**Note: Next week the panel will cast their votes to award--or not--The Pop Rocket Seal of Approval. You still have an opportunity to influence the panelists. If you want your voice to be heard, literally, call the Pop Rocket hotline and make a case for the person you want to win, and why. Call: (530) 237-4108**
Jamie Lee Curtis is smashing box office records, and the Pop Rocket panel APPROVES. In this episode, Guy, Wynter, Karen, and Margaret share their favorite scares, from new shows like The Haunting of Hill House on Netflix and the CW's Charmed, to the latest season of American Horror Story: Apocalypse. Plus, they tackle the important questions, such as, “What Stephen King movie is the best?” and “What is it really going to take for Jamie Lee Curtis to kill Mike Myers?” And they lament that we are still awaiting a Halloween novelty song to top Michael Jackson's Thriller.
All Abouts
Wynter is all about the Lifetime TV psychological thriller/romance You, which stars Penn Badgley and delves into themes of stalking, obsession, social media, and sociopathic detachment.
Margaret is all about Girl Talk's 2010 album All Day, which is the only album that will get Silas to sleep these days.
Karen is all about an impassioned voicemail she received from Tina Turner devotee Nick White, who made an exceptionally strong case to award the very first Pop Rocket Seal of Approval to Tina Turner.
Guy is all about food writer Samin Nosrat's Netflix show Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat.
That's My Jam
Karen - ANOHNI - Hopelessness
Wynter - Chaka Khan - Like Sugar
Margaret - Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind - The Shining Main Title Theme.
Guy - The Go-Go's - Vacation
With Guy Branum, Karen Tongson, Wynter Mitchell-Rohrbaugh, and Margaret Wappler.
Did you know that you can now call and leave voicemails for the show? You can! If you want to let us know who you think should receive the first Pop Rocket Seal of Approval, or just call to get advice, the number is: (530) 237-4108
You can let us know what you think of Pop Rocket and suggest topics in our Facebook group or via @PopRocket on Twitter.
If you haven't already, follow us on Instagram.
Produced by Laura Swisher for MaximumFun.org. Edited by Shana Daloria.
It’s 1969. Four guests check into the El Royale Hotel: a priest (Jeff Bridges), a vacuum salesman (Jon Hamm), a singer (Cynthia Erivo), and a hippie (Dakota Johnson). They all - save one - have something mysterious going on behind the scenes and the hotel itself is not what it appears to be. When they check in, there’s a storm a-brewin'.
Join Guy, Karen, Margaret, and producer/film festival programmer/Who Shot Ya contributor and now Pop Rocket guest Drea Clark as they pick apart Drew Goddard’s neo-noir ensemble Bad Times at The El Royale. They get into the movie's twists, turns, non-linear construction, Cynthia Erivo's breakout performance, and how it's kind of likeQuentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, but not nearly as macho.
All Abouts
Drea is all about a long read article from The Texas Monthly called The Love Story that Upended the Texas Prison System about the alliance and romantic relationship between a lawyer and an inmate that ultimately brought attention to a nationwide scandal and disrupted the system of abuse of prisoners in Texas.
Margaret is all about the second season of the Slate podcast Slow Burn, which covers the impeachment of former president Bill Clinton.
Karen is all about The LA Dodgers pulling ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers (as of last Wednesday) in the National League Championship Series.
Guy is all about Glenn Close's performance in her new movie The Wife.
That's My Jam
Karen - Trashcan Sinatras - All Night
Margaret - Alvvays - In Undertow.
Drea - Tierra Whack - MUMBO JUMBO
With Guy Branum, Karen Tongson, Drea Clark, and Margaret Wappler.
You can let us know what you think of Pop Rocket and suggest topics in our Facebook group or via @PopRocket on Twitter.
If you haven't already, follow us on Instagram.
Produced by Laura Swisher for MaximumFun.org. Edited by Shana Daloria.
This week gay America received so much, but in particular, A Star is Born starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, who also directed the movie. Guy, Wynter, Karen & Margaret--aka the full panel--got a chance to watch, cry, and be torn apart by the story of a lady who gained the world, but lost the man that she loves.
On this episode, we go over the history of this film and all the remakes, share predictions on whether The Academy will hand out statues to Lady Gaga and/or Bradley Cooper, or if they'll have to settle for the less-prestigious adulation from foreign journalists. Plus, Karen pushes back on Sam Adams's Slate article, which argues that "the movie's battle between rock and pop, authenticity and artifice, and art and commerce is outdated at best."
All Abouts
Wynter is all about the new Halloween starring Jamie Lee Curtis and the kerfuffle over Curtis's views on gun ownership on Fox News.
Karen is all about NBC's new primetime airplane sci-fi thriller, Manifest.
Margaret is all about the Twitter beef between Lana Del Rey and Azealia Banks over rapper Ye formerly known as Kanye West's MAGA-ness.
Guy is all about Katmai National Park & Preserve's Fat Bear Week competition.
That's My Jam
Karen - Barbara Streisand - Evergreen (Love Theme from "A Star is Born" 1976)
Wynter - Lady Gaga - Why Did You Do That? (A Star is Born Soundtrack)
Margaret - Judy Garland - Over the Rainbow (The Wizard of Oz: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).
Guy - Cher - Waterloo
With Guy Branum, Karen Tongson, Wynter Mitchell-Rohrbaugh, and Margaret Wappler.
You can let us know what you think of Pop Rocket and suggest topics in our Facebook group or via @PopRocket on Twitter.
If you haven't already, follow us on Instagram.
Produced by Laura Swisher for MaximumFun.org. Edited by Shana Daloria.
***Trigger Warning - This episode contains discussion of sexual assault. You may want to sit this one out if hearing this kind of discussion is likely to do more harm than good.***
Current events have us (and many others) reconsidering the way high school and college relationships were depicted in the '80s, particularly in romcoms and raunchy sex comedies. Margaret Wappler hosts our discussion this week with Karen Tongson, Wynter Mitchell-Rohrbaugh, and our guest, actor, and comedian Ted Alexandro who has a new comedy special Senior Class of Earth.
The panel revisits supposedly harmless, goofball adolescent comedies and considers how they may have influenced the way a whole generation views consent (and yes, we are talking about rape culture). Does a culture that permits youthful experimentation -mistakes and all- open the door to complacency about assault?
All Abouts
Wynter is all about an article in GQ by author Marian Bull that explains how men can talk to women in their lives about all the triggering stuff in the news involving the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
Karen is all about Chris, the new album by Christine and the Queens (aka Heloise Letissier), in particular, the song: Comme si.
Ted is all about celebrating his one-year wedding anniversary with his wife, Madalyn, who joins him in Los Angeles this week to promote his album Senior Class of Earth.
Margaret is all about Matt Damon's performance as Brett Kavanaugh on SNL.
That's My Jam
Karen - Selena Gomez - Back to You
Wynter - Little Wayne - Uproar (Official Audio) Carter V
Ted - Jamiroquai - Virtual Insanity
Margaret - Noname - Self.
With Margaret Wappler, Karen Tongson, Wynter Mitchell-Rohrbaugh, and Ted Alexandro.
You can let us know what you think of Pop Rocket and suggest topics in our Facebook group or via @PopRocket on Twitter.
If you haven't already, follow us on Instagram.
Produced by Laura Swisher for MaximumFun.org. Edited by Shana Daloria.