Episode 52: Netflix Original Movies - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

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In Episode 52, Josh kicks things off with a song and gives a non-spoiler review of Toy Story 4 (it was good but not great). In the Snack Bag, we talk about “Old Town Road’s” dominance on the Billboard Hot 100 (can anything dethrone it?) and the fact that The Office is leaving Netflix at the end of 2020. 

In the Premiere Topic, we are talking all about Netflix original films - the good, the bad, the positive and the negative.

PLUS, in our teasers, Josh recommends a YouTube series from Vox and Maureen suggests a Netflix original series on the food industry in America.

Email us at thepoppedcast@vernacularpodcast.com! 

For links mentioned in this episode, go here: 

Links:

  1. Toy Story 4

  2. “Old Town Road” on the charts

  3. The Office is leaving Netflix

  4. Borders on YouTube

  5. Rotten on Netflix

Episode 51: Does the Original “Toy Story” Hold Up 24 Years Later? Revisiting the First Pixar Film

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In Episode 51, we are kicking off Season 2 with a fun episode! In the Snack Bag, we talk about a Hunger Games prequel, Kristen Bell and Dax Shepherd’s children discovering their parents are famous and the forthcoming big screen adaptation of the cult hit musical tick...tick...BOOM! to be directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda and possibly starring Andrew Garfield (can he sing?!).

In the Premiere Topic, we re-watch and revisit the original Pixar film Toy Story, 24 years after its release, in advance of Toy Story 4 hitting theaters on June 21, 2019. We talk about whether or not the movie holds up, what surprised us most about the film and our favorite characters (not named Woody or Buzz).

PLUS, in our teasers, Josh recommends an excellent HBO mini-series and Maureen recommends a charming and moving film starring Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne.

Email us at thepoppedcast@vernacularpodcast.com!

Links:

  1. Hunger Games prequel

  2. Kristen Bell and Dax Shepherd’s children discover they are famous

  3. Big screen adaptation of tick...tick...BOOM!

  4. Toy Story

  5. Chernobyl

  6. Instant Family

Episode 50: Celebrating ONE YEAR OF THE POPPED CAST (!) and Talking the 2019 Tony Awards

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In Episode 50, we have officially reached our one year anniversary of recording and releasing The Popped Cast! We reflect on a year of podcasting and discuss changes to our upcoming schedule. Then we dive into the Snack Bag where we talk about Gwyneth Paltrow forgetting she was in Spider-Man: Homecoming and talk about the just released Frozen 2 trailer (and whether or not anyone cares that a sequel is coming this fall).

In the Marquee Topic, we discuss the 2019 Tony Awards. We dive into our overall impression of the show, how James Corden did as the host, our favorite performances and what CBS is going to do about the sinking ratings for the broadcast.

PLUS, in our teasers, Maureen recommends a short book she loved and Josh reads a delightful short story that originated on Twitter.

Email us at thepoppedcast@vernacularpodcast.com!

Links:

  1. Chasing Happiness on Amazon

  2. Gwyneth Paltrow forgets she was in Spider-Man

  3. Frozen 2 trailer

  4. Tony Award winners

  5. Choir Boy Tony performance

  6. Hadestown Tony performance

  7. The Alchemist

  8. SixthFormPoet on Twitter

Episode 49: Crowning the 2019 Song of the Summer

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In Episode 49, we discuss the end of iTunes as we know it (RIP!) and talk about James Holzhauer’s amazing run on Jeopardy finally coming to an end (don’t worry - he’s walking away more than $2 million richer).  

In the Marquee Topic, we are crowning a song of the summer for 2019! We examine six songs and take them through a mini bracket to determine what we think will be the earworm from summer 2019 that we remember for years to come. The contenders include “Boy with Luv” by BTS ft. Halsey, “Juice” by Lizzo, “bad guy” by Billie Eilish, “I Don’t Care” by Ed Sheeran ft. Justin Bieber, “Old Town Road (Remix)” by Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus and “Sucker” by the Jonas Brothers.

