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In a world of constant digital inundation, attention has become the new "scarce water in the desert". This episode explores how to reclaim that focus by looking at the intersection of high-stakes Hollywood storytelling and the science of optimal experience. Host Mike Palmer is joined by Steven Puri, founder and CEO of The Sukha Company. Before building tools for deep work, Puri was a senior executive at major motion picture studios, overseeing production on blockbusters like Independence Day and Braveheart, and managing franchises like Die Hard and Wolverine. He shares how the same rigorous focus required to produce massive films can be applied to modern productivity through the concept of Flow—a state popularized by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. The conversation delves into the "tug of war" for our attention, where trillion-dollar companies utilize behavioral psychology to keep us distracted. Puri breaks down actionable strategies to push past "human slop" and rote activity, moving instead toward meaningful "deep work" that survives the rise of generative AI. Key Insights:
Bill Maher sits down with filmmaker Dan Farah to discuss his documentary "Age of Disclosure" about UFOs (sorry, UAPs!) and government cover-ups. Dan reveals what high-level intelligence officials told him on camera about crash retrievals and non-human beings. They debate everything from ocean-dwelling alien crafts to Steven Spielberg's prophetic filmmaking, why Mars is a terrible vacation spot, and whether getting probed is really as common as '90s pop culture suggested. Bill weighs in on whether Trump could be the one to announce “we are not alone” (with some very real concerns about optics), while also battling a stubborn Zippo lighter that may or may not need alien intervention. Support our Advertisers: -Get 10 free meals and a FREE Zwilling knife on your third box at https://www.hellofresh.com/random10fm -Head to https://www.squarespace.com/CLUBRANDOM to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code CLUBRANDOM. Subscribe to the Club Random YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/clubrandompodcast?sub_confirmation=1 Watch episodes ad-free – subscribe to Bill Maher's Substack: https://billmaher.substack.com Subscribe to the podcast for free wherever you listen: https://bit.ly/ClubRandom Buy Club Random Merch: https://clubrandom.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices ABOUT CLUB RANDOM Bill Maher rewrites the rules of podcasting the way he did in television in this series of one on one, hour long conversations with a wide variety of unexpected guests in the undisclosed location called Club Random. There's a whole big world out there that isn't about politics and Bill and his guests—from Bill Burr and Jerry Seinfeld to Jordan Peterson, Quentin Tarantino and Neil DeGrasse Tyson—talk about all of it. For advertising opportunities please email: PodcastPartnerships@Studio71us.com ABOUT BILL MAHER Bill Maher was the host of “Politically Incorrect” (Comedy Central, ABC) from 1993-2002, and for the last fourteen years on HBO's “Real Time,” Maher's combination of unflinching honesty and big laughs have garnered him 40 Emmy nominations. Maher won his first Emmy in 2014 as executive producer for the HBO series, “VICE.” In October of 2008, this same combination was on display in Maher's uproarious and unprecedented swipe at organized religion, “Religulous.” Maher has written five bestsellers: “True Story,” “Does Anybody Have a Problem with That? Politically Incorrect's Greatest Hits,” “When You Ride Alone, You Ride with Bin Laden,” “New Rules: Polite Musings from a Timid Observer,” and most recently, “The New New Rules: A Funny Look at How Everybody But Me Has Their Head Up Their Ass.” FOLLOW CLUB RANDOM https://www.clubrandom.com https://www.facebook.com/Club-Random-101776489118185 https://twitter.com/clubrandom_ https://www.instagram.com/clubrandompodcast https://www.tiktok.com/@clubrandompodcast FOLLOW BILL MAHER https://www.billmaher.com https://twitter.com/billmaher https://www.instagram.com/billmaher Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
It’s Filmspotting’s 2026 Movie Preview Draft, with Adam and Josh vie for new films from Christopher Nolan, Greta Gerwig, Steven Spielberg, and more! Plus, Vulture critic Roxana Hadadi joins Adam for a review of 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE. This episode is presented by Regal Unlimited, the all-you-can-watch movie subscription pass that pays for itself in just two visits. (Timecodes and chapter starts may not be precise with ads.) Intro (00:00:00-00:03:12)2026 Movie Preview (00:03:13-00:56:52)Filmspotting Family (00:56:53-01:04:18)28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (01:04:19-01:45:01)2026 Show Preview (01:45:02-01:56:38)Next Week / Notes (01:56:39-01:59:51)Polls (01:59:52-02:10:26)Credits / New Releases (02:10:27-02:14:08) Links: -20% off Filmspotting Family Membershiphttps://filmspotting.supportingcast.fm/join?sc_promo=supreme -David Hudson's The Daily Previewhttps://www.criterion.com/current/posts/9027-the-most-anticipated-films-of-2026 -Brian Tallerico's RogerEbert.com Previewhttps://www.rogerebert.com/features/2026-most-anticipated-movies-preview -IndieWire’s 46 Most Anticipated Movies of 2026https://www.indiewire.com/lists/new-movies-2026/ Feedback: -Email us at feedback@filmspotting.net. -Ask Us Anything and we might answer your question in bonus content. Support: -Join the Filmspotting Family for bonus episodes and archive access.https://filmspottingfamily.com -T-shirts and more available at the Filmspotting Shop.https://www.filmspotting.net/shop Follow: https://youtube.com/filmspotting https://instagram.com/filmspotting https://letterboxd.com/filmspotting https://facebook.com/filmspotting https://twitter.com/filmspotting https://instagram.com/larsenonfilm https://letterboxd.com/larsenonfilm https://facebook.com/larsenonfilm https://bsky.app/profile/larsenonfilm.bsky.socialSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Steven Spielberg's sci-fi classic starring Tom Cruise recently hit 4K UHD and it's raining grain baby! We're talking all the details of this excellent new release, plus confessions, announcements, and more! Movie discussion @16min 10sec Find us on Instagram!
MUSICMaynard James Keenan, the lead vocalist of Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer, expressed on Steve-O's podcast that he now considers the song "4°" from Tool's 1993 album "Undertow" to be "stupid" due to its lyrics. https://loudwire.com/maynard-james-keenan-tool-song-stupid/ The Eagles' album "Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975" has become the first to achieve quadruple diamond certification from the RIAA, indicating over 40 million units sold. https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/news/the-eagles-greatest-hits-album-b2905358.html Metallica have teamed up with Dr. Martens for a new line of shoes. The 1460 boot uses artwork from the band's 1988 Damaged Justice tour and the 1461 shoe features artwork from the 1986 Damage Inc. tour. Both go on sale January 29th. TVFormer Real Housewife Bethenny Frankel has stage 2 kidney disease. According to Page Six, https://pagesix.com/2026/01/22/celebrity-news/bethenny-frankel-announces-stage-2-kidney-disease-diagnosis/ Gwyneth Paltrow recently shared her strategies for managing anxiety during an Instagram AMA (Ask Me Anything). https://people.com/gwyneth-paltrow-gives-her-advice-for-managing-anxiety-shouting-at-the-bushes-it-helps-11890157 AND FINALLYNominations for the 98th Academy Awards are out!Actors Danielle Brooks and Lewis Pullman revealed the nominees. Sinners received 16 nominations; a record-breaking nomination count for the most in Academy Awards history. The supernatural thriller received nominations for best picture; director (Ryan Coogler); actor (Michael B. Jordan); supporting actress (Wunmi Mosaku); actor in a supporting role (Delroy Lindo); and original screenplay. Timothée Chalamet is 30 years and 26 days old, Chalamet just became the youngest male actor to receive three Oscar nominations since Marlon Brando, who achieved this feat at age 29 in 1954. Steven Spielberg has broken his own record for the most Oscar nominations as a producer, bringing his total to 14 with the nomination for Best Picture for the film "Hamnet." One Battle After Another received 13 nods, including Best Picture.The Snubs:The Cold Shoulder: The Biggest Snubs of the 2026 Oscar NominationsThe Wicked Witch of the West... Gone?The biggest shocker of the morning has to be the complete erasure of Wicked: For Good. Just last year, the first installment picked up 10 nominations. This year? Zero. Zilch.Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, who were both nominated for the first film, were completely shut out of the acting categories. Even the music branch turned its back on the franchise, ignoring the two new songs written specifically for the film. It seems the magic ran out for the sequel.Paul Mescal's Shakespearean TragedyIf you were betting on Paul Mescal picking up a nomination for playing William Shakespeare in Hamnet, you lost money today. While the film itself did well—and his co-star Jessie Buckley secured a nomination—Mescal was noticeably absent from the list. It's a tough break for an actor who has been a darling of the awards circuit lately.The Strange Case of Chase InfinitiHere is a genuine head-scratcher: One Battle After Another is a massive favorite, racking up 13 nominations. Yet, its breakout lead actress, Chase Infiniti, didn't make the cut. Some insiders think her limited screen time (she's in the movie for about 30 minutes) might have hurt her chances, but considering she's the heart of the film, her absence in the Best Actress category is glaring.Guillermo del Toro Gets the "Argo" TreatmentThe Academy clearly loved Netflix's Frankenstein—it scored nine nominations, including Best Picture. But they apparently didn't love Guillermo del Toro quite enough to give him a Best Director nod. The Directors branch is notoriously finicky, and this year, they left the beloved filmmaker off the list.Blockbuster FatigueAvatar: Fire and Ash failed to secure a Best Picture nomination, a category the previous two films sailed into easily. It seems voters might finally be feeling some Pandora fatigue.Star Power Didn't Save ThemBeing an A-lister didn't help anyone this morning.George Clooney & Adam Sandler: Their film Jay Kelly was completely shut out. Usually, a Noah Baumbach movie is catnip for voters, but this one came up empty.Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson: Despite a serious campaign for his dramatic turn in The Smashing Machine, he couldn't crack the lineup.Jennifer Lawrence: She gave a ferocious performance in Die My Love, but the film was likely too gritty and indie for the broader voting body.The show, hosted by Conan O'Brien, airs live on ABC on March 15th. Here are the nominees:Best PictureBugoniaF1FrankensteinHamnetMarty SupremeOne Battle After AnotherThe Secret AgentSentimental ValueSinnersTrain DreamsBest DirectorChloé Zhao - HamnetJosh Safdie - Marty SupremePaul Thomas Anderson - One Battle After AnotherJoachim Trier - Sentimental ValueRyan Coogler - SinnersBest ActorTimothée Chalamet - Marty SupremeLeonardo DiCaprio - One Battle After AnotherEthan Hawke - Blue MoonMichael B. Jordan - SinnersWagner Moura - The Secret AgentBest ActressJessie Buckley - HamnetRose Byrne - If I Had Legs I'd Kick YouKate Hudson - Song Sung BlueRenate Reinsve - Sentimental ValueEmma Stone - BugoniaBest Supporting ActorBenicio del Toro - One Battle After AnotherJacob Elordi - FrankensteinDelroy Lindo - SinnersSean Penn - One Battle After AnotherStellan Skarsgård - Sentimental ValueBest Supporting ActressElle Fanning - Sentimental ValueInga Ibsdotter Lilleaas - Sentimental ValueAmy Madigan - WeaponsWunmi Mosaku - SinnersTeyana Taylor - One Battle After AnotherAND THAT IS YOUR CRAP ON CELEBRITIES!
Filmmaker Zach Lipovsky visits the YVR Screen Scene Podcast to reflect on his past, present, and future. His past includes placing fifth out of 12,000 on Steven Spielberg's filmmaking competition show On the Lot; collaborating with Adam Stein on the 2018 genre hit Freaks, numerous episodes of genre television, and 2025's Final Destination Bloodlines, the last of which was the first Final Destination movie to cross $100 million in domestic earnings and gross more than $315 million worldwide. As for his present and future, there's Gremlins 3 – which Zach and Adam are currently co-writing with Chris Columbus (the iconic director of Home Alone and Mrs. Doubtfire who also wrote the original Gremlins) – and the sequel to Freaks. Beyond the writing, directing, and producing, Zach has and continues to mentor emerging and aspiring filmmakers through organisations like Crazy8s and the British Columbia District Council of the Directors Guild of Canada (AKA DGC BC). This weekend, the DGC BC will recognise Zach's many contributions to the film and television scene when it honours him with the Industry Builder Award at its annual Spotlight BC Directors Conference. On the eve of the conference, Zach sits down with Sabrina Rani Furminger to talk filmmaking, his love for Vancouver cast and crews, Final Destination Bloodlines, Mogwai, his longtime collaboration with Adam Stein, how he helped save Vancouver's Park Theatre, and what it means to be an industry builder. Episode sponsor: Fish Flight Entertainment
Steven Spielberg's JURASSIC PARK. what else is there to say? We're joined by Rick Kelley.
