NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 362: "Planet of Evil" Is Up!

 
"What's gone wrong this time?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all. What makes you think something's gone wrong?"
"Because you always get rude when you're trying to cover up a mistake."
-- Sarah Jane Smith and the Fourth Doctor, Doctor Who: "Planet of Evil"

Hello again, everyone! My partner in time Jesse Jackson and I are back for another new episode of Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast! This time, we're joined by new special guest companion Mike McCarty as we discuss "Planet of Evil", the second serial from Doctor Who Season 13 in 1975, featuring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith, and Frederick Jaeger as Professor Sorenson!

In this episode, Jesse, Mike and I discuss things like my breaking in a new headset, Mike sharing his background as a Doctor Who fan, Mike watching Doctor Who with his father, the movie Forbidden Planet, Jesse's thoughts on watching "Planet of Evil" for the first time, Louis Mahoney as Old Billy Shipton in "Blink", our second Michael Wisher serial in the past month, the 1886 Robert Louis Stevenson novella The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, producer Phillip Hinchcliffe wanting to move away from the "rubber-suited alien" theme, the original plans for Sorenson to die after falling into the pit, Tom Baker not wearing his traditional scarf in Parts 3 and 4, Elisabeth Sladen regarding "Planet of Evil" as her favorite serial, Sarah Jane not doing much in this serial, that awkward moment when the TARDIS materializes 30,000 years after their intended destination, my wondering how the Doctor and Sarah Jane got out of the ejector trays they were bound in, the Doctor figuring out that Sorenson was mixing up his Dr. Jekyll potion, Vishinsky being far more qualified to be Controller than Salamar, the impressive jungle set on a BBC budget, Salamar being a victim of his own character flaws, Salamar always trying to blame the Doctor and Sarah Jane for the death of crewmen without having any proof, wondering where the Doctor picked up the iron bonds that held Sorenson aboard the TARDIS, whether Sorenson was corrupted by the antimatter, the freeze-frame cliffhanger of the Doctor falling into the pit, our favorite quotes of the serial, my Reverse the Reverse the Polarity segment, new listener feedback from Dave Proctor, Sandi from Oregon and Holly Mac, Mike's grandfather serving aboard the USS Underhill during World War II, still waiting for Disney+ to announce the release date for The War Between the Land and the Sea, and more!

If you'd like to check out our latest episode, you can find us on...

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE
Direct MP3 downloads/Libsyn -- RIGHT HERE
Spotify -- RIGHT HERE

Next Stop Everywhere's Facebook page

Next Stop Everywhere's Twitter account

Next Stop Everywhere's Instagram account

We have a NEW Next Stop Everywhere t-shirt, which you can find on TeePublic right HERE!  This spiffy shirt looks great when you're listening to your favorite Doctor Who podcast and travelling through time and space! Or you could order all sorts of cool Next Stop Everywhere merch there as well!

Be sure to come back in two weeks for the next episode of Next Stop Everywhere as Jesse and I discuss "The Idiot's Lantern", the seventh episode from Doctor Who Series Two in 2006, featuring David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor, Billie Piper as Rose Tyler, and Maureen Lipman as The Wire!

DRUNK CINEMA 091: "Aliens" Is Up!

 
"Get away from her, you bitch!"
-- Ellen Ripley, Aliens

Hello again, movie fans!  My wonderful co-host Xan Sprouse and I are back with a new episode of Drunk Cinema! This time, Xan and I are joined by special guest DJ Nik as we watch Aliens, the 1986 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron, featuring the return of Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley, along with Michael Biehn as Dwayne Hicks, Lance Henriksen as Bishop, and Paul Reiser as Carter Burke!

This time, Xan, Nik and I discuss things like Xan getting the Superflu after not getting vaccinated, the Nurse Who Likes To Fuck from Ferris Bueller's Day Off, DJ Nik finally returning to the Drunk Cinema Theater for the first time since 2022, finally watching a James Cameron film, Sigourney Weaver holding her own against male action heroes, Paul Reiser as Dr. Sam Owens on Stranger Things, Lance Henriksen as Frank Black on The X-Files and Millennium, Bill Paxton in Weird Science, Sigourney Weaver as one of our patron saints on Drunk Cinema, James Horner recycling some of his Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan score for Aliens, Aliens being nominated for 7 Academy Awards, Xan drinking dollar store Nyquil for Drunk Cinema, the deleted sequence where we find out Ripley had a daughter called Amanda, James Cameron loving a dream sequence, Nik being our resident xenomorphologist, Ripley and Newt filling a need in each other's lives, Xan and I interrupting Nik from watching the movie, Burke being a total dick, showing love to Bill Paxton, Burke's dick move, Gorman finally doing something heroic, Alien hand puppeteer being a great job, Ripley facing her fears and coming our stronger on the other side, new Drunk Mail from Christine Peruski, Dave Proctor and Aaron Case, watching Used Cars for Xan's Dad's birthday, and more!