PLUS, in our teasers, Josh recommends a YouTube series from Wired and Maureen recommends a book by Tim Ferriss.

Email us at thepoppedcast@vernacularpodcast.com!

Links:

  1. iTunes is going away

  2. James Holzhauer loses on Jeopardy

  3. Spotify playlist of the six contenders for the 2019 song of the summer

  4. “Almost Impossible” series by Wired

  5. The Four Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss

Episode 48: Examining the Impact of Public Backlash on TV and Movies

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In Episode 48, we follow-up on two of our teasers from a few weeks back. Josh gives an update on how his American Idol prediction turned out and Maureen breaks down the ridiculousness of the current season of The Bachelorette. Then, we chat about Ariana Grande’s new wax figure that doesn’t really look like her (and the general creepiness of wax figures) and discuss Adam Levine stepping away from The Voice.  

In the Marquee Topic, we are examining how public backlash to TV shows and movies affects perception of those TV shows and movies and whether or not visceral public reaction is a good or bad thing for pop culture (spoiler: it’s complicated).

PLUS, in our teasers, Josh recommends an audition from this season of America’s Got Talent and Maureen suggests a podcast with bite-sized episodes on time management.

Email us at thepoppedcast@vernacularpodcast.com!

Links:

  1. Ariana Grande’s new wax figure

  2. Adam Levine leaving The Voice

  3. Sophie Turner responds to Game of Thrones remake petition

  4. Kodi Lee AGT audition

  5. Before Breakfast podcast from Laura Vanderkam

Episode 47: Did Boy Bands Cause the Music Industry’s Downfall? (Revisiting The Backstreet Boys' 1999 Album “Millenium”)

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In Episode 47, we follow-up on giving Saturday Night Live a second chance (spoiler: it did not go well for the NBC sketch show), give our NON-SPOILER reviews of the finale of Game of Thrones, discuss just how weird it is that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has never eaten a strawberry and share our excitement that Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show was renewed for three more years.

In the Marquee Topic, we are looking back at The Backstreet Boys’ 1999 album Millenium and consider whether or not that album (along with the albums of other pop stars and boy bands of the time) brought about the rise of Napster and illegal downloads and the subsequent downfall of the music industry. Was there causation? Correlation? No relation? We get into a heated discussion to find out!

PLUS, in our teasers, Maureen recommends a new podcast and Josh recommends a series of behind the scenes videos for the last season of Game of Thrones.

Email us at thepoppedcast@vernacularpodcast.com!

Please rate, review and subscribe to our podcast if you haven't already! In Episode 47, we follow-up on giving "Saturday Night Live" a second chance (spoiler: it did not go well for the NBC sketch show), give our NON-SPOILER reviews of the finale of "Game of Thrones," discuss just how weird it is that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has never eaten a strawberry and share our excitement that Ellen DeGeneres' talk show was renewed for three more years.

Episode 46: Is “Saturday Night Live” Still Funny? (Discussing the State of the NBC Sketch Show)

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In Episode 46, we talk about Constance Wu’s very public negative reaction to her ABC show Fresh Off the Boat being renewed for a sixth season and discuss the trend of naming children after characters from TV shows (especially before you know whether that character is ultimately good or bad).

In the Marquee Topic, we look into the state of NBC’s Saturday Night Live, one of the longest running programs on TV. We talk about whether or not the show is still funny, what they could do to improve it, the current standout performers and if the host of the show makes any difference from week to week.

PLUS, in our teasers, Maureen recommends a trailer for the sixth season of one of her favorite shows and Josh recommends a heartbreaking but inspiring article about perseverance.

Email us at thepoppedcast@vernacularpodcast.com!

Please rate and subscribe to our podcast if you haven't already! In Episode 46, we talk about Constance Wu's very public negative reaction to her ABC show "Fresh Off the Boat" being renewed for a sixth season and discuss the trend of naming children after characters from TV shows (especially before you know whether that character is ultimately good or bad).

