeah. Dan: I bet it'll be really interesting. Like that's what I think now is there would be. Dean: the thing is you could literally go to Eleven Labs and have the voice having a, you know, having British Shakespearean dramatic actors. Yeah, read, create a radio play of this. Dan: Yeah, so I go back to my little quarterly book, the Geometry of Staying Cool and Calm, which was about a year and a half ago. And I said there's three rules Number one everything's made up. Does this check? Does that check? Everything's made up, yeah. Dean: Did we just make that up this? Dan: morning. Dean: Yep. Dan: Nobody's in charge. Dean: Right. Dan: Is anybody in charge? Dean: Do we have to ask? Dan: permission. Dean: Yep, okay, and life's in charge. Right, is anybody in charge? Do we have to ask permission? Yep, okay. Dan: And life's not fair. Dean: Life's not fair. Dan: Life's not fair, that's right. Why do we get to be able to do this and nobody else gets to be man? Life's not fair. Dean: Uh-huh. Dan: Wow. Dean: It's a pretty big body of work available. I mean, that's now that you think about it. I was kind of looking at it as saying you know, I was worried that the creativity, or, you know, base creativity, is not going to be there, but this brings certainly the creativity into it. I think you're absolutely right, I've been swayed here today. Your Honor, yeah. Dan: But you're still confronted with the basic constraint that attention is limited. We can do this, but it's enjoyable in its own. Whether anybody else thinks this is interesting or not doesn't really matter. We found it interesting yeah, yeah, in background. Dean: Uh, you know, charlotte created a, uh, a playbill for this as well. She just kept asking follow-up would you like me to create a playbill I said. I said, can you design a cover of the play Bill? And it's like you know yeah, what's it called Well the Mainzer Stad Theater proudly presents. The Press Betrayed A Tragic History in One Act, being a True and Faithful Account of the Lawsuit that Shook the world. Yeah, that's great I mean it's so amazing, right, that's like, that's just. Yeah, you're absolutely right, it's the creativity, I guess it's like if you think about it as a capability. It's like having a piano that's got 88 keys and your ability to tickle the ivories in a unique, unique way. Yeah, it's infinite, yeah, it's infinite yeah. And you're right that, nobody that that okay, I'm completely, I'm completely on board. That's a different perspective. Dan: Yeah, and the. The interesting thing is the. I've just taken a look at the odds here, so you have, you start with 10 and if you did you continue down with 10, that makes it 100, that makes it a thousand, you know, it makes it 10, 000, 100, 000, a million. Uh, you know. And then it you start. And the interesting thing, those are the odds. At a certain point it's one in ten billion that anyone else could follow the trail that you just did. You know, yeah, which makes it makes everything very unpredictable you know, it's just completely unpredictable, because yeah and original. Unpredictable and original yeah. And I think that this becomes a huge force in the world that what are the structures that can tolerate or respond well to this level of unpredictability? I think it's. And then there's different economic systems. Some economic systems are better, some political systems are better, some cultural systems are better, and I've been thinking a lot about that. There was a big event that happened two days ago, and that is the US signed their first new trade agreement under Trump's. That is, the US signed their first new trade agreement under Trump's trade rules with Vietnam, which is really interesting, that Vietnam should be the first, and Vietnam is going to pay 20 percent tariff on everything that ships in. Everything that is shipped produced by Vietnam into the United States has a 20% tariff on it. And they signed it two days ago. Okay. Dean: Wow. Dan: However, if China ships it because China maybe has a much bigger tariff than Vietnam does, but the Chinese have been sending their products to Vietnam where they're said made in Vietnam and they're shipped to the United States the US will be able to tell that in fact it's going to be 40% for Vietnam if they're shipping Chinese products through. Dean: And this can all be tracked by AI. Dan: Right, this can all be tracked by AI. The reason why Trump's thing with tariffs this year is radically different from anything that happened previously in history is that with AI you can track everything. Dean: Yeah. Dan: And it happens automatically. I mean, it's not a stack of paper on an accountant's desk, it's just electronic signals. Oh, no, no that came from the Chinese 40% Please, please, please, send us a check for 40%, right, right, right, right, 40%. And my sense is that this is the first instance where a new set of rules have been created for the whole world. I mean, trump went to Europe two weeks ago and the Europeans have been complaining about the fact that their contribution to NATO has to be 2% of GDP, and that's been contentious. I mean, canada is doing like 1% or something like that, and they're complaining. And he came away with an agreement where they're all going to increase their contribution to NATO to 5% of NDP, and part of the reason is they had just seen what his B-2 bombers did to Iran. The week before and I said, hey, it's up to you. I mean you can do it or not do it, but there's a reward for doing it and there's a penalty for not doing it, and we can track all this electronically. I mean we can tell what you're doing. I mean you can say one thing but, the electronics say something else. So I think we're into a new world. Dean: I really feel like that yeah, yeah, wow. Dan: But it's expertise in terms of an individual being an expert. There's expertise available anytime you want to do it, but an individual who's an expert, probably that individual is going to disappear. Dean: Yeah, I agree, yeah, I can't. Yeah, I mean this is, yeah, it's pretty amazing. It's just all moving so fast, right, that we just and I don't think people really understand what, what we have. Yeah, I think there's so many people I wonder what, the, what the you know percentage or numbers of people who've never ever interacted with chat GPT. Dan: Me, I've never. Dean: Well, exactly, but I mean, but perplexity, I have perplexity. Dan:Yeah, exactly. Dean: Yeah, yeah, that's interesting. Dan: Yeah, well, you know. I mean, there's people in the world who haven't interacted with electricity yet. Somewhere in the Amazon, you know, or somewhere, and you know I mean the whole point is life's not fair, you know, life's just not fair. Nobody's in charge and you know everything's made up but your little it was really you know extraordinary that you did it with Charlotte while we were talking, because yeah would you get two levels, two levels in or three levels in? Dean: I went three or four, like just that. So I said, yeah, I asked her about the top 10 things and I said, oh, tell me about the lawsuit. And she laid out the things and then she suggested would you like me dramatic? Uh yeah, and she did act one, act two, act three and then yeah doing it in, uh, in shakespearean, shakespearean. And she did that and then she created the playbill and I said, can you design a cover for the playbill? And there we are and that all happened happened while we're having the conversation. Dan: You know what's remarkable? This is about 150 years before Shakespeare. Dean: Yeah, exactly, it's wild, right. I mean I find I was looking at, I had someone, diane, one of the runs, our Go-Go Agent team. She was happened to be at my house yesterday and I was saying how I was looking, I'm going to redo my living room area. My living room area I was asking about, like, getting a hundred inch screen. And I would say asking Charlotte, like what's the optimum viewing distance for a hundred inch screen? And she's telling the whole, like you know, here's how you calculate it roughly. You know eight to 11 feet is the optimal. And I said, well, I've got a. You know I have a 20 by 25 room, so what would be the maximum? What about 150 inches? That would be a wonderful, immersive experience that you could have. You certainly got the room for it. It was just amazing how high should you mount? Dan: that yeah, but but can they get it in? Dean: that's the right, exactly. Dan: Yes, if you have to if you have, if you have to take out a wall to get it in, maybe, yeah, too expensive, yeah yeah, but anyway, that's just so. Dean: It's amazing right to just have all of that, that she knows all the calculations, all the things. Dan: Yeah, and I think the you know what you've just introduced is the whole thing is easy to know. Dean: The whole thing, is easy to know. Well, that's exactly it. Dan: This is easy to know. Whichever direction you want to go, anything you need will be easy to know. Dean: Yeah. Dan: And that's new in human affairs We've had to pay for expertise for that, yeah. Dean: You'd have to pay a researcher to look into all of this stuff right, yeah. And now we've got it on top. Dan: We were at the cottage last week and Babs has a little pouch it's sort of like a little thing that goes around her waist and it's got. You know she's got things in it, but she forgot that she put the Tesla. You know our keys for the Tesla in and she went swimming and then she came out. It doesn't work after you go swimming with the Tesla. Dean: I don't even have a key for my Tesla anymore. It's all on my phone. Yours is on your phone. Dan: Yeah, yeah well, maybe she. Well, that'll be an upgrade for her to do that. But anyway, she went on YouTube and she said how do you, if you go swimming with your Tesla, bob, and it doesn't work, can you repair it? And then she went on YouTube and it would be easier buying a new Tesla. Dean: That's funny yeah, first you do this, then you do this. And interesting, uh, there's a guy uh rory sutherland, who is the uh vice chairman of ogilvy, uh advertising oh yeah and wow, and yeah, he did he had a really interesting thought he said let's just propose that we're all using electric cars, that electric cars are the norm. And we're all charging them at home and we're all driving around and we're all. It's all. You know, everybody's doing that. And then somebody from Volkswagen comes up and says hey, I got another idea. What if, instead of this, electric engine? or electric power. What if we created a combustion engine that would take and create these mini explosions in the vehicle, and, of course, we'd have to have a transmission and we'd have to have all of these, uh, all these things, 250 components, and you know, and you'd be asking well, is it, is it, is it faster? Uh, no, is it, is it more convenient? No, is it, is it, you know, safer? you know none of those things. It would. There would be no way that we would make the leap from electric to gasoline if if it didn't already exist. That's an interesting thought. You and he said that kind of. he used this kind of thinking like rational thinking and he said that rational thinking often leads to the wrong conclusions. Like he said, if you had a beverage and your job was that you were trying to unseat Coca-Cola from the thing, if you're trying to be a competitor for Coca-Cola, rational thinking would say that you would want to have a beverage that tastes better than Coke, that is a little less expensive and comes in a bigger package. And he said that's what you would bigger container, that's what you would do to unseat them. But he said the reality is that the biggest disruptor to Coca-Cola is Red Bull, which is expensive in a small can and tastes terrible. It's like you would never come to the conclusion that that's what you're going to do. But that wasn't. It wasn't rational thinking that led to no no yeah, and the other. Dan: The other thing is that, um, you know, um, the infrastructure for the delivery of fossil fuel is a billion times greater than the infrastructure delivery system for electricity yes. And that's the big problem is that you know it's in the DNA of the entire system that we have this infrastructure and there's millions and millions and millions and millions of different things that already work. Dean: And you're trying to. Dan: But the other thing is just the key. There is energy density, it's called energy density. That if you light a match to gasoline, you just get enormous energy density. And this came up. I was listening to this great guy. I'll send you the link because he's really funny. He's got a blog called Manhattan Contrarian. Really really interesting. Okay, you know, really interesting. Dean: Okay. Dan: You know New York City. You know he's New York City. He's a New Yorker guy and he was just explaining the insanity of the thinking about energy in New York State and New York City and he said just how weird it is and one of the things is that they've banned fracking in New York. Dean: Oh, wow. Dan: They have a huge deposit of natural gas underneath New York State, but they've banned it. Okay, so that's one. They could very, very easily be one of the top energy-producing states, but rather they'd rather be one of the great energy. We have to import our energy from somewhere else, Because that puts us on the side of the angels rather than the side of the devils. You know. Dean: Oh right, yeah, Side of the angels rather than the side of the devils. Dan: You really want to be on the side of the angels, but he was talking that they're exploring with green hydrogen. Have you ever heard of green hydrogen? Dean: Never. Dan: Well, it's green because it's politically correct. It's green, and then it's hydrogen, it's green and then it's hydrogen, and so what they have is in one place it's on Lake Ontario, so across the lake from Toronto, and then it's also in the St Lawrence Seaway. They have two green energy sites. And they have one of them where it's really funny they're using natural gas to produce the electricity to power the plant that's converting hydrogen into energy. Dean: Okay. Dan: Why don't you just use the natural gas? Oh, no, no, no, no, no. We can't use natural gas. That's evil, that's the devil. And so it's costing them 10 times as much to produce hydrogen electricity out of hydrogen. Rather, they just use the natural gas in the beginning to use it. And if they just did fracking they'd get the natural gas to do it. But but that produces no bureaucratic jobs, and this other way produces 10 times more bureaucratic jobs. Dean: That's crazy, yeah, yeah. Dan: But he just takes the absurdity of it, of how they're trying to think well of themselves, how much it costs to think well of yourself, rather than if you just solved a problem, it would be much easier. Mm-hmm, yeah, yeah, amazing, yeah, marvelous thing. But I'm interested in how far you're going to go. I mean, you've already written yourself a great Shakespearean play, maybe you? don't have to go any further than that. Dean: I mean I think it's pretty fascinating, though, right Like, just to think that literally as an afterthought or a side quest, while we're, I would say as a whim. You know, that's really what we, this is what I think, that's really what I've been reframed today, that you could really chase whims with. Yeah, this you know that, that, that you can bring whatever creativity um you want to. It like to be able to say okay, she's suggesting a dramatic play, but the creativity would be what if we did it as a Shakespearean play? That would be. Dan: You know, I think Trump is tapping into this or something you know, because he had two weeks when it was just phenomenal. He just had win after win, after win after win, after, uh, after two weeks, I mean nothing, nothing didn't work for him. Supreme court, dropping bomb on iran, the passage of this great new tax bill, I mean just everything worked. And I said he's doing something different, but the one you know Elon Musk to do. We have to use this Doge campaign and we have to investigate all of Elon's government contracts. And he says that's what we have to do. Dean: We have to. Dan: Doge, Elon, and he says you know he'll lose everything. He'll lose Tesla. He'll lose SpaceX, everything He'll have Tesla. He'll lose SpaceX, everything. He'll have to go back to South Africa. Dean: I mean that's unbelievable. Dan: He's such a master like reframer. Dean: You know, I saw him turning the tables on Nancy Pelosi when she was questioning his intentions with the big beautiful bill Just tax breaks for your buddies. And he said oh, that's interesting, let's talk about the numbers. And he pulls out this thing. He says you know, you have been a public servant. Dan: You and your husband. Yeah, you and your husband, you've been a public servant, you've had a salary of $200,000 a year $280,000 and you're worth $430 million. How'd you do that? Dean: That's an interesting story. Dan: There's not a person on Wall Street who's done as well as you have. How did you do that? You know Exactly. Dean: I just think what a great reframe you know. Dan:Yeah. Dean: Yeah, he's a master at that. You know who I haven't heard from lately is Scott Adams. He's been off my radar. No, he's dying. He's been off my radar. Dan: He's dying, he's dying and he's in his last month or two. He's got severe pancreatic cancer. Dean: Oh, no, really. Dan: And you know how you do that, how you do that. You know I'm convinced you know, I mentioned it that you die from not getting tested. I'm sure the guy hasn't gotten tested in the last you know 10 years. You know because everything else you know you got to get tested. You know that stuff is like pancreatic is the worst because it goes the fastest. It goes the fastest Steve Jobs. And even Steve Jobs didn't have the worst kind, he just fooled around with all sorts of Trying to get natural like yours, yeah. Yeah, sort of sketchy sketchy. You know possibilities. There was no reason for him to die when he did. He could have, he could have been, you know, could have bypassed it. But two things you didn't get tested or you got tested too late. Dean: So that's my Well, you said something one time. People say I don't want to know. He said well, you're going to find out. I said don't you? Dan: worry, don't worry, you'll find out. When do you want to find out? Dean: Right Exactly Good, right Exactly Good question yeah. Dan: What do you want to do with the information Right, exactly, all right. Well, this was a different kind of podcast. Dean: Absolutely. We created history right here, right, creativity. This is a turning point. For me, personally, this is a turning point for me personally. Dan: I was a witness yeah fascinating okay, dan, I'll be in Chicago next week. I'll talk to you next week, okay, awesome bye, okay, bye.