If you'd like to check out our podcast and subscribe to us, you can find us on...

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE

Direct MP3 downloads/Libsyn -- RIGHT HERE
Spotify -- RIGHT HERE

Drunk Cinema's Facebook Page

Drunk Cinema's Twitter Account

And in honor of our fifth anniversary, we have a NEW Drunk Cinema t-shirt, which you can find on TeePublic by clicking HERE!  This spiffy shirt looks great while you're listening to the Drunk Cinema podcast or when you're attending your favorite film festival! Or you can order all sorts of cool Drunk Cinema merch there as well!

Be sure to come back in two weeks as Xan and I watch Used Cars, the 1980 satirical dark comedy directed by Robert Zemeckis, featuring Kurt Russell as Rudy Russo, Jack Warden as Roy Fuchs and Luke Fuchs, Gerrit Graham as Jeff, and Frank McRae as Jim!

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 361: "Revenge of the Cybermen" Is Up!

 
"Did you make the rocks fall, Harry?"
"Well...I suppose I must've done that, yes..."
"...Yes, yes...HARRY SULLIVAN IS AN IMBECILE!!!"
-- The Fourth Doctor and Harry Sullivan, Doctor Who: "Revenge of the Cybermen"

Hello again, everyone! My partner in time Jesse Jackson and I are back for another new episode of Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast! This time, we discuss "Revenge of the Cybermen", the fifth serial from Doctor Who Season 12 in 1975, featuring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith, Ian Marter as Harry Sullivan, and Jeremy Wilkin as Professor Kellman!

In this episode, Jesse and I discuss things like Jesse getting a free iPad at his Christmas party, Jesse's thoughts on watching "Revenge of the Cybermen" for the first time, Robert Holmes rewriting Gerry Davis' story "Return of the Cybermen", director Michael E. Briant's wife unleashing an ancient curse on the production team, Kellman's secret radio transmitter being the same prop used in the 1973 James Bond film Live and Let Die, this serial featuring the first appearance of the Seal of Rassilon, this serial being the first Doctor Who story released on VHS, Betamax and Laserdisc home video, our love of the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane's chemistry, the Doctor's shit-eating grin knowing that Harry wouldn't be able to keep the Time Ring, how Harry Sullivan and Rory Williams are similar, the Cybermat attacking Sarah Jane and infecting her with the cyber-virus, Kellman booby-trapping his own room to kill the Doctor, the Doctor calling Harry an imbecile, Kellman being revealed as a double-agent working for the Vogans, the Vogans trying to keep the Cybermen from blowing up their plant, how to tell the two Vogan factions apart, the Cybermen's obvious plan to blow up the planet of gold, the Rubik's Snake, the Cyber-Leader and Ashad the Lone Cyberman, trying to get Jesse to watch Alien: Earth, our favorite quotes from the episode, my Reverse the Reverse the Polarity segment, new listener feedback from Sandi from Oregon and Dave Proctor, Jesse's love of Pluribus, our upcoming schedule for the first third of 2026, finally having a new Special Guest Companion joining us, and more!

If you'd like to check out our latest episode, you can find us on...

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE
Direct MP3 downloads/Libsyn -- RIGHT HERE
Spotify -- RIGHT HERE

Next Stop Everywhere's Facebook page

Next Stop Everywhere's Twitter account

Next Stop Everywhere's Instagram account

We have a NEW Next Stop Everywhere t-shirt, which you can find on TeePublic right HERE!  This spiffy shirt looks great when you're listening to your favorite Doctor Who podcast and travelling through time and space! Or you could order all sorts of cool Next Stop Everywhere merch there as well!

Be sure to come back in four weeks for the next episode of Next Stop Everywhere as Jesse and I are joined by new special guest companion Mike McCarty as we discuss "Planet of Evil", the second serial from Doctor Who Season 13 in 1975, featuring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith, and Frederick Jaeger as Professor Sorenson!

STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS Casts Bones and Sulu for Series Finale

 
It's almost time for the original five-year mission.

Deadline is reporting that the Paramount+ series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has cast Thomas Jane as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy and Kai Murakami as Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu for the show's upcoming series finale at the end of Season 5.

Jane will be the third actor to portray Dr. McCoy in live-action, after the late DeForest Kelley in the original Star Trek, its six feature films, and the first episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Karl Urban in the films Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness, and Star Trek Beyond. 

Murakami will be the third actor to portray Lieutenant Sulu in live-action, after George Takei in the original Star Trek, its six feature films, and the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Flashback", and John Cho in the films Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness, and Star Trek Beyond. 

This will complete Star Trek: Strange New Worlds recasting of the original crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise featured in Season 1 of the 1966 NBC series Star Trek. Jane and Murakami will join Paul Wesley as James T. Kirk, Ethan Peck as Spock, Celia Rose Gooding as Nyota Uhura, and Martin Quinn as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott. Walter Koenig's character, Pavel Chekov, didn't appear until the original series' second season.

Jane, 56, has appeared in the films The Punisher (2004), Boogie Nights, Deep Blue Sea, The Sweetest Thing, The Mist, 1922, and The Predator. He also played Mickey Mantle in the television film 61* and Josephus Miller in the Syfy/Amazon Video series The Expanse.

Murakami, age unknown, will make his television acting debut in the Season 5 finale. He previously performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company as Kazego in My Neighbour Totoro. Next year, Murakami will take on the leading role of Oba Yozo in the 2026 stage adaptation of No Longer Human.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 is expected to premiere in mid-to-late 2026 on Paramount+.

DRUNK CINEMA 090: "A Christmas Story" Is Up!

 
"Only one thing in the world could've dragged me away from the soft glow of electric sex gleaming in the window."
-- Adult Ralphie Parker, A Christmas Story

Hello again, movie fans!  My wonderful co-host Xan Sprouse and I are back with a new episode of Drunk Cinema! This time, Xan and I watch A Christmas Story, the 1983 Christmas comedy film directed by Bob Clark, featuring Peter Billingsley as Ralphie Parker, Darren McGavin as Mr. Parker/The Old Man, Melinda Dillon as Mrs. Parker, and Ian Petrella as Randy Parker!

This time, Xan and I discuss things like the impending Snowpocalypse, being shocked if you're able to avoid A Christmas Story, Bob Clark being the master of Christmas, Rhinestone with Sylvester Stallone and Dolly Parton, Jean Shepherd's original short story collection In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, Xan meeting Jean Shepherd, Peter Billingsley as Marvel Cinematic Universe character William Ginter Riva, Darren McGavin as Carl Kolchak in Kolchak: The Night Stalker, all the kids returning as adults in A Christmas Story Christmas, A Christmas Story being a great movie to have on in the background, the Parker house not being laid out very well, guns being toys for children, Warren G. Harding Elementary School, Flick sticking his tongue on the frozen flagpole for a Triple Dog Dare, neighborhood bullies Scut Farkus and Grover Dill, secret decoder rings for old radio shows. The Old Man getting a major award, that awkward moment when Ralphie says the word "fuck", Xan's theory that most parents hate their children and want to torture them, Ralphie realizing he's decoded a crummy commercial, Randy being worried that The Old Man is going to kill his brother Ralphie, Ralphie and Randy going to see Santa Claus at Higbee's department store, The Old Man getting Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas, Ralphie thinking he shot his eye out, A Christmas Story being more relatable than It's a Wonderful Life, new Drunk Mail from Christine Peruski and Dave Proctor, DJ Nik joining us to watch Aliens even if he doesn't know it yet, and more!

If you'd like to check out our podcast and subscribe to us, you can find us on...

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE

Direct MP3 downloads/Libsyn -- RIGHT HERE
Spotify -- RIGHT HERE

Drunk Cinema's Facebook Page

Drunk Cinema's Twitter Account

And in honor of our fifth anniversary, we have a NEW Drunk Cinema t-shirt, which you can find on TeePublic by clicking HERE!  This spiffy shirt looks great while you're listening to the Drunk Cinema podcast or when you're attending your favorite film festival! Or you can order all sorts of cool Drunk Cinema merch there as well!