He can fly, he can fight, and he can P-P-PODCAST! Join Frank, Jake, and Becca Barish for a bangarang good time as we fly away to Never Land and discuss the 1991 Steven Spielberg classic "Hook!" We discuss Spielberg, Robin Williams, Peter Pan, and oh so much more. Topics include movies vs film, green goo, how this movie changed Jake and Becca's lives, The Boo Box, Tinkerhell, mad dads, sexual awakenings, and oh so much more. RU-FI-O! RU-FI-O! RU-FI-O!
n this episode I spoke with author Paul Fischer about his book "EP 397 The Last Kings of Hollywood: Coppola * Lucas * Spielberg and the Battle for the Soul of American Cinema". The untold, intimate story of how three young visionaries Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg revolutionized American cinema, creating the most iconic films in history while risking everything, redefining friendship, and shaping Hollywood as we know it.On sale February 10, 2026. Pre-order your copy today.
We're hitting the road to talk about Duel, Steven Spielberg's first film, and we're joined by Mark Hofmeyer! After learning more Mark lore, we talk about the evolution of Duel from TV movie to full-length feature, the history of rye bread, and how impressive the filmmaking is in this film (on every level). Which Fast and Furious character would do the best in this situation? Mark quizzes us. We talk about how the whole film feels very Fast & Furious (2009) coded, when the movie feels the most like the Twilight Zone, and whether or not people were rooting for the trucker to win. We also talk about our favorite Spielberg chase scenes, cross this film over with Ridley Scott's The Last Duel, and pick Mark's brain for movies to watch in other laps. Email us: family@cageclub.meVisit our Patreon page at patreon.com/2fast2forever. Show your support at the 2 Fast 2 Forever shop!Extra special shout-out to Alex Elonen, Brian Rodriguez (High School Slumber Party), Michael McGahon, Lane Middleton, Jason Rainey, Wes Hampton, Josh Buckley (Whole Lotta Wolves), Michael Moser, Christian Larson, Terra New One, Aaron Woloszyn, and Randy Carter for joining at the “Interpol's Most Wanted” level or above!Intro music by Nico Vasilo. Interlude and outro music by Wes Hampton.
Documentary filmmaker and editor J.M. Harper discusses Soul Patrol, his six-year journey telling the story of the first Black special operations unit in Vietnam. What began with reading Eddie Manuel's book grew into years of weekly conversations, slow trust-building, and eventual access to never-before-seen Super 8 footage and photographs shot by the soldiers themselves. Harper also reflects on how his work editing Jeen‑Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy sharpened his instincts around character, structure, and letting footage reveal meaning over time.We talk about point of view and theme as the engine of a film, not ideas layered on afterward. Harper frames Soul Patrol around a central question: whether speaking openly about acts committed in war, long buried and rarely acknowledged, can offer any form of healing. Drawing on Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan, he discusses how cinema can confront violence without glamorizing it, and the ethical tension of rendering horrific experiences with clarity, restraint, and intention.He reflects on editing as discovery, assembling a team of editors with different strengths, and shaping a film that moves between memory, present-day reckoning, and historical record.What Movies Are You Watching?This episode is brought to you by BeastGrip. When you're filming on your phone and need something solid, modular, and built for real productions - including 28 Years Later and Left Handed Girl - BeastGrip's rigs, lenses, and accessories are designed to hold up without slowing you down. If you're ready to level up your mobile workflow, visit BeastGrip.com and use coupon code PASTPRESENTFEATURE for 10 % off. Acclaimed documentary ROADS OF FIRE is now available on Amazon, iTunes, and Fandango at home. Directed by Nathaniel Lezra, the film won best documentary at the 2025 Santa Barbara International Film Festival. The film examines the migrant crisis here in the States all the way down to Venezuela, and Academy Award nominee Diane Lane calls it "a must-see journey of human dignity." Roads of Fire - now on Amazon, iTunes, Fandango. Introducing the Past Present Feature Film Festival, a new showcase celebrating cinematic storytelling across time. From bold proof of concept shorts to stand out new films lighting up the circuit, to overlooked features that deserve another look. Sponsored by the Past Present Feature podcast and Leica Camera. Submit now at filmfreeway.com/PastPresentFeatureSupport the show Listen to all episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more, as well as at www.pastpresentfeature.com. Like, subscribe, and follow us on our socials @pastpresentfeature The Past Present Feature Film Festival - Nov. 20-22, 2026 in Hollywood, CA - Submit at filmfreeway.com/PastPresentFeature
"E.T.", le chef-d'œuvre de Steven Spielberg sorti en 1982 et fête ses 40 ans ce 1er décembre. Récompensé par 4 Oscars, il a fait rêver des générations de fans avec cette histoire d'amitié entre un jeune garçon, Eliott et un alien attachant baptisé E.T, qui avait besoin pour exister à l'écran de 7 personnes. Dans "Ah Ouais ?", Florian Gazan répond en une minute chrono à toutes les questions essentielles, existentielles, parfois complètement absurdes, qui vous traversent la tête. Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.
Adam Chase Rani and Christine Chen from the Get Reelisms podcast discuss their recent film experiences, including Christine's encounter with Steven Spielberg and Leonardo DiCaprio at a film screening, and her new status as an Academy member. The episode offers insights into the exclusive world of prestigious film screenings and the realities of living in Los Angeles. They also talk about the challenges of the film industry, the necessity of side hustles, and the importance of staying in the game despite the difficulties. The hosts underscore the value of life experiences and continuous learning in the filmmaking journey. The episode concludes with the announcement of an upcoming interview with writer and director Rob Spera. Hosts: Adam Rani (@adamthechase) & Christine Chen (@cchenmtf) About Christine W Chen:Christine W. Chen is a Taiwanese American filmmaker, Academy member (Short Films Branch), and versatile producer, director, and writer known for bold, character-driven storytelling. Through her production company, Moth to Flame, she has created award-winning short films, features, and branded content—including Erzulie, a feminist swamp thriller that had a limited theatrical run and now streams on major platforms. In addition to her directorial work, Christine is a seasoned DGA 1st Assistant Director and co-author of Get Reelisms and ABCs of Filmmaking, as well as the co-host of the Get Reelisms Podcast.For more information about Christine Chen: christinewchen.com About Adam Rani:Adam Chase Rani is a production designer and set dresser working in the Austin film market, bringing a sharp eye for visual storytelling and practical creativity to every project. During the pandemic, he co-founded the Get Reelisms Podcast with Christine Chen to foster community within the film industry. Together, they've built a platform that blends education, candid conversations, and industry insights to help filmmakers connect, learn, and grow. For more information go to getreelisms.com For more information on ERZULIE go to: erzuliefilm.com WEBISODE version of the PodcastTIME SUMMARY:00:00 Introduction and Movie Review00:40 Welcome to the Get Reelisms Podcast01:35 Christine's Encounter with Leonardo DiCaprio04:39 Becoming an Academy Member09:24 The Perks of Membership15:37 Networking and Meeting Industry Giants18:41 Discussing Movie Preferences19:13 Logistics of Filmmaking19:39 Experiences on Set21:05 Challenges of Filming in Mansions23:37 Living in Different Cities32:21 The Reality of the Film Industry38:30 The Impact of AI on Filmmaking39:59 Conclusion and Upcoming Guest Official Get Reelisms PageGet Reelisms Amazon StoreInstagram
David Geffen is the money man behind Crosby, Stills and Nash, Guns N' Roses, Cher, Shrek, Gladiator, and even Cats the musical. Journalist Zing Tsjeng and BBC business editor Simon Jack tell the remarkable story of the Brooklyn boy who conquered Hollywood and became an entertainment mogul. From starting in a New York agency mailroom to the heart of Laurel Canyon's hippie-rock scene, David Geffen rubbed shoulders with almost every major cultural figure of the 20th century. Joni Mitchel wrote a song about him, and Cher dated him. Then he moved from the music industry to movies, founding DreamWorks with Steven Spielberg and building one of the world's most valuable art collections. Good Bad Billionaire is the podcast that explores the lives of the super-rich and famous, tracking their wealth, philanthropy, business ethics and success. There are leaders who made their money in Silicon Valley, on Wall Street and in high street fashion. From iconic celebrities and CEOs to titans of technology, the podcast unravels tales of fortune, power, economics, ambition and moral responsibility. Simon and Zing put their subjects to the test with a playful, totally unscientific scorecard — then hand the verdict over to you: are they good, bad, or simply billionaires? Here's how to contact the team: email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com or send a text or WhatsApp to +1 (917) 686-1176. Find out more about the show and read our privacy notice at www.bbcworldservice.com/goodbadbillionaire
Hook is a wonderfully charming movie about rediscovering the joys of one's youth. That said, critics hated it when it was released in 1991, and its director, Steven Spielberg, isn't all that high on it either. The latter is a little puzzling. Sure, Hook is too long and gets oddly dark at times, but there is still so much to enjoy. Principally, both Dustin Hoffman as Captain Hook and Robin Williams as Pan all grown up are just having a blast. Their performances, coupled with imaginative practical effects and the cadre of endearing Lost Boys, make this a return trip to Neverland well worth taking. Now, sit back, Bangarang with a Free Wave Hazy IPA from Athletic Brewing, and make way for the Thud Ball! The Thunderous Wizard, Chumpzilla, and Bling Blake are trapped in the Boo Box. Help! This Week's Segments: Introduction/Plot Breakdown – To live would be an awfully big adventure! Lingering Questions – How dirty did they do poor Rufio? (40:54) The "Happy Thoughts" Trivia Challenge – Bling Blake challenges the field to trivia about the movie. (59:57) Recommendations – We offer our picks for the week and next up: We continue our Best Director Flops series with an epic MCU misfire, Eternals! (1:14:06) And, as always, hit us up on Threads, X, Facebook, Bluesky, or Instagram to check out all the interesting factoids from this week's episode!
Like all American tribes in the melting pot, Jewish-Americans express their identity in their art. Maybe nowhere as strongly as in cinema. Secret Movie Club founder Craig Hammill, who has a Jewish father and a Catholic mother, looks at just a few of the many great movies that get at being Jewish-American. Movies like the 1980's hit Dirty Dancing, Woody Allen's Annie Hall, the Coen Brothers' A Serious Man, Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans, Mike Nichol's The Graduate, and Claudia Weill's Girlfriends among many others. If you've ever had a heated debate at an engaged Jewish-American table, you know what it's like to dig into these things. This podcast can only be a prologue to the many complex issues that could be discussed. But hey. . .at least it's a start.
Roll up your sleeves and grab a big bowl of "Brain Grain," because The Filmlosophers are traveling back to the prehistoric era of... 1993! In the second installment of their "Reel Rewinds" mini-series, Hosts Eddie and Spencer, along with Intern Manager/Managing Intern Amy, unearth a fossil of animated nostalgia: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story. The crew dissects the other dinosaur movie Steven Spielberg produced that year, exploring how a film about T-Rexes playing golf and eating hot dogs in New York City stacks up against its prehistoric peers. They discuss the surprisingly dark tone of the villainous Professor Screweyes, the fever-dream animation style, and whether this Amblimation classic is a misunderstood masterpiece or a relic that should have stayed extinct. Does We're Back! still roar with charm, or is it just a lot of prehistoric noise? Tune in as we find out if these dinosaurs are truly welcome back!
