Pop Rocket’s come early this week! Alonso Duralde guest hosts for this, our second week of the MaxFunDrive. The deadline for supporting this show is fast upon us, so if you haven’t yet become a new or upgrading member, do it now! Go to our donation page.
You can donate while listening to this special Thursday edition of the show. This episode has something for everyone--sapphic sisters, metal heads, Hallmark Channel enthusiasts and, of course, horror buffs.
One note of caution: There are spoilers, so if you haven’t yet seen Us, and you want to see it before learning about any of its twists and turns, you should skip the discussion. If you HAVE seen it, brace yourself for the in-depth discussion. Does this movie live up to its hype? Is the symbolism in the movie effective? Why does Wynter think she has to watch it again? These questions, and more, will be answered.
All Abouts
Margaret is all about Amanda Deibert's defense of Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill, in response to a negative article in Jezebel
Karen is all about
Scary Spice Mel B's confession that she hooked up with Ginger Spice, Geri Halliwell
Alonso is all about Hallmark hiring the hosts of the Hallmark podcast
The Bubbly Sesh
Wynter is all about the Netflix Mötley Crüe biopic The Dirt
That's My Jam
Margaret: James Blake - Power On
Karen: Mel C. and Northern Star (feat. Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes) - Never Be the Same Again
Alonso: XTC - The Wheel and the Maypole
Wynter: Lil Nas X - Old Town Road
It’s the first live episode of Pop Rocket. Professor Karen Tongson invited the panel to give a lesson on why pop culture matters, with a focus on the past decade. You’ll learn what pop culture of the 2010s will last, and what culture won’t be remembered. Plus we’ll hear from some of Karen’s students, including a special jam brought to the show by Clayton. You won’t want to miss this must-listen episode!
All Abouts
Margaret: Out for Blood
Karen: Shrill
Wynter: The Fox-Disney merger
That's My Jam
Margaret: Lizzo - Cuz I Luv You
Clayton: 4 Non Blondes - What’s Up
Wynter: Beyonce feat. Frank Ocean - Superpower
Karen: Guy Branum, Karen Tongson, Margaret Wappler, Wynter Mitchell-Rohrbaugh
Did you know that you can now call and leave voicemails for the show? You can! If you want to comment on an episode, give us any feedback or just call to get advice from a panel member, 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.
In honor of Women’s History Month, the panel lives vicariously through women who sought revenge, from Lorena Gallo (formerly Bobbit), to Thelma & Louise. They touch on their favorite films centered around women seeking revenge...or, perhaps more accurately, justice.
All Abouts
Margaret: Uncover: Escaping NXIVM
Karen: “Operation Varsity Blues”, aka the college admissions scandal
Wynter: Free Solo
That's My Jam
Margaret: Pistol Annies - Got My Name Changed Back
Guy: Carly Rae Jepsen - Now That I Found You
Wynter: Work - Charlotte Day Wilson
Karen: Cate le Bon’s - I Just Wanna Be Good
With Guy Branum, Karen Tongson, Margaret Wappler, Wynter Mitchell-Rohrbaugh
Did you know that you can now call and leave voicemails for the show? You can! If you want to comment on an episode, give us any feedback or just call to get advice from a panel member, 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.
When she was 17, Dame Angela Lansbury quit her job at a department store to take a part in a movie, as 17-year-olds are wont to do. She played a young maid to Ingrid Bergman’s character in Gaslight, a film that garnered seven Oscar nominations and two wins, including one for Best Actress for Bergman. It’s the typical tale of a young actress trying to make it big and having to struggle, role after role after role after role, to hold her own on screen with the most celebrated actors in the world, on Oscar-winning film after Oscar-winning film.
She’s now 93 years old and has been in the business for nearly eight decades, dominating the big screen, the small screen and the stage.
For this episode of Pop Rocket, we felt it important to give Dame Lansbury’s career a discussion worthy of the legend that she is, and we couldn’t do it by ourselves. We needed to bring in the biggest Fangelas we could find outside of her immediate family: April Wolfe and S.A. Smythe, two individuals that get positively giddy noting which Murder She Wrote episodes comment on on colonialism and the prison industrial complex.
You guys, this is such a great episode, and that’s not even including everyone’s All Abouts!
Matt Rogers joins us to help tidy up the Oscars. The 91-year-old institution has gotten a bit cluttered, so the Pop Rocket panel applies the KonMari Method to the Academy Awards. We’ll keep everything that sparks joy, and the rest will be dropped off at an Out of the Closet in a Hefty bag. Will the short film and animated short categories survive? What about song and dance numbers? Find out.
Let us know if you agree with the panel, or take issue by sharing your thoughts in the comments section below.
All Abouts
Guy remembers his friend and beloved comedian Brody Stevens, who died by suicide last week.
Wynter is all about Kind Hearts & Coronets.
Margaret wants everyone to take a moment to appreciate actress and wordsmith Dame Emma Thompson for her recent letter to Skydance detailing why she will not work with John Lasseter.
Karen Tongson is NOT about the speculation that Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga are boffing. And for everyone going gaga over their duet, she reminds us of another live performance with off the charts chemistry, Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond at the 1980 Grammys singing
You Don't Bring Me Flowers
Matt Rogers, the self-described “roller coaster bitch” is all about Hagrid Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure ride that’s coming to Disneyworld.