Be sure to come back in three weeks as Xan and I are joined by special guest DJ Nik as we watch Aliens, the 1986 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron, featuring the return of Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley, along with Michael Biehn as Dwayne Hicks, Lance Henriksen as Bishop, and Paul Reiser as Carter Burke!

SUPERMAN Sequel MAN OF TOMORROW Casts Lars Eidinger as Brainiac

 
One of Superman's greatest enemies is finally making his debut on the big screen.

Variety is reporting that Man of Tomorrow, the upcoming sequel to Superman (2025), has cast Lars Eidinger as DC Comics supervillain Brainiac. Despite a number of Superman movies over the decades, this will be Brainiac's first appearance in a feature film. Eidinger joins returning actors David Corenswet as Superman/Clark Kent and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.

Director James Gunn posted on Instagram, "In our worldwide search for Brainiac in ‘Man of Tomorrow,’ Lars Eidinger rose to the top. Welcome to the DCU, Lars."

Eidinger, 49, is a German actor and rapper who has appeared in the films Jay Kelly, Dumbo (2019), and White Noise. In addition, he's appeared in the 2023 Netflix limited series All the Light We Cannot See.

Created in 1958 by Otto Binder and Al Plastino, Brainiac first appeared in Action Comics (vol.1) #242 as a bald, green-skinned humanoid who arrived on Earth and shrank various cities, including Metropolis, storing them in bottles with the intent of using them to restore the then-unnamed planet he ruled. including the Kryptonian bottle city of Kandor.  In 1964's Superman (vol.1) #167, Brainiac's origin was retconned into making him a machine created by the Computer Tyrants of Colu as a spy for them to invade other worlds, for which he was given a non-computer appearance.  Brainiac's distinctive gridwork of red diodes across his head are also explained.  He was created with visible "electric terminals of his sensory nerves" that he could not function without.  Lex Luthor discovered that the Computers could have given Brainiac 12th-Level intellect, but gave him a 10th-Level, the same as them, so he would not try to dominate them.

In the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths DC Comics continuity, Brainiac's history was completely rewritten.  The post-Crisis version of Brainiac was now a radical Coluan scientist called Vril Dox who, having attempted to overthrow the Computer Tyrants of Colu, was sentenced to death.  In his last moments before disintegration, his consciousness was attracted light years away to Milton Fine, a human sideshow mentalist who worked under the alias "Brainiac".  Needing cranial fluid to maintain his possession of Fine, Dox went on a murder spree.  He discovered that Fine had genuine psychic powers and thus a metahuman, which he frequently wielded against Superman.  During a later skirmish with Superman in Metropolis, Milton Fine's body was irreparably damaged, leaving Brainiac with only a short time to live.  In order to preserve his life, he concocted an elaborate scheme by having an agent of his, a Coluan named Prin Vnok, use a time machine to travel to the End of Time itself and retrieve the creature known as Doomsday.  Doomsday had been left there by Superman and Waverider to ensure that he would never be a threat again, Brainiac planned to use Doomsday as a new host body.  Superman thwarted Brainiac's plot by driving him out of Doomsday's body with the use of a telepathy-blocking "psi-blocker", forcing Brainiac out of Doomsday and leaving him with no other option but to adopt a recently designed robotic body, dubbed Brainiac 2.5, which he could not abandon.

In 2013, Brainiac received another new origin as part of the New 52 DC Comics continuity.  In this version, Brainiac was first seen as the mysterious informant that supplied Lex Luthor with information of Superman and his alien nature.  Clark Kent had a dream of Krypton's final moments in which an artificial intelligence that controlled the planet woke up robots in an attempt to preserve the Kryptonian culture.  Later, while Clark conducted an interview in a robotic factory, the same harvester robots appeared.  Although they managed to defeat Brainiac, the alien sentience had already miniaturized and bottled the city of Metropolis and took it to his ship in space.  Superman traveled to the ship and found many alien bottled cities, Kandor included.  The alien identified himself as a being from the planet Colu, where he was known as C.O.M.P.U.T.O and on Krypton he was called Brainiac 1.0.  He claimed that without Superman and the ship that brought him to Earth, his Kryptonian collection is incomplete. The alien intelligence stated he would disable life support in both the Kandor and Metropolis bottles, and Superman was forced to choose which city to save using indestructible Kryptonian armor found on the ship.  Superman decided on neither, but still wore the armor.  Brainiac sent Metallo to attack Superman, but due to Superman's feelings for Lois Lane, Metallo broke free of Brainiac's control and joined Superman in his attack. Superman then used his rocket from Krypton that had also been miniaturized with Metropolis to attack Brainiac's mind. In doing so, Metropolis was returned to Earth and Superman took possession of Brainiac's ship and made it his new super citadel.