To all who come to this happy podcast, welcome! Join the creator and host, Scott Jacobs, for the Season 5 premiere of The Mouse and Me, which will be coming your way real soon! Scott's interviewed so many incredible Guests from Disney's Broadway shows including actors, a Tony award-winning choreographer, composers, musicians, conductors, and head of props for Aladdin, Mary Poppins, The Lion King, and more. He's also talked with former and current Cast Members who are authors, performers in the parks, Disney Cruise Line performers, entertainment managers, comedians, technicians, an Imagineer, a prop master, and more. Scott has a great lineup of Guests for Season 5 and he can't wait to share those interviews with you. Now we can't tell you who they are but what we can tell you is they've done some amazing things for THE WALT DISNEY Company. One of them might be an Emmy Award-winning (and nine-time Emmy nominated) composer. One of them might be a Tony-nominated performer who's also directed and choreographed on Broadway, acted on television and in movies and worked with Steven Spielberg. One of them might be a beauty. One of them might've been good friends with Mickey Mouse. And one of them might've worked for THE WALT DISNEY Company for 38 years and actually met Walt Disney. There are also Magical Moments episodes. If you're new to the show, these episodes allow Scott to do deeper dives on topics like DL vs WDW attractions, Cars Land in California Adventure, and “Ready for Takeoff,” which is all about Soarin' just to name a few. Some of the Magical Moments that he's working on for this season include interesting facts about Epcot's World Showcase, WDW transportation fun facts, and the fastest rides from every Disney park around the world.In the trip recap episodes, Scott talks about the things he did in the parks and on Disney property and these episodes are extra fun because he does in the moment audio recordings, where talks with Cast Members and other Guests about a host of different topics.That's all for now - stay tuned for the Season 5 premiere of The Mouse and Me coming your way real soon!Email: TheMouseAndMePodcast@gmail.comSupport: www.patreon.com/themouseandmeFB and Instagram: “The Mouse and Me”Music by Kevin MacLeod from https://incompetech.filmmusic.io
"Every single year, we're a different person. I don't think we're the same person all of our lives." — Steven Spielberg
Let's hit the slopes! We're in the thick of winter so we've got a couple of ski comedies coming your way. We're talking wet t-shirt contests, a guy named Lester the Molester, and inappropriate sex pests of 80's comedies. We're also talking what we thought of Steven Spielberg's new Disclosure Day, the Coen Brothers, The Mastermind, and The Running Man
Join our champion program: mark@themomentumcompany.comAttend a Thriving Leader event: https://thriving-leader-2026.lovable.app/Instagram: @the.momentum.companyLinkedIn: /momentum-companyIn this episode of the Intentional Agribusiness Leader Podcast, Mark Jewell is joined by Ron Lynch — filmmaker, screenwriter, entrepreneur, and spiritual thinker — for one of the most profound and unconventional conversations the show has hosted to date.Ron brings a rare perspective shaped by decades in Hollywood, direct-response marketing, storytelling, and deep personal surrender. From writing films connected to Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, to launching billion-dollar products like OxiClean and GoPro, to stepping away from fame-driven success in favor of purpose-driven impact, Ron's life embodies the very principles he teaches.Together, Mark and Ron explore a powerful idea: what if your life is a screenplay already written — and your job is to step into it intentionally? They unpack surrender, ego, risk, divine interruption, and how stagnation often signals that we're resisting the next plot twist God is inviting us into.This episode isn't about productivity.It's about becoming.Key TakeawaysIntentionality Begins with SurrenderFor Ron, intention isn't control — it's surrender. True intentional living means releasing ego, making space for divine interruption, and trusting that God's plan is better than our own. When we deviate, we're corrected — not punished, but lovingly redirected.Your Life Has an Arc — and You Are the Main CharacterEvery great story has a beginning, a transformation, and an ending. Ron challenges listeners to stop drifting through life and start recognizing where they are in their own narrative. Growth requires movement. Stagnation is a sign the story has stalled.If You're Stuck, You're Avoiding RiskWhen life feels boring, stagnant, or misaligned, Ron offers a direct truth: you're not taking enough risk. Change requires stepping into uncertainty. Plot twists only happen when the hero is willing to act.Plot Points Create ProgressJust like a screenplay, life requires intentional plot points — concrete actions that move the story forward. Vision without action keeps people trapped in fantasy. Transformation happens when ideas are turned into steps.Leave White Space for the CallRon emphasizes the importance of margin. When life is over-scheduled, there's no room for unexpected opportunity. The most meaningful shifts often come through interruptions — conversations, invitations, or moments we couldn't have planned.You Are Not the Studio HeadOne of the most grounding reminders of the episode: you are not in charge — and you don't want to be. Leadership, faith, and fulfillment grow when we stop pretending we're in control and return to childlike trust.Becoming You Is the AssignmentRon reframes life's purpose simply and powerfully: you are here to become fully who God created you to be. Not someone else. Not a safer version. Not a smaller version. Becoming you is the work.Notable Quotes“Intentionality for me is surrender — because God's plan is better than mine.” – Ron Lynch“If you want a great story, but you won't take risks, the problem isn't God — it's you.” – Ron Lynch“Growth requires plot twists. If nothing is changing, you're resisting the next scene.” – Ron Lynch“Leave space in your life — that's where the call comes.” – Ron Lynch“Your job isn't to control the story. It's to step into it.” – Mark JewellAction StepsReflect on where you are in your life's story — beginning, midpoint, or transformation.Identify one risk you know you're being called to take — and commit to...
In this penultimate, special episode of Stabby Stabby, the boys are joined by old friend Moleman to finally tackle a movie we've referenced, revered, and maybe been a little afraid to cover for years: JAWS.With eviction looming, there's time for one last VHS to pop into the VCR. What follows is a deep dive into a movie that has loomed large over everything we love about horror and film.Will the boys make it out of the molehole? Is the surface finally calling? Most importantly, thank you — our intrepid podcast audience — for sticking with us all these years. Your support, your messages, and your patience with our insanity have meant everything. One more stop after this: the Hugo Awards. Then… we wrap it up.We made this decision to concentrate our time and efforts on our new project: Greg's Cryptid Corner! If you enjoy hanging out with us, subscribe to that show and join us as we discuss cryptids, folktales, aliens, hauntings, and whatever else Greg decides to teach us. And for movie fans, the spirit of Stabby Stabby will live on in Greg's Cryptid Corner as we intend to continue doing movie breakdowns for that show's growing Patreon community.We love you all. Thanks so much for joining us. Greg's Cryptid Corner: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2500462GCC on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GregsCryptidCornerWebsite: https://www.stabbypod.com Linktree: https://www.linktr.ee/stabbystabby Instagram: @stabbypod https://www.instagram.com/stabbypod/ Letterboxd: https://boxd.it/dp1ACSend us a textSend us a text
For our big 200 episode we wanted to tackle a film epic, and there are very few that do it better than this film. In 1993 Steven Spielberg came out with Schindler's List an epic period drama about the horrors faced by Jewish people in World War 2. and the man who tried to save them. The film garnered critical acclaim upon release, won Spielberg his first Best Director Oscar, and his first and thus far only Best Picture. The film is held in high regard even today, despite the fact that it's not the easiest film to watch. We give our thoughts on the film as well as our Top 10 most anticipated films of 2026!
The crew remember and revisit the Steven Spielberg produced SeaQuest DSV Season One! SeaQuest DSV Complete Series on Bluray - https://amzn.to/3LsrRcP Check out our merch store! https://suns-and-shadows.myspreadshop.com/ Please be sure to check out our social media! TWITTER ► / sunsandshadows FACEBOOK ► / sunsandshadows INSTAGRAM ► / sunsandshadowscast DISCORD ► https://discord.gg/nUwJRmquwX CRITICLESS ► SunsAndShadows YOUTUBE: ► / @sunsandshadowscast
What is “America” not only as a political entity but in our imagination? How can we properly envision America, without repeating clichés that frame America as either reactionary or revolutionary, repressive or liberatory? I spoke with Eyal Peretz about his book American Medium, which looks at Hollywood to re-imagine the concept of "America" through the medium of film. By considering six fundamental American movies: John Ford's Young Mr. Lincoln and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather, Steven Spielberg's West Side Story, and Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation and Marie Antoinette, Peretz explains how these films do more than represent America and envision a new way to ground human life in our secular age. Eyal Peretz is Professor of Comparative Literature at Indiana University and the author of seminal books on Melville, de Palma, Diderot, da Vinci, as well as film, art, and philosophy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies
Jim and Eric kick off this week's show with listener-driven updates and fresh speculation from the Universal parks beat, before pivoting into a deep historical dive on one of the strangest and most memorable effects ever staged on the Universal Studios Hollywood tram tour. Along the way, there is discussion of low-crowd horror experiences, a surprising Spielberg-themed survey, and a heartfelt remembrance of a YouTube pioneer who helped shape modern theme park fandom. NEWS • Fresh rumors swirl around a possible IT / Pennywise presence at Halloween Horror Nights, and why Warner Bros and Six Flags complicate the IP landscape • Listener reports reveal low crowds but high-quality scares at Universal Horror Unleashed in Las Vegas • Early construction walls appear in Celestial Park at Epic Universe, hinting at future capacity expansion • A leaked survey teases a potential Steven Spielberg and Amblin-themed tram-style attraction concept • Reflections on the legacy of Adam the Woo and his impact on theme park history storytelling FEATURE • The forgotten history of Six Points, Texas on the Universal backlot and why it became underused • How Jay Stein pushed Universal to add bold show scenes to the tram tour in the early 1970s • The engineering and storytelling behind the Runaway Train effect and why it took five years to build • Mr. T, The A-Team, and the brief but unforgettable era when a TV star nearly “crashed” the tram HOSTS • Jim Hill - IG: @JimHillMedia | X: @JimHillMedia | Website: JimHillMedia.com • Eric Hersey - IG: @erichersey | X: @erichersey | Website: strongmindedagency.com FOLLOW • Facebook: JimHillMediaNews • Instagram: JimHillMedia • TikTok: JimHillMedia SUPPORT Support the show and access bonus episodes and additional content at Patreon.com/JimHillMedia. PRODUCTION CREDITS Edited by Dave Grey Produced by Eric Hersey - Strong Minded Agency SPONSOR This episode is sponsored by Unlocked Magic. Save on Disney and Universal tickets, including park hoppers and Lightning Lane options, by booking through UnlockedMagic.com. If you would like to sponsor a show on the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, reach out today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Francis Ford Coppola is one of the greatest directors ever. Period. Yet even his resume is not devoid of misfires and flops. Enter Jack, a dramedy about a 10-year old kid trapped in the body of a grown man. No, this isn't Big. In this 1996 film, the titular kiddo, Jack Powell, ages far faster than his peers. With that odd condition comes its own set of issues. As one may assume, yes, poor Jack would have a very short lifespan. Therein lies the problems. Not that a family film shouldn't include some moments of seriousness, but Jack generally doesn't balance the whimsy and the melancholy well. Hence its poor reception from critics. That aside, there is an earnestness to Robin Williams' performance, and the movie does have a few laughs. Are there enough for it to warrant a watch? That probably depends on the individual viewer's tastes. Now, sit back, age gracefully with a Buenos Tiempos from Belching Beaver Brewing, and save those red Gummy Bears! The Thunderous Wizard, Chumpzilla, and Bling Blake are drunkenly hashing out all our problems with Paulie. This Week's Segments: Introduction/Plot Breakdown – For some people, 40 is the new 10. For Jack Powell, it's the other way around — literally! Lingering Questions – What do we want to be when we grow up? (30:54) The "Real Rectal Rockets" Trivia Challenge – The Thunderous Wizard challenges the field to trivia about the movie. (47:42) Recommendations – We offer our picks for the week and next up: We continue our Best Director Flops series with Steven Spielberg's Hook! (59:55) And, as always, hit us up on Threads, X, Facebook, Bluesky, or Instagram to check out all the interesting factoids from this week's episode!