Episode 45: A Deep Dive into “Avengers: Endgame” and the Future of Marvel

In Episode 45, we chat about the new royal baby, discuss the rogue coffee cup that appeared in a dramatic scene during the latest episode of Game of Thrones and talk about the (latest) delay of the Avatar sequels (and wonder whether anyone even cares that there will be sequels - hint: nope).

In the Marquee Topic, we are joined by special guest Zac Crippen (co-founder of the Vernacular Podcast Network) to do a deep dive into Avengers: Endgame and the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS. If you haven’t seen the film and don’t want to be spoiled, skip the conversation and come back after you’ve seen it.

PLUS, in our teasers, Josh recommends a fun retrospective on a hit 1999 song and Maureen recommends an upcoming season of TV she is especially excited about.

Email us at thepoppedcast@vernacularpodcast.com!

In Episode 45, we chat about the new royal baby, discuss the rogue coffee cup that appeared in a dramatic scene during the latest episode of "Game of Thrones" and talk about the (latest) delay of the "Avatar" sequels (and wonder whether anyone even cares that there will be sequels - hint: nope).

Episode 44: Is “Friends” the Best Comedy Ever? (Looking Back 15 Years After Its Finale)

In Episode 44, we give an update on Jeopardy champion James Holzhauer ($1.5 million in winnings and counting!), give our brief (and SPOILER-FREE) thoughts on Avengers: Endgame, discuss the just released Tony Award nominations and remark on the sad passing of director John Singleton.

In the Marquee Topic, we look back on the NBC hit comedy Friends, which had its series finale on May 6, 2004 - 15 years ago! We talk about our favorite characters, whether or not the show holds up today (it’s complicated), where it ranks among the best comedies ever and how the careers of its six stars have fared since the show went off the air.

PLUS, in our teasers, Josh recommends a fun summer song and Maureen suggests an article on Vox.

Email us at thepoppedcast@vernacularpodcast.com!

In Episode 44, we give an update on Jeopardy champion James Holzhauer ($1.5 million in winnings and counting!), give our brief (and SPOILER-FREE) thoughts on "Avengers: Endgame," discuss the just released Tony Award nominations and remark on the sad passing of director John Singleton.

Episode 43: A Deep Dive Into Beyoncé’s Transformative Documentary “Homecoming”

In Episode 43, we talk about a truly impressive (and ongoing) streak happening on Jeopardy ($1.2 million and counting for contestant James Holzhauer), People magazine naming Jennifer Garner as its cover star for its “Beautiful People” issue, the casting of Rami Malek as the next Bond villain and our predictions for how much Avengers: Endgame will make in its opening weekend.

In the Marquee Topic, we do a deep dive into the Beyoncé Netflix documentary Homecoming. We talk about how we liked but didn’t love the film itself (a mix of a concert film and a cinema verite documentary) but really felt strongly about the importance of its message, discuss the two major themes presented in the film (representation for minorities and motherhood/womanhood) and heap our praise onto Queen Bey.

PLUS, in our teasers, Maureen recommends a different Netflix documentary and Josh recommends a Netflix original show that will help you stay up to speed on politics and happenings around the world.

Email us at thepoppedcast@vernacularpodcast.com!

In Episode 43, we talk about a truly impressive (and ongoing) streak happening on "Jeopardy" ($1.2 million and counting for contestant James Holzhauer), "People" magazine naming Jennifer Garner as its cover star for its "Beautiful People" issue, the casting of Rami Malek as the next Bond villain and our predictions for how much "Avengers: Endgame" will make in its opening weekend.

Episode 42: The “Time” 100 Most Influential People List and Influence in Our Culture

In Episode 42, Maureen is back for a full episode! We discuss the Grease prequel in the works (NO THANKS), a fun throwback video to the set of The Office made by Jenna Fischer (Pam) herself and talk through an oral history of one of the most bizarre minutes in film history (especially when taken out of context) - a hilariously strange and gruesome moment from Meet Joe Black.

