A collection of podcasts exploring the culture in pop culture. Our shows range from the general (flagship show The Chronic Rift) to the specific (The Batcave Podcast). We look at literature (Dead Kitchen Radio), movies (The Weekly Podioplex), family (Generations Geek), gaming (The Cardboard Jungle), and more.
On this listener feedback show, listeners discuss the following: Almost Human, Doctor Who, Babylon 5, Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Arrow, Walking Dead, Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Almost Human, The Hobbit, and more!
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It may be the new year but the box office results look like something from early December 2013 as Frozen takes the top spot again. The new year does being with it a new slew of TV on DVD releases. Plus, Michael Falkner looks back on the movie year that was 2013. It's all on a new The Weekly Podioplex. Happy New Year!
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A new year brings with it a new Doctor on Doctor Who. Before we can get to that, we need to review how we got to the regeneration. This episode is specially dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who with all the specials that were offered to celebrate. John, Keith, Mike, and Krissy offer their thoughts on all the offerings in a new In Review episode. Plus, we manage to talk about a few other different things from Dan Persons and Keith as well.
Comment on this episode here or by writing john@chronicrift.com or by calling 888-866-9010.
Segment One: Bringing it to the Table
2:57 - Krissy gets the ball rolling with the Paul McGann web video, "Night of the Doctor".
12:24 - John continues by praising the docu-drama, An Adventure in Space and Time.
22:57 - Mike is next as he talks about the Peter Davison produced, The Five(ish) Doctors.
28:37 - Finally, Keith talks about all the Doctor Who goodness being offered in celebration of the 50th anniversary over at tor.com.
38:45 - A discussion on the merits of characters like Merida from Brave ensues when Dan reviews Frozen.
46:46 - Keith likes the science fiction of Almost Human, but not the police procedual aspects of the show. Plus, he's happy that Elementary has become appointment television.
1:01:03 - We discuss the final element of the 50th anniversary celebration, "The Time of the Doctor". Overall, we felt Moffat let Matt Smith down with his treatment.
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Jaime struggles with her newly discovered life and her attempts to remember everything she has lost. A trip to Ojai proves disastrous, so Oscar comes up with a surefire way to help Jaime cope - a dangerous mission. (Oscar failed his college psychology classes.) Steve tags along to make sure everything works out, but the mission turns into a disaster as well. Steve quickly realizes what is triggering Jaime's flashes of pain. Can he stand to lose her again?
Comment on the episode here or write abionicpodcast@gmail.com or call 888-866-9010 or better still use the "Send Voicemail" tab on the left of the page to leave a message via your computer. Take a moment to rate the episode by using our star system at the bottom of this entry.
James Sherrard is a first generation fan of The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman.A collector of all things Bionic as a child, his interest in the shows was reignited when the first Bionic reunion movie was produced in 1987.The following year he met stars Lindsay Wagner and Richard Anderson for the first time through Lindsay Wagner’s Official Fan Club.In 1998, James reworked the Bionic Woman episode guide booklet that he had produced for the club into The Bionic Woman Files website…the longest running Bionic Woman site on the web!Over the years, James has contributed his Bionic knowledge to various books, articles, websites, and television productions.He has also amassed an amazing collection of Bionic memorabilia, from common toys to one-of-a-kind production items.Most recently, James has contributed to the 2010 DVD releases of The Bionic Woman Season One and The Six Million Dollar Man: The Complete Collection.James resides in New York where he is employed by a non-profit organization.
From Betsy Dodd's page:
Growing up in a one-TV household, I had 3 brothers who surrounded me in age—who often teased me for being a “sissy”—and who usually controlled the voting majority for which channel to watch. Back in the 70s, our whirling TV dial was pretty much destroyed because we fought over it so often. One night while the substitute pliers were pointed to their choice of The Six Million Dollar Man(again), suddenly there was OMG ...cue angelic chorus... Jaime Sommers, the world’s first Bionic Woman. Yes!!! Score one for us sissies! I was totally hooked. And the love story between Jaime and Steve was the best. Ever. But then they killed her the following week.
Why did I idolize Jaime Sommers so much? Just as the final season was being released on DVD in the fall of 2011, I stumbled onto some internet bionic fan forums and started posting these offbeat episode reviews. I’m not sure, but when some members encouraged me to go start my own blog, I think it may have been the equivalent of being politely shunned by the Bionic Amish community— puritans of the franchise. (Really, I’m kidding. They’re all fun people and super nice. And they even let me use electricity to sign onto the internet.) Once about ten years ago, I belonged to an online fan “cult” that was framed in a similar style of farcical humor about The X-Files, so to me, this is all a completely normal approach to a television drama.
These days, I am a freelance copywriter, graphic designer and video editor living in Tennessee. No, I am not a blonde, but I am threatening to become one soon if these little gray hairs don’t stop surfacing. I must confess I also did not actually keep a diary in the 70s, but wish now that I had, so I could remember the real reason why I missed so many episodes of my favorite 70s show. For now, I’m blaming my brothers. For everything.
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Vending machines at Woodrow Roosevelt High are dispensing coins instead of candy or milk. It seems like a silly prank, but in Gotham City pranks are the calling card of The Joker. Batman is called in to investigate and he finds The Joker is recruiting students for his scheme. Dick has to go undercover to find out who is in the gang and what Joker's ultimate scheme is.
Joining John to talk about this unusual story is author Dayton Ward.
Comment on the episode here or write thebatcavepodcast@gmail.com or call 888-866-9010. Take a moment to rate the episode by using our star system at the bottom of this entry.
Dayton Ward is the author of numerous media tie-in fiction works in such realms as Star Trek and The 4400. He is also the author of such original works as Counterstrike, The Last World War, Book 2 and The Genesis Protocol. When he's not writing or working for a software design firm, he's busy indoctrinating his two lovely daughters into the worlds that have so seriously warped his mind.
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Keith has a new installment in the Dragon Precinct series now available from Dark Quest books. In Gryphon Precinct, humans and elves, dwarves and gnomes, wizards and warriors all live and do business in the thriving, overcrowded port city of Cliff's End, to say nothing of the tourists and travelers who arrive by land and sea, passing through the metropolis on matters of business or pleasure—or on quests. The hard-working, under-appreciated officers of the Cliff's End Castle Guard work day and night to maintain law and order as best they can.
Cliff's End is rocked by the death of Lord Albin. As soon as the funeral ends, Albin's son Blayk takes over and starts instituting wholesale changes in how the Cliff's End Castle Guard is run: enforced retirements of older guards (including Captain Osric), surprise promotions (including Grovis to replace Osric as Captain of the Guard), sword requalifications for all guards, and much more.
Worse, Blayk has split up Lieutenants Torin ban Wyvald and Danthres Tresyllione and given them new partners. Lieutenant Dru, still devastated by the loss of Lieutenant Hawk, also has a new partner. All three detectives catch separate cases, but the more they investigate, the more they realize that all three are related—and connected to a conspiracy that targets the King and Queen themselves!
An all-new adventure of the Cliff's End Castle Guard!
-Sci-Fi Bulletin
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The year comes to an end a little on the quiet side in terms of new movie and DVD releases. On the news front, The Hobbit continues to dominate the box office as does most of the holiday film offerings. Michael Falkner has this and more on the final The Weekly Podioplex of 2013. Happy New Year!