The legendary director's top-secret UFO film "Disclosure Day" has spawned wild conspiracy theories that actual extraterrestrials appear on screen — and the "evidence" is more entertaining than the movie will probably be.READ or SHARE: https://weirddarkness.com/spielberg-alien-filmWeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.#WeirdDarkness, #WeirdDarkNEWS, #StevenSpielberg, #DisclosureDay, #UFO, #Aliens, #ConspiracyTheory, #UFODisclosure, #Extraterrestrial, #SciFiMovies
Darkness Radio presents Supernatural News/Parashare: Everything UFOld Is New Again! Edition w/Mallie Fox !This Week, just when you think scientists are all in agreement about 3I/ATLAS being a comet... here comes the alien tech talk! Could Spielberg's new summer blockbuster truly be the beginning of "Disclosure Day? Many people on the inside seem to think so! A veteran filmmaker is using AI to generate new evidence that Jesus was never crucified and says AI proves it without a doubt! and, a dead father woke up in a body bag at a funeral home hours after he died! Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day is coming to theaters this summer, and rumor has it that it is a little more true to life than you may think! See the trailer here : https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/393373/conspiracy-theorists-claim-spielbergs-new-film-features-real-aliensBecome part of a once in a lifetime movement... Join the paranormal community, along with Jason Hawes in helping Andrea Perron preserve the "Conjuring House" from the auction block and potentially falling into a developer's hands, or the hands of someone who won't appreciate it's history. To read more about their history, their goals, and to donate to the cause, click on the GoFundMe link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-conjuring-houseCheck out all things Mallie here: https://www.paranormalgirl.com/Mallie has been spreading her wings and featured as a researcher and talking head on Strange Evidence on the Science Channel! You can stream it on demand on Discovery + or on Max! Get Max here: https://bit.ly/469lcZHMake sure you update your Darkness Radio Apple Apps!and subscribe to the Darkness Radio You Tube page: https://www.youtube.com/@DRTimDennisThere are new and different (and really cool) items all the time in the Darkness Radio Online store at our website! . check out the Darkness Radio Store! https://www.darknessradioshow.com/store/#paranormal #supernatural #paranormalpodcasts #darknessradio #timdennis #malliefox #paranormalgirl #strangeevidence #supernaturalnews #parashare #ghosts #spirits #hauntings #hauntedhouses #haunteddolls #demons #supernaturalsex #deliverances #exorcisms #paranormalinvestigation #ghosthunters #Psychics #tarot #ouija #Aliens #UFO #UAP #Extraterrestrials #alienhumanhybrid #alienabduction #alienimplant #Alienspaceships #disclosure #shadowpeople #AATIP #DIA #Cryptids #Cryptozoology #bigfoot #sasquatch #yeti #abominablesnowman #ogopogo #lochnessmonster #chupacabra #beastofbrayroad #mothman #artificialintelligence #AI #NASA #CIA #FBI #conspiracytheory #neardeatheexperience
We're flashing back this week to a fan-favorite episode. Shane and The Howler will return next week with an all new episode. “Shane and the Howler discuss whether or not the county fair is a shady place, if Steven Spielberg is an alien, and the true events that the movie Top Gun Maverick was loosely based on.” Please like, comment, and share this episode if you enjoyed the interview. From The Shadows Podcast is a program where we seriously discuss the supernatural, paranormal, cryptozoology, and ufology. Anything that cannot be rationally explained has a platform for discussion on the From The Shadows Podcast. Join us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/fromtheshadowsShare your story with us through our Website https://www.fromtheshadowspodcast.com Follow us on:TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@fromtheshadowspodcastFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/fromtheshadowspodcastInstagram - Shane Grove - https://www.instagram.com/shanegroveauthorInstagram - Podcast - https://www.instagram.com/fromtheshadowspodcast
Throw some invisible food and get ready to never grow up as we fly into 1991's Hook. Why was the media of the 80s and 90s so full of daddy issues? Was Robin Williams going for restrained in this role, or phoning it in? How much of the Millennial generation considers Rufio their first crush? Was there any scenery left unchewed after Dustin Hoffman was done with it? We'll tell you once we find our marbles,
Welcome back to the Video Store! We're kicking off the New Year with a look at some of the films that inspired the hit television series Stranger Things. Get your Eggos, Reese's Pieces, and settle in for some classic films that helped to give Stranger Things its strange, yet familiar aesthetic and themes. For this episode, we're only focusing on season one, so don't worry if you've not gotten to watch the final season just yet! However, if you've not watched Stranger Things season one, be advised that there are spoilers ahead for that season!E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)One of the biggest films of the 1980s and an inspiration for Stranger Things is Steven Spielberg and Melissa Mathison's iconic film, E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Capturing wonder, fear, and warmth so well, this is a film whose influence was felt well into the 90s. Stranger Things draws aesthetic inspiration from E. T. while also pulling from its fish-out-of-water story. Scanners (1981)David Cronenberg's cult sci-fi horror film, Scanners, is another point of inspiration for The Duffer Brothers. This film about psychics, scientific intrigue, and political power serves as an inspirational palette of ideas for Stranger Things that the Duffers have inverted, mashed up, and made their own. This is a film that also has a great influence on the later seasons of Stranger Things, but we'll cover those when we get there. Halloween (1978)This is the film that really caused the slasher genre to take off, but John Carpenter's first massive success also gives Stranger Things a good bit of its aesthetics. From monster-in-shadow cinematography to several meta uses of John Carpenter's work, Halloween has its fingerprints on Stranger Things. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)Perhaps the greatest influence on Stranger Things' aesthetic and storytelling is Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street. With two Nancys, two jocks with a baseball bat, and more things that won't even show up until later seasons of the series, A Nightmare on Elm Street has invaded the minds of the Duffer Brothers. Honorable MentionsStranger Things draws inspiration from so many films that we love here at the Video Store that we've already covered them on previous episodes! Check out my coverage of both versions of It in my Summer of Stephen King and Not Quite Retro episodes. Flack talked about John Carpenter's The Thing in his Halloween Spirit episode. I discussed Stand By Me in my Film Friendships show, Alien in my Wonder Women episode, and Jaws in my Summer Spookies show. Thanks for joining us here at the Video Store Podcast for these strange, but familiar films. We hope you enjoy our selections this week. Oh, and that flashing lightbulb? Must just be a short. We'll change it out later. Thanks for reading Video Store Podcast! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.videostorepodcast.com
We're starting the first with the firsts! This month we're taking a look at the first films of some famous directors and we're starting with one of the bests! Steven Spielberg's first film was a tv movie! that's right and it was super successful! Have you seen it? Did you know about it? Tell us!
Darkness Radio presents Supernatural News/Parashare: Everything UFOld Is New Again! Edition w/Mallie Fox !This Week, just when you think scientists are all in agreement about 3I/ATLAS being a comet... here comes the alien tech talk! Could Spielberg's new summer blockbuster truly be the beginning of "Disclosure Day? Many people on the inside seem to think so! A veteran filmmaker is using AI to generate new evidence that Jesus was never crucified and says AI proves it without a doubt! and, a dead father woke up in a body bag at a funeral home hours after he died! Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day is coming to theaters this summer, and rumor has it that it is a little more true to life than you may think! See the trailer here : https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/393373/conspiracy-theorists-claim-spielbergs-new-film-features-real-aliensBecome part of a once in a lifetime movement... Join the paranormal community, along with Jason Hawes in helping Andrea Perron preserve the "Conjuring House" from the auction block and potentially falling into a developer's hands, or the hands of someone who won't appreciate it's history. To read more about their history, their goals, and to donate to the cause, click on the GoFundMe link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-conjuring-houseCheck out all things Mallie here: https://www.paranormalgirl.com/Mallie has been spreading her wings and featured as a researcher and talking head on Strange Evidence on the Science Channel! You can stream it on demand on Discovery + or on Max! Get Max here: https://bit.ly/469lcZHMake sure you update your Darkness Radio Apple Apps!and subscribe to the Darkness Radio You Tube page: https://www.youtube.com/@DRTimDennisThere are new and different (and really cool) items all the time in the Darkness Radio Online store at our website! . check out the Darkness Radio Store! https://www.darknessradioshow.com/store/#paranormal #supernatural #paranormalpodcasts #darknessradio #timdennis #malliefox #paranormalgirl #strangeevidence #supernaturalnews #parashare #ghosts #spirits #hauntings #hauntedhouses #haunteddolls #demons #supernaturalsex #deliverances #exorcisms #paranormalinvestigation #ghosthunters #Psychics #tarot #ouija #Aliens #UFO #UAP #Extraterrestrials #alienhumanhybrid #alienabduction #alienimplant #Alienspaceships #disclosure #shadowpeople #AATIP #DIA #Cryptids #Cryptozoology #bigfoot #sasquatch #yeti #abominablesnowman #ogopogo #lochnessmonster #chupacabra #beastofbrayroad #mothman #artificialintelligence #AI #NASA #CIA #FBI #conspiracytheory #neardeatheexperience
Christmas/Thanksgiving Special with Owen Benjamin. Featuring: Candace Owen; Rock Hudson; Steven Spielberg; Ashton Kutcher; Quentin Tarantino; Magic Johnson; Jimmy Stewart; Sandy Hook; Pearl Harbor and Owen's goats. https://owenbenjamin.com https://unauthorized.tv/creator/owen-benjamin/ ↓ ↓ ↓ Monetary Metals is providing a true alternative to saving and earning in dollars by making it possible to save AND EARN in gold and silver. Monetary Metals has been paying interest on gold and silver for over 8 years. Right now, accredited investors can earn 12% annual interest on silver, paid in silver in their latest silver bond offering. For example, if you have 1,000 ounces of silver in the deal, you receive 120 ounces of silver interest paid to your account in the first year. Go to the link in the description or head to https://monetary-metals.com/delingpole/ to learn more about how to participate and start earning a return on honest money again with Monetary Metals. ↓ ↓ How environmentalists are killing the planet, destroying the economy and stealing your children's future. In Watermelons, an updated edition of his ground-breaking 2011 book, JD tells the shocking true story of how a handful of political activists, green campaigners, voodoo scientists and psychopathic billionaires teamed up to invent a fake crisis called ‘global warming'. This updated edition includes two new chapters which, like a geo-engineered flood, pour cold water on some of the original's sunny optimism and provide new insights into the diabolical nature of the climate alarmists' sinister master plan. Purchase Watermelons by James Delingpole here: https://jamesdelingpole.co.uk/Shop/ ↓ ↓ ↓ Buy James a Coffee at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jamesdelingpole The official website of James Delingpole: https://jamesdelingpole.co.uk x
Did you know that Steven Spielberg produced the classic '80s cult film Three O'Clock High? Well, we didn't either, until our guest, writer/director Kevin Lewis (Willy's Wonderland, Pig Hill) came to the show wanting to discuss it. It's a simple story about a high school dweeb (Casey Siemaszko) challenged to a fight by the new kid in school (Richard Tyson) and the chaos that ensues as he tries every trick he can to get out of the ass-whoopin' heading his way. Spielberg took his name off of the movie before release, but was instrumental in bringing it to life. We talk about that decision, guess as to why he had the change of heart, and break down some of the wildest aspects of this mostly hidden gem of '80s filmmaking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What is “America” not only as a political entity but in our imagination? How can we properly envision America, without repeating clichés that frame America as either reactionary or revolutionary, repressive or liberatory? I spoke with Eyal Peretz about his book American Medium, which looks at Hollywood to re-imagine the concept of "America" through the medium of film. By considering six fundamental American movies: John Ford's Young Mr. Lincoln and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather, Steven Spielberg's West Side Story, and Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation and Marie Antoinette, Peretz explains how these films do more than represent America and envision a new way to ground human life in our secular age. Eyal Peretz is Professor of Comparative Literature at Indiana University and the author of seminal books on Melville, de Palma, Diderot, da Vinci, as well as film, art, and philosophy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/film