This episode originally broadcast on July 3, 2025. The original podcast post is here: https://pixelatedgeek.com/2025/07/binary-system-podcast-464-station-eleven-and-star-trek-lower-decks/Our journey through a post-pandemic world continues this week as we discuss the fourth episode of Station Eleven. The lines are being drawn between the people still mourning the world that existed before the pandemic, and the people born after the pandemic who will never understand how bad it was and wish people would just get over it. This episode has some fun moments, like Lori Petty's character and the surprisingly workable Shakespearean costumes made with golf gloves. But there's also a shocking development that was set up almost from the start of the episode; it's just not the one you think it's going to be.In another shocking development, Kathryn recaps two episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks, and Elizabeth is shocked to realize that she'd forgotten an entire storyline that can be summed up as "Rutherford's clone cave-baby." This week's outro is a clip from Before The Countdown by Armament. Correction: We didn't realize until halfway through the recap that we were mispronouncing "Kirsten" as "Kristen". Sorry about that.Looking for a present for that hard-to-shop-for person? Want to buy them (or yourself) a square foot of a castle in Scotland? Look no further! You can support the restoration of Dunan's castle, legally call yourself Lady or Laird, AND if you use this link to get there, you can support this podcast too! ScottishLaird.co.uk.For updates, fan art, and other randomness, come follow us on Facebook, Tumblr, and Instagram!

More weird Amazon reviews: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTz_vyR-zjcBMoD6PwEpKv-kYsR0vlh9nThey said it was just Tuscan Whole Milk, 1 Gallon, but I have uncovered something far greater. This is no ordinary dairy product—it is liquid poetry, a Shakespearean masterpiece in a plastic jug. Today, we embark on a dramatic reading of its infamous Amazon reviews, which have turned a simple grocery item into an internet legend. Will this milk transcend its humble origins? Or will it curdle under the weight of expectation? Stick around as we dive into the most over-the-top food review of all time!YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/reddxyDiscord: https://discord.gg/reddxPayPal: https://www.paypal.me/daytondoesPatreon: http://patreon.com/daytondoesTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/daytondoes

This week on Born to Watch, we're heading to the desert planet of Arrakis to break down one of the biggest sci-fi epics of recent memory in Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part One Review. Join Whitey and Sir Dimmy of the House Cockburn as they unpack a film that's equal parts galactic power struggle, political thriller, and interstellar fever dream.Villeneuve's Dune had a lot riding on it. Announced in 2017 and delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, it finally arrived in 2021 with both cinema and HBO Max releases. But did it live up to the hype? Was the spice worth the squeeze? Whitey and Sir Dimmy get stuck into the sandstorm of ambition, adaptation, and a whole lot of Zimmer.From the very start, the duo agree, this film demands the big screen. Whitey confesses to watching it via a sneaky early online drop and instantly regretting not experiencing it in the cinema. For Dimmy, it was love at first IMAX. There's a reverence for the visuals, the grandeur, and the world-building that marks Dune as a rare modern blockbuster that dares to go deep.But this isn't a dry academic analysis. This is Born to Watch, where film critique meets pub banter. That means serious praise for Hans Zimmer's thunderous, Oscar-winning score, though we do wonder if the music sometimes overshadows the movie. The team marvels at the film's scale: the ornithopters, the wormsign, the sand-soaked vistas. Arrakis feels real. The political scheming feels Shakespearean. The voice feels like Jedi mind tricks on steroids.Naturally, the cast gets a full once-over. Timothée Chalamet is dubbed a “scrawny action hero” who somehow works as Paul Atreides. Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica earns the nickname “Freckles Ferguson” and delivers the emotional heft of the film, tears, telepathy, and total commitment. Jason Momoa's Duncan Idaho is everyone's space-dad crush, and Stellan Skarsgård's floating, grotesque Baron Harkonnen might just be the scariest slug in cinema history.And then there's Zendaya. Or… is there? While her face is plastered across posters, trailers, and marketing campaigns, she's in the actual film for about 10 minutes, and that's being generous. Sir Dimmy and Whitey don't hold back, calling it one of the greatest bait-and-switches in recent memory. She's Paul's “blue-eyed wet dream,” more vision than character, and it all but guarantees the necessity of a sequel.The discussion also gets into the film's legacy. Is Dune the sci-fi blueprint that inspired Star Wars? Without question. From the Force-like Voice to desert-dwelling mystics and chosen one arcs, Herbert's fingerprints are all over modern sci-fi. Villeneuve's version just finally gives the novel the serious treatment it deserves, after the messy (but charmingly weird) David Lynch version in 1984 and a forgettable miniseries.Of course, Born to Watch being Born to Watch, there are plenty of detours. There's debate over whether Duncan Idaho could survive in the Game of Thrones universe. There's talk of Dutch ovens, nose jobs, and the possibility of casting Mr. T as the Reverend Mother. At one point, the podcast veers into a philosophical wormhole involving one-name celebrities like Sting, Prince, and, of course, Zendaya. The House Cockburn coat of arms even gets a shoutout, shielded by fire, flanked by two swords in the shape of appendages. You really had to be there.Despite a few gripes, underexplained lore, a traitorous doctor's paper-thin logic, and the slightly sluggish pacing, Whitey and Sir Dimmy are all in on Dune. It's a film that dares to take itself seriously. No snark, no winks. Just grand, immersive sci-fi storytelling. It may not be everyone's flavour of spice, but it's a feast for those who want their blockbusters with brains.As the credits roll and the sand settles, one thing is clear: this is only part one. And Born to Watch will be there when part two drops, with fresher takes, deeper dives, and possibly more Zendaya.Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts!Join the conversation: Is Dune a sci-fi masterpiece or a high-concept snooze? Was Zendaya's screen time the greatest bait-and-switch ever? Would YOU ride a sandworm into battle?Please drop us a voicemail at BornToWatch.com.au and be part of the show!#BornToWatch #Dune2021 #DenisVilleneuve #TimotheeChalamet #SpiceMustFlow #MoviePodcast #FilmReview #SciFiCinema #Zendaya #HansZimmer #MovieNerds #FilmTalk #PopCultureBreakdown #HouseCockburn #BlueEyedWetDreams #JasonMomoa #RebeccaFerguson