In the Marquee Topic, we examine the Time 100: Most Influential People, 2019. We talk through surprises on the list (especially a few from the “Artist” category), who from the list personally influences us and whether or not the people represented are positive or negative influences in our culture.

PLUS, in our teasers, Maureen recommends a fantasy novel and Josh recommends the second season of an HBO show.

Email us at thepoppedcast@vernacularpodcast.com!

In Episode 42, Maureen is back for a full episode! We discuss the "Grease" prequel in the works (NO THANKS), a fun throwback video to the set of "The Office" made by Jenna Fischer (Pam) herself and talk through an oral history of one of the most bizarre minutes in film history (especially when taken out of context) - a hilariously strange and gruesome moment from "Meet Joe Black."

Episode 41: Maureen is Back(!), A Deep Dive into “Game of Thrones” and Reactions to “The Lion King” Full-Length Trailer

In Episode 41, Maureen returns from her two-week hiatus and gives her thoughts on everything we discussed on the podcast in her absence. We also give our reactions to the new full length trailer for the upcoming live action remake of The Lion King and share just-released casting news for the 2020 film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first musical, In the Heights.

In the Marquee Topic, Josh is joined by special guest, friend and pop culture connoisseur, Mike Wilbur, to break down the epic fantasy series Game of Thrones (WARNING: minor spoilers ahead). In our deep dive to prepare for the April 14 premiere of the final season, we talk about our overall impression of the show, our favorite scenes and characters and whether or not the show has more to say outside of being one of the most entertaining shows on television.  

PLUS, in our Teasers, Maureen gives both a regular teaser and an UN-teaser (something you should avoid) and Josh gives a suggestion for a cover of a song from A Star Is Born.

Email us at thepoppedcast@vernacularpodcast.com!

In Episode 41, Maureen returns from her two-week hiatus and gives her thoughts on everything we discussed on the podcast in her absence. We also give our reactions to the new full-length trailer for the upcoming live action remake of "The Lion King" and share just-released casting news for the 2020 film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's first musical, "In the Heights."

Episode 40: Ranking Baseball Movies from Worst to First

In Episode 40, Josh welcomes guests Zac Crippen (the co-founder of the Vernacular Podcast Network, co-host of Vernacular Podcast and co-host of Vernacular’s sports podcast The Line-Up) and Peter Laclede (co-host of Vernacular’s sports podcast The Line-Up), for a very special episode where we rank a selection of 15 baseball movies from worst to first to celebrate the start of the 2019 Major League Baseball season.

In no particular order, we ranked Field of Dreams, The Sandlot, The Bad News Bears, A League of Their Own, Bull Durham, Moneyball, The Natural, Fever Pitch, Major League, Rookie of the Year, Little Big League, Angels in the Outfield, For Love of the Game, 42 and The Rookie.

We individually ranked each film on a scale of 1-10 in three categories. 1. Overall enjoyment of the film. 2. Overall quality of the film. 3. Baseball accuracy. We then averaged everyone’s score to get a total for each movie out of a possible 30 points. The film with the lowest score would be #15 and the film with the highest score would be #1.

The results might surprise you - the top 5 were separated by just 3 and a half points.

Email us at thepoppedcast@vernacularpodcast.com!

In Episode 40, Josh welcomes guests Zac Crippen (the co-founder of the Vernacular Podcast Network, co-host of Vernacular Podcast and co-host of Vernacular's sports podcast The Line-Up) and Peter Laclede (co-host of Vernacular's sports podcast The Line-Up), for a very special episode where we rank a selection of 15 baseball movies from worst to first to celebrate the start of the 2019 Major League Baseball season.



Episode 39: A Look at HBO’s “Veep,” Apple TV + and Captain America Chris Evans in a Musical?!