Go to www.LearningLeader.com for world-class notes This is brought to you by Insight Global. If you need to hire one person, hire a team of people, or transform your business through Talent or Technical Services, Insight Global's team of 30,000 people around the world has the hustle and grit to deliver. My guest: Oz Pearlman is the greatest mentalist in the world. After leaving Wall Street to pursue his craft full-time, he's performed for Steven Spielberg's family, for Nobel laureates, and Fortune 500 CEOs. He ran a 2:23 marathon and holds the record for most laps around Central Park in a single day. With five kids and 250+ performances a year, Oz has mastered the art of reading people and understanding what separates good from world-class. Key Learnings (In Oz's words) Doug Anderson is the magician who got me into magic. When I was 13 years old, I went on a cruise with my parents. I got pulled up on stage and took part in a magic trick. (The sponge balls) After the trick, my dad and I started creating theories on how the trick worked. The people in every industry who make it to the top are the ones who are kind and respectful to others. As soon as you stop thinking that you can learn from others, you start dying. What is the recipe for success? It's getting through the tough times. When I walked up to someone at a restaurant, and I'm 14, and I have a very fragile ego, after three tables in a row at differing levels of rudeness go by, "Dude, get outta here, man. Like, I don't wanna see this," it hurts. That's a painful thing to experience. I had to learn a defense mechanism very quickly because carrying that pain, pain turns into anger. When I get to the next table, I'm angry at the next group, even though they haven't done anything wrong to me. I realized to get my goal, I needed tougher, thicker skin. Deflect the rejection onto someone else. Create separation between you and rejection. I created what I would call an agent in my own mind. When you're in showbiz, the conversations you don't wanna have, your agent has for you. I'm a 14-year-old doing restaurants. I don't have an agent, so here's what I decided. When they don't like me, they don't know me. They don't know Oz Pearlman. They know this guy Oz the magician, who walked up to them. Maybe my tricks aren't good enough. Maybe my approach wasn't good enough. Maybe they had a bad day at work or their kid's sick. I made it less about me, and I was able to deflect all of that pain and hurt to this other person. The fear of rejection is worse than the rejection itself. Once you experience rejection a few times, it's not that bad. It's like dating. It's a numbers game. You'll probably not meet your spouse on the first try. You gotta meet a whole lot of other people to realize what you like best in the person that hopefully ends up spending your life with. "Never let someone else be in charge of your destiny." When I do a gig, I don't wait for someone to go, "Oh man, that'd be great. Let me get your business card." I go, "Amazing. Let me get your number and your info. I'll have someone from my team call you." My team is you, me, myself, and I. There's no team. But it sounds fancier. Fake it till you make it. Branding is so important. When I went on America's Got Talent, I made a conscious decision to separate myself from the guy from the year before. (Matt Franco) He won. I thought we were too similar. I had to do something unique or do something better than anyone else. That's when I branded myself as a mentalist and not a magician. Mentalism is much harder than magic to practice. Magic can be practiced in front of a mirror until you get almost perfect at a trick. Mentalism is near impossible to practice at home without an audience. It's like comedy. You can't tell jokes to a mirror and find out if they're funny. You need the audience to do it. Charm takes the sting out of so many things in life. It allows you to win people over quickly. What is charm? Just the ability to smile, to make someone laugh, to be vulnerable in a certain moment. That's a skill that's developed, and if you study it well, you can develop it quicker because everyone thinks it's natural. What I've learned from comedians: It's the purest form of entertainment that exists. You, the audience, and a microphone. I think you start to get a feel for timing. Where to pause, what's funny, how to get people on your side. With a heckler, there's a very fine line between punching down and offending your audience versus having them on your side and laughing with you at someone as opposed to laughing at someone. I'm a slightly more exaggerated version of myself when performing. The volume is turned up a little. The charisma is turned up a little, the ability to joke around, but it's me. I think that resonates. Walking into a room smiling, having no hesitation, connecting with somebody, remembering their name, giving them a compliment. Such easy, low-hanging fruit, separates you from 90% of other people if you can do them consistently and effectively and genuinely. "That's why he's Steven Spielberg." The Steven Spielberg lesson changed how I see success. I did Spielberg's dad's 99th birthday. At the end of it, Steven beelines to me and I'm ready. I thought I'd get 30 seconds. He talked to me for upwards of 20 minutes. He just asked question after question after question. When I left it was like a blur. I didn't ask Steven Spielberg a single question about Jaws, Close Encounters. I had all these things I wanted to ask him. I'm like, man, I totally screwed that up. But over time, the lesson got through to me. It wasn't about me. It wasn't what I was gonna ask him. It was about him. It was learning what makes him tick. No matter who you become, if you can make the other person feel like they're a star when they meet you, they will always remember that memory. Try to deflect. If people ask you questions, answer, but ask them something about themselves back that no one's asked them. Make them feel seen and heard. Make them feel like they are the star of your movie as well. Little things add up to big things over time. If you were to ask my kids what do I ingrain in them all the time? Gratitude and being polite. One of my secrets to success has always been being very polite. "Please, thank you. Always." Write a thank-you note. When I was doing bar mitzvahs, birthday parties, I realized early on, when people are throwing a party, it's very stressful. The person hosting doesn't always have the greatest time. They're so worried about everyone else. Create memorable moments. I would take a selfie with the bar mitzvah kid. I found this online service where I could instantly upload the photo. I would always give a compliment that was specific. I'd send these cards to them on Monday. The parties are usually on Saturdays. It would get there Tuesday or Wednesday. To this day, 15 to 20 years later, I'll get emails when I'm on TV from people being like, "I just dug up this card from 17 years ago. You were at Benjamin's Bar Mitzvah, and now he's 30 and has a kid of his own." Takes notes | Write everything down. In today's day and age, there's a power in the human touch that still exists. Take notes, write stuff down. I'll leave a gig, I'll write some stuff down, I'll remember it. If I run into that person again in a month, in a year, in five years, I can literally look at my phone. It's literally like a mentalism trick to reveal that information to people even though they gave it to you already, because it shows you took the time. Some of the biggest things I've ever landed backtrack to small moments. ESPN, the thing that brought us together can backtrack to a Bar Mitzvah 18 years ago where I first met Adam Schefter. The first seed was planted, and I had to keep watering it, watering it, watering it. Small plant, small plant, until it grew into this thing. Now look at all the things that came from all the things I've done with ESPN, where Adam Schefter originated them. You are interviewing for your next job every single day. You have no idea who might be in the audience. You have no idea, but you give it your all every single time. One time, Adam Schefter was in the audience. Intelligent people are often the easiest to fool. When intelligent people watch what I do, they're confident in their ability to figure it out. They think they're smarter than the average person, so they start looking for solutions. But that overconfidence creates blind spots. They're so focused on being right about how they think it's done that they miss what's actually happening. The more you think you know, the more vulnerable you become to being fooled because you're operating from assumptions rather than staying open to all possibilities. Reflection Questions Oz created an "agent in his mind" to deflect rejection away from his core self, making it about "Oz the magician" rather than Oz the person. What mental separation could you create to handle rejection or criticism more effectively in your professional life? Oz emphasizes that intelligent people are often the easiest to fool because they're confident in their ability to figure things out. In what areas of your life or work might overconfidence be blinding you to what's actually happening? Oz sends handwritten notes with specific compliments and a selfie to everyone he performs for. What's one relationship in your network right now that could be strengthened with this level of intentional follow-up, and what specific compliment could you give that person? More Learning #525 - Frank Slootman: Hypergrowth Leadership #540 - Alex Hormozi: Let Go of the Need of Approval #510 - Ramit Sethi: Live Your Rich Life Audio Timestamps 02:43 Oz's Career 04:48 The Art of Mentalism and Magic 08:22 Early Career and Overcoming Rejection 17:45 Branding and Success Strategies 22:59 Authenticity and Charm 27:25 Building Trust Through Honesty 27:53 Developing Genuine Confidence 28:36 The Power of Preparation 29:22 Learning from Failure 31:24 Connecting with Influential People 34:27 The Importance of Politeness and Gratitude 37:05 The Art of Follow-Up 42:27 Handling Nerves and Anxiety 43:23 The Magic of Mentalism on Ryan 51:55 EOPC
https://bbvproductions.co.uk/products/Faction-Paradox-The-Confession-of-Brother-Signet-AUDIO-DOWNLOAD-p389922366 The first season of the American science fiction horror drama television series Stranger Things premiered worldwide on the streaming service Netflix on July 15, 2016. The series was created by the Duffer Brothers, who also serve as executive producers along with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen. This season stars Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Cara Buono, and Matthew Modine, with Noah Schnapp, Joe Keery, and Shannon Purser in recurring roles. The first season of Stranger Things received critical acclaim, in particular for its originality, homages to the 1980s, characterization, tone, visuals, and performances (particularly those of Ryder, Harbour, Wolfhard, Brown, Heaton and Modine). Premise The first season begins on November 6, 1983, in a small town called Hawkins. Researchers at Hawkins National Laboratory open a rift to the "Upside Down," an alternate dimension that reflects the real world. A monstrous humanoid creature escapes and abducts a boy named Will Byers and a teenage girl. Will's mother, Joyce, and the town's police chief, Jim Hopper, search for Will. At the same time, a young psychokinetic girl who goes by the name "Eleven" escapes from the laboratory and assists Will's friends, Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson, and Lucas Sinclair, in their efforts to find Will.[1] Cast and characters See also: List of Stranger Things characters Main cast Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers[2] David Harbour as Jim Hopper[2] Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler[3] Millie Bobby Brown[3] as Eleven ("El") Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson[3] Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair[3] Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler[3] Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers[3][4][5] Cara Buono as Karen Wheeler[6] Matthew Modine as Martin Brenner[7] Recurring Noah Schnapp as Will Byers Joe Keery as Steve Harrington Shannon Purser as Barbara "Barb" Holland[8] Joe Chrest as Ted Wheeler Ross Partridge as Lonnie Byers[9] Rob Morgan as Officer Powell John Paul Reynolds as Officer Callahan Randy Havens as Scott Clarke Catherine Dyer as Connie Frazier Aimee Mullins as Terry Ives[10] Amy Seimetz as Becky Ives Peyton Wich as Troy[11] Tony Vaughn as Principal Coleman Charles Lawlor as Mr. Melvald Tinsley and Anniston Price as Holly Wheeler Cade Jones as James Chester Rushing as Tommy H. Chelsea Talmadge as Carol Glennellen Anderson as Nicole Cynthia Barrett as Marsha Holland Jerri Tubbs as Diane Hopper Elle Graham as Sara Hopper Chris Sullivan as Benny Hammond Tobias Jelinek as lead agent Robert Walker-Branchaud as repairman agent Susan Shalhoub Larkin as Florence ("Flo") Episodes See also: List of Stranger Things episodes No. overall No. in season Title Directed by Written by Original release date 1 1 "Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers" The Duffer Brothers The Duffer Brothers July 15, 2016 On November 6, 1983, in Hawkins, Indiana, a scientist is attacked by an unseen creature at a U.S. government laboratory. 12-year-old Will Byers encounters the creature and mysteriously vanishes while cycling home from a Dungeons & Dragons session with his friends Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson and Lucas Sinclair. The following day, Will's single mother Joyce Byers reports his disappearance to the police chief Jim Hopper, who starts a search but assures Joyce that almost all missing children are quickly found. The lab's director, Dr. Martin Brenner, investigates an organic substance oozing from the lab's basement, claiming that "the girl" cannot have gone far. A nervous young girl wearing a hospital gown wanders into a local diner. The owner, Benny, finds a tattoo of "011" on her arm and learns that her name is Eleven. Brenner, monitoring the phone lines, sends agents to the diner after Benny calls social services. The agents kill Benny, but Eleven manages to escape using telekinetic abilities. Joyce's phone short circuits after receiving a mysterious phone call that she believes is from Will. While searching for Will in the woods, Mike, Dustin, and Lucas come across Eleven. 2 2 "Chapter Two: The Weirdo on Maple Street" The Duffer Brothers The Duffer Brothers July 15, 2016 The boys bring Eleven to Mike's house, where they disagree on what to do. Mike formulates a plan for Eleven to pretend to be a runaway and seek help from his mother, Karen. Eleven refuses, however, revealing that "bad men" are after her. Will's brother Jonathan visits his estranged father Lonnie in Indianapolis to search for Will, but Lonnie rebuffs him. Hopper's search party discovers a scrap of hospital gown near the lab. After recognizing Will in a photograph and demonstrating her telekinesis, Eleven convinces the boys to trust her, as they believe she can find Will. Using the Dungeons & Dragons board, Eleven indicates that Will is on the "Upside Down" side of the board and is being hunted by the "Demogorgon" (the creature). Mike's sister Nancy and her friend Barbara 'Barb' Holland go to a party with Nancy's boyfriend Steve Harrington. Searching for Will near Steve's house, Jonathan secretly photographs the party. Joyce receives another call from Will, hears music playing from his stereo, and sees a creature coming through the wall. Left alone by the swimming pool, Barb is attacked by the Demogorgon and vanishes. 3 3 "Chapter Three: Holly, Jolly" Shawn Levy Jessica Mecklenburg July 15, 2016 Barb awakens in the Upside Down: a decaying, overgrown alternate dimension. She attempts to escape but is attacked by the Demogorgon. Joyce believes Will is communicating through pulses in light bulbs. Hopper visits Hawkins Lab, and the staff permits him to view doctored security footage from the night Will vanished, leading Hopper to investigate Brenner and discover his involvement with Project MKUltra and that a woman named Terry Ives alleged years earlier that Brenner took her daughter. Eleven recalls Brenner, whom she calls "Papa," punishing her for refusing to hurt a cat telekinetically. Steve destroys Jonathan's camera after discovering the photos from the party. Nancy later recovers a photo of Barb, simultaneously realizing that Barb is missing. Returning to Steve's house to investigate, Nancy finds Barb's untouched Volkswagen and encounters the Demogorgon but manages to escape. Joyce paints an alphabetic board on her wall with Christmas lights, allowing Will to sign to her that he is "RIGHT HERE" and that she needs to "RUN" as the Demogorgon comes through the wall. Believing Eleven knows where Will is, the boys ask her to lead them to him. Eleven leads them, to their frustration, to Will's house. From there they follow emergency vehicles to a nearby quarry just as Will's body is recovered from the water. 