Tuck chats with Sawyer K. Kemp about the news that Ian McKellan is involved in an all-trans staged reading of Twelfth Night. Topics include whether Twelfth Night is trans, what baseball and Shakespeare plays have in common, and what prison has to do with any of this.  Listen to the full episode on Patreon to hear discussions of West Virginia, trans cringe, 17th-century trans intra-community conflict, which Shakespearean role Shohei Ohtani would play, and whether acting is good or bad :) Find Sawyer at sawyerkkemp.com and at Queens College. ~ Senior Producer: Ozzy Llinas Goodman Logo: Ira M. LeighMusic: Breakmaster CylinderAdditional Music: Blue Dot Sessions

Our goal words, as a reminderSarina: presenceJess: growthJennie: Teflon™KJ: inner compass#AmReadingJess: Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins ReidKJ: The Spy Coast by Tess GerritsenJennie: Shakespeare: The Man Who Plays the Rent by Judi DenchSarina: Say You'll Remember Me by Abby JimenezTranscript below!EPISODE 454 - TRANSCRIPTKJ Dell'AntoniaHey, writers. KJ here announcing a new series and a definite plus for paid supporters of Hashtag AmWriting it's Writing the Book, a conversation between Jennie, who's just finished a Blueprint for her next nonfiction book, and me, because I've just finished the Blueprint for what I hope will be my next novel, Jennie and I are both trying to, quote, unquote, play big with these next go rounds, which is a meta effort for Jennie, as that's exactly what her book is about. And we're basically coaching each other through creating pages thoughts and encouragement, as well as some sometimes hard to hear honesty about whether we're really going in the right direction. So come all in on Team Hashtag AmWriting and you'll get those Writing the Book episodes right in your pod player, along with access to monthly AMAs, the Booklab: First Pages, episodes, and come summer, we shall Blueprint once again. So sign yourself up at AmWriting podcast.comMultiple Speakers:Is it recording? Now it's recording, yay. Go ahead. This is the part where I stare blankly at the microphone. I don't remember what I'm supposed to be doing. Alright, let's start over. Awkward pause. I'm going to rustle some papers. Okay, now one, two, three.KJ Dell'AntoniaHey, listeners, its KJ here. And this is Hashtag AmWriting, the weekly podcast about writing all the things, short things, long things, pitches, proposals, fiction, nonfiction. This is the podcast about getting that work done. And this week we're all here with a mid-year check in, but still introduce yourselves, people.Jess LaheyI'm Jess Leahy. I am the author of The Gift of Failure and The Addiction Inoculation, and you can find my journalism at The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Atlantic.Sarina BowenI'm Sarina Bowen, the somewhat exhausted author of many romance and thriller novels, and my brand new one is called Dying to Meet You.Jennie NashI'm Jennie Nash. I'm the founder and CEO of Author Accelerator and the author of 12 books in three genres. And today, not so tired. So you know, day by day.KJ Dell'AntoniaYay. I'm KJ Dell'Antonia, the author of three novels, most popular, which is The Chicken Sisters, and the most recent is Playing the Witch Card. And also the former editor and lead writer of The Motherlode at The New York Times, which feels like a total past life, And this is our mid-year "Are we achieving our goals?" check-in, and I badly wanted to make fun of Jess, who said she had to go get her notebook—so she would know her goals. But then I didn't realize I didn't have to, I didn't know mine, so I had to go get my notebook. So now I can't, and it's pretty much a crushing blow to me. So anybody achieved anything so far? I can't. I can totally believe we're six months into the year. It's been a really long six months, and also, I haven't done anything. Okay, that's me.Jennie NashKJ, you were saying that. Actually, it's funny, because you were saying that about was it January or February? You kept saying this month is lasting forever. You think you're just having that year.KJ Dell'AntoniaI am.Sarina BowenAren't we all though?KJ Dell'AntoniaI thought we were all having that year, but maybe not.Sarina BowenI'm looking at my goals page here, and I'm kind of astonished to see that I really am accomplishing a lot of them, because every day feels like such a battle. You know, it's I have write a romance, write a thriller, plan another romance, and maybe revise this one other thing. And, man, I'm doing it. I have written the words count for one entire book, even though neither of them is finished yet, but I'm, I'm chugging along. The other stuff I wrote down for doing at home and in my personal life is sort of happening, but it just feels, um, it feels hard, like the weight of the world is weighing down on my week. And so it's actually kind of lovely to look at this and see like, oh, okay, yeah. Well, we're getting some of this done.Jess LaheyThat's why we do this. That's why it's nice to check in. And I think it also, you know, it's, it goes back to a long time ago. We used to talk about accountability buddies, or accountability bunnies, as we have called them sometimes. And I think it's just great to have them, not just to hold you to task when you're not doing the stuff, but to help you, help you remember that it's important to check in and realize that we are getting the stuff done it may not look exactly like what we were expecting, and in fact, mine going forward, I'll go ahead and go next, because mine looks so different from what I expected it to be, and yet it's going really well. But before I move on, Sarina, is there any chance you could share with us for the big picture like mile high view, what was your word for this year?Sarina BowenWell, I did just notice that I left...KJ Dell'AntoniaOh! I have it your word was "present". I wrote them down. Your word was "present".Sarina BowenYou know. And I am. I am not doing a terrible job on presence. I'm not doing a bad job.KJ Dell'AntoniaJennie, your word was "Teflon".Jennie NashThat's what I thought. Let's stick with Sarina a minute, though, because I'm fascinated by the fact that the way you're describing that you're feeling, and the fact that you achieve these goals and you feel like you're doing well, all of that happened despite the fact that you didn't think it was... like, it's just the daily actions that that lead up to the goals, right? I mean, that sounds silly, but that's like you sit down and you do the work, and you achieve the things.Sarina BowenI guess I do. And part of what's disorienting about this year is that I'm actually writing less overall, and I am going more places. You know, presence means my presence is in several different states and countries, and so that it feels disorienting because I've had to be better at switching from working on the novel, to being on vacation with my family, to working on the novel, to doing a book tour in May, which was super time consuming. But I guess, you know, with some hiccups here and there, like I've been able to switch tasks in a way that is getting it done.Jennie NashThat's very cool.Jess LaheyIt's also nice every once in a while, you know, to look back on those stickers that are on the calendar. And for those of you who have joined us recently, we haven't really talked about stickers in a long time, but our sticker thing is, you know, we all tend to have the same kind of plan book, and on our calendar we get a sticker if we reach whatever goal it was for that day. Often it's a word count goal, and it's really nice to be able to look back... well, I guess it depends on the month, but generally speaking, it's really nice to be able to look back at the calendar and see those little stickers. Plus at the first day of every month, we have a little text thread where we decide what the sticker is going to be, what kind of vibe we're feeling that month, because we do have a lot of stickers. There's a lot of stickers, but Sarina has been killing it with her stickers, and I'm very impressed with her.Sarina BowenI do love to flip back and see how, you know, like, last month, it's like, oh, look at the good job you did. That's so pretty.Jess Lahey People ask me all the time if that undercuts that… you know, one of the things I talk about in The Gift of Failure and when I'm speaking at schools, is about, you know, trying to use the carrot and stick method to make kids do what you want them to do. And you're we're not supposed to rely exclusively on extrinsic motivators. We're supposed to rely on things that make us like want to do the thing for the sake of the thing itself. But when you when you reward yourself with something. It is an intrinsic process. And I think that the sticker, for us anyway, has been such a now, it's been going on for a long time, and it's such part of our language as a group of people, and it is really rewarding to slap that sticker on there.Sarina BowenI really believe you about intrinsic versus extrinsic goals, because I know for sure that no sticker chart I ever made for one of my children was any damn good, but like but mine is for me, and that's why it works.Jess LaheyDo you know that there's an exception when it comes to sticker charts? There is one situation in which sticker charts work really well for kids, and that's potty training, because there appears to be something about getting out of the diaper and into big boy or big girl panties/underpants, that makes them intrinsically motivated to do it. So if parents out there hearing this and thinking, oh man, sticker charts don't work, and they don't over the long term, but for potty training, for some reason they do anyway, I think it's great. And plus, when we buy the stickers, we're just envisioning all that writing we're going to do. And so when you put the little sticker on there, it's our nice little reward. Am I going next?Multiple Speakers: [Overlapping voices]: Yeah. You go next. Go for it.Jess LaheyAlright. So my year, my word this year, was a really appropriate and very topic specific, uh, one for me, and my word this year was "growth". And many of you know, I went back and went back to school and I got my master gardening certificate, and I'm now in my intern phase. I have to do two; I have to do 40 hours of volunteer work over the next two years to get my full certification. Working on that. But all things, looking back the first six months of this year, which is when this class ran, and when I was doing studying like I had to study botany and entomology and all that sort of stuff, I have grown a lot this year. In other news, I also after 10 years of debating and planning and learning, I finally got a beehive. So I now have bees, and I have my gardens going. So for me on that side, growth is crazy. And then in terms of my goals, something really interesting happened. And this is another reason having other writers or creatives in your life so important. So I was really struggling with the book proposal I actually wrote. I completed it, and my agent was liking how it was going, and everything was good. And then I just realized through the process of writing it, that it wasn't feeling like the right thing for me to be writing right now. And Sarina had planted an idea in my head months before about something she really wanted me to write like it occurred to her that it would be a really good idea, and I poo pooed it at first, and then I let my brain sort of ruminate on it for a bit, and I realized, oh my gosh, you're right. This is such a great topic. So I started again, which is fine, it's my book proposal. I can do what I want people, don't look at me like that all of you people. They would never do that because they don't look at me like that. I started with a new topic that's really exciting for me, and also requires a lot of growth for me. This isn't like something I could just spit out because I already know the material, and I it's caught... it's forcing me to have to grow in some ways, especially as doing statistical analysis and things like that. And thank you, Sarina, because I know at the moment you mentioned it in the first place, I dismissed it. And I didn't mean to sound dismissive, but you were right. It was a really good idea.Sarina BowenWow, I didn't know. I mean, I remember this conversation so well, but of course, like it's kind of your friend's jobs to spit ideas at you, like nobody is under any obligation to weigh them. But I find that when people spit ideas at me, I often have an early No, and then it it almost always takes till later until I'm like, Oh, wait...Jess LaheyYeah. Well, it wasn't until I do what I do as part of my process, which is to think, okay, from that angle, that's interesting. What would the chapters be? Let's say, just for fun, if I were to think about this, what would the chapters be? What might my introductory chapter look like? Oh, wait, there's that anecdote that would fit really well here. In fact, yesterday, I got a spam email that I saved because something in that email triggered an idea about something. So it's really... this one has been fun, and I have to credit Sarina with this one. So my goals are going to look a little bit different. But then this other thing happened, which is, I decided to start this new series for this from soup to nuts series that's sort of like a I have a really interesting idea for a nonfiction book. What do I do now? And you can get on that series if you if you become a supporter, because episode one was free, and the rest are going to be for supporters. And I'm guiding this person through the entire book process, the book proposal process. And I realized, aha, if I'm doing this in real time, this is a fantastic excuse for me to be doing the sections I'm assigning to her at the same time. So I'm working through my new proposal for this new idea at the same time she's working through her proposal, which also gets me in a really nice headspace for discussing those sections with her. I have to be very deep in those sections. She's working on her introduction right now and thinking about agents that she's going to query. And while I don't have to query an agent, I very much have to write the introduction. So we've been going back and forth on that, and it's caused me to have to think very deeply about mine too. So it's all, I think this is one of those, like, you know, right thing, right time. I like it. I'm happy, even though I haven't met the goals. I'm very happy.Jennie NashAre you sharing what your topic is? The new topic?Jess LaheyNot yet.Jennie NashOkay.Jess LaheyNot yet. Soon, I maybe, maybe for our end of the year, check in. I will.Jennie NashOkay.Jess LaheyI don't want to lose the juju.Jennie NashMy Word of the Year, thank you for reminding me was—thank you for reminding me was “Teflon.” And the reason for that was I had been involved in a trademark battle last year that was very upsetting to me, and I was wanting to step into my power, I think, is what that word “Teflon” meant, and not be pushed around by the winds of fortune, but to stand strong, in what I was doing, and who I was, and what I was standing for. That's what that's what “Teflon” meant to me. And here in the mid-year, oh, my tangible goals were, I wanted to write a book this year, a book about writing and KJ and I have been doing a series where we have been chronicling that progress. And where I stand today is, I feel great about it. I feel great about it, and the process of writing it has been kind of aligned with that idea of Teflon, of keeping really understanding what I want to say, what I believe, stepping into that power. That's actually what the book is about as well. So it's very meta, and it's been hard, much harder than I thought it was going to be, and also much more satisfying than I thought it was going to be, which is nice. And my other goals had to do with my business. I needed to get my business into... the way I describe it is to get it into integrity. I, at the end of last year, 2024, I did a last chance sale on the price that my book coaching certification course was priced at, and the intention was that I needed to raise my price a lot to bring it into integrity with what we were offering and what it was. And I made those moves. I had that and end of year sale, I raised the price, and I joined a business mastermind of other entrepreneurs in nobody's in a space topically close to mine, but a lot of people are in spaces that are similar-ish and the they're all women. Well, that's not true. There's we have one man and are in our cohort, but just people really trying to step into their power as entrepreneurs. And and I've been really giving myself over to this, the work of this business mastermind, and to learning from