Eidinger will be the third actor to portray Brainiac in live-action, after James Marsters on the WB/CW series Smallville and Blake Ritson on the Syfy series Krypton. Brainiac has also appeared in various animated projects, including The New Adventures of Superman (voiced by Cliff Owens), Challenge of the Super Friends (voiced by Ted Cassidy), Super Friends, Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show, and The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians (voiced by Stanley Ralph Ross), Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League, Static Shock, Justice League Unlimited, and Legion of Super-Heroes (voiced by Corey Burton), Batman: The Brave and the Bold (voiced by Richard McGonagle), Justice League Action (voiced by John de Lancie), Superman: Brainiac Attacks (voiced by Lance Henriksen), and Superman: Unbound (voiced by John Noble).

Man of Tomorrow is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on July 9, 2027.

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 360: "Victory of the Daleks" Is Up!

 
"SCAN REVEALS NOTHING! TARDIS SELF-DESTRUCT DEVICE NON-EXISTENT!"
"All right...It's a Jammie Dodger, but I was promised tea!"
-- Dalek Strategist and the Eleventh Doctor, Doctor Who: "Victory of the Daleks"

Hello again, everyone! My partner in time Jesse Jackson and I are back for another new episode of Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast! This time, we discuss "Victory of the Daleks", the third episode from Doctor Who Series Five in 2010, featuring Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, Karen Gillan as Amy Pond, Ian McNeice as Winston Churchill, and Bill Paterson as Edwin Bracewell!

In this episode, Jesse and I discuss things like Jesse escaping the polar vortex, Jesse's thoughts on rewatching "Victory of the Daleks", Winston Churchill's friendship with the Doctor, Ian McNeice as Baron Harkonnen in Frank Herbert's Dune, Steven Moffat being inspired by a visit to the Cabinet War Rooms, the distinct titles for the Paradigm Daleks, polarizing comments made about the Paradigm Daleks relegating them to Doctor Who history, "Victory of the Daleks" being the first time the Daleks appeared in World War II, a deleted scene where the Doctor described his history with Churchill, the Doctor trying to convince Amy and Churchill that the Daleks are evil, the mystery of why Amy doesn't recall the events of "The Stolen Earth/Journey's End", the Daleks' plan to use the Doctor's testimony to prove they're really the Daleks, the Crack in Time story arc, Jesse showing Ian McNeice a caricature of him at a convention, the Churchill film Darkest Hour, Amy taking a different approach to convince Bracewell that he's human to keep him from exploding, Ian McNeice being a great Winston Churchill, Churchill wanting to use the Doctor's TARDIS to defeat the Nazis, Bill Paterson's great performance as Edwin Bracewell, the Paradigm Daleks killing the Ironside Daleks that created them, my take on science fiction, British Spitfires not being built to survive in the vacuum of space or the heat from re-entry, our favorite quotes from the episode, my Reverse the Polarity segment, new listener feedback from Holly Mac, Sandi from Oregon and Dave Proctor, Jesse bringing people together not tearing them apart, our final episode of 2025, and more!

If you'd like to check out our latest episode, you can find us on...

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE
Direct MP3 downloads/Libsyn -- RIGHT HERE
Spotify -- RIGHT HERE

Next Stop Everywhere's Facebook page

Next Stop Everywhere's Twitter account

Next Stop Everywhere's Instagram account

We have a NEW Next Stop Everywhere t-shirt, which you can find on TeePublic right HERE!  This spiffy shirt looks great when you're listening to your favorite Doctor Who podcast and travelling through time and space! Or you could order all sorts of cool Next Stop Everywhere merch there as well!

Be sure to come back in two weeks for the next episode of Next Stop Everywhere as Jesse and I discuss "Revenge of the Cybermen", the fifth serial from Doctor Who Season 12 in 1975, featuring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith, Ian Marter as Harry Sullivan, and Jeremy Wilkin as Professor Kellman!