In Episode 39, Josh is tackling another episode solo! He talks about Chris Evans’ desire to star in a musical, Apple unveiling their new streaming service (set to launch this fall) called Apple TV + and some fascinating casting “what-ifs” from the 1999 blockbuster The Matrix.

In the Marquee Topic, Josh takes a look at the critically acclaimed and award-winning HBO show Veep and tells you why it’s 100% worth the watch even if you don’t think it can live up to the hype.

PLUS, in his teaser, Josh recommends a YouTube video featuring an audition from a current American Idol contestant.

Email us at thepoppedcast@vernacularpodcast.com!

In Episode 39, Josh is tackling another episode solo! He talks about Chris Evans' desire to star in a musical, Apple unveiling their new streaming service (set to launch this fall) called Apple TV + and some fascinating casting "what-ifs" from the 1999 blockbuster "The Matrix."

Episode 38: Can You Separate the Art from the Artist and Two New Movie Trailers for Summer Blockbusters

In Episode 38, we talk about two new movie trailers for upcoming summer blockbusters (Toy Story 4 and Aladdin) and discuss recently announced casting news for the upcoming West Side Story remake.

In the Marquee Topic, we get a little serious and talk about whether or not you can (and should) separate the art from the artist when the artist in question has done very bad things in their life. WARNING: adult themes (if you usually listen with children, you may want to wait until they aren’t around to listen to this part of the show).

PLUS, in our teasers, Josh recommends a recently wrapped Amazon show and Maureen recommends the third season of a critically acclaimed Netflix show.

Email us at thepoppedcast@vernacularpodcast.com!

In Episode 38, we talk about two new movie trailers for upcoming summer blockbusters ("Toy Story 4" and "Aladdin") and discuss recently announced casting news for the upcoming "West Side Story" remake.

Episode 37: The Sad News About Luke Perry & Alex Trebek and Why You Should Watch the Critically Panned Movie “National Treasure”

In Episode 37, we discuss the sad death of actor Luke Perry, the devastating news that longtime Jeopardy host and American fixture Alex Trebek has cancer, the trailer for the new film from Mindy Kaling and debate Steven Spielberg’s comments about how films from streaming services shouldn’t be eligible for Oscars.

In the Marquee Topic, we’re kicking off a new mini-series called “Critically Panned,” where we examine one movie that was ravaged by critics but we think you should still check out. In the first installment, we are diving into the 2004 Disney hit National Treasure starring Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Jon Voight and Christopher Plummer.

PLUS, in our teasers, Maureen recommends a Netflix original and Josh recommends a brand new TV show that just premiered on ABC.

Email us at thepoppedcast@vernacularpodcast.com!

In Episode 37, we discuss the sad death of actor Luke Perry, the devastating news that longtime "Jeopardy" host and American fixture Alex Trebek has cancer, the trailer for the new film from Mindy Kaling and debate Steven Spielberg's comments about how films from streaming services shouldn't be eligible for Oscars.

Episode 36: All About the 2019 Oscars ("Green Book" for Best Picture - REALLY?!)

In Episode 36, we respond to a listener comment on the Fyre Festival episode we did a few weeks back, discuss Katy Perry’s engagement to Legolas himself, Orlando Bloom, and try to make sense of the ongoing Jussie Smollett drama.

In the Marquee Topic, we’re talking all about the 2019 Oscars. We delve into the show itself, deliberate whether having no host was a win or lose (spoiler: Maureen and I don’t see eye to eye), debate the winners (both surprises - Black Panther! Female filmmaking teams! Spider-Man! - and disappointments - Olivia Colman and Green Book for Best Picture) and break down THAT performance from Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper.

PLUS, in our teasers, Maureen recommends something to put your mind at ease and Josh suggests a riveting and well-written crime novel.

Email us at thepoppedcast@vernacularpodcast.com!

In Episode 36, we respond to a listener comment on the Fyre Festival episode we did a few weeks back, discuss Katy Perry's engagement to Legolas himself, Orlando Bloom, and try to make sense of the ongoing Jussie Smollett drama. In the Marquee Topic, we're talking all about the 2019 Oscars.