the coach who's running it. And in terms of Teflon, it feels like all, all of a piece, all the same thing of becoming who, who I am, and really tapping into what I believe. And I've been really surprised at how much more there is to learn. My own brain, my own habits, my own tendencies, my own fears and weaknesses and strengths. It just as it just is really surprising to me, the older I get them, that there's still so much to learn. I don't, I don't, I guess I must have thought it so in some part of me that that you get to a place where you think you know everything, and it's just not true. It's just not true. So I've been really enjoying the learning, and I feel that my business is coming into a place that I always wanted it to be, and the word I would use for that is easeful, full of ease. And that doesn't mean that it's easy, but that it there's an elegance to it and a naturalness to it, and it keep using this word integrity, but it feels like a business that has a lot of integrity. And so I, too, Sarina, feel proud of this year so far and that I have done what I set out to do, and I find it curious that I have already raced to put in new goals and bigger goals and more goals, even for this year, that that it's not enough just to reach the big goals. So that's another topic, perhaps for another day, but kind of aligned with stopping to celebrate that you have achieved those things. I tend to be really bad at about that, and I just keep back filling new goals and new things. And, you know, the goal post keeps moving, but, yeah, I feel good about where I sit.Sarina BowenWell, fantastic. My....Jess LaheySuper happy for you.KJ Dell'AntoniaBig surprise in opening my notebook is that I too, am exactly on track to achieve my goal. Because my goal, at least the only one in capital letters, is "COMPLETE NOTHING", and I, I, in fact, am exactly on track to complete nothing this year. I did put some things under that, which is, I do want to draft about a book, but draft means draft. It says that right here on this page; it says draft does not mean finish. So, um...Sarina BowenAnd are we drafting?KJ Dell'AntoniaWe ,Well, we are sort of barely drafting, but we are, we are we are pulling together a book that is harder than the last ones that I have pulled together. I think, um. And my other goal for this year was my word was, well, they're words, but it was "inner compass". I am supposed to be stopping looking at other people to compare what I'm doing. I'm supposed to be letting other people, you know, do their thing without feeling responsible to it, listening to myself, not absorbing the tension of the world around me, and I, I am definitely still working on that. Like that has been a daily preoccupation of mine, is to work on this book, not some other book, not some more appealing book, not the book that some friend is is working on, not the book that I just read, that I really liked, but this book. Yeah, I'm I am doing it. I can't. I'm striving towards enjoying that process, right? Yeah, yeah. I want. I want. I don't want to be living so much in the world right now. That's and that's not actually a commentary on the world. I just think I need to write this book out of my own head. So it's kind of hard.Jess LaheyYeah, it is hard, but it's also, you know, for me, sometimes reassuring, to find ways to block the other stuff out. I mean, I had to make a very specific choice this year to get off Instagram. I'm not off completely, but I'm on it a lot less because I was finding myself. We've talked about this before. We've talked about jealousy and we've talked about FOMO before, but I had some friends who had terrific success with a book, and they absolutely 100% deserved it. And the they got insane media. And every time I went on there, I would see them or someone else and get... I felt it happen in me, in that moment, I felt myself go. But why didn't I get that? Why didn't I do that? And I had to, and I turned to Tim and I said, I have to stop going on Instagram, because it's making me feel really bad about myself, and about and not good for my friends who are having these incredible successes. And so, you know, I think it's just a maybe it's because I'm not putting a book out this year or whatever, but I it was, it was forcing me into a bad place. So sometimes shutting that stuff out, man, it's been good. And you know, my new favorite thing to do, instead of going into on Instagram, is...Jennie NashBees!Jess LaheyAnd I sit, I know! I go up and I sit with them. And I was just talking to my dad about this. He said, you know, he was watching the bees with me. And he said, you know, you could, like, if you put a chair up here, you could just sit up here for a long time and watch the bees go in and out and see how much pollen is on their legs and all that sort of stuff. And I said, oh, no, I do that. I sit up there, and it's like “Bee TV”, and I watch them go in and out and in and out and in and out, and I just watch what they do. And that's I'm trying to anytime I feel the need to, like, get on Instagram. I'm like, No, go, and watch the bees instead. That's more fun anyway, and it doesn't make you feel bad about yourself.Jennie NashI love that “Bee TV”. Come on. That's great.KJ Dell'AntoniaThey're pretty cool. I also love like, you know, like the this is where my head goes, and this is the thing I want to stop. Don't put, like, a camera on them and monetize them and, like, make them famous, viral bees, you know, like... ‘Come watch the bee camera channel and you can relax'. And like, I, I mean, you know, we totally do that, if you if you want to, but like, I need to stop having those thoughts about everything. Yeah, like, I have chicks? Should I be putting them on Instagram so everyone can see my chick? They're just they're chicks. I have chicks. It's fine to have chicks, without having chicks loudly, right?Jess LaheyWell, I actually had a really interesting— speaking of that. I had a very interesting moment where I realized I had been listening to music when I was gardening, and sometimes I'm listening to books. Shout out to Taylor Jenkins Reid's new book Atmosphere. I couldn't gobble it down fast enough. But I also can't hear what the bees are doing when I'm listening to something. So I can't and I have to listen, because you can tell when they're starting to get upset by the sound of their buzzing. Not it gets louder, it gets more intense. Little things happen, and so you can sort of back off or use the smoker and calm them down a little bit. And it's been really nice. And so I've taken the ear buds out of the ears, but in the defense of the people who have gone before me doing this and took the time to film it, I've learned a ton from them. So I'm very grateful to a bunch of people who. Did think to turn the camera on the bees, but I'm not going to be doing that myself.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, that wasn't meant to like, you know, yeah, no, no, no there. And I was just watching a YouTube video to show me how to set up a smoker. I mean, you know, yeah, all that stuff is great.Jess LaheyYeah it's, there's a I had to do something in the hive that really scared me. I had to get rid of some extra comb that was sticking up, and it's going to make the bees mad when you do it, because things are going to die, and I'm going to squish some things. And so I watched like, 10 instructional videos by other people on how to do it, so I'd covered every angle from an educational perspective. And Tim was like, “I have never seen you this intimidated to do anything... like you're so fearless”, and I'm like, but it's the bees. I'm freaked. I'm going to hurt the bees. So I watched a lot of videos to do that, and that was great. I learned a lot. So anyway, ah, but no, I will not be monetizing my bees. Those are for me. Those are for me. Alright. How's everybody feeling? Everybody good? I think this is good. Because you all going into this, people are like, oh, no, I'm afraid to look at my word. What if I didn't accomplish anything? And I think all of us are sort of leaving this feeling like, Oh, we did some stuff.KJ Dell'AntoniaThis is good, yeah, at least being the person that I, that I that I wanted to be this year.Jennie NashKJ, loved that you put complete nothing like you were trying to give yourself a break, right? You're trying to let yourself just be different, kind of be than bees, but and maybe you haven't allowed yourself that, but it gives you so much leeway, right? And drafting a book to your point is, there can be a lot of definitions of that.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, and I don't know, I just and I think it possibly has to do with having been in such a prominent and high profile position earlier in my career that I have this tendency to feel like, if I'm not getting feedback, I'm not doing anything. Like if I'm not sort of constantly, you know, loudly announcing myself to people, and telling them what I think, and what I'm doing, and how it feels to be doing the thing, and maybe what they should be doing, then I'm, I'm, you know, like, who even am I? And I can name like, writers that I want to be like, that are not like sort of living hugely and putting their chicks on social media unless they want to, like you could tell the difference between people who really want to and people who don't. And but I am scared that I am not as good as those writers, and therefore I should probably just stick to being a shouty person begging you to pay attention to me and I, yeah, um, I'm definitely just sort of trying to figure that, figure out my way within that world right now.Jess LaheyFair enough. Yeah, sometimes you need to do that.Sarina BowenYeah.Jess LaheyAlright. Well, I like it.KJ Dell'AntoniaOkay. Well, we know Jess has read something good lately because she mentioned, yes, Taylor Jenkins Reid's Atmosphere. Atmospheric?Jess LaheyLoved it. I listened on audio, by the way, and there are two female audio book narrators, one whom you probably have heard of a million times, Julia Whelan, who's everywhere, and she's fantastic. And then the other one I'm going to look up so that I can come up with it. But um...KJ Dell'AntoniaWhile you're looking her up, I wanted to say... I was trying to figure out why I'm not going to read this, this book. I like, love Taylor Jenkins Reid, I've loved her last ones, and I was, I don't like, I only like space books if they're like, set in the future, and space is sort of under control. Other than that, a space book, to me, is like a water book. And I, I don't, I don't like it. It's too much scary, okay, too much scary, unwieldy stuff. So I don't plan on reading this.Jess LaheyIt's just so you know, it's hardly about space. And by the way, the other narrator, narrator is Kristen DiMercurio, and it is a it is a romance, it is an adventure, it is a thriller. It's all those things, and it's just, she's, she really, the language is really, she's the language is just great.KJ Dell'AntoniaBut also, there's plenty of books. It's fine. If one does not interest you in this moment, read a different book. It's all good.Jess LaheyAbsolutely.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah.Jennie NashI'm so curious. I know this is a ridiculous question to ask any writer, but how she lands on her topics. Because, like, tennis, you know, Malibu, celebrity space, like, it's so great, and...Jess LaheyShe had to do a lot. Lot of research for this book, because there's a lot of really highly technical stuff, and her protagonists are highly technical people. And so yeah, that she had to do a lot of research.KJ Dell'AntoniaThe Book Riot people pointed out that she's kind of the queen of women doing jobs.Jess LaheyYeah, But to also Lauren, Christina Lauren, also, they are big fans of like, they're, you know, agents, they're dude ranchers, they're, you know, they hop from thing to thing, and that's one of the things I enjoy about them. It's sort of like I could do this, or I could do that, and you get to, like, sample all these different lives through the characters that they do as well. Anything else people have read?KJ Dell'Antonia I just finished the book.Multiple Speakers:[All laughing]KJ Dell'AntoniaThank you. I just finished Tess Gerritsen's The Spy Coast at Sarina's recommendation, and it was so good, just really endlessly, just really entertaining. And not a low stress read, but a really great read. I'm going to read the next one.Jess LaheyIt's on my list too.Sarina BowenThen I would like you to know, that the next one I actually feel might be even better.KJ Dell'AntoniaOh, can't wait.Sarina BowenBecause she's done such a fantastic job of setting up this pretty unusual group of people. And in the second book, she really like... not eases, but sort of sinks into it and let's, lets the strange setup really play out in a way that is totally charming.Jennie NashWell, I've had rocky personal things going on in the last month, and so my reading has been sort of interestingly. I've gravitated towards different things that I might normally and there's a book that I've been gravitating toward at night when I want to sort of turn my brain off and just get ready to go to bed. And it's called Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench. And it is the most charming book you will ever read. It's, it's Judi Dench talking to her friend, Brendan O'Hea about the roles that she's played over the years, the Shakespearean role she's played over the years. And so you'll get a chapter on like Lady Macbeth. But it's, it's just Judi Dench riffing about like that time when Anthony and, you know, Sir Anthony, and she's talking about, you know, like all the famous actors, and it's, and then she's, you know, Brandon will ask her, Well, how do you play the scene when she's, you know, washing her hands or whatever, and she'll just say these very charming things about... it's just so fun and insightful, and you can just, it's almost like reading poems. They're just little snippets of, oh, now we're going to read about when she played Titania. And it's just so great. So it's just nothing but total delight. And it also makes you realize the incredible work that actors do. So...Jess LaheyI may have to do that one on audio, because I'm assuming she reads that one, and oh my gosh, that would just be an amazing audio read.Jennie NashShe does. And my daughter listened to it and said, it could not be more charming. Yeah.KJ Dell'AntoniaSarina, have you read anything lately?Sarina BowenI am in a big drafting phase and not a big reading phase, and everything I checked out of the library ends up being recalled before I finish it. It's just really pathetic over here.KJ Dell'AntoniaWell, I'm going to, I'm going to do one for you then. We both read, Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez. And we enjoy Abby Jimenez.Sarina BowenYes, we did!KJ Dell'AntoniaWe both enjoyed the heck out of that one. And also it has lots of career in it. If you like a hot vet. Yeah, that's a hot vet book.Sarina BowenIt was darling. And what we especially loved about it is how much she gets out of a book that, on paper, not a whole lot happens, which sounds like a condemnation of the book, but it's absolutely not. Like she just doesn't need... big drama to make this book fantastic. And that was just really skillful.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, no, it's, it's excellent, huge fun. Alright, kids, we would love to hear, if you, I mean, go back, look at your goals from the beginning of the year. Are you also surprisingly achieving what you set out to achieve? Um, or, you know, do you want to regroup? What's going on with you? We would, we would love to hear back. If you hit the show notes and comment in the in the comments, we will absolutely talk back to you, because, you know...Jess LaheyYeah, yeah.KJ Dell'AntoniaThat's our idea of fun. Jess LaheyMight even have to do a little chat thread in, in, in Substack when this comes out. Well, we'll see how it goes.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, I don't know. People don't seem to love chatting or comments. I can't figure this out. We cannot figure out how to talk to y'all, but we would like to. We're trying. Okay?Jess LaheyWe very much miss some of the forums part of it, but we'll figure it out. Alright. This has been fantastic, and until next week, everyone keep your butt in the chair and your head in the game. The Hashtag AmWriting podcast is produced by Andrew Perilla. Our intro music, aptly titled Unemployed Monday was written and played by Max Cohen. Andrew and Max were paid for their time and their creative output, because everyone deserves to be paid for their work. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe

FOX Sports Radio Weekend host Martin Weiss is in for Rob, and he and Kelvin tell us if it's fair to call Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder are a 'boring' champion, debate whether it's fair to say that people will remember Tyrese Haliburton's playoff run more favorably than OKC actually winning the title, and discuss what's next for Devin Booker in the wake of the Kevin Durant trade. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time to talk righteous violence!   S.A. Cosby is a writer on a meteoric rise. After the insane success of Razorblade Tears, and the Gothic horrors of All the Sinners Bleed, he's back with a fresh crime epic of titanic brutality.   King of Ashes is the tale of a family under threat from criminal forces, and the shocking depths they will go to in their fight back. It's a challenging book, full of unexpected character arcs, Shakespearean intrigue, and a candid exploration of kink.   It's also bloody, very damn bloody. The crematorium at the story's centre gets well fed!!   We talk about all of that, as well as the strange commonalities of our small town lives, and the influence of violent men.   Enjoy!   Other books mentioned:   All The Sinners Bleed (2023), by S.A. Cosby Razorblade Tears (2021), by S.A. Cosby Blacktop Wasteland (2020), by S.A. Cosby A Thousand Acres (1991), by Jane Smiley “The Dog Park,” (1983), by Dennis Etchinson Darkness, Take My Hand (1996), by Dennis Lehane Gone, Baby, Gone (1998) by Dennis Lehane Jar of Hearts (2018), by Jennifer Hillier   Support Talking Scared on Patreon   Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch   Come talk books on Bluesky @talkscaredpod.bsky.social  on Instagram/Threads, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Curse of the Golden Flower (2006) is up next in Calum's Chine-aboo Dream month! We have another Wuxia film, but this one is a lot less highly regarded than the other ones that have featured this month. Does this mean we enjoyed it less? Of course not, we are nothing but natural contrarians. We also love a bit of drama and this film is absolutely full of it.Join us next week as we watch Devil and Angel (2015)

Called “the finest actor of his generation,” Sir Simon Russell Beale has played just about everyone in Shakespeare's canon—Hamlet, Lear, Macbeth, Falstaff, Malvolio, Iago—and most recently, Titus Andronicus, for the Royal Shakespeare Company. In this episode, Beale reflects on the Shakespearean roles that have shaped his career and how his approach to them has evolved over time. He shares what drew him to Titus, and how he found surprising tenderness in Shakespeare's brutal tragedy. The actor revisits past performances, exploring grief in Hamlet, aging and dementia in King Lear, and how time has deepened his connection to the plays and the characters. Beale's memoir, A Piece of Work: Playing Shakespeare & Other Stories, is a moving and often humorous reflection on acting, Shakespeare, and the power of performance to reveal something essential about being human. Sir Simon Russell Beale studied at Cambridge before joining the RSC. Described by the Daily Telegraph as “the finest actor of his generation,” he has been lauded for both his stage and TV work, winning many awards including the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Evening Standard Best Actor Award, and the BAFTA Best Actor Award. From the Shakespeare Unlimited podcast. Published June 17, 2025. © Folger Shakespeare Library. All rights reserved. This episode was produced by Matt Frassica. Garland Scott is the executive producer. It was edited by Gail Kern Paster. We had help with web production from Paola García Acuña. Leonor Fernandez edits our transcripts. Final mixing services are provided by Clean Cuts at Three Seas, Inc.

We are thrilled to welcome back the actress Tasha Milkman, onto the latest Whisper in the Wings from Stage Whisper. She stopped by to talk about Boomerang Theatre Company's upcoming production of Richard II. This is a brilliant new interpretation of this classic Shakespearean work. So make sure you tune in and turn out for this amazing work!Boomerang Theatre Company PresentsRichard IIJune 21st- July 20th @ Central Park (69th St and Central Park West)Tickets and more information are available at boomerangtheatre.org And be sure to follow Tasha to stay up to date on all her upcoming projects and productions: @tashamm9tashamilkman.com

Whether they be faithful retellings, modernized homages or in the category of "loosely based on", the silver screen has consistently been a home for the works of William Shakespeare. This week, which tales from The Bard make our list? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brace yourself for brainy laughs and biblical wit!This Friday at 4PM Central, The Random Kristian Show welcomes legendary clean comedian John Branyan — the man who made Shakespearean comedy cool again!From Thou Shalt Laugh to viral stage hits, Branyan brings his faith-fueled humor, brilliant wordplay, and family-friendly firepower to our livestream for a hilarious and insightful conversation.Don't miss the fun – this one's divinely funny and randomly brilliant!#JohnBranyan #TheRandomKristianShow #CleanComedy #FaithAndFunny #LivestreamLaughs #ChristianComedian #ShakespeareWithPunchlinesThanks to -  MRS A'S FAMOUS SALSA BUENA, RABBITINREDRADIO.COM, & Spreaker & iHeart Radio & The Colonel with THE ADVISER facebook Group and our friends at Creative Coatings!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-random-kristian-show--5624504/support.

