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.
(RIGHT CLICK THE IMAGE TO SAVE THIS EPISODE TO YOUR COMPUTER)
Episode 17, Geek TV
Science fiction writer Scott Pearson (Star Trek: The Original Series: The More Things Change) and his daughter talk aboutthe geeky TV shows they’re currently watching, including a couple of retro shout-outs to favorites no longer running.
Segments
Intro :30
Geek TV Renaissance 1:10
Almost Human 1:50
Agents of SHIELD 6:30
Supernatural 9:35
The Walking Dead 10:48
The Talking Dead & @Midnight12:00
Psych 13:29
Parks and Recreation 14:45
Bob’s Burgers 16:04
Sherlock 17:03
Pushing Daisies 20:25
The Twilight Zone 24:06
Doctor Who 26:07
Comment on this episode here or by writing thegeeks@generationsgeek.com or by calling 888-866-9010.
(RIGHT CLICK THE IMAGE TO SAVE THIS EPISODE TO YOUR COMPUTER)
Ride Along continues its dominance of the box office. Michael Falkner brings you new movie releases and new TV on DVD and movie DVD releases on a new Weekly Podioplex.
Tonight Scott chats with Sharon VanBlarcom, the Co-Con Chair of Farpoint.
From Farpoint’s site: FARPOINT is an annual gathering for fans of all genres of imaginative fiction – Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, SuperHeroes – in all the media formats in which they might appear – Cinematic Movies, Television, Direct to DVD, Books on Tape, Podcasts, Web Video – you name it, we want to celebrate it! The con was established in 1993, by a committee led by Bev Volker and Steve Wilson. Our focus is on Fandom, and all the wonderful, creative people who comprise it. Our mission is to encourage, to educate, to enable. So, while we certainly bring in some exciting professionals from the industries which bring imagination into the mainstream, our real goal is to give you the opportunity to meet others like yourself, to forge friendships, and to develop your own creative gifts. Please visit their site for more information.
(RIGHT CLICK THE IMAGE TO SAVE THIS EPISODE TO YOUR COMPUTER)
The mysterious False Face and his elusive sidekick, Blaze, are back in Gotham City for a crime wave filled with confusion, false clues, and guises galore! But who is False Face? It's not just the identity of the villain that is in question, but the actor who portrays him as well.
Joining John to talk about this single outing for the master of disguise is HG World's Jay Smith.
Comment on the episode here or write thebatcavepodcast@gmail.com. Take a moment to rate the episode by using our star system at the bottom of this entry.
Jay Smith is the creator and executive producer for the Parsec Award-winning audio drama series HG World. Since 2009, Jay and his company of players and producers have been telling the story of survivors in the middle of a global zombie uprising. Now in its third season, this "satellite" production has featured dozens of actors across four continents making it a production truly on a global scale. Since its debut, episodes of HG World and its spin-off series, the Parsec finalist The Diary of Jill Woodbine and The Googies have been downloaded close to a million times.
Inspired by the golden age of radio, Hidden Harbor Mysteries presents a story inspired by stylish pulp era radio adventures like The Shadow, Sam Spade, The Green Hornet, and I Love a Mystery. Performed by a stellar cast, Hidden Harbor hopes to integrate classic radio storytelling with some modern twists. Jay draws from the work of Orson Welles, Arch Obelor and looks to modern audio dramatists like Douglas Adams and Dirk Maggs as inspiration to create a rich, realistic world of survival horror laced with dark comedy and compelling human drama.
Jay holds a BA in Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University and is working on his Master of Fine Arts from Seton Hill University’s innovative Writing Popular Fiction program. He attends and speaks at various science fiction and literary conventions about podcasting, writing, audio drama, and zombies. HG World can be heard by subscribing through iTunes or visiting the show web site www.goodmorningsurvivors.com
(RIGHT CLICK THE IMAGE TO SAVE THE EPISODE TO YOUR COMPUTER)
It’s a new year and a new “Galaxy” for The G2V Podcast as we kick off 2014 with a special episode that turns the spotlight on The G2V Guys themselves: Scott Alan Woodard and Arnold T. Blumberg!
“After six months of producing this podcast and building an audience that we really truly appreciate, we thought it was long past time to introduce ourselves in a substantial way. Who are these guys? Why should you listen to us? What have we done before this podcast began, and what led to the launch of this show? And most importantly for listeners, what amazing stuff do we have planned as we head into our first full year of G2V? This is where all the answers can be found…and there’s even a contest for a FREE prize too!”
(RIGHT CLICK THE IMAGE TO SAVE THIS EPISODE TO YOUR COMPUTER)
There's another lean week of theatrical and TV-on-DVD releases, but that doesn't stop The Weekly Podioplex from bringing you the latest movie news with the Quick Fliks.
(RIGHT CLICK THE IMAGE TO SAVE THIS EPISODE TO YOUR COMPUTER)
A disgruntled government scientist and demolition expert, Robert Meyer steals the Liberty Bell just before its bicentennial tour. Steve tracks it down to an open field where the bell has been rigged to explode if any attempt is made to move it. The government concedes to Meyer's demands, but he dies before telling them the secret to disarming the bombs about the symbol of liberty. Steve must work with a protégé of Meyer's in disarming the device before time runs out. The problem is, this protégé has a huge chip on his shoulder. Is this all really worth, "The Price of Liberty"?