Episode 35: Final Predictions for the Oscars and Talking About All Four Versions of “A Star Is Born” (And the Fifth One We Never Got)

In Episode 35, we have a special Snack Bag where we are talking all things Oscars ahead of the February 24th Academy Awards. We talk about the Academy’s reversal of a previous announcement to cut four categories from the telecast, our personal rankings of the Best Picture nominees and our predictions in the major categories (here’s to being very, very wrong and Bradley Cooper winning Best Actor!).

In the Marquee Topic, we discuss each of the four versions of the film A Star Is Born (one from 1937, one from 1954, one from 1976 and one from 2018) after spending the last two weeks watching them. We give our thoughts on the general story (which is essentially the same in all four versions), tell you which of the versions you should actually watch (hint: it’s only two of them), examine the difficult ending, debate whether or not this will keep getting remade in the future and cast the late 90s version of the film we never got (20 years after the 1976 version and 20 years before the 2018 version).

PLUS, in our teasers, Josh recommends another Academy Award nominated documentary that touches on fatherhood, domestic violence and race in the midwest and Maureen suggests a fun and entertaining podcast from NPR.

In Episode 35, we have a special Snack Bag where we are talking all things Oscars ahead of the February 24th Academy Awards. We talk about the Academy's reversal of a previous announcement to cut four categories from the telecast, our personal rankings of the Best Picture nominees and our predictions in the major categories (here's to being very, very wrong and Bradley Cooper winning Best Actor!).

Episode 34: Dueling Fyre Festival Documentaries & Thoughts on the 2019 GRAMMYS

In Episode 34, we talk about Kanye West’s (strange) gift to his wife on Valentine’s Day, the Oscars’ decision to cut four categories from the upcoming February 24 telecast, the trailer for a summer movie from director Danny Boyle that has one of the best premises for a film we’ve ever heard and our thoughts on the (long but somewhat interesting and entertaining) 2019 GRAMMYS.

In the Marquee Topic, we do a deep dive into dueling documentaries from Hulu and Netflix that chronicle the disastrous 2017 Fyre Festival. We discuss which of the films we liked more, the festival itself, the social media influencer culture that we live in now and who is ultimately to blame for the calamitous weekend in the Bahamas in April of 2017.

PLUS, in our teasers, Maureen suggests a throwback album and Josh recommends an Academy Award nominated documentary that you should definitely see on the big screen if you can.

Email us at thepoppedcast@vernacularpodcast.com!

In Episode 34, we talk about Kanye West's (strange) gift to his wife on Valentine's Day, the Oscars' decision to cut four categories from the upcoming February 24 telecast, the trailer for a summer movie from director Danny Boyle that has one of the best premises for a film we've ever heard and our thoughts on the (long but somewhat interesting and entertaining) 2019 GRAMMYS.

Episode 33: This Year's Best and Worst Super Bowl Commercials & That Dreadful Halftime Show

In Episode 33, we talk about the Academy’s first choice to host the Oscars this year (hint: “can you smell what The Rock is cooking?!”), Jennifer Lawrence’s engagement and the ABC juggernaut Modern Family coming to an end after next year’s 11th season.

In the Marquee Topic, we talk about everyone’s favorite part of the Super Bowl - the commercials. We give our take on what makes a great Super Bowl commercial, our favorites from this year and why the top rated commercial from the entire night (according to USA Today’s Ad Meter) was actually Josh’s least favorite. We also give our thoughts on that (dreadful) halftime show by Maroon 5.

PLUS, in our teasers, Maureen suggests a fun YouTube video from James Corden and Josh recommends a new single from a Tony winning musical theatre star.

In Episode 33, we talk about the Academy's first choice to host the Oscars this year (hint: "can you smell what The Rock is cooking?!"), Jennifer Lawrence's engagement and the ABC juggernaut "Modern Family" coming to an end after next year's 11th season.