Acclaimed Canadian theatre maker Robert Lepage is back at the Stratford Festival with a new take on Shakespeare's “Macbeth.” This new production tells the same classic story of greed, betrayal and murder, but it's set during the brutal Quebec biker wars of the ‘90s. Robert joins Tom Power to talk about putting a new spin on this Shakespearean tragedy, his unique approach to theatre and his incredible decades-long career. If you're looking for more conversations about Canadian theatre, check out Tom's chat with esteemed stage actor Tom Rooney on what it takes to play a dog.

America's golfer-in-chief trades on exclusivity, but he still can't buy a green jacket. Are the Saudis using Donald Trump's obsession to disrupt even more than a super-league? Ahead of the U.S. Open, veteran golf reporter and author Alan Shipnuck takes Pablo behind the Shakespearean curtain. • Read "LIV and Let Die" by Alan Shipnuck https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/LIV-and-Let-Die/Alan-Shipnuck/9781668020012 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

America's golfer-in-chief trades on exclusivity, but he still can't buy a green jacket. Are the Saudis using Donald Trump's obsession to disrupt even more than a super-league? Ahead of the U.S. Open, veteran golf reporter and author Alan Shipnuck takes Pablo behind the Shakespearean curtain. • Read "LIV and Let Die" by Alan Shipnuck https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/LIV-and-Let-Die/Alan-Shipnuck/9781668020012 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, we're diving into Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel—a hauntingly beautiful novel that blends post-apocalyptic survival with the enduring power of art, memory, and human connection. Set in the aftermath of a devastating pandemic, the story weaves together multiple timelines and characters, from a Shakespearean theater troupe traveling the ruins of North America to the lives they left behind. Our guest is Dave Valeza, who grew up in Covina, California, after emigrating with his family from Manila, Philippines. Pursuing his love of drawing, Dave earned a bachelor's degree in illustration and a master's in sequential art. A passionate visual storyteller, he especially loves drawing people, fashion, and technology. In his spare time, Dave enjoys cooking, reading, and sketching in Savannah, Georgia - where he lives with his husband and family. Find out more about Dave and his work at davevaleza.com. Our drink this week fits right into a dystopian world. It's a simple Mimosa—cocktail or mocktail style—made with sparkling wine or ginger beer/ginger ale. But here's the twist: you must drink it out of a random old cup you found lying around. That's the full Station Eleven experience—elegance in the ruins. Cheers! In this Episode Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel Four Eyes: A Graphic Novel by Rex Ogle (Author) Dave Valeza (Illustrator) Pizza Face: A Graphic Novel by Rex Ogle (Author) Dave Valeza (Illustrator) Blubber by Judy Blume Forever by Judy Blume Summer Sisters by Judy Blume

In this episode of QAV, Cameron and Tony kick off with a discussion on the political tension in the U.S. and what Trump's moves with the National Guard might foreshadow, then slide into serious investing updates. There's news on Perenti (PRN), NRW (NWH), and Findi (FND), with a nod to confusing results and sovereign risks. Judo (JDO), BOQ, and QBE get coverage too, as does the SOL–Brickworks merger and what it means for index fund flows. Cameron ponders the shocking long-term flatline of Telstra (TLS), while Qantas (QAN) and Perseus (PRU) get some love for outperforming. Tony wraps up with a pulled pork on Fleetwood (FWD), highlighting modular housing, mining village profits, and capital risk. There's also a review of the film _Ballerina_ and some off-topic Doctor Who and Shakespearean riffing.

The Tragically Hip Top Forty Countdown: Song 19 – Jeff from BellevilleWelcome back, Hip faithful. This week on the Countdown, I'm joined by one of our most beloved Sunday Evening Jam regulars — the witty, wise, and wonderfully loquacious Jeff from Belleville. You know him. You love him. And if you've ever caught a live stream where he was in the comments, you've probably laughed out loud.But today? Today, we go deeper.Jeff takes us back to his teenage years, up in a century-old Belleville coach house where Road Apples first took hold and never let go. From bootleg tapes and roadside attractions to mosh pits, surprise shows, and backstage encounters — Jeff's Hipstory spans 31 shows and countless life moments tied to the soundtrack of this band.Along the way, we talk memory, meaning, and mortality — including the two cardiac arrests Jeff survived (yes, you read that right), and the unexpected video message he received from Paul Langlois while recovering. This episode reminds us why we do this show in the first place: for the love, for the connection, for the community.We even get a bonus English Lit breakdown of King Lear — and how defiance, irony, and Shakespearean tragedy might be woven into one of the Hip's most poetic tracks. (And yeah, we manage to keep the actual title of that track on the DL. You're welcome.)

Put on your latex head-cap and grab your Thermian translator — this week, your starfleet of snark is diving headfirst into the unlikely sci-fi cult classic that beamed itself into nerd hearts everywhere. Jordan and Heigl travel back to 1999 to explore how a fake show about fake space heroes somehow made real Trekkies weep with joy — and earned an honorary place alongside the actual Star Trek movies. You'll hear how Leonard Nimoy accidentally inspired the original script, why Kevin Kline (not Buzz Lightyear) was supposed to lead the crew, and how Alan Rickman — literal Shakespearean royalty — somehow found himself next to a farting Tim Allen...and hated every second of it. (So did everyone on the set.) Heigl delves deep into Allen’s pre-fame life as a coke mule with a prison stint under his belt, Jordan talks about psychologic effects of space travel and Orson Welles’ touching friendship with Winston Churchill (for some reason), and they both luxuriate in the decades-long feuds between Star Trek cast members. The pair go on to discuss the worst-dubbed F-bomb in cinematic history, why comedy legend Harold Ramis prematurely departed the project, and all the reasons why the producers were terrified they were going to get sued. You’ll also discover how the film’s parody became prophecy, predicting not just the rise of fandom, but the emotional power of obsessive nerdery years before Comic-Con went corporate. So whether you’re a diehard fan or just here for the fart jokes, this one’s for you. By Grabthar’s Hammer — it’s podcast time! Support your friendly neighborhood TMI Guys here! https://ko-fi.com/toomuchinformationpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Terrific Video Version: https://bit.ly/4mS3Cmg A modern Shakespearean tragedy? Or Greek? On the occasion of the release a best-selling book on President Joe Biden's last 8 months in office, we decided to examine whether the many accusations on Biden's mental health in the last year of his Presidency hold any water. If they actually do, what does that say about any influential national/global leader's responsibility to step down, when they become physically/mentally impaired? The book we are referencing is entitled, “Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again”. Strangely, it is written by 2 authors who are often identified with the left-of-center press: Jake Tapper from CNN and Alex Thompson of Axios and CNN. Two “lefties” throw a Democrat under the bus???? In its 4 year history, “Scandal Sheet”, has stood by its pledge not to take sides with any running political candidate or sitting office-holder, of either party. We also steer away from contemporary partisan parties or their various policies. But this is not partisan politics. This is a unique scandal -- where loyal supporters, the press, and the general public were allegedly misled on the health of a top political leader. This is bigger than just politics. Former President Biden has been out of office and retired for almost 6 months. We believe the actions of his former administration - and its top insiders - is both fair game and worthy of thoughtful discussion. BUT we WILL NOT discuss or take positions on his policies or those of his political opponents, over his term. Anuradha and I are joined by a 35-year marketing/data science specialist and executive for numerous Fortune 500 companies, Jim Mauer. He has also been a volunteer political activist for numerous candidate-specific campaigns, but not a party member. We welcome his unique insights. Find co-host, Anuradha's Instagram accounts: @anuradhaduz_food and @artist_anuradhachhibber. Jim is also a professional photographer: jmaurerphoto.com Find us on Patreon at patreon.com/ScandalSheet with bonus content for premium subscribers. We'd love to have your generous support for only the price of one Starbuck's coffee per month. Please reach out to us at scandalsheetpod@gmail.com, find us on Facebook as 'Scandal Sheet' or on X at @scandal_sheet. We'd love to hear from you!

Terrific Video Version: https://bit.ly/4mS3Cmg A modern Shakespearean tragedy? Or Greek? On the occasion of the release a best-selling book on President Joe Biden's last 8 months in office, we decided to examine whether the many accusations on Biden's mental health in the last year of his Presidency hold any water. If they actually do, what does that say about any influential national/global leader's responsibility to step down, when they become physically/mentally impaired? The book we are referencing is entitled, “Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again”. Strangely, it is written by 2 authors who are often identified with the left-of-center press: Jake Tapper from CNN and Alex Thompson of Axios and CNN. Two “lefties” throw a Democrat under the bus???? In its 4 year history, “Scandal Sheet”, has stood by its pledge not to take sides with any running political candidate or sitting office-holder, of either party. We also steer away from contemporary partisan parties or their various policies. But this is not partisan politics. This is a unique scandal -- where loyal supporters, the press, and the general public were allegedly misled on the health of a top political leader. This is bigger than just politics. Former President Biden has been out of office and retired for almost 6 months. We believe the actions of his former administration - and its top insiders - is both fair game and worthy of thoughtful discussion. BUT we WILL NOT discuss or take positions on his policies or those of his political opponents, over his term. Anuradha and I are joined by a 35-year marketing/data science specialist and executive for numerous Fortune 500 companies, Jim Mauer. He has also been a volunteer political activist for numerous candidate-specific campaigns, but not a party member. We welcome his unique insights. Find co-host, Anuradha's Instagram accounts: @anuradhaduz_food and @artist_anuradhachhibber. Jim is also a professional photographer: jmaurerphoto.com Find us on Patreon at patreon.com/ScandalSheet with bonus content for premium subscribers. We'd love to have your generous support for only the price of one Starbuck's coffee per month. Please reach out to us at scandalsheetpod@gmail.com, find us on Facebook as 'Scandal Sheet' or on X at @scandal_sheet. We'd love to hear from you!

With the Nintendo Switch 2 officially released and one in-hand, I give my first impressions on what it's like using the console (very sparingly) and why the Switch 2 Pro controller is a noticeable upgrade over the previous model. If that's not enough excitement, I also talk about the recent PlayStation State of Play and the surprising game that stood out to me most--spoilers: it's Shakespearean. Of course, if those topics don't tickle your fancy, there's always what I've been playing, this week with Starlight Legacy, Polterguys: Possession Party, NanoApostle, Detective From The Crypt, Is This Game Trying to Kill Me?, and Mortisomem. Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

[School of Movies 2025] One of the most astonishing action epics in cinema history, and almost nobody who saw it managed to do so in the cinema! At least in the West. This historical epic, popularised by Netflix plays extremely fast and loose with the facts, reimagining the lives of two of India's most celebrated revolutionaries to have intersected. RRR tells the story of Komaram Bheem, a man of the Gond Tribe who is searching for a little girl taken from his people by despicable English Colonial Governor Scott Buxton. Worried about the human tsunami inbound, Buxton's awful wife brings in Police Officer Raju to intercept and catch Bheem alive. BUT in Shakespearean fashion, the two under assumed identities unknowingly become firm friends, and as it turns out Raju is secretly trying to climb the ranks and gain access to guns for a revolution, and the best way to do that will be to stop his new brother-in-arms and bring him in for execution. It is a rip-roaring tiger-tale of unbound ferocity, mixed with a refreshingly gentle take on male bonding. It is also of course rather troubling in its political and cultural implications, which we will elaborate upon in this firestorm of a podcast.

Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In this bonus episode, we're joined by Dr. Kent Lehnhoff to talk about his new book, Voice and Ethics in Shakespeare's Late Plays. Together, we explore how Shakespeare uses the concept and qualities of human voice in The Tempest, Cymbeline, King Lear, Pericles, and The Winter's Tale, how he writes for and about the voice, and beyond that, how embracing the unique voice of each character (and actor) can create a more ethical, inclusive theatre.  About Kent Lehnhof Kent Lehnhof earned a BA from Brigham Young University and a PhD from Duke University. He is Professor of English at Chapman University, where he specializes in early modern literature and culture, especially the works of William Shakespeare. Dr. Lehnhof has published two dozen scholarly articles, has co-edited two essay collections, and is coming out with a new book in October titled Voice and Ethics in Shakespeare's Late Plays. In this book and in many of his articles, Dr. Lehnhof treats Shakespeare's plays like lively enactments of ethical philosophy. He believes that one of the things that makes Shakespeare's work distinctly Shakespearean is its interest in exploring what it's like to be in relation—what it's like to be tied to other people, some of whom love you, some of whom hate you, and some of whom pay you no mind at all. At present, Dr. Lehnhof is finishing a guidebook for Arden Shakespeare called Understanding Shakespeare's Plays: A Candid Companion to All the Drama. This book goes through all the play, one by one, giving an overview of each and offering insights and analysis as to what it offers. Dr. Lehnhof only has six plays left to do, which means he's getting down to the deep cuts. Timon of Athens, anyone? Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: join our email list, follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, buying us coffee, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod (we earn a small commission when you use our link and shop bookshop.org). Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree.  Works referenced:  Lehnhof, Kent. Voice and Ethics in Shakespeare's Late Plays. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2025. Print.

The Tragically Hip Top Forty Countdown: Song 20 — Neil from Arroyo GrandeHey, it's jD, and this week I'm joined by a die-hard hockey fan and Hip convert who hails from California. Meet Neil from Arroyo Grande, the west coast wizard of late-night YouTube rabbit holes and deep-cut reverence.Neil didn't grow up with The Hip in his backyard. He had to find them — through hockey, through Trailer Park Boys, through a fascination with Canadian culture that led him down a road paved with Gretzky, Jericho, and yes… Gord.We talk about getting into the band via Yer Favourites, chasing context across albums and eras, and how discovering The Hip opened the door to new perspectives on art, identity, and memory. He shares what it's like being an American Hip fan (“Wait, they're not on the radio here?”), and how Phantom Power, Man Machine Poem, and some Gordon Edgar Downie solo magic helped him through hard times — and made the music his own.From WWE finishers to vapor trails to songs that hit like Shakespearean tragedy, this one's for the late bloomers, the lyric heads, and anyone who ever found themselves singing along to a song they didn't fully understand… until they really did.

For the latest Whisper in the Wings from Stage Whisper, we were joined by the artistic director/producer/performer Venkatesh Vohra, and the performers Amy Frances Quint and Jonathan Morgan, to talk about their latest production of Romeo + Juliet. This new take on the classic Shakespearean tale was so much fun to learn all about. So make sure that you tune in and turn out for this great production!Romeo + JulietJune 12th-June 15th @ The Sheen CenterTickets and more information are available at eventbrite.com And be sure to follow our guests to stay up to date on all their upcoming projects and productions: @no.theatre@romeo_o_julietnotheatre.org amyfrancesquint.com

How do the works of Shakespeare echo the teachings of the Buddha?In this heartfelt talk, Matthew Perifano reflects on the transformative power of language as he intertwines his lifelong love of Shakespeare with his journey through Buddhism and the AIDS epidemic. He begins by framing the dharma as more than just teachings—truth, practice, and a deep refuge—and connects it to the power of Shakespearean language. Matthew highlights how Shakespeare can evoke profound emotional resonance, citing authors and works like Shakespeare Meets the Buddha and The Buddha and the Bard that mirror Eastern thought. He recounts how one particular quote from Cymbeline has echoed through his life: “All other doubts by time, let them be cleared. Fortune brings in some boats that are not steered.” This quote, and others, become spiritual companions, much like Buddhist texts.He shares personal stories from his past, including his deep involvement with a Shakespeare reading group and its eventual disbanding. Through grief and loss during the AIDS crisis, Matthew found solace in Shakespeare's sonnets, many of which mirrored his emotional landscape. This culminated in the creation of a musical project—A Shakespeare Garden—telling a poignant love story between two young men in 1980s San Francisco, solely through Shakespeare's words. Matthew sees blank verse as a heartbeat, a meditative rhythm that aligns with Buddhist practice. He closes by reciting stirring lines from The Tempest, capturing impermanence and the dreamlike nature of life, resonating with the first noble truth and the dharma's essence.______________Matthew Perifano (he/him) is a member of the Gay Buddhist Fellowship. He is grateful to be given this opportunity to share his love of Shakespeare and the Dharma with GBF. Shakespeare Dharma recounts his rich and strange journey with Shakespeare that began with a reading group that approached Shakespeare as mind/body practice rather than as theater. Eventually, this reading group would form Birnam Wood Musical Shakespeare Co. and Matthew would discover his facility for setting Shakespeare's verse to music.As Matthew became more knowledgeable about Buddhist Dharma, he discovered connections between Buddhist teachings and the truth about human nature and human existence to be found in the plays and sonnets of Shakespeare. Certain passages have become like sutras to him which he is happy to share with you. Ultimately, on a most profound level, Shakespeare became a refuge of solace and healing during the darkest days of the AIDS epidemic. ______________ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit https://gaybuddhist.org/There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

Steven welcomes the return of fellow podcaster and educator John Brooks to this episode to discuss John's experience with teaching the Shakespeare Authorship Mystery to high school freshman as part of their humanities curriculum and analysis of Shakespearean works. Support the show by picking up official Don't Quill the Messenger merchandise at www.dontquillthepodcast.com and becoming a Patron at http://www.patreon.com/dontquillthemessenger  Made possible by Patrons: Clare Jaget, David Neufer, Deduce, Earl Showerman, Edward Henke, Ellen Swanson, Eva Varelas, Frank Lawler, James Warren,  Jen Swan, John Creider, John Eddings, Kara Elizabeth Martin, Richard Wood, Romola, Sandi Boney, Sandi Paulus, Sheila Kethley, Teacher Mallory, Tim Norman, Tim Price, Vanessa Lops, Yvonne Don't Quill the Messenger is a part of the Dragon Wagon Radio independent podcast network. For more great podcasts visit www.dragonwagonradio.com

Mel Gibson's directorial debut, The Man Without a Face, shines in this special Patreon episode of the Mel Gibson Podcast! Join hosts and guest Seann Malloy as they dive into this 1994 character-driven gem, set in the late 1960s in New Harbor, Maine. Explore the touching mentor-student relationship between Justin McLeod (Gibson) and young Chuck, a coming-of-age story filled with Shakespearean nods, family struggles, and small-town prejudice. With stellar performances from Nick Stahl and Margaret Whitton, this underrated film captures timeless themes of trust and redemption. Perfect for fans of heartfelt dramas and Mel Gibson's early directorial work!

Get ready for some Klingon Politics and Shakespearean Vibes! In this episode of Turning Trekkie, Richard and Christel set coordinates for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, the final voyage of the original Enterprise crew. Joined once again by returning guests Michael and Debra, this crew dives deep into the political intrigue, Cold War allegories, and unexpected Shakespearean flair that define this iconic film.From General Chang's dramatic monologues to Kirk's evolving views on Klingons, we explore how this movie serves as a poignant and powerful farewell. Whether you're a longtime fan or a new recruit, this episode boldly goes into rich conversation, laughter, and a few surprisingly emotional moments.Grab your Romulan ale and join us as we decode the mystery, the message, and the magic of The Undiscovered Country.

An emotional deep dive into the untold history of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, a terrible, racist and transphobic film. Rabia looks at the lives of the three drag queens and one trans woman that it was based on (Cindy Pastel, Strykermeyer, Lady Bump and Carlotta) and the erratic behavour/Shakespearean motivations of troubled writer/director Stephan Elliott. Deep research uncovers a complex story with no clear heroes or villains - a tale as beautiful as it is tragic.  This is a bonus episode that originally appeared on Totally Trans.  Source notes for this episode: WATCH “LADIES PLEASE” ON YOUTUBE HERE “Fact sheet: The sorry rock phenomenon”, Uluru – Kata Tjuta National Park,  “I Love the Nightlife” rehearsal footage with Cindy Pastel, Strykermeyer and Lady Bump – shot on camcorder, outtake from Ladies Please The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert DVD commentary track by Stephan Elliott Al Clark – Making Priscilla (1995) Birth of a Queen documentary on Priscilla DVD Footage of Priscilla premiere aftermath at Cannes 1994 including Stephan introducing “the people it was based on” “'Priscilla' lets director Elliott indulge in his loves for disco and high camp”, Steve Murray, The Atlanta Journal, 26 August 1994 “The drag queens behind Priscilla”, Wendy Tuohy, The Sydney Morning Herald, 25 May 1995 Interview with Carlotta from Stations of the X, 1963 Clip of Carlotta's appearance on Number 96, 1976 “Priscilla party boat, Sydney Harbour, Australia Day 2007” video Damien W. Riggs – Priscilla, (white) queen of the desert (2006) Stephan Elliott Q&A at Austrian Film Museum, 2019 “The real life Priscilla Queen of the Desert”, 60 Minutes Australia “Putting Stamp on role”, Robert W. Butler, Syracuse-Herald Journal, 28 September 1994 Between a Frock and a Hard Place (2015)  

In 1996, Baz Luhrmann took a classic Shakespearean play and modernized it in a way that amazed and delighted movie goers around the world. The soundtrack that accompanied also made waves on the radio and on the charts. This week, Alex Whissell returns to deep dive the songs from this modern literary adaptation's soundtrack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Antonio from "Twelfth Night" is perhaps one of the most studied and talked about minor Shakespearean characters. After playing Antonio in a production, Shayne Cameris developed a one-man show all about the pirate through the lens of queer representation in Shakespeare's work. We talk about his upcoming performance as Antonio with Troy Foundry Theatre at UPH. https://www.troyfoundrytheatre.com/programming

This is a preview of a bonus episode! Check it out on our reasonably-priced Patreon! ----- With a 1950s star-studded cast, Ray Bradbury and John Huston bring us a Shakespearean take on a good, simple tale about a man who hates an animal. Content warning: graphic description of the process of whaling ----- FREE PALESTINE Hey, Devon here. As you well know I've been working with a few gazan families to raise money for their daily living costs in the genocide. Thanks to your incredible generosity, we've been able to raise the money to register Ahmed and his family for evacuation from Gaza. I truly, truly cannot thank you enough. I hope the wait is short and I'm able to tell you that he's safe in Egypt very soon.  Here are three more campaigns from trusted sources. Each of these are for a family that need your help. If you're able to help them out at all, it would mean the world. https://chuffed.org/project/121901-help-mahers-family-with-medical-costs https://chuffed.org/project/128691-help-my-family-evacuate-gaza-war-zone https://chuffed.org/project/130802-help-rashas-family-in-gaza-evacuate-and-live ----- WEB DESIGN ALERT Tom Allen is a friend of the show (and the designer behind our website). If you need web design help, reach out to him here:  https://www.tomallen.media/ Kill James Bond is hosted by November Kelly, Abigail Thorn, and Devon. You can find us at https://killjamesbond.com 

Larry is joined by writer and media executive Mark Whitaker to discuss his newest book ‘The Afterlife of Malcolm X: An Outcast Turned Icon's Enduring Impact on America'. They begin their conversation by talking about what inspired Mark to write the book and detailing Malcolm X's Shakespearean life journey from harrowing childhood to celebrated civil rights icon. This leads to a conversation about why both progressives and the modern black conservative movement have championed Malcolm's teachings, and a breakdown of X's relationship with Muhammad Ali (14:47). After the break, Larry and Mark discuss how Alex Haley's posthumous autobiography of Malcolm X came together and examine the role its played in preserving Malcolm's historical significance (32:06). Finally, they end the pod by taking a hard look at the events surrounding Malcolm X's assassination and shining a light on the strength of his cultural legacy against Martin Luther King's (45:02). Host: Larry WilmoreGuest: Mark WhitakerProducers: Brandy LaPlante and Chris Sutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Recorded at the most recent ACTC conference, this episode features Michael McShane—educator, writer, and Shakespearean interlocutor—in a wide-ranging discussion of King Lear with both Greg and Alex. The group examine the play's structural and philosophical dimensions, from the politics of authority and the aesthetics of suffering to questions of justice, recognition, and the limits of language. McShane brings a scholarly yet accessible lens to one of Shakespeare's most harrowing tragedies. Plus: the guys turn it over to the crowd and field a range of questions from the audience!

In the early 1600s, cotton fabrics made in India were in high demand throughout Asia and Africa. When the English and Dutch arrived in India and Japan, they realized how popular the fabric was, and they soon began to ship it back to northern Europe. In this episode, we explore how the 'cotton craze' of the 1600s shaped the modern world, and shaped the English language. We also examine the end of the Shakespearean period and the second English dictionary.

Verdi considered this character worthy of a Shakespearean tragedy, and he delivers just that! John Banther and Linda Carducci explore Verdi's masterpiece and show you what to listen for, intricacies of the characters and plot, the banned origin story, and so much more. Support Classical Breakdown: https://weta.org/donatefmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mo Amer (Mo, The Vagabond, Black Adam) is an award-winning comedian and actor. Mo joins the Armchair Expert to discuss feeling anxiety only when there's something unsettled at home, embracing the responsibility of being a comic that's also made a personally and culturally meaningful thing, and the best part of his new show being that he gets to introduce different layers to his story. Mo and Dax talk about his brilliant telecommunications engineer father relocating their family from Palestine to Kuwait, living through the Iraqi invasion that catalyzed the Gulf War, and creating a supportive Sandlot brotherhood that still exists to this day. Mo explains how his teacher encouraging him to do Shakespearean standup rocketed his entry into comedy, performing some of the greatest sets of his life returning to Iraqi war zones, and the emotional rediscovery of long-lost home movies of his family and childhood.Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Andy Farnsworth joins KSL-TV to help audiences decipher #WhatToWatch for the weekend of May 9, 2025. A colorful palette and an earnest attempt at modernizing the classic Shakespearean tale just weren't enough to make Andy like "Juliet & Romeo.” But he did like watching season 2 of "Poker Face" on Peacock, with Natasha Lyonne returning in the clever murder-of-the-week series with an incredible lineup of guest stars in this new season. Also likable is "Nonnas", the new Vince Vaughn movie on Netflix. It's based on the true story of a guy on Long Island who opened a restaurant with grandmothers as chefs, cooking their favorite dishes for customers. And likeable for people other than Andy, "Fight or Flight" is an incredibly violent and bloody action comedy starring Josh Hartnett.   The brains behind Fan Effect are connoisseurs of categories surpassing nerdy with a goal to publish a weekly "What to Watch on the Weekend" minisode taken from KSL-TV's Friday segment, and two deep-dives a month on shows, creative works, artists, local events, and other fandom topics.  Based in the beautiful beehive state, Fan Effect celebrates Utah's unique fan culture as it has been declared The Nerdiest State in America by TIME, and is hosted by KSL Movie Show's Andy Farnsworth and KSL Podcasts' KellieAnn Halvorsen.  Listen regularly on your favorite platform, at kslnewsradio.com, or on the KSLNewsRadio App. Join the conversation on Facebook @FanEffectShow, or Instagram @FanEffectShow. Fan Effect is sponsored by Megaplex Theatres, Utah's premier movie entertainment company.

To be, or not to be? Aye, there's the central question at the heart of the classic work “Tommy Boy” the 1995 broad comedy starring the late Chris Farley. This movie is more than a work of staggering childish genius. It is also a sophisticated adaptation of “Hamlet,” as in, the Shakespeare one. Joining Tess for a close reading of “Tommy Boy” through a Shakespearean lens is the comedian and podcaster Lisa Chanoux @LisaChanoux. Listen to BBC's “In Our Time: Hamlet” Listen to the Hardcore Literature podcasts' Hamlet episode. Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @popmysterypod Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker. Produced by Tyler Hill. Theme song by Rick Wood @Rickw00d.Support independent pop journalism and join us on Patreon at Pop Mystery Pod. Get access to ad free episodes, bonus content, and polls about upcoming topics. patreon.com/PopMysteryPodFollow Tess's other podcasts Lady to Lady and Toxic: The Britney Spears Story wherever you get your pods. Make sure to leave us a review! And tell a friend about the show! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In this mini-episode, we sit down with author Julie Hammonds to discuss her debut novel, Blue Mountain Rose: A Novel in Five Acts. Set against the backdrop of a fictional Shakespeare festival in the Arizona mountains during the 2009 financial crisis, the story follows theater director Richard Keane, company manager Kate Morales, and enigmatic actor Peter Dunmore as they strive to save their beloved open-air stage. Julie shares insights into how Shakespeare's works inspired the novel's structure and themes, the challenges of portraying the behind-the-scenes world of theater, and the enduring relevance of the Bard's plays in times of personal and collective hardship. Whether you're a Shakespeare aficionado, a theater enthusiast, or a lover of character-driven narratives, this conversation offers a compelling look into the intersections of art, community, and resilience. Blue Mountain Rose is now available at booksellers near you and on our Bookshop.com storefront. About Julie Hammonds Julie Hammonds fell in love with Hamlet during a high school trip to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and has nurtured her passion for Shakespeare ever since. She learned to run a light board on an Army base in South Korea, studied the plays on her own and in school, stage-managed The Winter's Tale and Much Ado About Nothing, and became the founding board president of the Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival. Along the way, she decided to complete the canon as an audience member by seeing Shakespeare's plays performed on as many different stages as she can reach. The quest has taken her from a community hall in Juneau, Alaska, to the noteworthy festivals in Stratford, Ontario, and Cedar City, Utah, to Shakespeare's Globe in London and the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon. She has four plays to go. This is her first novel. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: join our email list, follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, buying us coffee, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod (we earn a small commission when you use our link and shop bookshop.org). Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree. Works referenced: Hammonds, Julie C. Blue Mountain Rose: A Novel in Five Acts. Soulstice Publishing, LLC, 2025.  

Prince Hamlet collides with Śrīmad Bhāgavatam in this mind-bending episode on the illusion of “good and bad.” Raghunath and Kaustubha explore Bhakti Yoga, mental programming, and the transformative power of staying steady amid life's chaos. They unpack a verse that flips the spiritual script: liberation doesn't require a cave—it requires clarity. With vegan cheesecake hangovers, Tom Sawyer tricks, and a dose of Shakespearean angst, this episode reveals how kings lived as yogis—and how your own messy, modern life can become sacred ground for spiritual evolution. Key Highlights: •⁠  ⁠“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” — Hamlet (and basically the Bhāgavatam too) •⁠  ⁠Why your mind is a meaning-making machine—and how that distorts reality •⁠  ⁠Eastern philosophy says good and bad are illusions—here's what that really means •⁠  ⁠The Bhagavad-gītā's bold message: you can transcend duality without renouncing your responsibilities •⁠  ⁠How tolerance is the first quality of a true sadhu or yogi •⁠  ⁠Why red isn't good, blue isn't bad, and Denmark is just a mindset

We see who's been up the longest, Bailey insults us in Shakespearean, and more!

We see who's been up the longest, Bailey insults us in Shakespearean, and more!

Vengeance is such a core human urge that there are hundreds and thousands of parables and plays and stories warning us about what a dangerous path it is. In the classic Shakespearean tragedy, Hamlet destroyed himself and the entire Danish royal family in the name of revenge. Francis Bacon wrote “A man that studieth revenge keeps his own wounds green.” Today's story is a good reminder that if you seek revenge, you should dig two graves. Join Katie and Whitney, plus the hosts of Last Podcast on the Left, Sinisterhood, and Scared to Death, on the very first CRIMEWAVE true crime cruise! Get your fan code now--tickets are on sale now: CrimeWaveatSea.com/CAMPFIRESources:Crime Traveler, Fiona Guy: https://www.crimetraveller.org/2024/12/fiona-beal-murder-case/The Independent, Amy Clare Martin: https://www.the-independent.com/news/uk/crime/fiona-beal-murder-trial-sentence-teacher-b2553200.htmlBBC News: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-68846713NN Journal, Sarah Ward: https://www.nnjournal.co.uk/p/im-not-a-total-monster-i-know-whatEmma Kenny, YouTube channel: Respected Teacher Conned Boyfriend Into Deadly Sex GameFollow us, campers!Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfirehttps://www.truecrimecampfirepod.com/Facebook: True Crime CampfireInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/truecrimecampfire/?hl=enTwitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfireEmail: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.comMERCH! https://true-crime-campfire.myspreadshop.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-campfire--4251960/support.