4 4 "Chapter Four: The Body" Shawn Levy Justin Doble July 15, 2016 Joyce refuses to believe that the body found at the quarry is Will's. Mike feels betrayed by Eleven until she proves that Will is still alive, channeling his voice through Mike's walkie-talkie. The boys theorize that Eleven could use a ham radio at their school to communicate with Will. Nancy notices a figure behind Barb in Jonathan's photo, which Jonathan realizes matches his mother's description of the Demogorgon. Nancy tells the police about Barb's disappearance. She later fights with Steve, who only cares about not getting in trouble with his father. Hopper has suspicions regarding the authenticity of the body found in the quarry when he learns that the usual coroner was sent home. Hopper confronts the state trooper who found it and beats him until he admits he was ordered to lie. The boys sneak Eleven into their school to use the radio, while Joyce hears Will's voice through her living room wall. Tearing away the wallpaper, she sees him. Eleven uses the radio to channel Will talking to his mother. Hopper goes to the morgue and finds that the body is a fake, and, suspecting that Brenner is responsible, breaks into the lab. 5 5 "Chapter Five: The Flea and the Acrobat" The Duffer Brothers Alison Tatlock July 15, 2016 Hopper searches the lab before being knocked out by the lab's guards. The boys ask their science teacher, Mr. Clarke, if it would be possible to travel between alternate dimensions, to which he answers that there could be a theoretical "gate" between dimensions. Hopper awakens at his house and finds a hidden microphone, realizing that Joyce was right the whole time. The boys follow their compasses, searching for a gate that could disrupt the Earth's electromagnetic field. Eleven recalls memories of being placed in a sensory-deprivation tank to telepathically eavesdrop on a man speaking Russian; while listening, she came across the Demogorgon. Fearing another encounter with the Demogorgon, Eleven redirects the compasses. Lucas misinterprets this as an act of betrayal, leading Mike and Lucas to fight and Eleven to telekinetically fling Lucas away from Mike. While Dustin and Mike tend to the unconscious Lucas, Eleven runs off. Nancy and Jonathan formulate a plan to kill the Demogorgon. While searching in the woods, they come across a small gate to the Upside Down. Nancy crawls through it but inadvertently draws the Demogorgon's attention. Jonathan unsuccessfully tries to look for Nancy, as the gate to the Upside Down begins to close. 6 6 "Chapter Six: The Monster" The Duffer Brothers Jessie Nickson-Lopez July 15, 2016 Jonathan pulls Nancy back through the gate. That night, Nancy is afraid to be alone and asks Jonathan to stay in her bedroom. Steve, attempting to reconcile with Nancy, sees them together through her bedroom window and assumes they are dating. Joyce and Hopper track down Terry Ives, who is catatonic and tended by her sister Becky. Becky explains that Terry was a Project MKUltra participant while unknowingly pregnant and that Terry believes Brenner kidnapped her daughter Jane at birth due to her supposed telekinetic and telepathic abilities. Nancy and Jonathan stockpile weapons to kill the Demogorgon, theorizing that it is attracted by blood. Steve is brutally beaten up in a fistfight with Jonathan after he insults Will and calls Nancy a slut. Jonathan is arrested and held at the police station for beating up Steve and inadvertently punching one of the responding officers in the face. Eleven walks into a grocery store and shoplifts several boxes of Eggo waffles. Searching for Eleven, Mike and Dustin are ambushed by two bullies but are rescued by her, as she uses her powers to break one bully's arm after he attempts to kill Mike. Eleven collapses and recalls being asked by Brenner to contact the Demogorgon and, in her terror, inadvertently opening the gate. She tearfully admits to Mike that she is responsible for allowing the Demogorgon to enter this dimension. Lucas sees agents, who have tracked down Eleven, preparing to ambush Mike's house. 7 7 "Chapter Seven: The Bathtub" The Duffer Brothers Justin Doble July 15, 2016 Lucas warns Mike that agents are searching for Eleven. Mike, Dustin, and Eleven flee the house. Eleven telekinetically flips one of the vans that block their path as the kids escape. Lucas reconciles with Mike and Eleven, and the kids hide in the junkyard. Nancy and Jonathan reveal their knowledge of the Demogorgon to Joyce and Hopper. Hopper also learns that Eleven is with the kids. The group contacts the kids, and everyone meets at the Byers' house. Joyce and Hopper realize that Eleven is Jane Ives. The group asks Eleven to search for Will and Barb telepathically, but her earlier feats have weakened her. They break into the middle school and build a makeshift sensory deprivation tank to amplify Eleven's powers. After telepathically entering the Upside Down again, Eleven finds Barb dead and Will alive, hiding in the Upside Down version of his backyard fort. Realizing that the gate is in the basement of the lab, Hopper and Joyce break into the lab and are apprehended by security guards. Nancy and Jonathan sneak into the police station to retrieve the weapons they purchased previously, planning to lure and kill the Demogorgon. In the Upside Down, the Demogorgon breaks into Will's fort. 8 8 "Chapter Eight: The Upside Down" The Duffer Brothers Story by : Paul Dichter Teleplay by : The Duffer Brothers July 15, 2016 Hopper, haunted by the death of his daughter Sara from cancer years earlier, gives up Eleven's location to Brenner, who in exchange allows Hopper and Joyce to enter the Upside Down to rescue Will. Nancy and Jonathan cut their hands to attract the Demogorgon at the Byers' house. Steve, intending to apologize to Jonathan about their fight, arrives just as the Demogorgon appears. Steve, Nancy, and Jonathan fight the Demogorgon and light it on fire, forcing it to retreat to the Upside Down. Meanwhile, Eleven and the boys hide in the middle school when Brenner and his agents arrive to kidnap Eleven; she kills most of them before collapsing from exhaustion. As Brenner and his remaining agents pin Eleven and the boys down, the Demogorgon appears, attracted by the dead agents' blood, and attacks Brenner and the remaining agents as the boys escape with Eleven. Hopper and Joyce enter the Upside Down's version of the Hawkins library, where they encounter several corpses of the Demogorgon's victims, including Barb, and find Will unconscious with a tendril down his throat. Hopper revives him using CPR after removing the tendril. The Demogorgon corners the kids, but Eleven recovers from her exhaustion and disintegrates it, causing them both to disappear. Will recovers in the hospital, reuniting with his family and friends. One month later, it is Christmas and Nancy is back together with Steve, and both are friends with Jonathan. Will coughs up a slug-like creature and has a vision of the Upside Down, but hides this from his family. Production Development Ross (left) and Matt Duffer, the creators of the series Stranger Things was created by Matt and Ross Duffer, known professionally as the Duffer Brothers.[12] The two had completed writing and producing their 2015 film Hidden, which they had tried to emulate the style of M. Night Shyamalan, however, due to changes at Warner Bros., its distributor, the film did not see a wide release and the Duffers were unsure of their future.[13] To their surprise, television producer Donald De Line approached them, impressed with Hidden's script, and offered them the opportunity to work on episodes of Wayward Pines alongside Shyamalan. The brothers were mentored by Shyamalan during the episode's production so that when they finished, they felt they were ready to produce their own television series.[14] The Duffer Brothers prepared a script that would essentially be similar to the series' actual pilot episode, along with a 20-page pitch book to help shop the series around for a network.[15] They pitched the story to a number of cable networks, all of which rejected the script on the basis that they felt a plot centered around children as leading characters would not work, asking them to make it a children's show or to drop the children and focus on Hopper's investigation in the paranormal.[14] In early 2015, Dan Cohen, the VP of 21 Laps Entertainment, brought the script to his colleague Shawn Levy. They subsequently invited The Duffer Brothers to their office and purchased the rights for the series, giving full authorship of it to the brothers. After reading the pilot, the streaming service Netflix purchased the whole season for an undisclosed amount;[16] the show was subsequently announced for a planned 2016 release by Netflix in early April 2015.[17] The Duffer Brothers stated that at the time they had pitched to Netflix, the service had already been recognized for its original programming, such as House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black, with well-recognized producers behind them, and were ready to start giving upcoming producers like them a chance.[15] The brothers started to write out the series and brought Levy and Cohen in as executive producers to start casting and filming.[18] The series was originally known as Montauk, as the setting of the script was in Montauk, New York and nearby Long Beach locations.[17][19] The brothers had chosen Montauk as it had further Spielberg ties with the film Jaws, where Montauk was used for the fictional setting of Amity Island.[20] After deciding to change the narrative of the series to take place in the fictional town of Hawkins instead, the brothers felt they could now do things to the town, such as placing it under quarantine, that they really could not envision with a real location.[20] With the change in location, they had to come up with a new title for the series under the direction from Netflix's Ted Sarandos so that they could start marketing it to the public. The brothers started by using a copy of Stephen King's Firestarter novel to consider the title's font and appearance and came up with a long list of potential alternatives. Stranger Things came about as it sounded similar to another King novel, Needful Things, though Matt noted they still had a "lot of heated arguments" over this final title.[21] Writing The idea of Stranger Things started with how the brothers felt they could take the concept of the 2013 film Prisoners, detailing the moral struggles a father goes through when his daughter is kidnapped, and expand it out over eight or so hours in a serialized television approach. As they focused on the missing child aspect of the story, they wanted to introduce the idea of "childlike sensibilities" they could offer and toyed around with the idea of a monster that could consume humans. The brothers thought the combination of these things "was the best thing ever". To introduce this monster into the narrative, they considered "bizarre experiments we had read about taking place in the Cold War" such as Project MKUltra, which gave a way to ground the monster's existence in science rather than something spiritual. This also helped them to decide on using 1983 as the time period, as it was a year before the film Red Dawn came out, which focused on Cold War paranoia.[14] Subsequently, they were able to use all their own personal inspirations from the 1980s, the decade they were born, as elements of the series,[14][22] crafting it in the realm of science fiction and horror.[23] The Duffer Brothers have cited as influence for the show (among others): Stephen King novels; films produced by Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Robert Zemeckis, George Lucas and Guillermo del Toro; films such as Alien and Stand by Me; Japanese anime such as Akira and Elfen Lied; and video games such as Silent Hill and The Last of Us.[21][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31] With Netflix as the platform, The Duffer Brothers were not limited to a typical 22-episode format, opting for the eight-episode approach. They had been concerned that a 22-episode season on broadcast television would be difficult to "tell a cinematic story" with that many episodes. Eight episodes allowed them to give time to characterization in addition to narrative development; if they had less time available, they would have had to remain committed to telling a horror film as soon as the monster was introduced and abandon the characterization.[15] Within the eight episodes, the brothers aimed to make the first season "feel like a big movie" with all the major plot lines completed so that "the audience feels satisfied", but left enough unresolved to indicate "there's a bigger mythology, and there's a lot of dangling threads at the end", something that could be explored in further seasons if Netflix opted to create more.[32] While explaining their intentions for the show, the Duffers adamantly stated their intentions to not explain the mythology in the show so they could leave a mystery and lot for the audience to speculate over their lack of understanding by the season finale, which they accepted but asked to be explained about at the very least, which they found like a really good exercise as they spent quite a bit of time with their writers' room figuring out exactly what the Upside Down would actually consist for, writing a 20-page mythology document whose details wouldn't be clarified for the audience until the show's fifth and final season.[33] Regarding writing for the children characters of the series, The Duffer Brothers considered themselves as outcasts from other students while in high school and thus found it easy to write for Mike Wheeler and his friends, and particularly for Barbara "Barb" Holland.[21] Joyce Byers was fashioned after Richard Dreyfuss's character Roy Neary in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, as she appears "absolutely bonkers" to everyone else as she tries to find her son Will Byers.[34] Other characters, such as Billy in the second season, have more villainous attributes that are not necessarily obvious from the onset; Matt explained that they took further inspiration from Stephen King for these characters, as King "always has really great human villains" that may be more malicious than the supernatural evil.[35] Casting The Duffers cast David Harbour as Sheriff Hopper believing this was his opportunity to play a lead character in a work. In June 2015, it was announced that Winona Ryder and David Harbour had joined the series as Joyce and as the unnamed chief of police, respectively.