Joining John and Paul to discuss this episode is science fiction author Robert J. Sawyer.
Special thanks to Robin Spanell for supplying us with the audio for the television ad for this episode featured at the start of the podcast. Check out Robin's music, some which has also been featured on the podcast, at his homepage.
Comment on the episode here or write abionicpodcast@gmail.com 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.
Robert J. Sawyer has won the Hugo, Nebula, John W. Campbell Memorial, Aurora, Hal Clement, and Audie Awards, all for best novel of the year, as well as the top SF awards in Japan, China, France, and Spain. According to the Locus Index to Science Fiction Awards, he is the #1 all-time worldwide leader in number of award wins as a science fiction or fantasy novelist. His 21st novel,Triggers, a 2012 title from Penguin Canada, was a Globe and Mail, Maclean’s, and Locus bestseller, and he’s hit #1 on the Amazon.com Technothrillers bestsellers list. Rob’s previous novels are all in print, including The Terminal Experiment; Calculating God; Hominids; Mindscan; Rollback; FlashForward (basis for the ABC TV series); and the WWW trilogy of Wake, Watch, and Wonder(each of which separately won the Aurora Award for Best Novel of the Year). His website is at sfwriter.com.
Tonight’s Diners: Scott, Miles. M. and Jim Arrowood
Welcome to the Diner
Tonight we rewind what can be said to be one of our favorite movies of all times. We share our favorite scenes, analyze our favorite characters, talk about our favorite quotes, and unveil some trivia. Come in, order, and enjoy the fun!
Contact is a 1997 American science fiction drama film, adapted from the Carl Sagan novel of the same name and directed by Robert Zemeckis. Both Sagan and wife Ann Druyan wrote the story outline for the film adaptation of Contact.
Jodie Foster portrays the film's protagonist, Dr. Eleanor "Ellie" Arroway, a SETI scientist who finds strong evidence of extraterrestrial life and is chosen to makefirst contact. The film also stars Matthew McConaughey, James Woods, Tom Skerritt, William Fichtner, John Hurt, Angela Bassett, Jake Busey, and David Morse.
Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan began working on the film in 1979. Together, they wrote a 100+ page film treatment and set up Contact at Warner Bros. with Peter Guber and Lynda Obst as producers. When the project to make the film became mired in development hell, Sagan published Contact as a novel in 1985 and the film adaptation was rejuvenated in 1989. Roland Joffé and George Miller had planned to direct it, but Joffé dropped out in 1993 and Warner Bros. fired Miller in 1995. Robert Zemeckis was eventually hired to direct, and filming for Contact lasted from September 1996 to February 1997. Sony Pictures Imageworks handled most of the visual effects sequences.
The film was released on July 11, 1997, to mostly positive reviews. Contact grossed approximately $171 million in worldwide box office totals. The film won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation and received multiple awards and nominations at the Saturn Awards. The release of Contact was publicized by controversies from the Clinton administration and CNN, as well as individual lawsuits from George Miller and Francis Ford Coppola.
(RIGHT CLICK THE IMAGE TO SAVE THIS EPISODE TO YOUR COMPUTER)
There is very little in the way of TV on DVD offerings this week, but there is a plethora of films being released that offer a real challenge to last weekend's top box office draw, Lone Survivor. Michael Falkner has all the news about this in a new Weekly Podioplex.
(RIGHT CLICK THE IMAGE TO SAVE THE EPISODE TO YOUR COMPUTER)
Our look back at each of the actors who portrayed the Doctor in Doctor Who continues as our focus turns to Patrick Troughton. Host Krissy Myers is joined by The G2V Podcast host Arnold T. Blumberg and longtime fan Dale Mazur to discuss the run of second Doctor. This is the era that suffered the most from the BBC's purging of their video vaults. The recently recovered material is discussed as well as the ties Patrick Troughton's era has with the Matt Smith era of the show.
Comment on this episode here or by writing john@chronicrift.com or by calling 888-866-9010. Please rate the episode using our star system at the bottom of this entry.
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!
(RIGHT CLICK THE IMAGE TO SAVE THIS EPISODE TO YOUR COMPUTER)
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!
(RIGHT CLICK THE IMAGE TO SAVE THE EPISODE TO YOUR COMPUTER)
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.
(RIGHT CLICK THE IMAGE TO SAVE THIS EPISODE TO YOUR COMPUTER)
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.
(RIGHT CLICK THE IMAGE TO SAVE THIS EPISODE TO YOUR COMPUTER)
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.
(RIGHT CLICK THE IMAGE TO SAVE THE EPISODE TO YOUR COMPUTER)
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
Take a moment to comment on the episode here or by writing krad@whysper.net or by calling 888-866-9010.
(RIGHT CLICK THE IMAGE TO SAVE THIS EPISODE TO YOUR COMPUTER)
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!