[2] The brothers' casting director Carmen Cuba had suggested Ryder for the role of Joyce, which the two were immediately drawn to because of her prominence in 1980s films.[14] Levy believed Ryder could "wretch up the emotional urgency and yet find layers and nuance and different sides of [Joyce]". Ryder praised that the show's multiple storylines required her to act for Joyce as "she's out of her mind, but she's actually kind of onto something", and that the producers had faith she could pull off the difficult role.[36] Upon being offered the role, Ryder felt intrigued at being given the pilot's script due to know knowing what streaming was and finding it "terrifying", with her sole condition to the Duffers for accepting the role being that, if a Beetlejuice sequel ever materialized as she and Tim Burton had been discussing since 2000, they had to let her take a break to shoot it, a condition the Duffers agreed and ultimately proved to work out when Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was greenlighted years later.[37] The Duffer Brothers had been interested in Harbour before, who until Stranger Things primarily had smaller roles as villainous characters, and they felt that he had been "waiting too long for this opportunity" to play a lead, while Harbour himself was thrilled by the script and the chance to play "a broken, flawed, anti-hero character".[21][38] Additional casting followed two months later with Finn Wolfhard as Mike, Millie Bobby Brown in an undisclosed role, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, and Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers]].[3] In September 2015, Cara Buono joined the cast as Karen Wheeler,[6] followed by Matthew Modine as Martin Brenner a month later.[7] Additional cast who recur for the first season include Noah Schnapp as Will,[3][5] Shannon Purser as Barbara "Barb" Holland,[8] Joe Keery as Steve Harrington,[39][5] and Ross Partridge as Lonnie Byers,[9] among others. Actors auditioning for the children's roles read lines from Stand By Me.[14] The Duffer Brothers estimated they went through about a thousand different child actors for the roles. They noted that Wolfhard was already "a movie buff" of the films from the 1980s period and easily filled the role, while they found Matarazzo's audition to be much more authentic than most of the other audition tapes, and selected him after a single viewing of his audition tape.[15] As casting was started immediately after Netflix greenlit the show, and prior to the scripts being fully completed, this allowed some of the actors' takes on the roles to reflect into the script. The casting of the young actors for Will and his friends had been done just after the first script was completed, and subsequent scripts incorporated aspects from these actors.[32] The brothers said Modine provided significant input on the character of Dr. Brenner, whom they had not really fleshed out before as they considered him the hardest character to write for given his limited appearances within the narrative.[34] Filming The brothers had desired to film the series around the Long Island area to match the initial Montauk concept. However, with filming scheduled to take place in November 2015, it was difficult to shoot in Long Island in the cold weather, and the production started scouting locations in and around the Atlanta, Georgia area. The brothers, who grew up in North Carolina, found many places that reminded them of their own childhoods in that area, and felt the area would work well with the narrative shift to the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana.[20] The filming of the first season began on September 25, 2015, and was extensively done in Atlanta, Georgia, with The Duffer Brothers and Levy handling the direction of individual episodes.[40] Jackson served as the basis of the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana.[41][42] Other shooting locations included the Georgia Mental Health Institute as the Hawkins National Laboratory site, Bellwood Quarry, Patrick Henry High School in Stockbridge, Georgia, for the middle and high school scenes,[43] Emory University's Continuing Education Department, the former city hall in Douglasville, Georgia, Georgia International Horse Park, the probate court in Butts County, Georgia, Old East Point Library and East Point First Baptist Church in East Point, Georgia, Fayetteville, Georgia, Stone Mountain Park, Palmetto, Georgia, and Winston, Georgia.[44] Set work was done at Screen Gem Studios in Atlanta.[44] The series was filmed with a Red Dragon digital camera.[34] Filming for the first season concluded in early 2016.[41] While filming, the brothers tried to capture shots that could be seen as homages to many of the 1980s references they recalled. Their goal was not necessarily to fill the work with these references, but instead to make the series seem to the viewer like a 1980s film.[21] They spent little time reviewing those works and instead went by memory. Matt further recognized that some of their filming homages were not purposely done but were found to be very comparable, as highlighted by a fan-made video comparing the show to several 1980s works side by side.[14][45] Matt commented on the video that "Some were deliberate and some were subconscious."[14] The brothers recognized that many of the iconic scenes from these 1980s films, such as with Poltergeist, was about "taking a very ordinary object that people deal with every day, their television set, and imbuing it with something otherworldly", leading to the idea of using the Christmas light strings for Will to communicate with Joyce.[21] The brothers attributed much of the 1980s feel to set and costume designers and the soundtrack composers that helped to recreate the era for them.[14] Lynda Reiss, the head of props, had about a $220,000 budget, similar to most films, to acquire artifacts of the 1980s, using eBay and searching through flea markets and estate sales around the Atlanta area. The bulk of the props were original items from the 1980s with only a few pieces, such as the Dungeons & Dragons books made as replicas.[46] Visual effects To create the aged effect for the series, a film grain was added over the footage, which was captured by scanning in film stock from the 1980s.[34] The Duffers wanted to scare the audience, but not to necessarily make the show violent or gory, following in line with how the 1980s Amblin Entertainment films drove the creation of the PG-13 movie rating. It was "much more about mood and atmosphere and suspense and dread than they are about gore", though they were not afraid to push into more scary elements, particularly towards the end of the first season.[34] The brothers had wanted to avoid any computer-generated effects for the monster and other parts of the series and stay with practical effects. However, the six-month filming time left them little time to plan out and test practical effects rigs for some of the shots. They went with a middle ground of using constructed props including one for the monster whenever they could, but for other shots, such as when the monster bursts through a wall, they opted to use digital effects. Post-production on the first season was completed the week before it was released on Netflix.[14] The title sequence uses closeups of the letters in the Stranger Things title with a red tint against a black background as they slide into place within the title. The sequence was created by the studio Imaginary Forces, formerly part of R/GA, led by creative director Michelle Doughtey.[47] Levy introduced the studio to The Duffer Brothers, who explained their vision of the 1980s-inspired show, which helped the studio to fix the concept the producers wanted. Later, but prior to filming, the producers sent Imaginary Forces the pilot script, the synth-heavy background music for the titles, as well as the various book covers from King and other authors that they had used to establish the title and imagery, and were looking for a similar approach for the show's titles, primarily using a typographical sequence. They took inspiration from several title sequences of works from the 1980s that were previously designed by Richard Greenberg under R/GA, such as Altered States and The Dead Zone. They also got input from Dan Perri, who worked on the title credits of several 1980s films. Various iterations included having letters vanish, to reflect the "missing" theme of the show, and having letters cast shadows on others, alluding to the mysteries, before settling into the sliding letters. The studio began working on the title sequence before filming and took about a month off during the filming process to let the producers get immersed in the show and come back with more input. Initially, they had been working with various fonts for the title and used close-ups of the best features of these fonts, but near the end the producers wanted to work with ITC Benguiat, requiring them to rework those shots. The final sequence is fully computer-generated, but they took inspiration from testing some practical effects, such as using Kodalith masks as would have been done in the 1980s, to develop the appropriate filters for the rendering software. The individual episode title cards used a "fly-through" approach, similar to the film Bullitt, which the producers had suggested to the studio.[48] Music Main articles: Music of Stranger Things and Stranger Things (soundtrack) The Stranger Things original soundtrack was composed by Michael Stein and Kyle Dixon of the electronic band Survive.[49] It makes extensive use of synthesizers in homage to 1980s artists and film composers including Jean-Michel Jarre, Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, Goblin, John Carpenter, Giorgio Moroder, and Fabio Frizzi.[50] According to Stein and Dixon, The Duffer Brothers had been fans of Survive's music, and used their song "Dirge" for the mock trailer that was used to sell the show to Netflix.[49][51] Once the show was green-lit, the Duffers contacted Survive around July 2015 to ask if they were still doing music; the two provided the production team with dozens of songs from their band's past to gain their interest, helping to land them the role.[49] Once aboard, the two worked with producers to select some of their older music to rework for the show, while developing new music, principally with character motifs.[51] The two had been hired before the casting process, so their motif demos were used and played over the actors' audition tapes, aiding in the casting selection.[51][52] The show's theme is based on an unused work Stein composed much earlier that ended up in the library of work they shared with the production staff, who thought that with some reworking would be good for the opening credits.[49] The first season's original soundtrack, consisting of 75 songs from Dixon and Stein split across two volumes, was released by Lakeshore Records. Digital release and streaming options were released on August 10 and 19, 2016 for the two volumes, respectively, while retail versions were available on September 16 and 23, 2016.[53][54] In addition to original music, Stranger Things features period music from artists including The Clash, Toto, New Order, The Bangles, Foreigner, Echo and the Bunnymen, Peter Gabriel and Corey Hart, as well as excerpts from Tangerine Dream, John Carpenter and Vangelis.[54][55] In particular, The Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go" was specifically picked to play at pivotal moments of the story, such as when Will is trying to communicate with Joyce from the Upside Down.[54] Music supervisor Nora Felder felt the song "furthered the story" and called it an additional, unseen, main character of the season.[56]
Did we record this episode in October? Yes, yes we did. But who cares cause it is out now! After playing some catch up, we are back to a regular schedule and that begins with the release of the end of year episodes from 2025. First is this episode where we contractually discuss a Steven Spielberg film, in 2005's "War of the Worlds." Along with some new beers, almost all of which were good, fun trivia and an odd Freudian slip, we think you will enjoy this one as much as we do.Thanks for your support and find us on the web at 20years4beers.com for more!Support the show
In this solo episode of the American Dream Factory podcast, Nick Smoot explores a simple but powerful idea that keeps people stuck. Waiting.Waiting for permission.Waiting for perfection.Waiting for someone else to go first.Nick shares a personal story about solving a ridiculous traffic problem with a bucket of yellow paint and a little courage, and how that small act quietly changed behavior for hundreds of people and eventually the city itself.This episode is a reminder that cities do not change because of committees alone. They change when ordinary people take responsibility for the problems they see and act on them.If you feel lonely, disconnected, or frustrated with your city, this conversation is for you.Why waiting for permission keeps cities stagnantHow perfection becomes an excuse to avoid meaningful actionA real story of grassroots problem-solving that actually workedWhy no one will ever invite you to build the world you seeTaking responsibility for the chaos you notice around youCreating beauty, value, and order through small actionsWhy community begins with initiative, not authorityYou do not need permission to care about your city.You do not need perfection to get started.The gap between the life you want and the impact you could have is often one small action.Nick also shares how Build helps people take action together. Build is a community platform where you can:Post projects you are working onShare challenges your city needs solvedCreate events and third-place hubsList skills you want to learn or contributeGet introduced to people nearby through AI-powered matchingLearn more at buildcities.comNick invites listeners to the upcoming Build Summit on January 16–17, featuring two legendary mentors:Flint DilleWorld-builder, storyteller, and creator behind iconic universes including work with Steven Spielberg, Pokémon Go, Transformers, G.I. Joe, and Chronicles of Riddick. Flint will lead a workshop on world building, games, and creative storytelling.Amish PatelInventor, technologist, and venture builder whose work includes the Xbox controller, smartwatch sensor technology, and advanced robotic surgery systems. Amish will teach a workshop on venture capital and what is investable in 2026.The summit includes workshops, fireside chats, pitch sessions, community-voted micro-grants, and time to connect with builders working on real projects.Website: buildcities.comEmail Nick: nick@buildcities.comIf this episode resonated, subscribe, share it with someone who needs encouragement, and take one small action this week that creates beauty and value in your city.The world does not need more spectators.It needs builders.If this episode resonated, subscribe, share it with someone who needs encouragement, and take one small action this week that creates beauty and value in your city.The world does not need more spectators.It needs builders.
The Mikes make 10 bold predictions for 2026. We talk about Oscars, Box Office, the industry, celebrities and movie stars and much more. 10: The Netflix / WB Deal is just the beginning of consolidation - 3:56 9: Domestic Year End Numbers Predictions for 2026 - 8:27 8: A prediction on Tentpole Box Office Number for ‘26 films - 10:40 7: This Genre will have a major comeback in 2026 - 16:32 6: A prediction on AI - 24:20 5: Predicting WHEN the 99th Oscars' Best Picture 10 will be released - 27:25 4: A Scream VII deathpool - 35:42 3: 2026 will be a huge year for THIS actor - 40:31 2: 2026 will be a huge year for THIS filmmaker - 46:48 1: Finally, a major prediction for this year's Oscars - 50:53 NOTE: we recorded this episode before Christmas. Although there hasn't been anything to derail our presentations here, we did get some updated movie titles. Steven Spielberg's The Dish was retitled Disclosure Day, and Innarritu's Judy with Tom Cruise was retitled “Digger.” OUTRO: Stay tuned to our feed for more Oscars Profiles reviewing the contending films, get ready for many more Oscar Race Checkpoints reacting to the latest news from awards season and we certainly hope to book many more special guests. If you enjoy our work, please rate & review, like & subscribe and tell your friends and family about our show. Thanks for the support.
What is “America” not only as a political entity but in our imagination? How can we properly envision America, without repeating clichés that frame America as either reactionary or revolutionary, repressive or liberatory? I spoke with Eyal Peretz about his book American Medium, which looks at Hollywood to re-imagine the concept of "America" through the medium of film. By considering six fundamental American movies: John Ford's Young Mr. Lincoln and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather, Steven Spielberg's West Side Story, and Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation and Marie Antoinette, Peretz explains how these films do more than represent America and envision a new way to ground human life in our secular age. Eyal Peretz is Professor of Comparative Literature at Indiana University and the author of seminal books on Melville, de Palma, Diderot, da Vinci, as well as film, art, and philosophy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
In this Need to Know year-end special, Bryce Zabel and Richard Dolan look back at 2025 as a year defined less by breakthroughs and more by normalization, confusion, and institutional digestion of the UAP issue. They revisit major moments including congressional hearings, the drone wave that flared and faded without resolution, the rise and limits of documentaries like Age of Disclosure, and high-profile figures such as Marco Rubio and Lue Elizondo. A recurring theme is the paradox of progress without clarity: more official attention, more testimony, more media coverage, yet no decisive evidence or conceptual resolution, leaving the public both validated and frustrated  Looking ahead to 2026, both hosts express skepticism that traditional disclosure is imminent. Dolan argues the phenomenon is being absorbed into bureaucracy as a permanent governance issue rather than treated as a mystery to be solved, while Zabel points to culture as the real accelerator, especially with Steven Spielberg's upcoming film Disclosure Day potentially shaping public perception more than government action. Together, they suggest the future of the UFO question may hinge not on official revelation, but on cultural shifts, independent research, and the possibility of an undeniable event that forces the issue into the open.
Join us for our annual box office preview episode, as we look ahead to some of the most anticipated movies and biggest potential hits of 2026. We start our analysis with discussion on a difficult Q1 with few titles poised to become major hits. Our Q2 conversation highlights titles like The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, The Mandalorian and Grogu, Toy Story 5, Supergirl, and Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day. Q3 should be the best quarter of the year with a monster month of July, where Minions 3, Moana, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey should combine to lift the box office to new heights. We close our discussion with Q4 titles like Jumanji 3, The Cat in the Hat, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, Dune 3, and Avengers: Doomsday..Give us your feedback on our podcast by accessing this survey: https://forms.gle/CcuvaXCEpgPLQ6d18
Darkness Radio presents Supernatural News/Parashare: Scary Christmas 2025 Edition with Jessica Freeburg! This Week, Reports of UFOs over a Wyoming power plant continue to endure, There is harrowing video of a Black Eyed Kid haunting a creepy UK forest! A woman who dies for 3 minutes felt a "big thing" dissolve away, but totally knows why it is gone! And, The Grinch is loose and is wreaking havoc on a school full of children! Steven Spielberg's new movie Disclosure Day comes out next summer, but the trailer is out NOW! Check out the trailer here: https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/392977/disclosure-day-spielbergs-new-ufo-movie-trailer-has-dropped# A Florida Man in a car crash tell cops he "teleported" into the vehicle! Check out the body cam footage here: https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/393032/florida-man-in-car-crash-tells-cops-he-teleported-into-the-vehicle# Harrowing video of a chilling Black Eyed Kid in a haunting creepy UK forest has surfaced! Watch the video here: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/harrowing-video-chilling-black-eyed-36374244 Check out Jessica Freeburg's website and get tickets to her events here: https://jessicafreeburg.com/upcoming-events/ and check out Jess on Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jessicafreeburgwrites There are new and different (and really cool) items all the time in the Darkness Radio Online store at our website! . check out the Darkness Radio Store! https://www.darknessradioshow.com/store/ Make sure you update your Darkness Radio Apple Apps! and subscribe to the Darkness Radio You Tube page: https://www.youtube.com/@DRTimDennis #paranormal #supernatural #paranormalpodcasts #darknessradio #timdennis #jessicafreeburg #paranormalauthor #supernaturalnews #parashare #ghosts #spirits #hauntings #hauntedhouses #haunteddolls #demons #supernaturalsex #deliverances #exorcisms #paranormalinvestigation #ghosthunters #Psychics #tarot #ouija #Aliens #UFO #UAP #Extraterrestrials #alienhumanhybrid #alienabduction #alienimplant #Alienspaceships #disclosure #shadowpeople #AATIP #DIA #Cryptids #Cryptozoology #bigfoot #sasquatch #yeti #abominablesnowman #ogopogo #lochnessmonster #chupacabra #beastofbrayroad #mothman #artificialintelligence #AI #NASA #CIA #FBI #conspiracytheory #neardeatheexperience
Group Chat News is back with the biggest stories of the week including more information on the "freeport" loophole story from the last pod, President Trump says anyone who disagrees with him will "never" be Fed Chairman, Telegram founder Pavel Durov says he will cover IVF costs for women under 37 who want to use his donated sperm, and has promised his offspring a share of his fortune, Saks Global doesn't rule out bankruptcy, the Honest company to halt DTC sales, shutter mobile app, Steven Spielberg refused to work with Ben Affleck because of pool fight on a family vacation, filmmaker claims, consumers power strongest U.S. economic growth in two years, the Chiefs' new stadium in Kansas, and everyones favorite WINNERS LOSERS CONTENT
Dr. Jacques Vallée seems to have a talent for being in the right place at the right time. He was a newcomer at a French observatory when he saw evidence of a UFO incident being tossed aside, and it ignited a lifelong interest in the phenomenon. He was at Northwestern University working on a precursor version of what evolved into the internet, earned his PhD in what we now know as artificial intelligence. And he was on the ground in Silicon Valley, guiding investments in companies and ideas that revolutionized modern technology. Throughout the different phases of his life, he's maintained an abiding interest in the UFO mystery. His work inspired the Lacombe character in Steven Spielberg's monumental film Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Vallée worked hand in hand with Dr. J. Allen Hynek during and after the infamous Project Blue Book program, has written the most influential books in the history of the UFO subject, was directly involved with research that led to classified projects to train remote viewers, and later had an essential role in Robert Bigelow's groundbreaking organization (NIDS) as well as the DIA's classified investigation AAWSAP. So, what is he focusing on these days? Is a form of disclosure on the way? Can Congress force the secret keepers to divulge what they know? Vallée has acknowledged that UFO crashes are real, as are crash retrieval operations, but where are the retrieved articles stored and studied, including the Trinity craft he spent years investigating? In this wide-ranging interview, Jeremy and George ask Ufology's most serious thinker and writer to address the thorniest issues now facing Congress, the public, and science itself in trying to understand the multiple layers of secrecy and confusion that continue to befuddle scientists, governments, and everyone with a serious interest in figuring out the truth. Dr. Vallée also describes the most significant roadblocks that remain today, and offers advice on how we might move forward. The conversation is long, complex, and serious, much like Vallée himself. GOT A TIP? Reach out to us at WeaponizedPodcast@Proton.me ••• Watch Corbell's six-part UFO docuseries titled UFO REVOLUTION on TUBI here : https://tubitv.com/series/300002259/tmz-presents-ufo-revolution/season-2 Watch Knapp's six-part UFO docuseries titled INVESTIGATION ALIEN on NETFLIX here : https://netflix.com/title/81674441 ••• You can now watch all of Corbell's movies for free on YouTube here : BOB LAZAR : AREA 51 & FLYING SAUCERS https://youtu.be/sZaE5rIavVA HUNT FOR THE SKINWALKER https://youtu.be/TczkJ6UAQ8A PATIENT SEVENTEEN https://youtu.be/gDVX0kRqXxE ••• For breaking news, follow Corbell & Knapp on all social media. Extras and bonuses from the episode can be found at WeaponizedPodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This week on PREVIOUSLY ON…, Jason and Rosie break down the backlash from Marvel fans who demanded refunds after Avatar: Fire & Ash screenings failed to include the long-awaited Avengers: Doomsday teaser trailer. They discuss what was actually shown in the first of four reportedly planned teasers, then turn to newly released trailers for the Hugh Jackman murder mystery The Sheep Detectives and Steven Spielberg’s upcoming sci-fi film Disclosure Day. The episode also includes an update on the tragic murders of director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Reiner, and concludes with Rosie’s interview with writer Nathan Gelgud, who shares his picks for holiday gifts. Follow Jason: IG & Bluesky Follow Rosie: IG & Letterboxd Follow X-Ray Vision on Instagram Join the X-Ray Vision DiscordSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sean and Amanda start the show by reacting to the news that the Oscars broadcast will move to YouTube in 2029, and debate whether or not it's a good move (1:48). Then, they react to the new trailer for Steven Spielberg's science fiction film, ‘Disclosure Day' starring Josh O'Connor and Emily Blunt (12:46). Next, they dive into one of the year's most anticipated films with James Cameron's blockbuster sequel ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash'. They celebrate its breathtaking action set pieces, criticize its slow pacing, which they felt dragged the movie down, and explain why it's a real “you're mileage may vary” type of movie (15:36). Finally, they cover the Oscars short list (43:45) and take stock of what's rising and falling, before building their final Best Picture Power Rankings of 2025 (1:00:38). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producers: Jack Sanders and Chris Thomas Shopping. Streaming. Celebrating. It's on Prime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices